cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The role of health insurance on Pap smear and mammography utilization by immigrants living in the United States.

Background. Nearly half of recent immigrants to the United States lack health insurance. Access to cancer screening services for this group is problematic. We examine the role of health insurance and having a usual source of care (USC) on Pap smear and mammography utilization by immigrant women using a nationally representative sample. Methods. We used a telephone survey that oversampled racial and ethnic minorities. We analyzed data on 3,622 women age 18–70. We classified the 822 foreign-born women as recent immigrants if they had resided in the United States for under 10 years; LT immigrants were those with a longer tenure. Results. Among recent immigrants, 73% and 78% (SE 4%) reported a Pap smear or mammogram, respectively, in the previous 2 years versus 89% and 89% of U.S.-born women (P < 0.05 for both comparisons). Among those with insurance or a USC, differences in screening between recent immigrants and U.S.-born women were four percentage points or less and not statistically significant. However, uninsured recent immigrants were less likely than uninsured U.S.-born women to have Pap smears [60% (SE 7%) versus 71%, P < 0.05]. Adjusting for differences in sociodemographics, health attitudes or beliefs, patient or provider communication, and the medical care environment, insurance remained the strongest predictor of screening. Conclusion. Disparities in screening were greatly attenuated among the insured population. Increasing awareness of available safety net sources of care may also improve cancer screening among uninsured recent immigrants.
The implications of school choice on travel behavior and environmental emissions

Abstract We examine the implications of school choice on walkability, school travel mode and overall environmental emissions. In developing this proof-of-concept model we show—and quantify—differences between city-wide schools and their neighborhood school counterpart. Our analysis demonstrates how children attending city-wide schools may have heightened travel distance, greenhouse gas emissions, and exposure to bus fumes. Using available data along with a series of informed assumptions we figure the city-wide school had six times fewer children walking, 4.5 times as many miles traveled, 4.5 times the system cost, and 3–4.5 times the amount of criteria air pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions. By providing bus service, the overall miles traveled (and resulting emissions) decreased 30–40% compared to the scenario without bus service, however system costs were higher for both the neighborhood and city-wide school (no pollution externality costs were factored in).
Simian virus 40 small tumor antigen and an amino-terminal domain of large tumor antigen share a common transforming function.

Abstract The 82-residue amino-terminal sequences of simian virus 40 large tumor antigen (TAg) and small tumor antigen (tAg) are identical. Genetic analysis of TAg lacking amino acids 1-82 revealed that it was transformation-defective, as revealed by the agar growth assay, except when introduced in the presence of tAg. Since the latter, alone, lacks overt transforming activity, it would appear that the function of the sequence common to TAg and tAg is necessary, but not sufficient, for TAg transforming activity and that tAg can provide that function or its equivalent in trans. Thus, tAg may, in part, be viewed as a "portable" copy of a TAg functional domain.
Measurements of the pair-breaking edge in superfluid 3He-B.

We have made the first systematic study of the pair-breaking edge in superfluid $^{3}\mathit{B}$ over a wide range of pressures and frequencies. This direct measurement of the gap enables us to experimentally verify the predictions made for strong-coupling corrections to the gap. In addition, it indirectly lends support to the temperature scale of Greywall.
Three-Dimensional Image Analysis of Aggregate Particles from Orthogonal Projections

Digital image analysis provides the capability for rapid measurement of particle characteristics. When an image is captured and digitized, numerous measurements can be made in near real time for each particle. Usually, image analysis techniques treat particles as two-dimensional objects since only the two-dimensional projection of the particles is captured. In this study, three-dimensional analysis of aggregate particles that was performed by attaching aggregates in sample trays with two perpendicular faces is described. After the initial projected image of the aggregates is captured and measured, the sample trays are rotated 90 degrees so that the aggregates are now perpendicular to their original orientation and the dimensions of the aggregates in the new projected image are captured and measured. The long, intermediate, and short particle dimensions (dL, dI, and dS, respectively) provide direct measures of the flatness and elongation of the particles. Some other shape indexes can also be derived from t...
Peer victimization and aggression: Moderation by individual differences in salivary cortiol and alpha-amylase

This research examined whether variations in salivary measures of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (cortisol) and autonomic nervous system (alpha amylase [sAA]) contribute to individual differences in the association between peer victimization and aggression. Children (N = 132; M age = 9.46 years, SD = 0.33) completed a measure of peer victimization, teachers rated children’s aggression, and children’s saliva was collected prior to, and following, participation in a laboratory-based peer-oriented social challenge task. Children rated their level of frustration at the end of the task. Results revealed that victimization interacted with cortisol and sAA measured in anticipation of the task to predict aggression; the victimization × cortisol contribution to aggression was partly mediated by children’s self-reported frustration level. Victimization also was associated with heightened frustration in girls with high task-related sAA reactivity. Task-related sAA reactivity was associated with heightened aggression, but only for girls. These findings suggest that associations between peer victimization and aggression are moderated by variation in the activity of the major components of the psychobiology of stress; results are discussed in relation to theoretical models of individual differences in biological sensitivity to context.
Computer and internet adoption on large U.S. farms

