cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
La Niña: an evolutionary noise-aware optimisation framework in self-adaptive publish/subscribe middleware for wireless sensor networks

This paper focuses on three key issues that the publish/subscribe (pub/sub) communication scheme faces for event routing in wireless sensor networks (WSNs): (1) balancing trade-offs among conflicting performance objectives such as data yield, data fidelity and power efficiency; (2) satisfying quality of service (QoS) requirements such as latency and (3) considering noise in evaluating event routing performance. To address these issues, this paper investigates self-adaptive event routing in TinyDDS, which is pub/sub middleware for WSNs. With its noise-aware and constraint-based evolutionary multiobjective optimisation framework, La Nina, TinyDDS autonomously adapts its routing parameters to dynamic network conditions by reducing the impacts of noise on performance evaluation and seeking the optimal trade-offs among performance objectives under given QoS requirements. Simulation results validate this ability of TinyDDS in large-scale, dynamic and noisy WSNs. TinyDDS is implemented lightweight enough to operate on resource-limited sensor nodes.
Debating the End Times with Bede

This article explores the discussions of world chronology and eschatology by the Venerable Bede (672/673–735) and what they reveal about the spectrum of ‘millenarian’ and other eschatological ideas...
Managing Pension Risks: A Corporate Finance Perspective

Defined benefit (DB) pension plans of both U.S. and European companies are significantly underfunded because of the low interest rate environment and prior decisions to invest heavily in equities. Additional contributions and the recovery of stock markets since the end of the crisis have helped a bit but pension underfunding remains significant. Pension underfunding has substantial corporate finance implications. The authors show that companies with large pension deficits have historically delivered weaker share price performance than their peers and also trade at lower valuation multiples. Large deficits also reduce financial flexibility, increase financial risk, particularly in downside economic scenarios, and contribute to greater stock price volatility and a higher cost of capital. The authors argue that the optimal approach to managing DB pension risks relates to the risk tolerance of specific companies and their short and long-term strategic and financial priorities. Financial executives should consider the follow pension strategies: Voluntary Pension Contributions: Funding the pension gap by issuing new debt or equity can provide valuation and capital structure benefits-and in many cases is both NPV-positive and EPS-accretive. The authors show that investors have reacted favorably to both debt- and equity-financed contributions., Plan de-risking: Shifting the pension plan's assets from equity to fixed income has become an increasingly popular approach. The primary purpose of pension assets is to fund pension liabilities while limiting risk to the operating company. The pension plan should not be viewed or run as a profit center., Plan Restructuring: Companies should also consider alternatives such as terminating and freezing plans, paying lump sums, and changing accounting reporting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Design and calibration of the 34 GHz Yale microwave cavity experiment

Several proposed models of the cold dark matter in the universe include light neutral bosons with sub{eV masses. In many cases their detection hinges on their infrequent interactions with Standard Model photons at sub{ eV energies. We describe the design and performance of an experiment to search for aberrations from the broadband noise power associated with a 5 K copper resonant cavity in the vicinity of 34 GHz (0.1 meV). The cavity, microwave receiver, and data reduction are described. Several congurations of the experiment are discussed in terms of their impact on the sensitivity of the search for axion{like particles and hidden sector photons.
S056 x-ray telescope experiment on the Skylab Apollo Telescope Mount

This paper describes the S056 X-ray instrument which was carried aboard the Skylab Apollo Telescope Mount as part of the solar instrument cluster. The instrument, which was built at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, consisted of a glancing incidence X-ray telescope to record solar images in the 6-40-A region, together with an X-ray event analyzer to monitor the total solar soft X-ray flux in several wavelength bands. The X-ray telescope used film as a recording medium and thin foil filters to isolate specific wavelength bands. The instrument subsystems are described in detail and typical results presented.
Evidence for dissociable motor skills in Huntington's disease patients

It has been proposed that the striatum is critical for acquiring new motor skills. Previous experiments have shown that patients with striatal dysfunction are impaired in acquiring new motor skills, but the tasks have always used stimuli that move in a repeating, predictable pattern. Four experiments showed that Huntington’s disease (HD) patients are impaired in learning such skills, but can learn at a normal rate skills that require the learning of a new perceptual-motor mapping. HD patients were impaired in learning a repeating motor sequence in a keypressing task. When the repeating sequence was removed and the stimulus-response mapping was made spatially incompatible, HD patients showed normal learning. HD patients learned a maze task when responding with a computer mouse but were impaired on a variation that required keypress responses. Control subjects showed no sensitivity to the repetitive sequence of movements in the mouse version, but part of their knowledge was sequence based in the keypress version. The neural basis of motor skill components is discussed.
Rut, migrante ejemplar: El duelo y las políticas simbólicas de la inmigración

