cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Puzzling purpuras in children and young adults

The differential diagnosis of purpura is quite broad but does not usually include trauma, pressure-induced disease, or pseudopurpura. This type of diagnosis should be considered when the purpura arises in an unusual area and has a bizarre configuration with sharp margination. In this situation, a thorough history and physical exannination are of much more value than studies of the coagulation system.
Utilizing automatic quality selection scheme for multi-modal biometric fusion

With the growing understanding of quality's impact on recognition systems, a large number of quality factors with different quality measurements are available to the biometric system. In order to avoid the risk to reach the `curse of dimensionality' by increasing the number of quality measures in the multimodal fusion system, an automatic quality selection scheme is proposed in this paper to automatically select `appropriate' quality measures to effectively improve the fusion performances. The proposed quality selection scheme evaluates quality factors by examining their impacts on the corresponding matching system, and then selects certain quality factors for each modality that have major contributions to the system performance. A better solution of utilizing those selected quality measures is then proposed and implemented into quality-based fusion strategies: incorporating both gallery and probe quality measures into the multi-modal fusion systems instead of transformed `pair-wise' quality score. Experimental results demonstrate the proposed quality selection scheme can offer an optimal way to maximize the improvement of fusion performance using limited number of `appropriate' quality factors, and potentially analyze a large number of quality measures. The extensive experiments also provide a unique view to evaluate fusion performances by looking into more detailed quality groups of gallery and probe data, providing better understandings of the quality-based fusion system performance.
CS-13BONE MORPHOGENETIC PROTEIN SIGNALING PROMOTES TUMORIGENESIS IN A TRANSGENIC MOUSE MODEL OF GLIOMA

Improved therapies for high grade glioma (HGG) are imperative, as the median survival after diagnosis with grade IV glioma is 15 months. Recently pathways regulating neural development, such as the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) pathway, have been investigated as potential therapeutic targets in HGG. In xenograft transplant models, BMP signaling has been shown to have a tumor suppressive effect on the subpopulation of cells known as glioma-initiating or glioma stem cells. However, the degree to which BMP signaling plays a role in the bulk tumor cells or the more differentiated component in HGG is unknown. To investigate these questions we used both human samples of HGG and a novel murine model of human HGG established in our laboratory. We determined that BMP signaling is present and active in human HGG using a human HGG tissue-microarray. Our analysis of phospho-smad1/5/8 staining suggests that BMP signaling is present and active in most cells in many HGG gliomas, suggesting that BMP signaling is not limited to the glioma stem cell compartment. To examine the role of BMP signaling in differentiated, tumorigenic astrocytes, we deleted the BMP type IA receptor gene (Bmpr1a) in transformed astrocytes, effectively abrogating canonical BMP signaling in these cells. The cells were then transplanted orthotopically into immunocompetent adult host mice. Preliminary data suggest that, while BMP signaling may be tumor suppressive in stem-like cells, it acts as a tumor promoter in differentiated tumorigenic astrocytes. Compared to controls receiving cells with intact Bmpr1a, mice receiving Bmpr1a-knockout cells showed a significant increase in survival time upon orthotopic injection (21 vs. 52 days, p = 0.001). In vitro, deletion of Bmpr1a in oncogenic astrocytes resulted in decreased proliferation and increased Olig2 expression. Studies to further investigate the role of BMPs in HGG are underway.
Paleoceanographic and tectonic implications of a regionally extensive Early Mississippian hiatus in the Ouachita system, southern mid-continental United States

A regionally extensive Early Mississippian hiatus is recognized at the transition from preflysch to flysch rocks in the Ouachita system of the southern mid-continental United States. It is recognized only in sections where detailed biostratigraphic control exists, and it is coeval with a regional unconformity in the Ouachita foreland throughout parts of Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. Widespread Early Mississippian erosion and nondeposition is attributed to a reconfiguration in basin geometry caused by the onset of Ouachita orogenic activity. Crustal flexure resulting from the impending collision would have initiated erosional processes throughout the foreland, while simultaneously altering bottom-current pathways in the basin and allowing for a prolonged period of sedimentary bypass. In the Late Mississippian, increased constriction may have eventually cut off transequatorial bottom-water circulation, allowing deposition to resume on the shelf and in the basin. An important tectonic implication of this study is that Ouachita deformation started in the Late Devonian to earliest Mississippian, at least 10 m.y. before the onset of flysch deposition.
Electron microscopy of murine sjl/j disease.

