cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Covering Arrays: Using Prior Information for Construction, Evaluation and to Facilitate Fault Localization

Covering arrays are increasingly being used by test engineers to derive test cases to test complex engineered systems. This approach to testing is known as combinatorial testing and has proven to be a cost-efficient way to determine test cases that are highly effective at identifying faults in the system that are due to the combination of several inputs. However, when such faults are encountered and failures occur, the test engineer is tasked with determining the inputs and associated values that triggered the failures. This exercise typically involves examining a long list of potential causes and may even require performing follow-up tests to reduce the number of potential causes. This paper addresses this issue by considering the prior knowledge of the system under test that test engineers often have. We show how this knowledge can be used to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of a suite of test cases before any test cases are executed. Finally, we address the case where failures occur and show how this prior knowledge can aid in determining the inputs, and associated values, that triggered the failures. In addition, throughout the paper, we compare and contrast the use of covering arrays for testing complex engineered systems to the use of factorial experiments in traditional experimental design settings.
Development of a measure to assess acceptance of headache: The Headache Acceptance Questionnaire (HAQ).

BackgroundDisability resulting from headache disorders is attributable in part to avoidant coping. Acceptance of pain connotes a willingness to experience pain in the service of life values, such t...
Design and Integration of a Nanohybrid Functional Biomaterial with Enhanced Mechanical and Thermal Properties

Nanohybrid functional biomaterials with advanced properties can provide a competitive edge in diverse biomedical applications from diagnosis to therapeutic treatments. This work describes the design of a green functional biomaterial composed of type I collagen reinforced with cellulose nanowhiskers (CNWs) to effectively enhance the rigidity of collagen and to better mimic the morphology and profile features that are characteristic to biological tissues. Careful control of the processing conditions resulted in the successful grafting of CNWs within the collagenous medium and gave rise to the formation of a three-dimensional rigid percolating network; fact which imparted a significant improvement in the system’s mechanical and thermal stability at small amount of nanofiller concentration. Similarly, the initial biocompatibility of the collagen-cellulose nanohybrid composite was probed by in-vitro incubation of human-bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which resulted in the invasion and proliferation of MSCs within the hydrogel nanomaterial at day 8 of culture. We believe that the green nanohybrid composite in this study with its unique features could open new perspective design in the self-assembly of functional biomaterials for diverse range of biomedical applications.
Women With First-Hand Tobacco Smoke Exposure Have a Higher Likelihood of Having an Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysm Than Nonsmokers: A Nested Case-Control Study

Background The prevalence of unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIA) in females who smoke cigarettes and the association between smoking and hypertension with purely incidental UIAs have been unexplored. Objective To obtain the prevalence of UIA among females and to assess the relationship between smoking and hypertension with a diagnosis of incidental UIAs. Methods A nested case-control study from a cohort of female patients aged between 30 and 60 yr with a brain magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) between 2016 and 2018. Incidental UIAs were compared to patients with normal MRAs. Smoking was characterized as never or former/current smokers. A logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between smoking, hypertension, or both, with a diagnosis of incidental UIAs. Results A total of 1977 patients had a brain MRA between 2016 and 2018. From 1572 nonsmoker patients, we encountered 30 with an UIA (prevalence: 1.9%). There were 405 patients with a positive smoking history, and 77 patients harbored an UIA (prevalence: 19%). Of 64 aneurysm patients and 130 random controls eligible for the case control, aneurysm patients were more likely to have a positive smoking history and hypertension compared with healthy controls (60% vs 18%, P ≤ .001; 44% vs 14%, P ≤ .001). A multivariable analysis demonstrated a significant association between a smoking history, hypertension, or both factors with an incidental UIA (odds ratio [OR] 5.8 CI 1.22-11.70; OR 3.8 CI 2.31-14.78; OR 12.6 CI 4.38-36.26; respectively). Conclusion Females who smoke cigarettes have a higher prevalence of UIAs than the general population. Smoking confers a higher risk for having a silent UIA, aggravated by hypertension. This population is an ideal target for potential screening.
Free riders and the optimal prize in public‐good funding lotteries