Abstract The adoption of the personal computer and the Internet is studied within a sample of large U.S. farms. Factors such as age and education influence the adoption of both technologies. Likewise, strong relationships exist between the adoption of each technology and the sophistication of farm management and the complexity of the farm business. After controlling for computer adoption, the results suggest there remain several factors limiting Internet adoption. It appears that producers are unsure as to how the Internet can best be used to create value in their farm businesses.
Fast-twitch skeletal muscles of dystrophic mouse pups are resistant to injury from acute mechanical stress

Loss of the dystrophin-glycoprotein complex from muscle sarcolemma in Duchenne's muscular dystrophy (DMD) renders the membrane susceptible to mechanical injury, leaky to Ca(2+), and disrupts signaling, but the precise mechanism(s) leading to the onset of DMD remain unclear. To assess the role of mechanical injury in the onset of DMD, extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles from C57 (control), mdx, and mdx-utrophin-deficient [mdx:utrn(-/-); dystrophic] pups aged 9-12 days were subjected to an acute stretch-injury or no-stretch protocol in vitro. Before the stretches, isometric stress was attenuated for mdx:utrn(-/-) compared with control muscles at all stimulation frequencies (P < 0.05). During the stretches, EDL muscles for each genotype demonstrated similar mean stiffness values. After the stretches, isometric stress during a tetanus was decreased significantly for both mdx and mdx:utrn(-/-) muscles compared with control muscles (P < 0.05). Membrane injury assessed by uptake of procion orange dye was greater for dystrophic compared with control EDL (P < 0.05), but, within each genotype, the percentage of total cells taking up dye was not different for the no-stretch vs. stretch condition. These data suggest that the sarcolemma of maturing dystrophic EDL muscles are resistant to acute mechanical injury.
Variational anatomy of the deep femoral artery

The deep femoral artery is frequently incorporated in vascular reconstructive procedures in the proximal leg. To study the branching variations of this artery, we dissected 100 legs and then classified the anatomical patterns. The deep femoral artery originates a median distance of 4.4 cm from the inguinal ligament. The origin of the lateral circumflex artery varied greatly. When it branched from the deep femoral, the origin of the lateral circumflex was 1.5 cm (median) from the origin of the deep femoral. The medial circumflex artery originated from the deep femoral in 63% of the specimens. It arose separately from the common femoral and more proximally in 26% of the specimens, branching an average of 2.15 cm (median) above the deep femoral origin. Familiarity with these variations is essential to the vascular surgeon and,therefore, we have included diagrams based on our study as a ready reference.
Post-Accord Political Violence, Elections, and Peace Processes: Evidence from Nepal

This article develops a conceptual framework to explain that a rebel group, in war-to-peace transition, is likely to use violence in contested areas in order to reclaim its control over territory and populations. The decision to use violence, however, depends on whether post-accord elections are held prior to the demobilization of rebel combatants. Use of violence would still be a preferred strategy for a rebel group should the participation in elections fail to produce the expected outcome. Violence influences post-conflict elections, and when the use of violence determines an electoral outcome, parties involved in the peace process may find it difficult to reconcile their differences on peace agreement implementation. District-level data from Nepal are used to test the arguments, and the effect of post-accord violence on peace processes is evaluated in a comparative perspective.
Radiation Performance of Interline CCD Arrays

Interline CCD arrays were irradiated to several total dose levels with protons at three different particle energies (12, 30 and 50 MeV), as well as several dose levels for gamma (γ) radiation, the latter intended to replicate the space environment for trapped electrons. Results are presented or summarized for dark current, noise electrons, charge transfer efficiencies, charge to voltage conversion and non-operational pixels.
Diversity in product symbolism: The case of female executive clothing

Many social roles are associated with and identified by product symbols. Yet, frequently, there is much ambiguity among consumers regarding which products denote a given role, and the specific products which communicate desired role attributes. The study examines factors influencing the diversity of clothing symbols associated with the female executive role. A conceptual framework focusing on role-related variables, aesthetic versus instrumental attitudes towards clothing, and information sources consulted in relation to clothing choice is developed and tested on data from a national survey of female executives.
Deoxyribozymes: new activities and new applications

DNA in its single-stranded form has the ability to fold into complex three-dimensional structures that serve as highly specific receptors or catalysts. Only protein enzymes and ribozymes are known to be responsible for biological catalysis, but deoxyribozymes with kinetic parameters that rival ribozymes can be created in the laboratory. Some of these engineered DNA catalysts are showing surprising potential as therapeutic agents, which makes them biologically relevant if not biologically derived. If DNA's natural role is strictly genomic, how significant is its innate catalytic prowess? New examples of engineered deoxyribozymes serve as empirical examples of the potential for catalysis by DNA. These results indicate that the true catalytic power of DNA is limited by discovery and not by chemistry.
Of sweatshops and subsistence: Habermas on human rights