SJL/J inbred mice suffering from the neoplastic disease, very young apparently normal animals and mice bearing transplanted tumors were examined. Lymph nodes, spleens and occasionally thymuses, lungs and Peyer's patches were investigated under the electron microscope. It was found that very young (3-week-old) animals with slightly enlarged lymph nodes did not show any cellular or ultrastructural changes, although at the age of 8 weeks there was a certain proliferation of plasma cells. The onset of overt disease was marked by a massive proliferation of plasma cells with simultaneous paraproteinemia in mice sera. If the animal survived this stage of the disease, a regression followed. Although the tumors were still present, plasma cells were no longer abundant and a reticulum cell hyperplasia became evident. In this late period of the disease normal blood proteins or hypogammaglobulinemia were found. Mice with transplanted tumors developed reticulum cell sarcomas and the serum showed either normal proteines or hypogammaglobulinemia. Intracisternal particles were found repeatedly in the reticulum cells of the transplanted tumors and very occasionally in the spontaneous tumors, during the regression stage. These particles measured about 850 A in diameter and were composed of a shell formed by two dense rings with a clear space in between, and a lighter central zone. The significance of these particles is discussed.
Multi-criteria logistics modeling for military humanitarian assistance and disaster relief aerial delivery operations

Given that it is not always feasible to reach an affected area via land or sea within the first week following a natural disaster, aerial delivery provides the primary means to rapidly supply the affected population. Further, it is often the case that high density delivery of humanitarian aid supplies are taken over by non-friendly groups within the affected population. By using direct airdrop systems to deliver large quantities of individually wrapped food and water items, dispersion among the affected disaster relief population will occur more quickly. In this paper, we proffer a multiple criteria decision analysis (MCDA) framework to optimize the military humanitarian assistance/disaster relief (HA/DR) aerial delivery supply chain network. The model uses stochastic, mixed-integer, weighted goal programming to optimize network design, logistics costs, staging locations, procurement amounts, and inventory levels. The MCDA framework enables decision-makers to explore the trade-offs between military HA/DR aerial delivery supply chain efficiency and responsiveness, while optimizing across a wide range of real-world, probabilistic scenarios to account for the inherent uncertainty in the location of global humanitarian disasters as well as the amount of demand to be met.
Surgical management of cavernous malformations involving the cranial nerves.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the indications and techniques pertinent to the treatment of cranial nerve (CN) cavernous malformations (CMs). METHODS: CN CMs are lesions isolated to the CNs. CMs affecting the optic nerve (CN II), oculomotor nerve (CN III), facial/vestibulocochlear complex (CN VII and CN VIII), and hypoglossal nerve (CN XII) have been described. The records for six patients were reviewed with respect to lesion location, symptoms, surgical approach, and therapeutic considerations. This is the largest series of CMs isolated to CNs reported to date. RESULTS: Three female patients and three male patients (age range, 28-76 yr; mean age, 41 yr) presented with six CN lesions; four lesions involved the optic chiasm and two involved CN VII and CN VIII. The patients with chiasmatic lesions presented with acute visual deterioration. Both patients with CN VII/CN VIII lesions exhibited acute hearing loss. The level of deterioration suggested CM hemorrhage. Orbitozygomatic craniotomies were performed for chiasmatic lesions, and retrosigmoid craniotomies were performed for cerebellopontine angle lesions. All patients experienced symptom improvement after surgery. One chiasmatic lesion recurred after 2 years and required resection. CONCLUSION: CN CMs present with site-specific symptoms and require complex surgical techniques for resection. These lesions are frequently symptomatic, because of the eloquence of the tissue of origin. Therefore, all CN CMs should be resected. Subtotal resection uniformly results in disease and symptom recurrence. CN CMs can be resected safely, with preservation of CN function.
The causal relationship between U.S. energy consumption and real output: A disaggregated analysis

Abstract This study utilizes U.S. annual data from 1949 to 2006 to examine the causal relationship between energy consumption and real GDP using aggregate and sectoral primary energy consumption measures within a multivariate framework. The Toda–Yamamoto long-run causality tests reveal that the relationship between energy consumption and real GDP is not uniform across sectors. Granger-causality is absent between total and transportation primary energy consumption and real GDP, respectively. Bidirectional Granger-causality is present between commercial and residential primary energy consumption and real GDP, respectively. Finally, the results indicate that industrial primary energy consumption Granger-causes real GDP. The results suggest that prudent energy and environmental policies should recognize the differences in the relationship between energy consumption and real GDP by sector.
Management of severe pulmonary hypertension in patients undergoing mitral valve surgery.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is simply defined as a mean pulmonary artery pressure greater than 25 mmHg at rest; however, may result from varying combinations of abnormal pulmonary artery (PA) blood flow, pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), PA compliance, and pulmonary venous pressure. Mitral regurgitation (MR) allows for partial transmission of systemic arterial pressure into the pulmonary venous system. Mitral stenosis (MS) prevents pulmonary venous drainage into the left ventricle. In either case, the direct result is marked pressurization of the pulmonary venous system, with the primary cause of PH in significant mitral valve disease (PHMVD) being pulmonary venous hypertension (PVH). Chronic and severe PVH may then lead to muscularization of the pulmonary arterial bed, with a rise in PVR and loss of pulmonary arterial compliance that follows (“reactive” pulmonary vascular disease). Right heart dysfunction ensues once the PVR rises and the compliance falls to a point in which the right ventricle (RV) cannot overcome the increased afterload. However, it is worth emphasizing that in the setting of PHMVD, no matter the degree of mismatch between RV afterload and RV function, the root condition in the patient and cause of the PH remains severe MV disease. Without correction of the primary condition, the patient’s heart failure (HF), PH, PVR, and RV dysfunction will remain or progress. Moreover, direct PH medical therapies are ineffective and may actually worsen left heart congestion in the setting of unremediated MVD. Therefore, although surgery may be a higher risk in some patients with PHMVD, the potential benefits justify the risks in the majority of cases. If needed, direct medical management of PH is far simpler and more effective once the MVD is corrected, given the degree of left heart congestion often improves dramatically. Therefore, corrective mitral valve intervention should be considered as the main and definitive treatment for these patients.
Excitatory amino acids and drugs of abuse : a role for N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors in drug tolerance, sensitization and physical dependence