We prove the existence and uniqueness of an equilibrium in a game where players, whose preferences exhibit constant absolute risk aversion or constant relative risk aversion, contribute to a public good via lottery‐ticket purchases. Contrasting models with risk neutrality, we show that an equilibrium with a strictly positive amount of the public good may not exist without a sufficient number of participants who are not too risk‐averse. We show that players who are more risk‐averse purchase fewer lottery tickets and are more likely to free ride in equilibrium. In fact, it is possible for free riders to place a larger value on the public good than do those who contribute. In a symmetric equilibrium, we show that an upper bound exists for the amount of the public good, even though there are infinitely many participants. Furthermore, we derive a lottery prize that maximizes the amount of the public good in a symmetric equilibrium and find that such a prize always results in an overprovision of the public good.
Finite element network analysis: A machine learning based computational framework for the simulation of physical systems

Abstract This paper introduces the concept of finite element network analysis (FENA) which is a physics-informed, machine-learning-based, computational framework for the simulation of physical systems. The framework leverages the extreme computational speed of trained neural networks and the unique transfer knowledge property of bidirectional recurrent neural networks (BRNN) to provide a uniquely powerful and flexible computing platform. One of the most remarkable properties of this framework consists in its ability to simulate the response of physical systems, made of multiple interconnected components, by combining individually pre-trained network models that do not require any further training following the assembly phase. This remarkable result is achieved via the use of key concepts such as transfer knowledge and network concatenation. Although the computational framework is illustrated and numerically validated for the case of a 1D elastic bar under static loading, the conceptual structure of the framework is extremely general and it suggests potential extensions to a broad spectrum of applications in computational science. The framework is numerically validated against the solution provided by traditional finite element analysis and the results highlight the outstanding performance of this new concept of computational platform.
Woven Endobridge device for treatment of dissection-related PICA aneurysm.

Ruptured vertebrobasilar dissecting aneurysms require urgent, often challenging treatment as they have with a high re-hemorrhage rate within the first 24 hours. The patient is a 57-year-old woman w...
A key role for the transporter OAT1 in systemic lipid metabolism

Abstract Organic anion transporter 1 (OAT1/SLC22A6) is a drug transporter with numerous xenobiotic and endogenous substrates. The Remote Sensing and Signaling Theory suggests that drug transporters with compatible ligand preferences can play a role in “organ crosstalk,” mediating overall organismal communication. Other drug transporters are well known to transport lipids, but surprisingly little is known about the role of OAT1 in lipid metabolism. To explore this subject, we constructed a genome-scale metabolic model using omics data from the Oat1 knockout mouse. The model implicated OAT1 in the regulation of many classes of lipids, including fatty acids, bile acids, and prostaglandins. Accordingly, serum metabolomics of Oat1 knockout mice revealed increased polyunsaturated fatty acids, diacylglycerols, and long chain fatty acids, and decreased ceramides and bile acids when compared to wild type controls. Some aged knockout mice also displayed increased lipid droplets in the liver when compared to wild type mice. Chemoinformatics and machine learning analyses of these altered lipids defined molecular properties that form the structural basis for lipid-transporter interactions, including the number of rings, positive charge/volume, and complexity of the lipids. Finally, we obtained targeted serum metabolomics data after short-term treatment of rodents with the OAT-inhibiting drug probenecid to identify potential drug-metabolite interactions. The treatment resulted in alterations in eicosanoids and fatty acids, further supporting our metabolic reconstruction predictions. Consistent with the Remote Sensing and Signaling Theory, the data support a role of OAT1 in systemic lipid metabolism.
The effects of middle school remediation on postsecondary success: Regression discontinuity evidence from Florida