In this paper I argue that the discourse theoretic account of human rights defended by Jurgen Habermas contains a fruitful tension that is obscured by its dominant tendency to identify rights with legal claims. This weakness in Habermas’s account becomes manifest when we examine how sweatshops diminish the secure enjoyment of subsistence, which Habermas himself (in recognition of the UDHR) recognizes as a human right. Discourse theories of human rights are unique in tying the legitimacy of human rights to democratic deliberation and consensus. So construed, their specific meaning and force is the outcome of historical political struggle. However, unlike other legal rights, they possess universal moral validity. In this paper I argue that this tension between the legal and moral aspects of human rights can be resolved if and only if human rights are conceived as moral aspirations and not simply as legal claims. In particular, I shall argue that there are two reasons why human rights must be understood as moral aspirations that function non-juridically: First, the basic human goods to which human rights provide secure access are determinable only in relation to basic human capabilities that are progressively revealed in the course of an indefinite (fully inclusive and universal) process of collective learning; second, the institutional impediments to enjoying human rights are cultural in nature and cannot be remedied by means of legal coercion.
Measuring the spatial frequency selectivity of second-order texture mechanisms

Recent investigations of texture and motion perception suggest two early filtering stages: an initial stage of selective linear filtering followed by rectification and a second stage of linear filtering. Here we demonstrate that there are differently scaled second-stage filters, and we measure their contrast modulation sensitivity as a function of spatial frequency. Our stimuli are Gabor modulations of a suprathreshold, bandlimited, isotropic carrier noise. The subjects' task is to discriminate between two possible orientations of the Gabor. Carrier noises are filtered into four octave-wide bands, centered at m = 2, 4, 8, and 16 c/deg. The Gabor test signals are w = 0.5, 1, 2, 4 and 8 c/deg. The threshold modulation of the test signal is measured for all 20 combinations of m and w. For each carrier frequency m, the Gabor test frequency w to which subjects are maximally sensitive appears to be approximately 3-4 octaves below m. The consistent m x w interaction suggests that each second-stage spatial filter may be differentially tuned to a particular first-stage spatial frequency. The most sensitive combination is a second-stage filter of 1 c/deg with first-stage inputs of 8-16 c/deg. We conclude that second-order texture perception appears to utilize multiple channels tuned to spatial frequency and orientation, with channels tuned to low modulation frequencies appearing to be best served by carrier frequencies 8 to 16 times higher than the modulations they are tuned to detect.
Overstory and understory competition affect underplanted eastern white pine

Abstract The importance of canopy and understory competition on white pine (Pinus strobus L.) seedlings was evaluated in stands with shelterwood treatments. We sampled 20 stands in north-central Minnesota that were underplanted with white pine 3 to 10 years before sampling. We grouped the stands with various canopy and understory treatments into 6 stand types based on residual canopy composition. The effect of the shelterwood treatments, i.e., residual basal area and understory cover on white pine seedling growth varied significantly among the stand types. Lowering basal area had a greater positive impact on seedling growth when shade tolerant softwood species, especially balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.), were present in the canopy. Where shade tolerant softwood species were absent, the white pine seedling growth increased only slightly or not at all in the presence of lowered residual basal area. We hypothesize that the exclusion of the understory by a shade tolerant midstory, indicated by the presence of balsam fir, prior to shelterwood treatment created favorable conditions for white pine in the understory following the shelterwood treatment. The results suggest that shelterwood treatments on mesic, more productive hardwood sites should be linked to stand development stages where the understory is suppressed, e.g., following development of a shade tolerant midstory or during the stem exclusion phase. This method should complement present shelterwood prescriptions for drier, low quality hardwood sites. This research indicates the importance of evaluating both vertical structure and site quality prior to designing white pine shelterwood treatments.
Role of Wnt Signaling in Bone Remodeling and Repair

The Wnt genes encode a highly conserved class of signaling factors required for the development of several types of tissues including musculoskeletal and neural structures. There is increasing evidence that Wnt signaling is critical for bone mass accrual, bone remodeling, and fracture repair. Wnt proteins bind to cell-surface receptors and activate signaling pathways which control nuclear gene expression; this Wnt-regulated gene expression controls cell growth and differentiation. Many of the components of the Wnt pathway have recently been characterized, and specific loss-of-function or gain-of-function mutations in this pathway in mice and in humans have resulted in disorders of deficient or excess bone formation, respectively. Pharmacologically targeting components of the Wnt signaling pathway will allow for the manipulation of bone formation and remodeling and will have several orthopedic applications including enhancing bone formation in nonunion and osteoporosis and restricting pathologic bone formation in osteogenic tumors and heterotopic ossification.
On the Identification of the Downward Propagation of Arctic Stratospheric Climate Change over Recent Decades