N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors have been implicated in several types of neural and behavioral plasticity ranging from development to learning. The present paper reviews evidence suggesting that these receptors might also be involved in the neural and behavioral changes resulting from chronic administration of drugs of abuse. NMDA receptor antagonists have been found to interfere with tolerance, sensitization, physical dependence and conditioning to a variety of self-administered drugs, including psychomotor stimulants, opiates, ethanol and nicotine. The results indicate a broad role for NMDA receptors in drug-induced neural and behavioral plasticity, including changes in the brain and behavior that may lead to compulsive drug use, and suggest that drugs acting at the NMDA receptor complex may be clinically useful.
A Focus on Remediation in School Psychology.

Abstract School psychologists sometimes suffer from a remediable peculiarity: they possess considerable skill in diagnosis, but too often have a paucity of treatment plans for exceptional children. It was not known what recommendations were being offered by school psychologists to the teachers and parents of handicapped children. Through a grant, the investigator completed a Division 16-wide research survey and reveived 3,700 psycho-educational recommendations to aid such children. The concepts were classified, edited, and compiled into a manual for trainees and experienced professionals. The survey's rationale, methodology, and results are briefly discussed.
A numerical method for the solution of certain classes of nonlinear Volterra integro-differential and integral equations

A direct numerical method is presented for the solution of classes of non-linear, singular Volterra integral and integro-differential equations of the types where y is the unknown and the Fs and Gs are given but to a large extent arbitrary functions of their arguments. The adaptation of the method to other equations, in particular with different kernels, is immediate.
Treatment of experimental syphilis in rabbits with streptomycin.

Summary1. Two syphilitic rabbits were treated with streptomycin for 72 hours and 96 hours respectively, with 42.5 mg per kg and 45.5 mg per kg per day respectively. 2. Darkfield examinations were positive at the end of 24 and 48 hours of treatment and transfers of testicular material from both rabbits caused syphilitic lesions in other rabbits in 40 days. 3. Darkfield examination was negative after 72 hours of treatment in the rabbit which had received 42.5 mg of streptomycin per kg per day. Transfer of one of this rabbit's testicles to 2 rabbits failed to cause syphilitic changes. 4. The rabbit which was treated for 96 hours with 45.5 mg of streptomycin per kg per day showed non-motile spirochetes which were capable of causing syphilis in 2 rabbits. However, the lesions did not develop until 120 days after inoculation. 5. Popliteal transfers of the streptomycin-treated rabbits, performed 6 months after therapy, failed to cause syphilitic lesions in 141 days. The control's popliteal nodes caused changes i...
Plasma-assisted deposition techniques for hard coatings

Abstract This paper reviews the most commonly used deposition techniques for hard coatings, namely Plasma-Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition (PACVD), Reactive Sputtering (RS) and Activated Reactive Sputtering (ARE). The role of plasma parameters and process parameters as well as their interdependency is discussed in terms of the three steps in deposition of films, i.e. generation of the depositing species, transport from source to substrate and film growth on the substrate.
Electro-optic time lensing with an intense single-cycle terahertz pulse

We demonstrate that an intense single-cycle terahertz (THz) pulse can act as a time lens to phase modulate and compress a copropagating ultrashort laser pulse. By using the THz-induced phase modulation as a time lens and a glass plate as a group velocity dispersive element, we have compressed an unchirped $~165$ fs laser pulse to $~45$ fs.
Sketch-based 3D engineering part class browsing and retrieval

We present a two-tier sketch-based engineering part retrieval system enhanced with classifier combination. Given a free-hand user sketch, we propose to use an ensemble of classifiers to estimate the likelihood of the sketch belonging to each category by exploring the strengths of individual classifiers. This supports high quality part retrieval by motivating user feedback with a ranked list of top choices. Three shape descriptors have been used to generate the probability-based classifiers independently. Experiments are conducted using the Engineering Shape Benchmark database in order to evaluate the selected combination rules before we integrate the best rule for sketch classification. User studies with the system show that users can easily identify the desired groups and then the parts. In addition, the precision attained using the synthesis is better than results from independent classifiers when applied to both user sketches and 3D models.
DNA microarray analysis for the identification of innate immune pathways implicated in virus-induced autoimmune diabetes.

