cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A stochastic model of optimal advertising pulsing policy

Abstract A descriptive model of stochastic sales response to advertising pulsing policy is presented. The prescribed strategy is the maximizer of a discounted profit function which includes the decision maker's attitude towards risk. Markovian assumptions concerning the sales behavior are made and the randomization technique for computing the probabilistic levels of sales is used. Maximum likelihood procedures for the estimation of market parameters are also discussed.
Dicarbollide complexes of rhodium and ruthenium

Abstract The 7,8-B9C2H112- ion reacts with (Ph3P)2Rh(CO)Cl to form (B9C2H11)-Rh(Cl)(Ph3P)2. This rhodacarborane reacts with NaBPh4 to produce (B9C2H11-Rh(Ph3P)(Ph4B). The new metallocarboranes [(B9C2H11)Rh(Ph3P)(C6H6)]2 and (B9C2H11)Rh(H)(Ph3P) were obtained from the reaction of B9C2H112- and (Ph3P)3RhCl. The ruthenacarboranes (B9C2H11)Ru(CO)(Ph3P)2 and (B9C2H11-Ru(CO)3 · 0.5C6H6 were prepared from (Ph3P)Ru(CO)2Cl2 and [Ru(CO)3Cl2]2 respectively.
Impact of Medical Residency on Knowledge of Asthma

Objectives. To assess resident physician knowledge of pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management of asthma and to assess the impact of an interactive curriculum on that knowledge. Participants. A total of 720 resident and attending physicians at 15 internal medicine residency programs. Methods. An educational module and two multiple choice tests were developed using established methods of curriculum development and knowledge assessment, then disseminated online to 15 internal medicine residency programs. Baseline and post-intervention knowledge was analyzed according to year of training using Chi square to detect differences in group performance. Results. Baseline knowledge on asthma was poor. The average baseline score on all questions was 54.2%, and was worst on questions on diagnosis of asthma (47.5% correct) and questions on management of asthma (54.8% correct). Baseline knowledge was best on questions on the pathophysiology of asthma (71.5% correct). On specific concepts, only 41.9% correctly knew wh...
Mechanisms and Potential Therapies for Preeclampsia

Preeclampsia is a pregnancy-induced hypertensive disorder found most commonly in nulliparous women. Recent research performed in animal models of the disease has revealed some of the underlying mechanisms of preeclampsia. Specifically, placental insufficiency and the resulting hypoxia/ischemia have been shown to be crucial to disease progression. In response to placental hypoxia/ischemia, several pathways are activated, which contribute to the clinical manifestations of the disease: increased circulating levels of the anti-angiogenic protein sFlt-1, activation of the maternal inflammatory response, suppressed nitric oxide production, enhanced endothelin-1 production, and induction of reactive oxygen formation. Despite advances in the understanding of the disorder, therapeutic approaches to the treatment of preeclampsia are severely limited. New lines of research, however, indicate some possible new therapeutic approaches for the management of preeclampsia and offer hope for an effective pharmacologic intervention.
Preparation of a high-density BiSrCaCuO ceramic with a single superconducting phase

Abstract It is found that a high density ceramic of the BiSrCaCuO system with a single superconducting phase can be produced by quenching the specimen from the melt, and then annealing at an appropriate temperature in the oxygen atmosphere below the melting point. Here, a case of growing a superconducting material with T c of 85 K with a nominal composition Bi:Sr:Ca:Cu = 2:2:1:2 is presented. The process thus has promise for producing high-quality, superconducting ceramic materials from the BiSrCaCuO system.
Neutrophil and macrophage production in the 623 week human fetus: comparison of bone marrow versus liver † 299

Neutrophil and macrophage production in the 623 week human fetus: comparison of bone marrow versus liver † 299
Effects and mechanisms of gastrointestinal electrical stimulation on slow waves: a systematic canine study.

The aims of this study were to determine optimal pacing parameters of electrical stimulation on different gut segments and to investigate effects and possible mechanisms of gastrointestinal electrical stimulation on gut slow waves. Twelve female hound-mix dogs were used in this study. A total of six pairs of electrodes were implanted on the stomach, duodenum, and ascending colon. Bilateral truncal vagotomy was performed in six of the dogs. One experiment was designed to study the effects of the pacing frequency on the entrainment of gut slow waves. Another experiment was designed to study the modulatory effects of the vagal and sympathetic pathways on gastrointestinal pacing. The frequency of slow waves was 4.88 ± 0.23 cpm (range, 4–6 cpm) in the stomach and 19.68 ± 0.31 cpm (range, 18–22 cpm) in the duodenum. There were no consistent or dominant frequencies of the slow waves in the colon. The optimal parameters to entrain slow waves were: frequency of 1.1 intrinsic frequency (IF; 10% higher than IF) and pulse width of 150–450 ms (mean, 320.0 ± 85.4 ms) for the stomach, and 1.1 IF and 10–20 ms for the small intestine. Electrical stimulation was not able to alter colon slow waves. The maximum entrainable frequency was 1.27 IF in the stomach and 1.21 IF in the duodenum. Gastrointestinal pacing was not blocked by vagotomy nor the application of an α- or β-adrenergic receptor antagonist; whereas the induction of gastric dysrhythmia with electrical stimulation was completely blocked by the application of the α- or β-adrenergic receptor antagonist. Gastrointestinal pacing is achievable in the stomach and small intestine but not the colon, and the maximal entrainable frequency of the gastric and small intestinal slow waves is about 20% higher than the IF. The entrainment of slow waves with gastrointestinal pacing is not modulated by the vagal or sympathetic pathways, suggesting a purely peripheral or muscle effect.
On optimum and suboptimum biasing procedures for importance sampling in communication simulation