La autora emplea el Libro de Rut para repensar la politica simbolica de la inmigracion. Expone y critica dos recientes lecturas de la historia de Rut, la de Cynthia Ozick y la de Julia Kristeva, para luego ofrecer la propia, en la cual invierte las preguntas habituales sobre los inmigrantes: en vez de preguntarse como resolver el problema de los inmigrantes, se pregunta que problemas pueden ellos resolver y como las politicas simbolicas de la inmigracion despliegan la extranjeria en aras de la democracia o la nacion. Afirma que tanto Ozick como Kristeva, a pesar de reconocer el valor del extranjero para refundar el regimen al que arriba —para Ozick por el hecho de elegirlo, para Kristeva por su diferencia, que inquieta toda pretension de soberania— ignoran la profunda indecidibilidad del inmigrante, quien desestabiliza a dicho regimen (de ahi las repetidas referencias a Rut como “la moabita”), al tiempo que, lo complementa y asi ayuda a apuntalarlo (en el caso de Rut, dicho complemento seria su ejemplar virtud). A partir de esta lectura de Rut, la autora propone reconocer la necesidad que tiene todo inmigrante de contar con espacios donde pueda llevar a cabo un duelo real por lo que pierde, asi como la necesidad de que un verdadero cosmopolitismo democratico se comprometa con el extranjero en tanto tal, sin exigir que afirme las categorias dominantes del regimen que lo recibe. Finalmente, da ejemplos de espacios donde estas labores de duelo y de vida en conjunto se pueden llevar a cabo, para proponer un cosmopolitismo democratico que se nutra de la indecidibilidad de sus inmigrantes, en vez de sentirse amenazado por ella.
Inhibition of cellular activation of retroviral replication by CD8+ T cells derived from non-human primates

To test the hypothesis that CD8+ T cells inhibit viral replication at the level of cellular activation, an Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-transformed cell line (FEc1) from a simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-seropositive sooty mangabey monkey was transfected with a human CD4 gene and shown to be replication-competent for HIV-1, HIV-2 and SIV. Utilizing a dual-chamber culture system, it was found that inhibition of viral replication can be mediated by a soluble factor. The FEc1 cell line was transiently transfected with an LTR-driven CAT reporter gene. It was found that autologous CD8+ T cells markedly inhibited CAT activity. Furthermore, co-transfection of the FEc1 cell line with an LTR-driven tat plasmid and LTR-CAT was able to quantitatively mitigate the suppressive effect. Thus, this inhibition appears to be directed at cellular mechanisms of viral transcription. Control transfections with an LTR-driven CAT plasmid with a mutation at the NFkB binding site yielded no CAT activity, suggesting that most viral replication as measured by CAT activity is dependent, to a large extent, upon cellularly derived NFkB binding proteins.
PPARγ-independent antitumor effects of thiazolidinediones

The thiazolidinedione (TZD) family of PPARγ agonists, especially troglitazone and ciglitazone, induce cell cycle arrest, differentiation, and apoptosis in cancer cells. Mounting evidence indicates that TZDs interfere with multiple signaling mechanisms independently of PPARγactivation, which affect many aspects of cellular functions governing cell cycle progression and survival of cancer cells. Here, we review the “off-target” mechanisms that underlie the antitumor effects of TZDs with emphasis on three key pathways, namely, inhibition of Bcl-2/Bcl-xL function, proteasomal degradation of cell cycle- and apoptosis-regulatory proteins, and transcriptional repression of androgen receptor (AR) through Sp1 degradation. Relative to tumor cells, nonmalignant cells are resistant to these PPARγ-independent antitumor effects, which underscores the translational potential of these agents. Furthermore, dissociation of these antitumor effects from their PPARγ agonist activity provides a rationale for using TZDs as scaffolds for lead optimization to develop a novel class of antitumor agents with a unique mode of mechanism.
Biogeochemical Controls on Trace Metal Cycling in Anoxic Marine Sediments

The solid phase chemical speciation of Fe, Cu, Ni, and Zn was investigated in two different biogeochemical environ ments in Chesapeake Bay to quantify the seasonal variability in the concentration of sulfide minerals and associated trace metals in the top 10 cm of sediment. When acid volatile sulfides (AVS) constitute less than 20% of HCl-soluble Fe (“reactive” Fe), the system is dynamic with respect to metals, and the formation and destruction of AVS minerals can potentially result in statistically significant seasonal shifts in both the flux of Cu across the sediment−water interface and the sedimentary concentration of Cu and Zn. When greater than 20% of HCl-soluble Fe is bound within AVS minerals, there is enough sulfide to effectively trap metals within the sediments, and temporal variations in AVS and pyrite do not necessarily result in temporal variations in the concentration of diagenetically available trace metals. Analysis of the ratio of reactive Fe to AVS can potentially increase the reliabilit...
Psychometrics Behind Computerized Adaptive Testing