AbstractDynamical coupling between the stratospheric and tropospheric circumpolar circulations in the Arctic has been widely documented on month-to-month and interannual time scales, but not on longer time scales. In the Antarctic, both short- and long-term coupling extending from the stratosphere to the surface has been identified. In this study, changes in Arctic temperature, geopotential height, and ozone observed since the satellite era began in 1979 are examined, comparing dynamically quiescent years in which major sudden stratospheric warmings did not occur to all years. It is shown that this approach clarifies the behavior for years without major warmings and that dynamically quiescent years are marked by a strengthening of the Arctic polar vortex over the past 30 years. The associated declines in stratospheric temperatures, geopotential height, and ozone are qualitatively similar to those obtained in the Antarctic (albeit weaker), and propagate downward into the Arctic lowermost stratosphere durin...
Variable selection in regression models using principal components

In this paper, we present a new stepwise method for selecting predictor variables in linear regression models. This method is an extension of principal component regression, and it consists of iteratively selecting original predictor variables one at a time from repeatedly selected subsets of principal components. Application of the method is discussed and illustrated by an example.
The neuropathology observed in wild-type mice inoculated with human poliovirus mirrors human paralytic poliomyelitis.

Human paralytic poliomyelitis results from the destruction of spinal cord anterior horn motor neurons by human poliovirus (PV). CNS disease pathology similar to human poliomyelitis has been observed in experimentally infected chimpanzees, monkeys and wild-type mice. In this study we present a detailed examination of the clinical and histopathological features in the wild-type mouse after intracranial (i.c.) and novel intramuscular (i.m.) injection of poliovirus. Either route of poliovirus administration results in a clinical disease characterized predominately by flaccid paralysis. The observed histopathological features are compared with the histopathology reported for human paralytic poliomyelitis, experimentally infected chimpanzees, monkeys and transgenic mice expressing the human poliovirus receptor (hPVR). The observation of flaccid paralysis and anterior horn motor neuron destruction mirrors what is observed in human paralytic poliomyelitis. Our results suggest that the neuropathology observed in the wild-type mouse model is similar to what has been observed in both the human disease and in other experimental animal models, with the possible exception of the transgenic mouse model. The observed neuropathology of the wild-type mouse model more closely reflects what has been observed in human poliomyelitis, as well as in experimentally infected chimpanzees and monkeys, than does the hPVR transgenic mouse model. The previously reported poliovirus-induced white matter demyelinating disease was not observed.
Clinical Assessment of 31 Patients With Wilson's Disease: Correlations With Structural Changes on Magnetic Resonance Imaging

• Thirty-one patients with Wilson's disease were evaluated with detailed neurologic and medical examinations. Mean age (±SD) at onset was 21 ± 5 years and at examination was 28 ± 6 years. Of the 90% of patients who were first treated with penicillamine, 31% deteriorated initially despite therapy, and half never recovered to pretherapy baseline. At the time of our evaluations, the most common neurologic findings were dysarthria (97%), dystonia (65%), dysdiadochokinesia (58%), rigidity (52%), gait and postural abnormalities (42%), and tremor (32%). Chorea and dementia were rare. Twentytwo patients underwent magnetic resonance imaging. All but one of the 19 symptomatic patients had abnormal scans. The three asymptomatic patients had normal scans. Most lesions were seen in the caudate, putamen, subcortical white matter, midbrain, and pons. Generalized brain atrophy was also common. Lesions were less common in the thalamus, cerebellar vermis, midbrain tegmentum, globus pallidus, red nucleus, and dentate nucleus. Dystonia and bradykinesia correlated with putamen lesions, and dysarthria correlated with both putamen and caudate lesions.
Present practise in insulated power cables

Essential characteristics and latest developments in power cables are reviewed briefly in this article. Consideration is given to the three principal insulation materials, to different types of cable, and to impregnating compounds. In addition to summarizing present power cable practise in this country, future trends are indicated.
Physical Properties Important to Electrostatic and Non electrostatic Powder Transfer Efficiency in a Tumble Drum

: Popcorn was oiled and coated in a tumble drum nonelectrostatically and electrostatically with sugar, cornstarch, salt, cellulose, maltodextrin, all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, or soy flour. Particle size, density, flowability, and chargeability were correlated to transfer efficiency using regression analysis. Of the various methods to measure chargeability, charge-to-mass and adhesion improvement were the most significant. For nonelectrostatic coating, small, dense, free-flowing powders were most efficient. Small, free-flowing highly charging powders were most efficient for electrostatic coating. Percent improvement was the highest for the least efficient powders. The greatest benefit with electrostatic coating was for low density, highly charging powders with no effect of size.
When Family Reunification Works: Data-Mining Foster Care Records