Importance sampling can significantly reduce simulation run time in estimating the bit error probability of digital systems if a suitable procedure is used. Various aspects of optimum and suboptimum biasing procedures are considered. It is shown that the strict optimum does not lead to a realistic procedure. An examination is made of the suboptimal variations that can be implemented reasonably; in one variation, it is found that for a linear system, the biasing scheme should have a time-varying mean proportional to the impulse response. Aspects of implementation are also discussed. >
A Bayesian proportional hazards regression model with non-ignorably missing time-varying covariates

Missing covariate data are common in observational studies of time to an event, especially when covariates are repeatedly measured over time. Failure to account for the missing data can lead to bias or loss of efficiency, especially when the data are non-ignorably missing. Previous work has focused on the case of fixed covariates rather than those that are repeatedly measured over the follow-up period, hence, here we present a selection model that allows for proportional hazards regression with time-varying covariates when some covariates may be non-ignorably missing. We develop a fully Bayesian model and obtain posterior estimates of the parameters via the Gibbs sampler in WinBUGS. We illustrate our model with an analysis of post-diagnosis weight change and survival after breast cancer diagnosis in the Long Island Breast Cancer Study Project follow-up study. Our results indicate that post-diagnosis weight gain is associated with lower all-cause and breast cancer-specific survival among women diagnosed with new primary breast cancer. Our sensitivity analysis showed only slight differences between models with different assumptions on the missing data mechanism yet the complete-case analysis yielded markedly different results.
Energy-Efficient Progressive Remote Update for Flash-Based Firmware of Networked Embedded Systems

Firmware update over a network connection is an essential but expensive feature for many embedded systems due to not only the relatively high power consumption and limited bandwidth, but also page-granular erasure before rewriting to flash memory. This work proposes a page-level, link-time technique that minimizes not only the size of patching scripts but also perturbation to the firmware memory, over the entire sequence of updates in the system’s lifetime. We propose a tool that first clusters functions to minimize caller-callee dependency across pages, and then orders the functions within each page to minimize intrapage perturbation. Experimental results show our technique to reduce the energy consumption of firmware update by 30--42p over the state-of-the-art. Most importantly, this is the first work that has ever shown to evolve well over 41 revisions of a real-world open-source real-time operating system.
The impacts of climate change on ecosystem structure and function

Recent climate-change research largely confirms the impacts on US ecosystems identified in the 2009 National Climate Assessment and provides greater mechanistic understanding and geographic specificity for those impacts. Pervasive climate-change impacts on ecosystems are those that affect productivity of ecosystems or their ability to process chemical elements. Loss of sea ice, rapid warming, and higher organic inputs affect marine and lake productivity, while combined impacts of wildfire and insect outbreaks decrease forest productivity, mostly in the arid and semi-arid West. Forests in wetter regions are more productive owing to warming. Shifts in species ranges are so extensive that by 2100 they may alter biome composition across 5–20% of US land area. Accelerated losses of nutrients from terrestrial ecosystems to receiving waters are caused by both winter warming and intensification of the hydrologic cycle. Ecosystem feedbacks, especially those associated with release of carbon dioxide and methane rel...
Hormone-Containing Products' Impact on Antioxidant Status of Tall Fescue and Creeping Bentgrass Subjected to Drought

This study was conducted to determine whether the plant endogenous antioxidant concentration is responsive to exogenous hormone-containing products (HCPs) in two turfgrass species subjected to drought. Two-week-old seedlings of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) and creeping bentgrass (Agrostis palustris Huds. A.) were treated with two HCPs , seaweed extract (SWE) at 326 g ha-1 or humic acid (HA, 25% a.i.) at 5 L ha-1, applied alone or in combination and grown under either -0.03 or -0.5 MP a soil moisture for 5 wk. Growth and antioxidant status of leaves were determined subsequently. The HCP treatments significantly improved leaf water status (LWS) and shoot and root growth of the grasses grown under high (-0.03 MPa) and low (-0.5 MPa) soil moisture. alpha-Tocopherol concentration increased significantly and ascorbic acid concentration remained unchanged for drought-stressed compared with nonstressed turfgrass. The HCP treatments significantly increased alpha-tocopherol and ascorbic acid concentration of the grasses grown under high and low soil moisture. Positive correlation between antioxidants and shoot or root growth was found in the two grass species. Improvement of growth and LWS of turfgrass treated with HCPs may be related to its high antioxidant concentration.
Preparation and Cationic Photopolymerization of Organic−Inorganic Hybrid Matrixes