The paper provides a survey of 18 years’ progress that my colleagues, students (both former and current) and I made in a prominent research area in Psychometrics—Computerized Adaptive Testing (CAT). We start with a historical review of the establishment of a large sample foundation for CAT. It is worth noting that the asymptotic results were derived under the framework of Martingale Theory, a very theoretical perspective of Probability Theory, which may seem unrelated to educational and psychological testing. In addition, we address a number of issues that emerged from large scale implementation and show that how theoretical works can be helpful to solve the problems. Finally, we propose that CAT technology can be very useful to support individualized instruction on a mass scale. We show that even paper and pencil based tests can be made adaptive to support classroom teaching.
Early decrease in minimal luminal diameter after successful percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty predicts late restenosis

Abstract Eighty-eight patients underwent serial coronary arteriography before, immediately after, 24 hours after and 7 ± 2 months after successful percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) of 102 lesions. Severity of coronary obstruction was measured using quantitative digital angiography. Three groups of lesions were defined when comparing angiograms recorded immediately after and 24 hours after PTCA: group I — lesions with either no change or 10% increase in diameter stenosis after PTCA (n = 19); and group III — patients with total occlusion (n = 12). There were no significant differences in the severity of stenosis before or immediately after PTCA among the 3 groups of lesions. Twenty-four hours after PTCA the diameter stenosis was 14.2 ± 6.3% in group I, 34.7 ± 8.1% in group II and 100 in group III (p
Detection of Marijuana Use in Human Saliva Using a Fluorometric Assay Based on Cannabinol Decomposition

Abstract One of the constituents of marijuana smoke, cannabinol, was found to photolytically decompose to one compound under nitrogen, but to three different compounds in the presence of air. The photolytic decomposition product formed under nitrogen was found to have intense fluorescent properties. Extracting saliva and irradiating the extract under nitrogen produced a detectable fluorometric change which was found to be adequate if more than 1 ng/ml of cannabinol is present in saliva.
Hydrogel crosslinking density regulates temporal contractility of human embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes in 3D cultures

Systematically tunable in vitro platforms are invaluable in gaining insight to stem cell–microenvironment interactions in three-dimensional cultures. Utilizing recombinant protein technology, we independently tune hydrogel properties to systematically isolate the effects of matrix crosslinking density on cardiomyocyte differentiation, maturation, and function. We show that contracting human embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hESC-CMs) remain viable within four engineered elastin-like hydrogels of varying crosslinking densities with elastic moduli ranging from 0.45 to 2.4 kPa. Cardiomyocyte phenotype and function was maintained within hESC embryoid bodies for up to 2 weeks. Interestingly, increased crosslinking density was shown to transiently suspend spontaneous contractility. While encapsulated cells began spontaneous contractions at day 1 in hydrogels of the lowest crosslinking density, onset of contraction was increasingly delayed at higher crosslinking densities for up to 6 days. However, once spontaneous contraction was restored, the rate of contraction was similar within all materials (71 ± 8 beats per min). Additionally, all groups successfully responded to electrical pacing at both 1 and 2 Hz. This study demonstrates that encapsulated hESC-CMs respond to 3D matrix crosslinking density within elastin-like hydrogels and stresses the importance of investigating temporal cellular responses in 3D cultures.
Light and electron microscopic studies of acute and chronic thallium intoxication in rats.

Abstract The morphologic changes induced by subcutaneous injection of varying doses of thallium acetate in adult male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were studied with the light and electron microscopes. The animals were sacrificed at various intervals within the period of 18 hours to 6 1 2 months after the initial injection. With the light microscope, renal eosinophilic casts, enteritis, and severe colitis were consistently present in the acutely poisoned animals. In the subacutely poisoned animals, frequent foci of perivascular cuffing and a rare focus of recent necrosis were seen in the brain. No changes were noted with the light microscope in the chronically poisoned animals. With the electron microscope, the most consistent changes in all groups of poisoned animals were noted in the kidney, liver, and intestine. In the kidney there was swelling of the tubule cells and partial to total loss of microvilli in many of the swollen cells. In swollen cells of the proximal tubules, the endoplasmic reticulum was dilated and partially ruptured. Intraluminal tubular casts of membranous debris and cytoplasmic organelles were frequently seen in all portions of the renal tubules. Greatly increased numbers of autophagic vacuoles, lysosomes, lipid droplets, and residual bodies were present in tubular cells, particularly in the proximal convoluted tubules. Degenerative changes were frequently present in the mitochondria of the kidney, liver, and intestine; they were sometimes also observed in the brain, seminal vesicle, and pancreas. These changes included swelling of mitochondria and partial or total loss of cristae and mitochondrial granules, increased size and density of mitochondrial granules with occasional electron-lucent cores within these granules, and increased numbers and stacking of mitochondrial cristae. In hepatocytes of subacutely and chronically poisoned animals, there were infrequent accumulations of homogeneous electron-opaque material in the center of mitochondria, with a peripheral displacement of the enlarged and aggregated mitochondrial granules. Autophagic vacuoles and lysosomes were found in increased numbers in all organs examined. Lipid, in the form of droplets, was often increased in hepatocytes of the chronically poisoned animals. No intranuclear or cytoplasmic inclusion bodies were seen. The variety of changes noted in mitochondria and the increased numbers of autophagic vacuoles and lipid droplets in thallium poisoning are not considered specific for thallium, and are similar to changes seen following cellular injury evoked by a variety of agents. The enlargement of mitochondrial granules is thought to be due to the accumulation of thallium within these structures. It is proposed that one mode of action of thallium may be to combine with mitochondrial sulfhydryl groups and thereby interfere with oxidative phosphorylation.
Central Nervous System Regions Involved in the Estrogen-Induced Afternoon Prolactin Surge. I. Lesion Studies*