Concurrent permanency planning policy mandates heighten the need to evaluate effective family reunification practices. This retrospective practice-based study examines positive family reunification...
The unexpected benefits of final deadlines in negotiation

Abstract Two experiments explored actual and predicted outcomes in competitive dyadic negotiations under time pressure. Participants predicted that final deadlines would hurt their negotiation outcomes. Actually, moderate deadlines improved outcomes for negotiators who were eager to get a deal quickly because the passage of time was costly to them. Participants’ erroneous predictions may be due to oversimplified and egocentric prediction processes that focus on the effects of situational constraints (deadlines) on the self and oversimplify or ignore their effects on others. The results clarify the psychological processes by which people predict the outcomes of negotiation and select negotiation strategies.
Inbreeding Effects on Propylea quatuordecimpunctata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)

Up to 5 successive inbred generations were produced, through sibling mating, from 64 parental (P) pairs of Propylea quatuordecimpunctata (L.) collected from 3 locations in the northeastern United States. The percentage of P females ovipositing >5 eggs was 62.5% compared with a mean of 43% for inbred generations F1 to F4. The percentage of intercross (F2 to F4) females producing >5 eggs was 61 ± 16% (mean ± SE), showing a restoration of fecundity. Egg hatch decreased from 84 ± 9% in the P to 4 ± 7% in the F4. Preimaginal developmental time among inbreds increased from 17 d in the F1 to >19 d in the F4. First instar to adult survivorship among inbreds decreased from 96.6 ± 0.9% in the F1 to 37.6 ± 3.7% in the F4. In contrast to the inbreds, mean survivorship in the intercross generations was 85 ± 11%, showing a restoration of viability. No effect of inbreeding on body size was detected. The high sensitivity to inbreeding in P. quatuordecimpunctata probably is caused by a high frequency of partially recessive deleterious alleles and overdominant loci.
Computer comparisons of variables in capillary gas chromatography

A series of computer-constructed van Deemter curves that permits evaluation of a number of variables in capillary gas chromatography is presented. The graphs permit the comparison of inter-related parameters, including the choice of carrier gas (hydrogen vs helium vs nitrogen), column length (10-100 m), column diameter (0.20, 0.25, 0.32, 0.4 mm), solute partition ratios (0-10), and liquid phase film thickness (0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 1.0 μm). The curves are evaluated, both in terms of the relative magnitude of the optimum average linear carrier gas velocity, and in terms of the significance of the sharpness of the curve.
Delayed cardiac xenograft rejection in a pig-to-baboon model treated with a tolerance-inducing regimen and donor bone marrow infusion.

DISCORDANT cardiac xenografts are hyperacutely rejected owing to the binding of natural antibody (NAb) to xenograft endothelial cells and activation of the complement pathway. Depletion of NAb and complement from recipients can prevent hyperacute rejection. However, delayed xenograft rejection (DXR) has become a major barrier to long-term xenograft survival after overcoming hyperacute rejection. The pathogenesis of DXR has been demonstrated to be macrophage-mediated cellular rejection and newly developed NAb. Total lymphoid irradiation (TLI) has been used as a conditioning regimen for bone marrow transplantation, a treatment designed to remove or suppress peripheral T and B cells while leaving bone marrow stem cells intact. TLI has been shown, with some success, to induce specific transplant tolerance to allografts and xenografts. Our previous study has shown alteration of humoral immune response in a rhesus monkey-to-baboon cardiac xenograft model treated with methotrexate and cyclosporine A. In this study, we utilized TIL combined with immunosuppression of humoral immunity by methotrexate to establish donor bone marrow engraftment and immune tolerance, and to prevent DXR in a pig-to-baboon cardiac xenograft model.
Action of red and far red light on ribosome formation in cabbage seedlings

The action of light on ribosome formation was examined in the cabbage seedlings, a system extensively used in the studies of anthocyanin synthesis. Ribosomes were extracted 18 h after the beginning of the irradiation and separated by sucrose gradient centrifugation. In the cotyledons of dark-grown cabbage seedlings, a brief red light induces an increase both in total ribosomes and in the fraction present as polysomes; the effect of red light is reversed by far red light, indicating the involvement of phytochrome in polysome formation in cabbage seedlings. Continuous red and continuous far red light are about equally effective in bringing about an increase of total ribosomes and of the polysome fraction. Streptomycin, which inhibits chlorophyll synthesis and chloroplast development, and enhances anthocyanin synthesis in cabbage seedlings, causes a decrease of total ribosomes and of the fraction present as polysomes. In hypocotyls, the red-far red reversibility is evident only for the polysome content and streptomycin does not decrease the polysome/monosomo ratio as it does in cotyledons.
An Interpersonal Communication Perspective on Images of Political Candidates.