Surface modifications of colloidal silica by sol−gel techniques with trialkoxysilane coupling agents bearing cationically polymerizable epoxy and 1-propenyl ether groups were carried out under mild conditions. After dilution with difunctional epoxy and 1-propenyl ether monomers and the addition of an onium salt photoinitiator, the mixtures were irradiated with UV light to provide organic−inorganic hybrid matrixes. Photopolymerizations were uniformly rapid and proceeded to high conversions. Colorless, transparent, cross-linked films potentially useful as abrasion resistant coatings for plastic articles were produced.
The proximal neurovascular plate and the tri-zonal neural architecture around the prostate gland: importance in the athermal robotic technique of nerve-sparing prostatectomy

OBJECTIVE To review the neural architecture around the prostate gland, as it is relevant for nerve-sparing robotic prostatectomy, including in particular the anatomy of the proximal neurovascular tissue, the neurovascular bundle (NVB), and accessory neural pathways (ANPs). MATERIAL AND METHODS The aims of this study were achieved in collaboration between the Cornell Institute of Robotic Surgery, New York, NY, USA and the Institute of Urology at the University of Innsbruck, Austria. The broad steps were: (i) anatomical studies of 10 fresh and two fixed male cadavers; and (ii) collection of videotape and still image data from 200 men undergoing radical prostatectomy by the athermal robotic technique at the Cornell Institute. RESULTS From a surgical standpoint there was a tri-zonal neural architecture including the proximal neurovascular plate (PNP), the predominant NVB (PNB) and ANPs. The PNP was a mean (range) of 5 (3–10) mm lateral to the seminal vesicles, was 3 (2–7) mm thick, 7 (5–25) mm wide and 9 (4–30) mm long. It was within 6 (4–15) mm of the bladder neck, 5 (2–7) mm of the endopelvic fascia and overlapped 5 (0–7) mm of the proximal prostate. The PNB varied in shape and size from the proximal to distal end, was thickest at the base and most variable near the apex. In eight of 12 cases, there was a medial extension behind the prostate, which converged medially at the apex in four cases. ANPs were noted within the layers of levator fascia and/or lateral pelvic fascia on the anterolateral aspect in five cases and in three on the posterior aspect of the prostate. In nine cadavers, the proximal third of the prostate was covered by the PNP where these ANPs were most prominent. The ANPs formed a plexus on the posterolateral aspect of the apex in four cases. CONCLUSION We have created an anatomical map of neurovascular tissue relevant to robotic prostatectomy. A tri-zonal neural architecture is described which has helped in standardizing the steps of robotic prostatectomy.
Fabrication of interim acrylic resin removable partial dentures with clasps

An orderly sequence of steps for construction of an interim acrylic resin partial denture has been presented. The technique allows the dentist to fabricate an effective restoration that has a definite path of insertion and removal that can be placed in the patient's mouth with little time spent on adjustment and correction. This technique may be used with heat- or cold-curing acrylic resin.
Drying and Crystallization of Sucrose Solutions in Thin Films at Elevated Temperatures

Thin sucrose films were dried over 30-min periods during which sucrose crystal growth rates were monitored by videomicroscopy. Drying parameters and sucrose solution properties were varied to determine their effect on initial sucrose crystal growth rates. Growth rates increased by a factor of 4.5 as temperature increased from 40 to 70 °C. Varying initial sucrose concentration (70 to 80%) and drying air velocity (2 to 5 m/s) produced no change in crystal growth rates. Increases in film thickness from 150 to 450 μm and the presence of moisture in the drying air reduced growth rates by 33% at 70 °C, but had no effect at 50 °C. The addition of invert sugar (up to 5%) reduced growth rates by a factor of 2 to 3. L'objectif de ce travail est d'etudier les effets de certains parametres sur le cristal de saccharose obtenu a partir de solutions sucrees, en couche mince, a des temperatures elevees, et ceux utilises, dans une autre etude, a des temperatures faibles. Les parametres etudies sont la temperature de sechage, la concentration initiale en saccharose, la densite des grains en surface, la vitesse de l'air de sechage, son humidite relative, l'epaisseur de la couche, et le taux de sucre inverti dans la solution de saccharose. Les resultats montrent que la distribution des grains cristallises et de la teneur en sucre inverti sont des facteurs qui influent sur le taux de formation de cristaux formes en couche mince.
Alopecia areata in a patient with pili annulati

tend to aggregate at the periphery of the tumor masses, resulting in an inflammatory “cuff.” Each tumor has a variable content of collagenized, fibroblastic stroma that serves to compartmentalize individual aggregates of tumor cells in some areas. Our case showed these histologic features with significant pilosebaceous differentiation and a prominent vascular component (Fig. 1). All cases of LELCS have shown positive staining for cytokeratins, favoring an epidermal, follicular, or sudoriferous origin. More than half were positive for EMA, favoring a sudoriferous origin for this neoplasm. However, squamous cell carcinomas and sebaceous carcinomas can show also EMA-positive 2. Carbone A, Micheau C. Pitfalls in microscopic diagnosis of undifferentiated carcinoma of the nasopharyngeal type (lymphoepithelioma). Cancer 1982$0:1344-50. 3. Klijanienko J, Micheau C, Azli N, et al. Undifferentiated carcinoma of the nasopharyngeal type of the tonsil. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 1989;115:731-3. 4. Bosch JD, Kudryk WH, Johnson GH. The malignant lymphoepithelial lesion of the salivary glands. J Otolaryngol 1988;17:187-90. 5. Butler AE, Colby TV, Weiss L, et al. Lymphoepithe lioma-like carcinoma of the lung. Am J Surg Path01 1989; 13632-5. 6. Begin LR, Eskandari J, Joncas J, et al. Epstein-Barr virus related lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma of the lung. J Surg Oncol 1987;36:280-5. 7. Wick MR, Scheithauer BW, Weiland LH, et al. Primary thymic carcinomas. Am J Surg Path01 198%6:61320.
The interaction of human erythrocyte band 3 with cytoskeletal components