Central nervous system regions were examined in long term ovariectomized rats to determine if they are involved in the estrogen-induced afternoon surge in plasma PRL. Adult female rats were ovariectomized 2–3 weeks before bilateral radiofrequency or electrolytic lesions of the brain were placed on day 0. In short term lesion studies, catheterizations and sc injections of polyestradiol phosphate (PEP) were done after the lesion was made; blood sampling was performed on day 2, 3, 4, or 6. In long term lesion studies, the catheterization and PEP injection were done on day 21; blood was collected on day 28. In short term experiments, extensive lesions in the medial preoptic area/suprachiasmatic nuclei (MPO/SCN) completely blocked the PEP-induced afternoon PRL surges sampled on days 2, 3, 4, and 6, while bilateral lesions in the corticomedial amygdala (CMA) had no effect. Discrete bilateral lesions of either MPO or SCN eliminated the afternoon PRL surge on day 6. Discrete, yet complete, lesions of the ventrome...
Intravascular lipoma of the internal jugular vein

Benign primary venous tumors are rare. While venous lipomas have been reported in the vena cava, their incidence in the remainder of the venous circulation is less well known. We present what we believe to be the first reported case of an intravascular lipoma arising from the internal jugular vein. The clinical presentation, imaging characteristics, and histologic features are presented. We also performed a review of the current literature.
The Safety Factor: Case Studies in Engineering Judgment

While the concept of the safety factor in mechanical analysis and design is introduced early and reinforced throughout the typical mechanical engineering curriculum, it is often misunderstood and misinterpreted by engineering students. This is especially evident in ‘capstone design’ experiences, when the safety factor ceases to be a ‘given’ and becomes yet another design variable that must be selected and justified by the student design team. This paper reviews the concept of the safety factor from a variety of viewpoints, each of which can provide some insight to the student of mechanical design, and addresses some of the classical misconceptions and misuses of the safety factor by undergraduate students. It also proposes teaching tools that can be used to highlight the concept of the safety factor as a design variable, whose specification requires analysis, insight, and engineering judgment.
An optimal poincaré inequality for convex domains of non-negative curvature

In this note we estimate from below the first non-zero eigenvalue of the Neumann problem of two dimensional convex domains of non-negative Gaussian curvature. The Neumann problem is described as follows: Let M be an oriented manifold with fixed complete Riemannian metric, and let A be the Laplace-Beltrami operator associated with this metric, acting on realvalued functions on M. Also let f2 denote a fixed compact connected submanifold of M whose boundary c?f2 is continuous and piecewise of class C ~, and whose interior f2 ~ has the same dimension as M. Our task is to study the eigenvalues problem
Regulation of whole-body frontal plane balance varies within a step during unperturbed walking

This study sought to determine whether the need to actively control lateral balance is consistent within a step. Variability of the frontal plane COM-Ankle angle was calculated over 50 strides at discrete gait events for twenty-one healthy young adults to quantify active control of lateral balance within a step. Frontal plane COM-Ankle angle variability was found to vary significantly between all gait events, decreasing progressively within a step. This suggests that active control of lateral balance varies significantly within a step and that the greatest degree of active control occurs at heel-strike. The increased active control of lateral balance during heel-strike indicates a degree of preparation to ensure sufficient lateral balance control prior to more challenging events. These results provide insight into the mechanisms of lateral balance control and how to assess and treat locomotor balance control impairments.
The strongly stable core in weighted voting games

The problems associated with the concept of the core in spatial voting games such as non-existence and instability are well documented. The structurally stable core, presented by Schofield, attempts to resolve these problems by looking at the subset of the core which is still nonempty after a small change in voter preferences. Although this concept, combined with the adoption of supramajoritarian voting rules and weighted voting games, may very well explain the observed stability in reality, it may not be suitable for certain coalition situations. This article proposes a new solution concept, the strongly stable core. The conditions for the existence and the potential location of the strongly stable core are then explored and compared with those of the structurally stable core.
Subfoveal and juxtafoveal Subretinal Neovascularization in the Presumed Ocular Histoplasmosis Syndrome: Visual Prognosis

The visual prognosis of 148 eyes in patients with an active subfoveal or juxtafoveal subretinal neovascular membrane (SRNVM) in the presumed ocular histoplasmosis syndrome (POHS) was reviewed. Average follow-up was 39 months. One hundred twenty of 148 eyes (81.1%) had a final visual acuity worse than 20/40. One hundred three of 148 eyes (69.6%) had a final visual acuity equal to or worse than 20/200. Systemic and/or periocular steroids had no effect on final visual outcome. Factors affecting final visual outcome are described and prognosis in the fellow eye is discussed.
Street Children of Colombia