Much of the research dealing with the relationship between candidate images and candidate preferences has attempted to assess dimensions of the candidate's image that are relatively “personal” in nature. By and large, most of this research focuses on static traits—for example, aspects of the candidate's persona relating to such dimensions as warmth, attractiveness, or dynamism. In contrast, the current study attempts to assess the degree to which candidate preferences are significantly associated with observable behavior. This was done by asking respondents to evaluate Ronald Reagan and Walter Mandate with an instrument normally used to assess elements of interpersonal communication. It was found that communication behavior ratings of Reagan and Mandate significantly predicted differential preferences for these candidates, even after controlling for the respondents’ political orientations.
New principle for 60-cycle A-C network analyzers

Through the use of a new design principle,1 first used in the a-c analyzer purchased by the University of Kansas and since improved, it has been possible to use reactors having a Q value (ratio of reactance to equivalent resistance) as low as 7.8 to simulate the reactance of transmission lines. Although these reactors have a low Q, their electrical characteristics are identical to those possessing a Q of 25 and used in nonphase-shift analyzers. Reactors having a Q of 9.3 may be used to simulate the reactance of generators which otherwise require a Q of 50.
Sensitized photocatalytical oxidation of terbutylazine

Abstract Dye sensitization of photocatalytical oxidation (PCO) has been found to be a new pathway of pollutant degradation. Terbutylazine was decomposed by applying visible light using rose bengal as sensitizer and titanium dioxide as photocatalyst. Degradation rates of > 50% have been realized. A mechanism of the sensitized photocatalytical oxidation (SPCO) is proposed.
Orientation and Growth of Hawaiian Volcanic Rifts: The Effect of Regional Structure and Gravitational Stresses

The rifts of the 14 basaltic shield volcanoes that extend from Kauai to Hawaii are composed of thousands of dykes that were fed laterally by periodic leakages from central volcanic con­duits. Individual dykes are believed to be thin, steeply dipping blades, several kilometres from top to bottom, that extend horizontally outward for as much as 120 km. The dykes are contained largely within the volcanic edifices, and, because of such shallow emplacement, the direction of dyke propagation is interpreted to be strongly influenced by the gravitational stresses within these edifices. Simple isolated shields, such as Kauai and West Molokai, had nearly symmetrical stress fields, influenced only slightly by regional stresses, and the dykes injected into these volcanoes had little or no tendency to cluster into well-defined rifts. Other volcanoes, such as Koolau and Kilauea, pierced the thick, sloping apron of pre-existing neigh­bour volcanoes. The dykes that propagated from these centres were strongly influenced by the gravitational stress fields of the sloping aprons in which they grew. Accordingly, they clustered into well-defined rifts oriented roughly perpendicular to the downslope direction of these aprons. With only minor exceptions, 8 of the 14 volcanoes forming the southeast part of the Hawaiian chain conformed to this pattern of growth; the influence of regional Pacific structure on rift orientation is suspected in only 6 volcanoes that grew as simple, iso­lated shields, away from the influence of gravitational stresses of any neighbour volcano.
A learner‐centered journal club

A learner‐centered journal club that is part of the Rhode Island Hospital general internal medicine residency program emphasizes working collaboratively with a faculty member, developing medical expertise, relating the medical literature to practice, and gaining skills in teaching and presentation. Thirty‐two residents in this program responding to a survey perceived that this learner‐centered journal club favorably affected their reading habits, presentation skills, ability to determine clinical usefulness of an article, analytic skills, and development of content expertise while maintaining a high level of interest in participating. These ratings were higher than those given by the same residents to a traditional journal club they also attended.
Response of fibrosarcoma cell subpopulations to small doses of radiation delivered in situ

The survival of cells from 2 tumor subpopulations after gamma-ray doses ranging from 1 to 19 Gy was determined using a lung colony assay. Methylcholanthrene-induced fibrosarcomas grown in the hind legs of C3H/Kam pathogen-free mice were irradiated in situ when the tumors were 8-10 mm in diameter. Single cell suspensions prepared from excised tumors were separated on a linear density gradient, and the clonogenicity of predominantly oxic Band 2 (density 1.08 g/cm3) and predominantly hypoxic Band 4 (density 1.14 gm/cm3) cells was measured. The surviving fraction of cells after doses of 1, 2, and 3 Gy was estimated from that measured after total doses of 5 Gy = 5 X 1 Gy, 10 Gy = 5 X 2 Gy, and 15 Gy = 5 X 3 Gy, under the assumption of equal effect per fraction (checked by estimating survival at 3 Gy after different numbers of fractions). Very little curvature was evident in the survival curves of Band 2 and Band 4 cells (beta/alpha = .013-.034 Gy-1). The initial segment of the survival curve of the predominantly oxic Band 2 cells was steeper (1Do = 3.6 Gy) than that of the predominantly hypoxic Band 4 cells (1Do = 5.2 Gy); both remained linear over a large range, to doses in excess of 3 Gy. These results imply that these tumor subpopulations will be insensitive, in their response to multifractionated regimens, to changes in size of dose per fraction in the range 0 to 3 Gy, a trait shared by two acutely responding normal tissues (murine testis and jejunum).
Control of Closed Orbit Deviation Due to Synchrotron Radiation