Band 3 of the human erythrocyte is involved in anion transport and binding of the cytoskeleton to the membrane bilayer. Human erythrocytes were treated to incorporate varying concentrations of DIDS (4,4'-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid) a non-penetrating, irreversible inhibitor of anion transport, and both functions of Band 3 were analyzed. The rate of efflux of 35SO2-4 was measured and the binding of cytoskeletal components to the membrane was evaluated by extracting the membranes with 0.1 N NaOH and analyzing for the peptides remaining with the membrane. It was found that 0.1 N NaOH extracts all the extrinsic proteins from membranes of untreated cells, while, in the case of the membranes from cells treated with DIDS, a portion of the cytoskeletal components, spectrin (Bands 1 and 2) and Band 2.1 (ankyrin, syndein) remain with the membrane. The amount of these cytoskeletal components remaining with the membrane depends on the concentrations of DIDS incorporated. The effect of DIDS on the extractability of the spectrin-Band 2.1 complex correlates well with DIDS inhibition of anion transport (r = 0.91). At DIDS concentrations which completely inhibit anion transport, about 10% of total spectrin-Band 2.1 complex remains unextracted. Another anion-transport inhibitor, pyridoxal phosphate, has no effect on binding of the cytoskeleton to the membrane. On the other hand, digestion of DIDS-pretreated intact erythrocytes with Pronase, chymotrypsin, or trypsin releases the tight binding of Band 3 to cytoskeleton on the inside of the membrane. Since trypsin does not hydrolyze Band 3 the data suggest that a second membrane protein which is trypsin sensitive may be involved with Band 3 in cytoskeletal binding.
The determinants of labor migration in Egypt.

The factors which affect individual decisions with regard to geographic movement in Egypt are examined and the magnitude in which each factor exerts its influence on aggregate geographic labor supply adjustments is estimated. The spatial unit used in the study is the administrative region of which there are 25. No effort is made to esimate the impact which migration has had on the origin or destination region. The migrant will presumably choose that destination which given his information the migrant thinks will be best. The model which is employed attempts to explain gross interregional migration without the explicit introduction of an individual decision function. Rather migration is related to certain aggregate proxy variables. Among the independent variables employed in the analysis are (origin and destination) income education urbanization and population. The other explanatory variable used is the distance between region i and region j. The migration measure employed refers to cumulative male migration which occurred prior to 1960; the independent variables are defined for a given point in time (1960). The independent variables explain a reasonably large percentage of the variance in migration between regions in Egypt. All variables were significant at the 5% level or better. The findings indicate that distance acts as an important impediment to migration. Migration is away from low wage and toward high wage regions which may have contributed to a narrowing of regional wage differentials. Migrants are attracted to regions which have large populations and to regions which have a large percentage of urban to total population. A tendency exists for migrants to come from regions with large populations. There is also some tendency for migrants to come from regions which have a relatively large urban population. Migrants do not appear to come from regions with high educational levels.
Space flight data from the Isothermal Dendritic Growth Experiment

The Isothermal Dendritic Growth Experiment (IDGE) is a NASA space flight experiment which flew as part of the United States Microgravity Payload (USMP-2), in early 1994. The IDGE measured dendritic growth rates, tip radii, and crystal morphologies of ultra-pure succinonitrile (CN-(CH2)2-CN) at supercoolings in the range from 0.05 - 2.0 K. Data taken in the form of slow-scan binary digitized images telemetered to the ground from orbit in near-real time, combined with the IDGE terrestrial data set, provide the first quantitative assessment of various theories on dendritic solidification and the effects of convection on dendritic growth.
Surface intersection using parallelism

Abstract The support of Boolean set operations in free-form solid modeling systems requires the repeated intersection of parametric surfaces. Present approaches to this problem are sequential and must make trade-offs between accuracy, robustness and efficiency. In this paper, we investigate a parallel approach to the surface intersection problem that shows, both theoretically and empirically, that with parallelism we can achieve both speed and precision simultaneously. We first develop a theoretical foundation for a subdivision method and derive complexity bounds. We show that the basic algorithm can be improved by parallelism. We then design two tolerance-based parallel subdivision algorithms, a macro-subdivision algorithm designed for MIMD shared memory machines and a lookahead-subdivision algorithm for pipelined MIMD machines. Empirical results on the Sequent Balance 21000, the Alliant FX/8, and the Cray-2 verify that significant speed-up is achievable.
Micro method for the gas chromatographic determination of serum theophylline utilizing an organic nitrogen sensitive detector