The characteristics of street children were examined from participant observational data, and from standardized psychological test scores from a sample of 56 male, Colombian street children who ran...
Run-Time Three-Dimensional Blend-Path Generation for Cobot Constraint Surfaces

During human-cobot interaction, transitions often occur between free mode operation and constraint surface following. This paper considers the following typical scenario: an operator of a three-dimensional (e.g. x-y-z or x-y-θ) cobot commands a “join” from free mode to a one-dimensional constraint path. To ensure that this transition is smooth and responsive, a “blend path” is computed that joins the cobot’s initial location to a location on the constraint path. The blend path must match tangency and curvature at each end, and must also exhibit continuous curvature. A novel “triple-clothoid” algorithm is developed that meets these requirements. In addition, we demonstrate that the triple-clothoid is particularly amenable to x-y-θ systems via implementation on a planar cobot.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
Thermal Conduction Mechanism in Nanofluids, Solid Composites and Liquid Mixtures

Analysis of Maxwell’s mean-field (or effective-medium) theory reveals two limiting bounds — an upper and a lower bound — for thermal conductivity in binary composite systems. The lower and the upper bounds correspond to continuous conduction paths through the base medium and the dispersed medium, respectively (assuming that the dispersed medium has a higher thermal conductivity). Extensive comparisons to experimental data show that most of the reported thermal conductivity data on nanofluids, solid composites and liquid mixtures fall between the limiting Maxwell bounds. For a nanofluid, this indicates that the effective thermal conductivity is largely dependent on the geometrical configuration and the connectivity of the dispersed nanoparticle phase. The lower bound corresponds to a colloidal configuration of well-dispersed nanoparticles with the continuous conduction path provided by the base medium while the upper bound represents a linear, fractal-like nanoparticle arrangement with the continuous conduction path provided by the nanoparticles.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
High Speed Preparative HPLC Separation of Regioisomers of a Pharmaceutical Intermediate Using Gradients of Methanol in Ethoxynonafluorobutane

Abstract Highly efficient preparative HPLC separation of a mixture of regioisomers of a pharmaceutical intermediate using gradients of methanol in hexane‐like ethoxynonafluorobutane on a cyano column is described. Such gradients were unique for the mixture to produce significant amounts of individual isomers in a short period of time. The quality of the separation was not affected by a two‐fold increase in the flow rate used. The influence of the injection solvent, sample load, and injection volume on the separation performance was studied. Viscosity of the injection solvent and its volume appeared to play a major role in the successful outcome of the regioisomers' separation, and the polarity of the injection solvent did not seem to affect the separation.
Definitive radiotherapy alone or combined with a planned neck dissection for squamous cell carcinoma of the pharyngeal wall.

BACKGROUND In the current study,the authors analyzed the results of definitive radiotherapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the pharyngeal wall. METHODS Between 1964 and 2000, 148 patients were treated with definitive radiotherapy. All patients had a 2-year minimum follow-up. RESULTS The following 5-year rates of local and ultimate local control were obtained: T1 disease, 93% and 93%; T2 disease, 82% and 87%; T3 disease, 59% and 61%; and T4 disease, 50% and 50%, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that twice-daily fractionation (P = 0.0009), American Joint Committee on Cancer Stage I–II disease (P = 0.0051), and oropharyngeal primary site (P = 0.0193) were associated with improved locoregional control. The following 5-year absolute and cause-specific survival rates were obtained: Stage I, 56% and 89%; Stage II, 52% and 88%; Stage III, 24% and 44%; Stage IV, 22% and 34%; and overall, 30% and 49%, respectively. Eight patients (5%) died of complications. CONCLUSIONS Locoregional control and survival were found to be related to site, extent of disease, and fractionation schedule. Although outcomes have improved in recent years, the morbidity of treatment was significant in the current study and a substantial proportion of patients died secondary to the malignancy. Cancer 2003. © 2003 American Cancer Society.
A nonparametric multivariate cumulative sum procedure for detecting shifts in all directions

Summary. The fairly limited range of tools for multivariate statistical process control generally rests on the assumption that the data vectors follow a multivariate normal distribution-an assumption that is rarely satisfied. We discuss detecting possible shifts in the mean vector of a multivariate measurement of a statistical process when the multivariate distribution of the measurement is non-Gaussian. A nonparametric cumulative sum procedure is suggested which is based both on the order information among the measurement components and on the order information between the measurement components and their in-control means. It is shown that this procedure is effective in detecting a wide range of possible shifts. Several numerical examples are presented to evaluate its performance. This procedure is also applied to a data set from an aluminium smelter.
Child Welfare Policy and Practice