We have recently demonstrated that upregulation of the innate immune system plays a key role in KRV-induced autoimmune diabetes in the BBDR rat, but the nature of this proinflammatory reaction has not yet been addressed. Using a DNA microarray approach, we identified 569 genes upregulated in pancreatic lymph nodes following virus infection. Among the most highly activated are IL-1 pathways, IFN-γ-induced chemokines, and genes associated with interferon production and signaling. Ex vivo and in vitro studies indicate that KRV upregulates proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines in B lymphocytes and Flt-3L-induced plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs). Finally, in contrast to KRV, infection of BBDR rats with the non-diabetogenic KRV homologue H-1 parvovirus fails to induce a robust proinflammatory response in pancreatic lymph nodes. Our findings provide new insights into KRV-induced innate immune pathways that may play a role in early mechanisms leading to islet inflammation and diabetes.
How and why phosphotyrosine-containing peptides bind to the SH2 and PTB domains.

Background: Specific recognition of phosphotyrosine-containing protein segments by Src homology 2 (SH2) and phosphotyrosine-binding (PTB) domains plays an important role in intracellular signal transduction. Although many SH2/PTB-domain-containing receptor–peptide complex structures have been solved, little has been done to study the problem computationally. Prediction of the binding geometry and the binding constant of any peptide–protein pair is an extremely important problem. Results: A procedure to predict binding energies of phosphotyrosine-containing peptides with SH2/PTB domains was developed. The average deviation between experimentally measured binding energies and theoretical evaluations was 1.8 kcal/mol. Binding states of unphosphorylated peptides were also predicted reasonably well. Ab initio predictions of binding geometry of fully flexible peptides correctly identified conformations of two pentapeptides and a hexapeptide complexed with a v-Src SH2 domain receptor with root mean square deviations (rmsds) of 0.3 a, 1.2 a and 1.5 a, respectively. Conclusions: The binding energies of phosphotyrosine-containing complexes can be effectively predicted using the procedure developed here. It was also possible to predict the bound conformations of flexible short peptides correctly from random starting conformations.
Multi-photon excitation properties of CdSe quantum dots solutions and optical limiting behavior in infrared range

Multi-photon absorption and excitation properties of CdSe quantum dots in hexane with different dot-sizes have been investigated. The two- and three-photon absorption (2PA and 3PA) coefficients were measured by using ~160-fs laser pulses at wavelengths of ~775-nm and ~1300-nm, respectively. The dependence of one-, two- and three-photon induced fluorescence spectra as well as their double-exponential decay on the dot-sizes was studied. Based on the fluorescence emission spectra and temporal decay constants for a given sample solution excited by one-, two-and three-photon absorption, it can be concluded that the transition pathways for fluorescence emission and decay under one-, two- and three-photon excitation are nearly identical. The optical power limiting capabilities based on 2PA and 3PA mechanisms are demonstrated separately. In addition, a saturation behavior of 3PA at ~1300 nm was observed.
On the mechanism of acoustic droplet vaporization

It has been observed in the past that micrometer sized droplets can be vaporized into gas bubbles by the application of diagnostic ultrasound. This paper will discuss the possible underlying mechanism of acoustic droplet vaporization (ADV) including acoustic cavitation, acoustic heating, shape oscillations during acoustic irradiation, and hydrodynamic cavitation. Experiments were performed on droplet emulsions as well as on single droplets. The vaporization of emulsions was quantified based on gas bubbles generated in a flow tube using a 10 MHz linear imaging army. Single droplets were monitored optically under a microscope and a high speed video system. The frequency dependence of ADV as well as trials with degassed water (40% of saturation) imply that acoustic cavitation is not the mechanism for ADV. Acoustic heating was investigated by exposing the droplet emulsion to repetitive tone bursts (50 Hz to 5 kHz). No significant change in pressure threshold for ADV was observed, however the yield of gas bubbles was used to calculate the single pulse conversion efficiency of ADV to 26%. Droplet shape oscillations causing a non-uniform Laplace pressure, were found to be 15% or less of the droplet diameter. They could be observed at the beginning and at the end of the acoustic irradiation. Observed was a dipole-type motion (1.3 /spl mu/m amplitude) of irradiated droplets as well as the spot-like onset of vaporization on the axis of oscillation close to a pole of the droplet. It is concluded that because of the high Reynolds number during ADV (4-5/spl times/10/sup 5/), the mechanism of vaporization might be based on hydrodynamic effects.
The schizophrenia-rheumatoid arthritis connection: infectious, immune, or both?