Abstract A gas chromatographic micro method utilizing an organic nitrogen sentitive detector for the determination of serum theophylline is described. The method incorporates 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine as the internal standard and involves extraction and off-column derivatization of theophylline and the internal standard to their pentyl derivatives. Using 50 μl of serum, concentrations of 1 μg/ml in serum can easily be measured. The method is linear up to 50 μg/ml and the precision of the method is 3.4% in the therapeutic range. No interferences from endogenous compounds or from drugs commonly co-administered with theophylline have been encountered.
The effect of uranium on bacterial viability and cell surface morphology using atomic force microscopy in the presence of bicarbonate ions

Past disposal practices at nuclear production facilities have led to the release of liquid waste into the environment creating multiple radionuclide plumes. Microorganisms are known for the ability to interact with radionuclides and impact their mobility in soils and sediments. Gram-positive Arthrobacter sp. are one of the most common bacterial groups in soils and are found in large numbers in subsurface environments contaminated with radionuclides. This study experimentally analyzed changes on the bacteria surface at the nanoscale level after uranium exposure and evaluated the effect of aqueous bicarbonate ions on U(VI) toxicity of a low uranium-tolerant Arthrobacter oxydans strain G968 by investigating changes in adhesion forces and cell dimensions via atomic force microscopy (AFM). Experiments were extended to assess cell viability by the Live/Dead BacLight Bacterial Viability Kit (Molecular Probes) and quantitatively illustrate the effect of uranium exposure in the presence of varying concentrations of bicarbonate ions. AFM and viability studies showed that samples containing bicarbonate were able to withstand uranium toxicity and remained viable. Samples containing no bicarbonate exhibited deformed surfaces and a low height profile, which, in conjunction with viability studies, indicated that the cells were not viable.
Beiträge zur Chemie der Si‐N‐Bindung XV [1]. α,ω‐Dimethylchlorsilyl‐substituierte Cyclodisilazane

α,ω-Dimethylchlorosily-substituted monomeric and oligomeric cyclodisilazanes were prepared by the reaction of dimethyl-dichlorosilane with hexamethylcyclotrisilazane in the molar ratios 1:1 to 1:3. The mechanism of these reactions was investigated.
On the Length of the Transition Zone in Unconfined Buckle Propagation

When a buckle propagates down an underwater pipeline due to excessive hydrostatic pressure, the permanent plastic deformations and sectional collapse of the tube are restricted to a finite length transition zone. The existing theoretical predictions of the propagation pressure Pp are based on ring models neglecting the axial effects in the transition zone. An analysis of the transition phenomenon has not been reported so far. The present paper analyzes the transition zone in an unconfined propagating buckle using a simple model of the pipe consisting of rings and stringlike generators. The thrust of this paper is toward establishing a basic understanding of the transition phenomenon, necessary to improve the theoretical predictions of the propagation pressure further. Expressions for the length of the transition zone have been derived in terms of the material and geometric parameters of the pipe. The results are compared with limited experimental data kindly provided to us by Kyriakides.
Electric-dipole sum rule and two-body correlations in nuclei

Abstract The enhancement factor κ in the electric dipole sum rule is calculated using the linked diagram perturbation theory for the effective operator and the Reid nucleon-nucleon potential. Results are in good agreement with the recent experimental values for 16 O and 40 Ca, namely κ is around 1.0. There is, however, a large discrepancy between theory and experiment for 4 He. The two-body correlations, especially those induced by the tensor force, are found to be extremely important for the enhancement factor.
Evocation and characterization of percepts of apparent motion on the face

The percepts evoked by sequential stimulation of sites in close spatial proximity (<2.5 cm) on the face were studied. Both method-of-limits and magnitude-estimation procedures were used to identify and characterize alterations in the percepts produced by systematic changes in the temporal and spatial parameters of the sequence. Each site was stimulated by a vertically oriented row of miniature vibrating probes. Apparent motion was consistently perceived when the delay between the onsets of sequentially activated rows (interstimulus onset interval, or ISOI) fell within a relatively narrow range of values, the lower limit of which approximated 5 msec. Both the upper limit and the perceived smoothness and continuity of the motion percepts (goodness of motion) increased with the duration for which each row stimulated the skin over the range evaluated, 15–185 msec. For the successive activation of only two rows, goodness of motion was not influenced by changes in their separation from 0.4 to 2.5 cm. The ISOI values at which magnitude estimates of goodness of motion were highest increased with the duration for which each row stimulated the skin. As such, maximum goodness of motion decreased with increases in the apparent velocity of motion. When the number of sequentially activated rows was increased from two to four or more, the quality of the motion percepts improved. For the successive activation of multiple closely spaced rows, values of ISOI at which numerical estimates of goodness of motion were highest approximated integral fractions of the duration for which each row stimulated the skin. In this situation, the probes rose and fell in a regular, step-locked rhythm to simulate an edge-like or rectangular object moving across the skin. The goodness of motion so attained was relatively independent of the apparent velocity of motion.
Managing Wireless Health Monitoring for Patients with Disabilities