Abstract High school graduation rates in the United States are at an all-time high, yet many of these graduates are deemed not ready for postsecondary coursework when they enter college. This study examines the short-, medium-, and long-term effects of remedial courses in middle school using a regression discontinuity design. While the short-term test score benefits of taking a remedial course in English language arts in middle school fade quickly, I find significant positive effects on the likelihood of taking college credit-bearing courses in high school, college enrollment, enrolling in more selective colleges, persistence in college, and degree attainment.
Corporate reputation and market reaction: evidence from FinTech industry

In this paper, we examine the impact of corporate reputation on FinTech firms. Using a unique hand-collected dataset of customer complaints, violations, hacks/data breaches, and lawsuits; we find t...
4 Acute hepatitis C

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the development, diagnosis, and therapy of acute hepatitis C. Acute hepatitis C accounts for 15 to 16 % of acute viral hepatitis in the United States and appears to be decreasing in incidence with the introduction of screening of blood for anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV), widespread recommendations for prevention of the spread of hepatitis C, and a recent decrease in injection drug use. The acute disease has an incubation period of 7 weeks, and jaundice and symptoms occur in approximately one-third of patients. Hepatitis C virus RNA appears in the serum during the incubation period, often within 1 to 2 weeks of exposure. Viral RNA levels increase and peak at or around the time of onset of symptoms and disappear with convalescence. The antibody to HCV as detected by enzyme immunoassay and recombinant immunoblot assay appears during the course of illness, but may not be detectable at the onset of symptoms. Some patients do not produce detectable anti-HCV, whereas in other patients this antibody is short-lived, which makes serological testing for the prevalence of HCV infection somewhat inaccurate. The major complication of acute hepatitis C is a progression to chronic infection, which occurs in 75 % of patients, more commonly in adults than children and in men than women. The role and benefit of antiviral therapy for acute hepatitis C have not been defined. At present it is prudent to delay therapy until the patient has clearly developed chronic infection and to treat the infection as is recommended for chronic hepatitis C.
Bleeding in cystic fibrosis

To the Editor.— I read with interest the article by Lane and colleagues 1 in which they described a fatal intracranial hemorrhage in a normal infant secondary to vitamin K deficiency. In their patient, vitamin K deficiency was attributed to lack of newborn prophylaxis, with breast-feeding and antibiotic administration as possible contributing factors. It is important to point out that a bleeding disorder can be the presenting manifestation of cystic fibrosis during the first year of life and that this possibility needs to be considered in the differential diagnosis in all infants with evidence of vitamin K deficiency.
Excitation of Earth's continuous free oscillations by atmosphere–ocean–seafloor coupling

The Earth undergoes continuous oscillations, and free oscillation peaks have been consistently identified in seismic records in the frequency range 2–7 mHz (refs 1, 2), on days without significant earthquakes. The level of daily excitation of this ‘hum’ is equivalent to that of magnitude 5.75 to 6.0 earthquakes3,4, which cannot be explained by summing the contributions of small earthquakes1,3. As slow or silent earthquakes have been ruled out as a source for the hum4 (except in a few isolated cases5), turbulent motions in the atmosphere or processes in the oceans have been invoked3,6,7,8 as the excitation mechanism. We have developed an array-based method to detect and locate sources of the excitation of the hum. Our results demonstrate that the Earth's hum originates mainly in the northern Pacific Ocean during Northern Hemisphere winter, and in the Southern oceans during Southern Hemisphere winter. We conclude that the Earth's hum is generated by the interaction between atmosphere, ocean and sea floor, probably through the conversion of storm energy to oceanic infragravity waves that interact with seafloor topography.
Visual Benefits of Blue-Coated Lamps for Automotive Forward Lighting