Schizophrenia and rheumatoid arthritis share an impressive number of similarities. Both are chronic, relapsing diseases of unknown etiology. Both became prominent in the early 19th century and have prevalences of approximately 1% in North America and Europe. Both run in families, have pairwise concordance rates of approximately 30% among monozygotic twins, and are more common among individuals born in urban areas. For both diseases, studies have reported greater exposure to cats in childhood than in controls. Both diseases have been associated with similar class II HLA antigens. Both have also been suspected of having infectious etiology, with similar agents—retroviruses, herpesviruses including EBV, and Toxoplasma gondii—having been associated in some cases. Since there is also a well-documented inverse correlation between these two diseases, it is possible that they share a common infectious and/or immune etiology and that once a person gets one of the diseases then they are relatively immune to the other.
Ignoring Children's Emotions: A novel ignoring subscale for the Coping with Children's Negative Emotions Scale

Researchers and theorists agree that parents may ignore children's emotions as a form of emotion socialization, yet few parent-report measures assess this emotion socialization strategy. This study describes a conceptual approach to understanding parents' ignoring responses and describes a novel subscale added to the Coping with Children's Negative Emotions Scale, which assesses parents' intentional ignoring of children's negative emotions. Eighty-one parents of 3–6-year-old children reported on their emotion socialization and their children's socioemotional adjustment. Relations between parents' ignoring responses and other emotion socialization strategies and among parents' emotion socialization strategies and children's adjustment are explored. The ignoring subscale is internally consistent and relates positively to unsupportive strategies such as punitive and minimizing responses and to children's emotional lability and anger/aggression. Implications and directions for additional research are discussed.
Combined gaze-angle and vergence variation in infantile nystagmus: two therapies that improve the high-visual-acuity field and methods to measure it

PURPOSE. To investigate the convergence-induced waveform and high-acuity-field improvements resulting from different therapies in two subjects with infantile nystagmus (IN) that was damped by convergence and to report a new finding in one of the subjects. METHODS Infrared reflection was used to measure eye movements during fixation of targets at different gaze and convergence angles and the expanded nystagmus acuity function (NAFX) to evaluate the IN waveform’s foveation quality at all fixation points. RESULTS Recordings demonstrated that, at far, both subjects exhibited classic nulls (high NAFX values) with NAFX reduction at gaze angles lateral to the null. S1 was treated with prisms and S2 with surgery. When converged at near or at far with base-out prisms (S1) or after bimedial recession and bilateral tenotomy surgery (S2), NAFX was higher at both the null and lateral gaze angles; the null region was broadened. The longest foveation domain (gaze angles where the NAFX is within 10% of its peak) at near was three times wider than at far for S1 and two times wider after than before surgery for S2. The therapeutic improvement domain (gaze angles where the posttherapy NAFX is higher than pretherapy) was even broader. At fixed gaze angles in the central 20° of gaze, S1’s NAFX variation with vergence exhibited hysteresis, higher during divergence than convergence; S2 exhibited no hysteresis after surgery. CONCLUSIONS Damping IN by means of convergence, induced either surgically or with prisms, broadened the range of gaze angles with higher foveation quality, mimicking the null-broadening effects of tenotomy. The discovery of vergence hysteresis may reflect pulley movement and might allow higher acuity, if a near point is transiently fixated just before a far target. The acuity domains provide new and more comprehensive evaluations of both pre- and posttherapy visual function than do primary-position acuity measurements, suggesting that highvisual-acuity fields should be included in clinical measures of
DIRECT NUMERICAL SIMULATION: A Tool in Turbulence Research

▪ Abstract We review the direct numerical simulation (DNS) of turbulent flows. We stress that DNS is a research tool, and not a brute-force solution to the Navier-Stokes equations for engineering problems. The wide range of scales in turbulent flows requires that care be taken in their numerical solution. We discuss related numerical issues such as boundary conditions and spatial and temporal discretization. Significant insight into turbulence physics has been gained from DNS of certain idealized flows that cannot be easily attained in the laboratory. We discuss some examples. Further, we illustrate the complementary nature of experiments and computations in turbulence research. Examples are provided where DNS data has been used to evaluate measurement accuracy. Finally, we consider how DNS has impacted turbulence modeling and provided further insight into the structure of turbulent boundary layers.
Counseling Challenges with Variants of Uncertain Significance and Incidental Findings in Prenatal Genetic Screening and Diagnosis

Prenatal genetic screening and testing provides prospective parents information about the health of their fetus. It is offered to find or address an increased risk for chromosomal abnormalities or other genetic conditions in the fetus or to identify the cause of fetal structural abnormalities detected by prenatal imaging. Genome-wide tests, such as the already widely-used chromosomal microarray analysis and emerging diagnostic whole exome and whole genome sequencing, have improved the ability to detect clinically significant findings, but have also increased the chance of detecting incidental findings and variants of uncertain significance. There is an extensive ongoing discussion about optimal strategies for diagnostic laboratories to report such findings and for providers to communicate them with patients. While consensus opinions and guidelines are beginning to appear, they often exclude the prenatal setting, due to its unique set of challenging considerations. These include more limited knowledge of the impact of genetic variants when prospectively detected in an ongoing pregnancy, the absence or limitations of detecting clinically recognizable phenotypes at the time of testing and the different decision-making processes that will ensue from testing. In this review, we examine these challenges within the medical ethical framework unique to prenatal care.
Partner roles in contraceptive use: what do adolescent mothers say?