To support patients' healthcare needs anywhere and anytime, health monitoring systems that use wireless and mobile networks are ideal. These monitoring systems should operate autonomously without patient intervention, which is generally not possible with patients suffering from one or more disabilities. Wireless health monitoring involves measuring and digitizing vital signs; transmitting packets over wireless networks; and delivering medical information to one of more healthcare professionals. To support the healthcare needs of people with disabilities, the monitoring system should transmit both routine vital signs and alerting signals when vital signs cross one or more individualized thresholds. A health monitoring device obtains, samples, and digitizes the vital signs for transmission as network packets. The health-monitoring device can be wearable or handheld device, depending on how difficult it is to use, its portability, and the monitored patient's disability. In addition to vital signs, the device must also monitor skin breakdowns, gait and balance, motor activity, agitation, patient location, cigarette smoke, and the amount of moisture in the patient's skin
Applying the Tourism Opportunity Spectrum model in nature-based tourism management

Frontcountry outdoor recreation areas are often important nature-based tourism destinations. Managers of those areas face more challenges than their colleagues in the backcountry areas. The objective of this research was to apply the Tourism Opportunity Spectrum (TOS) model to nature-based tourism management in frontcountry surroundings. This research is based on an onsite survey of 2034 users of the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve in North Florida, USA. The Timucuan Preserve includes national park service areas, state parks, and city parks and is heavily used by tourists and resident users. A series of logistic regression models were employed to identify the main differences between tourists and resident users. Based on the TOS model and findings from the survey, a conceptual model of collaborated management in frontcountry settings was proposed and discussed.
Mercury in Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis): bioaccumulation and trans-Pacific Ocean migration

Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis) have the largest home range of any tuna species and are well known for the capacity to make transoceanic migrations. We report the measurement of mercury (...
Enhanced Heat Transfer Characteristics of Viscous Liquid Flows in a Chevron Plate Heat Exchanger

Steady-state heat transfer and pressure drop data for single-phase viscous fluid flows (2 ≤ Re ≤ 400) in a single-pass U-type counterflow plate heat exchanger (PHE) with chevron plates are presented. With vegetable oil as test fluid (130 < Pr < 290), three different plate arrangements are employed: two symmetric (β = 30 deg/30 deg and 60 deg/60 deg) and one mixed (β = 30 deg/60 deg). The effects of chevron angle β, corrugation aspect ratio γ, and flow conditions (Re, Pr, μ/μw on Nu and f characteristics of the PHE are delineated. The results show a rather complex influence of plate surface corrugations on the enhanced thermal-hydraulic behavior. Relative to the performance of equivalent flat-plate packs, chevron plates sustain up to 2.9 times higher heat transfer rates on a fixed geometry and constant pumping power basis, and require up to 48 percent less surface area for the fixed heat load and pressure drop constraint.
Isotactic Poly(propylene) Crystallization: Role of Small Fractions of High or Low Molecular Weight Polymer

Summary: Two well-characterized metallocene isotacticpoly(propylene) (iPP) samples, one of high and one of lowmolecular weight, were blended together for studying theeffects of a second component on quiescent and shear-induc-ed crystallization. A small amount of added high molecularweight(HMW)(upto10wt.-%)polymerincreasesthequies-cent crystallization rate. This was observed as a decrease incharacteristichalftimeoftransmittedlightintensity.Thecrys-tallization halftime increases again when adding more than10 wt.-% of HMW polymer. The crystallization halftime ofpre-sheared samples decreases with increasing HMW frac-tion and is lowest for the HMW sample by itself. For thespeciﬁc shearing conditions (g¼600, T x ¼1458C), wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) images show the presenceof the gamma (g) crystalline phase of iPP for samples con-taining 25 wt.-% of HMW and higher. DSC thermogramsdemonstrated higher crystalline fractions with increasingHMW fraction in pre-sheared samples.Optical micrograph of an iPP sample after quiescent crystal-lization at 1458C.
Adaptive global-local refinement strategy based on the interior error estimates of the h-method

An adaptive global–local refinement strategy based on the interior error estimates of the h-method is proposed. Adaptive global–local refinement strategy is aimed at constructing nearly optimal finite element meshes, where the force transfer to the local region of interest is sufficiently accurate so that the local phenomena of interest is resolved with a user-specified accuracy. Numerical examples for linear elasticity problems in two dimensions together with a comparison to the classical adaptive h-refinement strategy based on the equidistribution of errors are presented to validate the present formulation.
Efficacy of Fluconazole for the Treatment of Onychomycosis

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy of fluconazole for the treatment of onychomycosis.Data Sources:Searches of MEDLINE (1966–May 2009) and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (1970–May 2009) were performed. Key search terms included fluconazole and onychomycosis. In addition, reference citations from identified publications were reviewed.Study Selection and Data Extraction:All articles in English identified from the data sources were evaluated. All studies evaluating oral fluconazole for the treatment of onychomycosis were included in the review.Data Synthesis:Seven studies evaluating fluconazole treatment for onychomycosis were identified. One study used daily dosing and the rest used once-weekly dosing. Treatment doses ranged from 100 mg to 450 mg weekly and 150 mg daily, and durations ranged from 12 weeks to 12 months. Most of the studies evaluated the efficacy of fluconazole in patients with toenail onychomycosis due to dermatophyte infection. Fluconazole was superior to placebo, with mycologic erad...
The application of hybrid space-polarization block coding