The underlying message of the articles in this issue of Children and Youth Services Review is the need for empirically based planning and practice in child welfare services. One of the shortcomings of these services is that they have been driven by “practice wisdom”, economic and political expediency, or a selective consideration of the research (Nelson, 1984). Dramatic changes have occurred in child welfare service delivery during the last 30 years. The “discovery of the battered child syndrome” (young children with multiple inflicted injuries at various stages of healing) by Kempe and his colleagues (1962) signaled a new era in child welfare (Faller, 1981; Kadushin & Martin, 1988). These researchers, who were pediatricians, radiologists, and psychiatrists, conducted a survey which identified 302 battered children who were seen in 88 hospitals across the country. This work led to heightened concern about children who were being maltreated, and ultimately was instrumental in the passage of federal legislation (PL 93-247-Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, 1974) and corresponding state laws, which created and elaborated child protective services (Failer, 1981; Kadushin & Martin, 1988; Nelson, 1984). Of interest is the fact that an equally important study by David Gil (1970). which documented the association between poverty and minority status and being reported for child abuse, was largely ignored by legis- lators and others designing child protective services. The model adopted for child protective services is essentially a crisis intervention model. Its assumption is that child maltreatment is precip- itated by a parental or family crisis. The protective services worker is intended to enter the family, while it is in crisis, and provide short-term services, which alleviate the crisis and return the family to its previous,
Shrinkage and springback behavior of methylsilsesquioxanes prepared by an acid/base two-step processing procedure

We report on the effect of water concentration on the shrinkage and springback behavior of methylsilsesquioxane (MSQ) materials prepared by an acid/base two-step procedure in ethanolic solutions. The morphologies of the MSQ gels were characterized by SEM, nitrogen sorption, and mercury porosimetry. The chemical structures of these gels were also determined by solid-state 1 3 C and 2 9 Si NMR. As expected, shrinkage decreases as the volume of macropores in the material increases. Some samples, however, display shrinkage followed by expansion (springback phenomenon) even in the absence of surface modification or solvent exchange. The springback effect is attributed to the intrinsic properties of MSQ monoliths, namely, hydrophobicity and a low concentration of reactive groups on the surface. The implications of these findings for the development of low-shrinkage materials are discussed.
Copper intakes and consumption patterns of chocolate foods as sources of copper for individuals in the 1987–1988 Nationwide Food Consumption Survey

Abstract Objectives of this study were to estimate mean daily intake of copper for eight age subgroups of each gender, to examine consumption patterns of chocolate foods in the U.S., and to determine amounts of copper provided by the consumption of chocolate foods by analyzing 3-day dietary records reported by individuals in the 1987–1988 Nationwide Food Consumption Survey. Mean daily copper intake for all age/gender groups of infants and children reached the lower value of the Estimated Safe and Adequate Daily Dietary Intake (ESADDI) range. However, the mean daily copper intake of all age/gender groups of adolescents and adults was below the ESADDI of 1.5 to 3.0 mg/day. Chocolate cookies were most frequently consumed among chocolate foods. Dark chocolate/candy made the highest contribution to mean daily copper intake (22.1% of ESADDI). Other major contributors to the daily copper intake were chocolate pie (17.8% of ESADDI), chocolate milk (13.3%), chocolate topping/syrup/icing (12.0%), milk chocolate/candy (11.3%), and chocolate cake/muffin (11.2%). The total dietary copper intake by males and females was positively associated (p
Archeological and Linguistic Chronology of Indo-European Groups

UNTIL recently no purely linguistic method existed for objectively gauging the antiquity of language divergence. Hence, in her coordination of archeological cultures and prehistoric linguistic groups, Marija Gimbutas (1952) had at her disposal only relative linguistic chronologies except insofar as scholars had previously attempted to do what she did, that is, to associate linguistic divergences with movements of people and to assign dates to them on the basis of archeological evidence. The most specific evidence for connecting given prehistoric stages of languages with definite archeological cultures is that of "linguistic paleontology." Thus, historic languages like Latin, Teutonic, Church Slavic, Greek, Persian, Sanskrit, which are differentiated late continuations of a single ancient prehistoric tongue known as "Indo-European," have related words for various agricultural concepts. From this it follows that the prehistoric "Indo-Europeans" already practised agriculture and raised domestic animals before they separated and scattered. As Gimbutas points out, "The main surviving names of the common speech point to a neolithic stage of development; no certain word for any metal survived" (p. 606). For relatively recent prehistoric periods, important additional evidence may be obtained from place names; just as the toponymy of modern America includes a certain number of geographic names from the Indian languages, so too the map of Europe contains linguistic vestiges pointing to the tongues spoken in each area prior to the earliest known history. To these lines of evidence we can now add that of lexico-statistic dating, based on the recently discovered fact that the every-day, non-cultural vocabulary tends to be replaced at an approximately constant rate (Swadesh 1952). Wherever an ancient speech community has broken up, either because of migration or the weakening of such ties as intermarriage, common ceremonial events, trade, travel, etc., the linguistic changes in one area become more or less independent of those taking place elsewhere. From the percentage of cognate words still present in two test vocabularies, we can therefore obtain an index of the time period during which the two languages have been diverging. While much research still needs to be done before this method can be improved to its maximum of potential accuracy, it has already proved approximately correct in a series of cases where it was possible to check it against historical and archeological knowledge. Such instances, to which "North Indo-European" can now be added, include:
Schedule Control and Nursing Home Quality Exploratory Evidence of a Psychosocial Predictor of Resident Care