Abstract Study Objective To examine the role of sexual partners in adolescent mothers' use of non-coital dependent contraceptive methods in the postpartum period. Design/Setting/Participants 40 African American adolescent mothers completed surveys and qualitative interviews during the first postpartum year as part of a larger longitudinal study in Chicago, Illinois. Themes related to contraception and sexual partners were analyzed. Main Outcome Measures Adolescent mothers' reports of partners' roles in the use of non-coital dependent contraceptive methods (i.e., oral contraceptives, intrauterine contraception, and depot medroxyprogesterone acetate). Results Partners largely supported the use of non-coital dependent contraceptive methods, yet mechanisms of support varied greatly, from advocating for specific methods to facilitating participants' continuation of their chosen method. Unsupportive partners either expressed concerns about the safety and side effects of specific methods or desired another child in the near future. Participants valued these preferences to different degrees when making their contraceptive decisions. Conclusions Partners of adolescent mothers play varying roles in postpartum contraceptive decisions. They thus have the potential both to inhibit and to facilitate the use of non-coital dependent contraception. Quantitative research is needed to further evaluate how partner attitudes and support behaviors, among other factors, affect contraceptive initiation and continuation among adolescent mothers.
Development and pilot of an advance care planning website for women with ovarian cancer: A randomized controlled trial

Abstract Objective Few available tools facilitate cancer patients and physicians' discussions of quality of life and end-of-life. Our objective was to develop a web-based tool to promote advance care planning for women with ovarian cancer. Methods Women with ovarian cancer, their families, clinicians and researchers met to identify ways to improve cancer care. A prototype website was created to address advance care planning, focusing on advance healthcare directives (AHD) and palliative care consultation. Patients were recruited from a gynecologic oncology clinic for a pilot randomized controlled trial. Primary outcomes included completion of an AHD and palliative care consultation. Results At study completion, 53 women with ovarian cancer were enrolled and 35 completed the study. The mean age at enrollment was 57.9±9.5years; most were newly diagnosed or at first recurrence. There were no statistical differences in completion of AHD (p=0.220) or palliative care consultation (p=0.440) between intervention and control groups. However, women in the intervention group showed evidence of moving toward decision making regarding AHD and palliative care and lower decisional conflict. Women assigned to the intervention, compared to control website, were highly satisfied with the amount (p=0.054) and quality (p=0.119) of information and when they accessed the website, used it longer (p=0.049). Overall website use was lower than expected, resulting from several patient-related and design barriers. Conclusions A website providing information and decisional support for women with ovarian cancer is feasible. Increasing frequency of website use requires future research.
Machining fixture layout optimization using the genetic algorithm

Abstract Dimensional and form accuracy of a workpiece are influenced by the fixture layout selected for the machining operation. Hence, optimization of fixture layout is a critical aspect of machining fixture design. This paper presents a fixture layout optimization technique that uses the genetic algorithm (GA) to find the fixture layout that minimizes the deformation of the machined surface due to clamping and machining forces over the entire tool path. The advantages of the GA-based method over previously reported non-linear programming methods for fixture layout optimization are discussed. Two GA-based fixture layout optimization approaches are implemented and compared by applying them to several two-dimensional example problems.
7. The Hero's Return

Chapter 7 discusses the synthesis of the five-factor and life-story models into an integrative model that is applied to the case study of Dodge Morgan. Such integration allows new ways of thinking, considers multiple levels of analysis, and solves problems that cannot be approached by either model individually. Through the combined lenses of these trait and phenomenological models, one can not only view an individual personality at a higher level of abstraction, but also achieve a different understanding of the models themselves. We discuss the impact of the voyage on Morgan's psychological development; we also analyze post-voyage assessments and personal documents with reference to consistency and change, personal meaning, and the balancing of agentic and communal motivations.
Cargill: Biotechnology and Value Creation in Wheat

About 40 percent of the world’s food supply came from rice and wheat-based foods. The genome of wheat (a genome is a set of chromosomes) was much larger than those of other crops such as rice. Deciphering the wheat genome was a much more complex process. Wheat had six DNA strands (e.g., humans have only a doublehelix DNA strand) and almost twice as many genes as humans. GM wheat would be available for production by 2004. The objective of this case is to describe: segregation and identity-preservation issues in the wheat value chain, the role of Cargill in that value chain, and issues surrounding the introduction of genetically modified wheat.
Comprehensive analysis of circadian periodic pattern in plant transcriptome