The energy loss by synchrotron radiation in electron-positron storage rings occurs in every bending magnet and is thus distributed around the ring, while the energy gain occurs at the rf cavities, which are usually lumped in only a few locations. This type of orbit distortion is usually negligibly small compared to the design allowance in existing synchrotrons and storage rings; however, in the case of the larger storage rings now being contemplated, the distortion can be substantial in comparison to beam size and is different for electrons and positrons. This difference between the two closed orbits can produce horizontal separations and crossing angles between the two beams at the interaction regions. There are at least three possible solutions to this problem. The first is to use a lattice in which the dispersion and its derivtive are zero at the interaction regions and at the locations of the rf system. The second is to use transverse electric fields to produce the necessary corrections in the orbits of the two beams. The last is to distribute the rf accelerating system around the ring in such a way that the closed orbit deviations are within acceptable limits. For studying this problem, the thin-lensmore » lattice design program MAGIC has been modified to compute the closed orbit distortion for any distribution of the rf system operating at any configuration. We discuss the computation of the closed orbit the different options and give the reasoning that we have used to decide on the solution of distributing the rf system for PEP. 2 refs., 2 figs.« less
Immunization status of Casualty attenders: Risk factors for non‐compliance and attitudes to ‘on the spot’ immunization

Outbreaks of vaccine preventable infections have focused attention on ‘missed opportunities’ for immunizing children. The immunization status of 520 consecutive children attending Casualty during a 10 day period was studied. Only 70% of children had received their diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (DTP) and poliomyelitis immunization at the appropriate time, 13% had completed the schedule later than recommended and 17% had immunizations overdue by 4 weeks or more. For measles (mumps/rubella) vaccine (MM or MMR) 75% were up to date, 10% were given late and 15% were overdue. A subset of 171 families was interviewed to evaluate factors affecting compliance. Families possessing a Social Security ‘Health Care Card’, whose father was unemployed, who spoke poor English or who had lived in Australia for 5 years or less were significantly more likely (P<0.02) to be inadequately immunized. There were 84 children whose immunization was overdue and who were well enough to be immunized. The parents of 70 (83%) of these 84 said that they would agree to ‘on the spot’ immunization if it were available; 14 (17%) parents refused, the commonest reason for refusal being that the parents felt that the child was too sick at the time to be immunized.
A fully associative software-managed cache design

As DRAM access latencies approach a thousand instruction-execution times and on-chip caches grow to multiple megabytes, it is not clear that conventional cache structures continue to be appropriate. Two key features—full associativity and software management—have been used successfully in the virtual-memory domain to cope with disk access latencies. Future systems will need to employ similar techniques to deal with DRAM latencies. This paper presents a practical, fully associative, software-managed secondary cache system that provides performance competitive with or superior to traditional caches without OS or application involvement. We see this structure as the first step toward OS- and application-aware management of large on-chip caches.This paper has two primary contributions: a practical design for a fully associative memory structure, the indirect index cache (IIC), and a novel replacement algorithm, generational replacement, that is specifically designed to work with the IIC. We analyze the behavior of an IIC with generational replacement as a drop-in, transparent substitute for a conventional secondary cache. We achieve miss rate reductions from 8% to 85% relative to a 4-way associative LRU organization, matching or beating a (practically infeasible) fully associative true LRU cache. Incorporating these miss rates into a rudimentary timing model indicates that the IIC/generational replacement cache could be competitive with a conventional cache at today's DRAM latencies, and will outperform a conventional cache as these CPU-relative latencies grow.
Single photon emission local tomography (SPELT)

Local tomography uses truncated projection data to reconstruct a region of interest, and is important in medical imaging and industrial non-destructive evaluation using micro X-ray CT. The popular filtered backprojection (FBP) algorithm does not reconstruct a reliable image, which varies with the degree and location of truncation due to its global convolution kernel. A typical local tomography method uses a second derivative local operator to replace the global convolution kernel in the filtered backprojection algorithm (LFBP). By using a local filter, the reconstructed region depends only on the local projections. The singularities (edges) are preserved, but the exact image value cannot be recovered. This paper, using the data consistency conditions, developed a pre-processing technique that uses the FBP algorithm, which outperforms direct FBP and LFBP.
The Cost of Responding to an Acinetobacter Outbreak in Critically Ill Surgical Patients.