Aim: To examine whether nursing homes’ quality of care was predicted by schedule control (workers’ ability to decide work hours), independently of other staffing characteristics. Method: Prospective ecological study of 30 nursing homes in New England. Schedule control was self-reported via survey in 2011-2012 (N = 1,045). Quality measures included the prevalence of decline in activities of daily living, residents’ weight loss, and pressure ulcers, indicators systematically linked with staffing characteristics. Outcomes data for 2012 were retrieved from Medicare.gov. Results: Robust Linear Regressions showed that higher schedule control predicted lower prevalence of pressure ulcers (β = −0.51, p < .05). This association was independent of staff mix, staffing ratios, job satisfaction, and turnover intentions. Conclusion: Higher schedule control might enhance the planning and delivery of strategies to prevent or cure pressure ulcers. Further research is needed to identify potential causal mechanisms by which...
Clothing fit preferences of young female adult consumers

Purpose – This paper explores the relationships between body type and fit preferences with body cathexis, clothing benefits sought by consumers, and demographic profiles of consumers.Design/methodology/approach – The survey instrument consisted of a questionnaire with scales assessing fit preference, body type, body cathexis, clothing benefits sought and consumer demographics.Findings – Significant associations were found between body cathexis (satisfaction with head/upper body, lower body, height, weight and torso) and body shape. The degree of satisfaction with different body parts depended on the body type of the individual. The level of satisfaction with head/upper body, height and torso did not vary by body type. No significant differences were found between fit preferences and body type for lower body garments.Research limitations/implications – The majority of respondents were between the ages 18 and 28, affluent Caucasian Americans, with an hourglass body type, who had a family income of $85,000 o...
The role of the tissue adhesive fibrin seal (FS) in esophageal anastomoses

Following Surgical Removal Of Esophageal Tumors, Leakage And Medistinitis Is A Frequent And Often Fatal Complication. A New Method Has Been Developed To Seal Suture Lines In The Esophagus With Preparations Containing Fibrinogen, Cold Insoluble Globulin, Factor Xiii, Antiplasmin, Platelet Growth Factor, Thrombin, And Calcium Chloride. In Experimental Animals Operated On By Standard Methods, Esophageal Leakage Developed In 50% Of The Animals And Death In 40%. By Contrast, In Treated Animals, Esophageal Leak And Death Developed In Only 20%. More Adhesions Were Found In Treated Animals Than In Control Animals.
Chronic hepatitis C in ethnic minority patients evaluated in Los Angeles County.

Abstract OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare demographic, clinical, and histological features of hepatitis C in four ethnic groups seen at the Los Angeles County/University of Southern California Hepatitis Clinic. METHODS: We evaluated 256 patients with chronic hepatitis C, with 132 (52%) receiving a liver biopsy as part of their evaluation. We estimated fibrosis progression in 103 patients with known duration of disease. RESULTS: Asians (6%) were underrepresented in the hepatitis C cohort, whereas Latinos (51%) were overrepresented, as compared with the entire county population. A history of injection drug use was more frequent in whites (65%) than in African Americans (45%, p = 0.05), Latinos (47%, p = 0.01), or Asians (0%) and more frequent in Latinos (59%) than in Latinas (26%, p = 0.003). Such a gender difference was not found in African Americans or whites. Baseline laboratory values were comparable. The amount of alcohol consumed daily was higher in African Americans than in Asians ( p = 0.0001) and whites ( p = 0.10). African Americans (0.077 fibrosis stages/yr) and whites (0.084/yr) had significantly lower mean estimated progression of liver fibrosis than Latinos (0.215/yr) with hepatitis C virus infection ( p s = 0.03 and 0.02, respectively); this was likely related to their longer estimated duration of disease. CONCLUSION: Minorities represent the majority of chronic hepatitis C cases in the Los Angeles County Hepatitis Clinic. Asians, Latinas, and African Americans are less likely to report injection drug use as a risk factor for hepatitis C virus. Latinos seem to have faster liver fibrosis progression rates than either African Americans or whites.
Polyethylene hydroperoxide decomposition products

Abstract The decomposition products from pre-oxidized, linear low-density polyethylene have been identified and quantified for films exposed in the absence of oxygen to ultra-violet irradiation, heat or γ-irradiation. Films were preoxidized under controlled conditions by γ-irradiation in air. Vacuum decomposition products were then analyzed by infrared derivatization techniques to allow the quantification of carboxylic acid, ketone, ester, γ-lactone, alcohol, hydroperoxide and unsaturation products. From the relative proportion of these products it is possible to compare the mechanisms of the three initiation methods. These mechanisms are compared and contrasted with previously proposed mechanisms for polyethylene degradation.
A comparative study of the hypoplasticity and the fabric‐dependent dilatant double shearing models for granular materials