Background Circadian rhythm is a crucial factor in orchestration of plant physiology, keeping it in synchrony with the daylight cycle. Previous studies have reported that up to 16% of plant transcriptome are circadially expressed.
Investigation of heat transfer and bubble dynamics in a boiling thin liquid film flowing over a rotating disk

Nucleate boiling heat transfer and bubble dynamics in a thin liquid film on a horizontal rotating disk were studied. A series of experiments were conducted to determine the heat transfer coefficient on the disk. At low rotation and flow rates, vigorous boiling increased the heat transfer coefficients above those without boiling. Higher rotational speeds and higher flow rates increased the heat transfer coefficient and suppressed boiling by decreasing the superheat in the liquid film. The flow field on the disk, which included supercritical (thin film) flow upstream of a hydraulic jump, and subcritical (thick film) flow downstream of a hydraulic jump, affected the type of bubble growth. Three types of bubble growth were identified. Vigorous boiling with large, stationary bubbles were observed in the subcritical flow. Supercritical flow produced small bubbles that remained attached to the disk and acted as local obstacles to the flow. At low rotational rates, the hydraulic jump that separated the supercritical and subcritical regions produced hemispherical bubbles that protruded out of the water film surface and detached from the disk, allowing them to slide radially outward. A model of the velocity and temperature of the microlayer of water underneath these sliding bubbles indicated that the microlayer thickness was approximately 1/25th of that of the surrounding water film. This microlayer is believed to greatly enhance the heat transfer rate underneath the sliding bubbles.
Stability, queue length and delay. I. Deterministic queueing networks

Conditions for deterministic queueing networks that render bounded delays for customers are identified. These conditions are referred to as stability conditions for deterministic queues. Parallel to the three classical stability conditions, stationarity, ergodicity, and the traffic condition, for queues with random inputs, the notions of envelope process, subadditivity, and the traffic condition are used as the stability conditions for deterministic queues. It is shown that the delay in a single queue is bounded under a work-conservative scheduling policy if the minimum envelope rate, which is the average rate of the smallest envelope process, is less than the capacity. Moreover, the delay cannot be bounded if the minimum envelope rate is larger than the capacity. Similar results are extended to multiclass networks with feedforward routing. For networks with nonfeedforward routing, it is shown that the stability result holds for networks with a single class of customers under the first come first served (FCFS) policy. Various scheduling policies that stabilize multiclass networks with nonfeedforward routing are discussed, and a sufficient condition for the stability under the FCFS policy is given. >
Bayesian network based dynamic operational risk assessment

Abstract The oil/gas, chemical, petrochemical, food, power, papermaking and other process industries consist of numerous equipment and unit operations, thousands of control loops, and exhibit dynamic behavior. Chemical process plants are subjected to different types of process risks in daily operations, which include risks due to reactivity, toxicity and mechanical hazards, fire and explosion risks etc. Failure to manage or minimize hazards can result in serious incidents. Therefore, it is very important to identify hazards, perform risk assessments, and take proper initiatives to minimize/remove hazards and risks; else a catastrophic accident may result. Dynamic characteristics such as stochastic processes, operator response times, inspection and testing time intervals, ageing of equipment/components, season changes, sequential dependencies of equipment/components and timing of safety system operation also have great influence on the dynamic processes. Conventional risk assessment methodologies generally used in oil/gas and petrochemical plants have limited capacity in quantifying these time dependent characteristics. Therefore, it is important to develop a method that can address time-dependent effects in risk calculation and provide precise estimation. This study proposes a risk assessment methodology for dynamic systems based on Bayesian network, which represents the dependencies among variables graphically and captures the changes of variables over time by the dynamic Bayesian network. This study proposes to develop dynamic fault tree for a chemical process system/sub-system. Then a procedure to map the developed dynamic fault tree to map into the Bayesian network and the dynamic Bayesian network is provided to demonstrate the dynamic operational risk assessment methodology. A case study on a level control system is provided to illustrate the methodology's ability in capturing dynamic operational changes in process due to sequential dependency of one equipment/component on others.
Site-Specific Recombination on Unknot and Unlink Substrates Producing Two-Bridge Links

Site-specific recombinases act upon circular DNA, transforming it from one conformation into another. Keeping track of just the axial backbone of the DNA, we may represent the DNA as topological knots and links and model the transformations as localized bandings. As single unknotted loops of DNA and pairs of unlinked unknotted loops of DNA are the typical substrates generated in the laboratory for recombination, and two-bridge links are among the more common conformations arising from recombination, we survey both the classification of which two-bridge links may be thus obtained and the current state of knowledge about where these transformations may occur.
Self-powered wireless biosensing based on integration of paper-based microfluidics with self-assembling RFID antennas