As the demand for high wireless data rates in indoor environments grows, we must find new ways to increase the performance of wireless links in muliti-path fading. One common way to do this is to add diversity in the form of spatial or temporal diversity through the application of space-time block codes (STBCs). The drive for performance coupled with the small size requirements for mobile terminals has renewed interest in polarization diversity as a method for improving links. This paper is an investigation into the performance of traditional cross polarized channels compared to a new hybrid scheme consisting of spatially separated transmit, and cross polarized receive antennas.
The Contextualization of Language

The Contextualization of Language. Peter Auer and Aldo di Luzio. eds. Pragmatics and Beyond. Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins, 1992. 402 pp.
Temporospatial fate of bacteria and immune effector expression in house flies fed GFP-Escherichia coli O157:H7.

The house fly Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae) harbours and transmits a variety of human enteropathogens including Escherichia coli (Enterobacteriales: Enterobacteriaceae) O157:H7. Interactions between ingested bacteria and the fly gut directly impact bacterial persistence, survival and ultimately fly vector competence. We assessed the temporospatial fate of green fluorescent protein (GFP)-expressing E. coli O157:H7 (GFP-ECO157) in house flies along with fly antimicrobial responses up to 12 h post-ingestion. In flies fed GFP-ECO157, culture and microscopy revealed a steady decrease in bacterial load over 12 h, which is likely to be attributable to the combined effects of immobilization within the peritrophic matrix, lysis and peristaltic excretion. However, flies can putatively transmit this pathogen in excreta because intact bacteria were observed in the crop and rectum. Quantitative reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction analysis of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and lysozyme gene expression showed minimal upregulation in both the gut and carcass of house flies fed GFP-ECO157. However, these genes were upregulated in fly heads and salivary glands, and effector proteins were detected in the gut in some flies. Collectively, these data indicate that house flies can serve as reservoirs of E. coli O157:H7 for up to 12 h, and factors in addition to AMPs and lysozyme may contribute to bacteria destruction in the gut.
Mass transfer and internal circulation in forming drops

The presence of internal circulation in forming liquid drops has a significant effect on mass transfer rates. For the systems studied, no circulation was observed below a Reynolds number of 9.7. For Reynolds numbers between 9.7 and 34.4, transition from zero circulation to complete circulation during the entire drop formation period occurred. In studies on the rate of mass transfer from fixed volume drops with forced internal circulation, increases in mass transfer rates were found at Reynolds numbers which corresponded to those observed for the development of internal circulation patterns within the drop.
Meeting the health care needs of persons with disabilities.

The mission of the agency for healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is to conduct and fund research to support improvement in health outcomes; strengthen quality measurement and improvement; and identify strategies to improve access to, encourage the appropriate use of, and reduce unnecessary expenditures in health care. The AHRQ's reauthorization (1999) directed the agency to address health care issues for such priority populations as low-income groups, minorities, women, children, the elderly, the disabled, and other individuals with special health care needs. One of the AHRQ's responses was to establish the Office of Priority Populations Research to provide leadership for research on the improvement of health care for these populations. To achieve this goal, we are developing an agenda that addresses these populations’ needs and also collaborates with other research funders. Identifying opportunities for health care research that improves health care for persons with disabilities (PWDs) will inevitably lead to debates about the relevance of current and prior research, whether the experiences of any of these populations are unique or shared with other groups, and how these research needs can best be met. The articles in this issue of the Milbank Quarterly are an important first step (DeJong, Palsbo, Beatty, et al. 2002;Iezzoni 2002;Jette and Keysor 2002;Perrin 2002). In this article, we describe the background of the AHRQ's disability agenda and the opportunities for health care and health services research, and consider an agenda for disability-related health services research.
African American Women and Weight Loss Disregarding Environmental Challenges

In the United States, almost 80% of African American women are either overweight or obese. In this study, 46 low-income African American women struggling with weight issues participated in structured interviews using a social cognitive theory framework. Participants shared their social cognitive theory related weight loss thoughts and their perceived weight loss obstacles. Results suggest that although participants’ primary weight-related obstacles were environment-based, for example, unsafe environments in which to engage in regular exercise, they more often offered individual-based solutions. The study concludes with a discussion of media advocacy as a tool that can be used to promote environmental solutions.
An architecture for rule-based visualization

In Rogowitz and Treinish (1993), we introduced an architecture for incorporating perceptual rules into the visualization process. In this architecture, higher-level descriptors of the data, metadata, flow to perceptual rules, which constrain visualization operations. In this paper, we develop a deeper analysis of the rules, the prerequisite metadata, and the system for enabling their operation. >
A new species of Aberrapex Jensen, 2001 (Cestoda: Lecanicephalidea) from Taeniura lymma (Forsskål) (Myliobatiformes: Dasyatidae) from off Sabah, Malaysia