In this paper, we consider the mechanical response of granular materials and compare the predictions of a hypoplastic model with that of a recently developed dilatant double shearing model which includes the effects of fabric. We implement the constitutive relations of the dilatant double shearing model and the hypoplastic model in the finite element program ABACUS/Explicit and compare their predictions in the triaxial compression and cyclic shear loading tests. Although the origins and the constitutive relations of the double shearing model and the hypoplastic model are quite different, we find that both models are capable of capturing typical behaviours of granular materials. This is significant because while hypoplasticity is phenomenological in nature, the double shearing model is based on a kinematic hypothesis and microstructural considerations, and can easily be calibrated through standard tests.
Clinical evaluation of a new temporary atrial pacing catheter: Results in 100 patients

Absence of a temporary atrial electrode that is stable and easily positioned has limited the use of atrial pacing in the hospital setting. A novel electrode involving a performed, 6F "J"-shaped catheter with a 10F anodal sphere and proximal fixed orienting wings 28 cm from the anodal tip was constructed. This design facilitated percutaneous insertion into the subclavian vein and positioning without fluoroscopy. Over a 15-month period, five physicians used the device in 100 patients for control of bradycardia in 56, overdrive suppression of atrial or ventricular tachyarrhythmias in 29, conversion and control of paroxysmal atrial tachycardia in seven, and temporary atrial-ventricular sequential pacing in eight patients with complete heart block. In 75 patients the electrode was inserted at the bedside without the benefit of fluoroscopy. Average insertion time was 2.5 minutes, initial thresholds were good, and lead stability evaluated by x-ray films and ECG recordings was excellent. The duration of pacing with the lead was 4.3 days (mean) and ranged from 1 to 23 days, with episodes of capture failure in only seven cases. Two of these cases were readily corrected by repositioning. This new electrode system could be rapidly inserted with excellent stability and reliability for days. Its ease of use could expand the role of temporary atrial pacing.
African-American Islamization Reconsidered: Black History Narratives and Muslim Identity

Utilizing recent anthropological and historical approaches to Islamization (here meaning the various historical processes by which humans become Muslims), this article offers a new model for understanding African-Americanconversion to Islam. The article proposes that the creation, dissemination, and disputation of "black history narratives" have been central elements in black conversion from the 1920s until the present. Showing how African Americans have appropriated various Islamic figures, place names, texts, events, and themes in crafting black Islamic historical narratives, the article asserts that African-American Muslim identities have often reflected, if not revolved around, the idea that the historical destiny of black people as a whole is linked to the religion of Islam.
The use of nonmetric multidimensional scaling for the analysis of chromosomal associations

Abstract Methods are presented for the statistical analysis of the patterns of association among metaphase chromosomes in the conventional cytogenetic preparation of human peripheral lymphocytes. For each cell midpoints of the p and q ends and the centromere of each chromosome were digitized, these coordinates were used to compute a 138 by 138 matrix of distances between points, and the distances were then transformed to ranks. A separation matrix, Δ, was then computed by averaging the matrices of ranks across the replicate cells for each individual subject. The Δ matrix was then subjected to a two-dimensional nonmetric multidimensional scaling analysis. Plots of the resulting two-dimensional coordinates of the chromosomes represent summary metaphases. Comparative analyses of patterns of association found in the separation matrices and in the plots were carried out. Consistent patterns of association between groups of chromosomes were obtained for four human subjects in both Δ matrices and plots. The larger chromosomes (1–12, and X) were peripheral while the smaller chromosomes (13–22, and Y) were central and clustered. The acrocentric chromosomes (13, 14, 15, 21, 22) were especially clustered. The q points of most chromosomes were more peripheral than either the p or the c points. The summary plot seems to be a more idealized representation of the expected characteristics of the intact metaphase cell than is any single metaphase of the set from which the summary was derived.
Analysis of transferrin recycling in mitotic and interphase hela cells by quantitative fluorescence microscopy

Abstract Recent findings suggest that membrane vesicle transport during mitosis may be generally inhibited. To test this, we examined the kinetics of uptake and exocytosis of RITC-transferrin in mitotic and interphase HeLa cells. We used quantitative image-intensification fluorescence microscopy to analyze the content of ligands in single cells. This technique was validated by comparison of 3 H or RITC-transferrin release from interphase cells determined by microscopy or radiometry. Both methods gave a t 12 of release of 5–6 min. The uptake of RITC-transferrin was depressed in mitotics. More importantly, we monitored the exocytosis of label during mitosis. Labeled mitotics were obtained by the progression of interphase cells into mitosis during a 50 min incubation with RITC-transferrin. After 30 min chase with unlabeled transferrin, the intensities of interphase cells approached background, whereas those of mitotic cells remained nearly constant. Thus both exocytosis and endocytosis of transferrin were blocked during mitosis.