Abstract Background: Our institution had an outbreak of multi-drug-resistant Acinetobacter (MDRA) in 2011. We analyzed the costs of responding to this outbreak from the hospital's perspective. Methods: We estimated retrospectively the excess costs associated with an MDRA outbreak response at a major academic medical center, including the costs of staffing, supplies, administrative time, deep cleaning, and environmental testing. Differences in mean costs before and during the 2011 MDRA outbreak were analyzed using the Student t-test. Results: The overall excess cost incurred during the outbreak response was $371,079 in 2011 U.S. dollars. The largest contributors were the extra resources needed to staff and clean the two intensive care units (ICUs) (78%). In the general surgery ICU, the mean weekly cost of nursing during the outbreak was $13,276 more for regular hours (+15%; p < 0.01) than in the pre-outbreak period and $2,682 more for overtime hours (+86%; p = 0.02). In the trauma ICU, the cost was $20,746...
Integrating task and data parallelism with the group communication archetype

A parallel program archetype aids the development of reliable, efficient parallel applications with common computation/communication structures by providing stepwise refinement methods and code libraries specific to the structure. The methods and libraries help in transforming a sequential program into a parallel program via a sequence of refinement steps that help maintain correctness while refining the program to obtain the appropriate level of granularity for a target machine. The specific archetype discussed deals with the integration of task and data parallelism using group communication. This archetype has been used to develop several applications. >
Nitric Oxide-Stimulated Increase in Extracellular Adenosine Accumulation in Rat Forebrain Neurons in Culture Is Associated with ATP Hydrolysis and Inhibition of Adenosine Kinase Activity

Adenosine is a putative endogenous sleep-inducing substance, and nitric oxide has been implicated in arousal and sleep mechanisms. We found that various nitric oxide donors, including diethylamine NONOate (DEA/NO), stimulated large increases in extracellular adenosine in nearly pure cultures of forebrain neurons. The effect of DEA/NO could be blocked by 2-phenyl-4,4,5, 5-tetramethyl-imidazoline-1-oxyl-oxide and could not be mimicked by degraded solutions of DEA/NO or by DEA itself; therefore, it was caused by nitric oxide release on hydrolysis of the parent compound. The accumulation of adenosine was not blocked by probenecid or GMP, suggesting that neither extracellular cAMP nor extracellular AMP was the source, and that adenosine was therefore the most likely species transported across the plasma membrane. To pursue this further, we tested the effect of DEA/NO on cellular ATP and found a significant fall in ATP associated with exposure to nitric oxide. In addition, exposure to DEA/NO nearly completely inhibited adenosine kinase activity. It has been found previously that adenosine kinase is inhibited by its substrate, adenosine. We found that exposure to nitric oxide increased intracellular adenosine to 125 +/- 18% of control values (p < 0.01), consistent with the possibility that in our system the inhibition of adenosine kinase is related to an increase in intracellular adenosine, and that the effect of nitric oxide on extracellular adenosine is significantly potentiated by substrate inhibition of adenosine kinase. Furthermore, nitric oxide-stimulated adenosine accumulation may be important in the regulation of behavioral state.
Challenges in epitaxial growth of SiGe buffers on Si (111), (110), and (112)

Abstract The growth of SiGe on surfaces other than Si(001) is of interest in VLSI technology both for realizing novel, high-mobility channels and for use in epitaxial source/drains. In this paper we report that thick, low-mismatch SiGe films grown on Si(111), (110), and (112) possess threading dislocation densities (TDD) > 10 × higher than comparable films on (001). We further show that one of the primary factors limiting crystalline quality on Si(111), (110), and (112) is the tendency towards stacking fault and microtwin formation which result from the nucleation and glide of dissociated Shockley partial dislocations. These microtwins are believed to arrest the propagation of strain-relieving misfit dislocations, necessitating further nucleation events and an overall rise in TDD. Therefore, while low-TDD SiGe buffers on Si (001) can typically be graded at 10–20% Ge/μm, it appears that attainment of similar TDDs on (111), (110), or (112) may require substantially lower grading rates and correspondingly thicker films.
Determinants of Fibrinolysis in Single Fibrin Fibers

To prevent local hemorrhage upon injury, a blood vessel will constrict to prevent blood loss; platelets will aggregate at the injury site and trigger the coagulation cascade, forming a platelet plug held together by fibrin fibers. When the hemostatic role of a thrombus is fulfilled, it is effectively removed from the circulatory system via the fibrinolytic system, which is mediated by the serine protease plasmin. Throughout the fibrinolytic process, fibrin fibers undergo significant morphological and biochemical changes as thrombi are digested by plasmin. Understanding the digestion of whole blood clots requires fundamental knowledge of how various structural and physical properties affect the rate of fibrinolysis at the level of single fibrin fibers. We have identified and characterized a novel pathway in plasmin-induced fibrin degradation where fibrin fibers remain intact and exhibit an increase in length and Brownian motion during fibrinolysis. Other members of our lab have identified the αC-domains as the dominant source of low strain (<100%) fiber extension and relaxation. Since elongated fibers exhibit a strain of <20%, our results indicate that elongation occurs when plasmin predominately cleaves the αC-domains of fibrin molecules, causing the fiber to relax. These results also suggest a fiber's initial diameter and prestrain determine whether a fiber will lyse or elongate.