A new lecanicephalidean species of Aberrapex Jensen, 2001 is described from the blue-spotted fantail ray Taeniura lymma (Forsskal) collected off the eastern coast of Sabah in Malaysian Borneo. This is the first record of a lecanicephalidean tapeworm from the island of Borneo and the first record of Aberrapex from this host species. A. manjajiae n. sp. is easily distinguished from its two congeners, A. senticosus Jensen, 2001 and A. arrhynchum (Brooks, Mayes & Thorson, 1981) Jensen, 2001, based on its overall smaller size (928–1,971 vs 1,485–6,333 and up to 3,350μm long, respectively) and fewer testes (10–19 vs 20–40 and 18–25, respectively). In addition, A. manjajiae n. sp. is readily distinguished from A. senticosus based on a more anteriorly positioned genital pore (76–85 vs 52–72% of proglottid length from posterior end) and its distal bothridial microthrix pattern. A. manjajiae n. sp. can be further distinguished from A. arrhynchum based on its smaller scolex (82–101 × 119–164 vs 177–186 × 233–326μm). The host distribution of Aberrapex is expanded from the Myliobatidae to include the Dasyatidae.
Jellyfish: A conceptual model for the as Internet topology

Several novel concepts and tools have revolutionized our understanding of the Internet topology. Most of the existing efforts attempt to develop accurate analytical models. In this paper, our goal is to develop an effective conceptual model: A model that can be easily drawn by hand, while at the same time, it captures significant macroscopic properties. We build the foundation for our model with two thrusts: a) We identify new topological properties and b) we provide metrics to quantify the topological importance of a node. We propose the jellyfish as a model for the inter-domain Internet topology. We show that our model captures and represents the most significant topological properties. Furthermore, we observe that the jellyfish has lasting value: It describes the topology for more than six years.
Soy isoflavonoid effects on endogenous estrogen metabolism in postmenopausal female monkeys

Endogenous estrogens are important determinants of breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women. In this study we evaluated the effects of dietary soy isoflavonoids on endogenous estrogen metabolism in a postmenopausal primate model. Ovariectomized female cynomolgus monkeys were randomized to receive one of three diets for 36 months: (i) isoflavonoid-depleted soy protein isolate (SPI-) (n = 29); (ii) soy protein isolate with 129 mg isoflavonoids/1800 kcal diet (8.6 mg isoflavonoids/kg body weight (BW), expressed in aglycone units) (SPI+) (n = 29) or (iii) isoflavonoid-depleted soy protein isolate with conjugated equine estrogens (CEE) at a dose of 0.625 mg/1800 kcal diet (0.042 mg CEE/kg BW) (n = 30). Mean plasma isoflavonoid concentrations in the SPI+ group were 946.9 +/- 135.9 nmol/l, and equol was the primary circulating isoflavonoid (549.7 +/- 61.6 nmol/l). The SPI+ diet resulted in lower serum estrone (E(1)) after 29 (-26%, P = 0.03) and 34 months (-21%, P = 0.04) compared to the SPI- diet, while urinary 2-hydroxyestrone (P = 0.005) and the 2 to 16alpha-hydroxyestrone ratio (P < 0.0001) were markedly higher in the SPI+ group compared to SPI-. Isoflavonoid treatment did not significantly alter gene markers of estrogen metabolism or estrogen receptor agonist activity in breast tissue. Within the SPI+ group, higher concentrations of serum equol (but not daidzein or genistein) corresponded to significantly lower serum E(1), mammary gland epithelial area and uterine weight (P < 0.01 for all). These findings suggest that long-term exposure to soy isoflavonoids, equol in particular, may facilitate endogenous estrogen clearance and catabolism to more benign 2-hydroxylated metabolites.
Secondary follicle growth and oocyte maturation by culture in alginate hydrogel following cryopreservation of the ovary or individual follicles

An option for fertility preservation for women facing a cancer diagnosis involves the cryopreservation of ovarian tissue for later re-transplantation or in vitro culture, with in vitro culture preferred to avoid reintroduction of the cancer. Small, immature follicles survive the freeze-thaw process, and can be matured through in follicle maturation (IFM) that involves an initial growth of the follicle and subsequent maturation of the oocyte. The ovarian tissue can be cryopreserved in two forms: (i) cortical strips consisting of follicles and surrounding stroma (Cryo-Ov) or (ii) individually isolated follicles (Cryo-In). The aim of this study was to assess the follicle growth and oocyte maturation for follicles that were cryopreserved either as strips or individually using a slow-freezing cryopreservation method. The two follicle groups, together with non-cryopreserved control follicles, were grown in an alginate-based three-dimensional culture system for 12 days. The overall survival, size increase and antrum formation rates were comparable among the three groups. At day 12 of culture, Androstenedione levels were decreased in the Cryo-Ov group relative to the other two, and the ratio of progesterone to estradiol was increased in the two cryopreserved groups relative to the control. Both Gja1 (known as connexin 43) and Gja4 (known as connexin 37) mRNA expression were decreased at day 6 in the cryopreserved groups relative to controls, and by day 12, Gja1 was similar for all three groups. Moreover, Cryo-In resulted in lower GVBD rate indicating some impaired oocyte development. Overall, the present study demonstrated that mouse preantral follicles, either within ovarian tissues or individually isolated, could be successfully cryopreserved by the slow-freezing method, as evidenced by post-thaw follicle development and steroidgenesis, oocyte maturation and molecular markers for oocyte and/or granulosa cells connection.