This paper extends our previous work on wireless biosensing by proposing and demonstrating the integration of self-assembling radio-frequency antennas with paper-based microfluidics. The integration substrate is constructed using polyethylene and the patterning of the antenna on the substrate has been achieved using a low-cost ink-jet printing technique. The use of paper-based microfluidics enables self-powered sample acquisition, sample mixing and sample flow to areas on the substrate where antennas can self-assemble only when target analytes are present in the sample. When the integrated substrate is combined with a passive radio-frequency identification (RFID) tagging technology, the resulting sensor-tag can be used for continuous monitoring in a food supply-chain where direct measurement is considered to be impractical and reducing false alarms is a key consideration. We validate the proof-of-concept operation of the proposed sensor-tag using IgG as a model analyte.
Virtual Reality for Enhanced Ecological Validity and Experimental Control in the Clinical, Affective and Social Neurosciences.

An essential tension can be found between researchers interested in ecological validity and those concerned with maintaining experimental control. Research in the human neurosciences often involves the use of simple and static stimuli lacking many of the potentially important aspects of real world activities and interactions. While this research is valuable, there is a growing interest in the human neurosciences to use cues about target states in the real world via multimodal scenarios that involve visual, semantic, and prosodic information. These scenarios should include dynamic stimuli presented concurrently or serially in a manner that allows researchers to assess the integrative processes carried out by perceivers over time. Furthermore, there is growing interest in contextually embedded stimuli that can constrain participant interpretations of cues about a target’s internal states. Virtual reality environments proffer assessment paradigms that combine the experimental control of laboratory measures with emotionally engaging background narratives to enhance affective experience and social interactions. The present review highlights the potential of virtual reality environments for enhanced ecological validity in the clinical, affective, and social neurosciences.
Impact of Selective Use of the Synthetic Pyrethroid Fenvalerate on Apple Pests and Natural Enemies in Large-orchard Trials

The synthetic pyrethroid, fenvalerate, when used throughout the season (112 g [AI]/ha) in a commercial apple orchard, provided excellent pest control compared to a standard insecticide schedule, but caused outbreaks of the European red mite, Panonychus ulmi (Koch). Populations of the mite predator, Stethorus punctum (LeConte), never became established in the fenvalerate block, but were numerous and effectively controlled mites in the standard block. Insecticide and acaricide costs were higher for the fenvalerate program, but the reduction in damage due to the tufted apple budmoth, Platynota idaeusalis (Walker), over the standard program resulted in a substantial net gain of ca. $395/ha under heavy pest pressure. Late-season sprays of fenvalerate at reduced dosages (56 and 28 g [AI]/ha) also caused a resurgence of mites, higher mite populations occurring in the block sprayed with the higher dosage. Established predator populations were decimated subsequent to the fenvalerate sprays at either dosage. The total costs of the pesticide programs were about equal, but the slightly better control with the fenvalerate program resulted in a net gain of ca. $32/ha. Short- and long-term ramifications of fenvalerate use in an integrated pest management framework are discussed.
Abstract ED04-04: Perspectives on the production of race and cancer disparities

Scholars of social medicine have long called for a recognition of politics, history and economics in our understanding of disease occurrence among individuals and groups. And yet, larger social discussions of disease are often infused with categories such as race/ethnicity and culture that are used to explain cancer rates in lieu of the social conditions that play a greater role in unequal cancer burdens. Drawing on multidisciplinary collaborative cancer prevention and screening efforts with community groups, this paper will discuss how cultural anthropology9s attention to social context and cultural meaning systems in the cancer continuum can reveal processes that lead to production of race and subsequently obscure the role of social inequalities in the production of cancer disparities. Citation Information: Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2011;20(10 Suppl):ED04-04.
Does serum lactate combined with soluble endothelial selectins at ICU admission predict sepsis development

AIM We sought to determine for serum lactate its specificity and sensitivity in sepsis development prognosis in critically-ill, non-septic patients. Additionally, we evaluated whether sE-selectin or sP-selectin add prognostic value to lactate in sepsis. PATIENTS AND METHODS Using a cohort previously studied in another context, in this retrospective investigation we plotted receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves using sepsis development as the classification variable and serum lactate levels and their linear combinations with soluble sE-selectin and/or sP-selectin levels at intensive care unit (ICU) admission, as prognostic variables. RESULTS Lactate levels combined with sE- and sP-selectin levels have the best prognostic accuracy showing a sensitivity and specificity of 76% and 84%, respectively, and an area under the curve (AUC) at 0.854 (95% confidence interval (CI)=0.775-0.932; p<0.001). CONCLUSION In our patient cohort, combining sE- and sP-selectin with serum lactate offers better prognostic value for sepsis development during ICU hospitalization.