A research project has been completed to determine if commercially available blue coated lamps provide visual benefit for nighttime driving over standard tungsten halogen lamps. As an esthetic option, tungsten halogen lamps with an absorptive coating have been developed to mimic the appearance of HID lamps. The transmission of these coated lamp results in a continuous output spectrum, like standard tungsten halogen, but with a lower "yellow" content, giving an appearance similar to HID lamps. Aside from esthetic reasons for using blue coated lamps, there is also evidence that the spectral output may provide visual benefits over standard tungsten halogen lamps in nighttime driving. While driving at night, off-axis or peripheral vision is in the mesopic response range and the eye's sensitivity shifts towards shorter wavelengths or "blue" light. Since the spectral output of blue coated lamps is designed to be weighted towards shorter wavelengths, and since the photopic light output is maintained at standard tungsten halogen levels, a relative increase in visual sensitivity may be seen. An experimental investigation is described that examines nighttime visual performance and subjective preference of blue coated automotive lamps. Subjects perform a visual tracking task while seated in the driver's seat of a test vehicle. Simultaneously, small targets illuminated with test forward lighting and located at various angles in the periphery are activated, with subjects releasing a switch upon detection so that reaction times can be measured. Reaction times greater than 1 sec are considered misses. The potential consequences of these results on driving safety and on the development or refinement of blue coated lamps are discussed.
Web-Enhanced Instruction and Learning: Findings of a Short and Long-Term Impact Study and Teacher Use of NASA Web Resources

Over a three-year period, researchers and educators from the Pennsylvania State University (PSU), University Park, Pennsylvania, and the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC), Edwards, California, worked together to analyze, develop, implement and evaluate materials and tools that enable teachers to use NASA Web resources effectively for teaching science, mathematics, technology and geography. Two conference publications and one technical paper have already been published as part of this educational research series on Web-based instruction and learning. This technical paper, Web-Enhanced Instruction and Learning: Findings of a Short- and Long-Term Impact Study, is the culminating report in this educational research series and is based on the final report submitted to NASA. This report describes the broad spectrum of data gathered from teachers about their experiences using NASA Web resources in the classroom. It also describes participating teachers responses and feedback about the use of the NASA Web-Enhanced Learning Environment Strategies reflection tool on their teaching practices. The reflection tool was designed to help teachers merge the vast array of NASA resources with the best teaching methods, taking into consideration grade levels, subject areas and teaching preferences. The teachers described their attitudes toward technology and innovation in the classroom and their experiences and perceptions as they attempted to integrate Web resources into science, mathematics, technology and geography instruction.
Chapter 4 Optical detection strategies in capillary electrophoresis

Publisher Summary Detection is a primary concern in capillary electrophoresis (CE) because of the small dimensions associated with the capillary columns and the small injection volumes. The most practical approach for detection in capillary electrophoresis is to detect the material directly within the separation column to preserve the high separation efficiencies by minimizing the extra column effects. Conventional high performance liquid chromatography (LC) detectors employ volumes much larger than that appropriate for CE analysis. Optical detection is particularly attractive for CE because any optical technique can be performed directly within the capillary column. The flow cell for the detector is made by simply removing a section of the polyimide coating surrounding the capillary. The polymer coating can be removed by burning, heating or chemical methods, producing an optical window that allows the interrogating light to enter the capillary column. In addition, a significant fraction of the light can be efficiently introduced into the capillary and focused to spots with diameters on the order of 5–100 μm, producing detection volumes smaller than the capillary column used for the separation.
Suicidal Behaviors in Youths and Young Adults : On the Causal Effect of Local Unemployment

This paper considers the effect of census tract-level unemployment on committed suicides, suicide attempts, and suicidal ideation in respondents of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. This paper contributes to the current literature by specifically considering this effect in youths and young adults, and by testing the extent through which it operates through own unemployment or other pathways. This paper finds no consistent associations between unemployment rate and completed suicides, due presumably to the rarity of completed suicides and the sample size. It finds positive associations for suicide attempts which required medical attention, particularly among whites. It provides evidence of an effect of local unemployment on risk of suicide attempt which appears to operate through risk of unemployment in one’s own household, and may operate as well through correlation with other environmental stressors such as local crime and poverty rate. This paper concludes that the effect explained by own and parental unemployment reflects evidence of a causal pathway. It finds no consistent associations between local unemployment and suicidal ideation, which it attributes to measurement error in reporting suicidal ideation.
Abstract 240: Vascular Differentiation of C-kit+ Cardiac Progenitor Cells in Bioactive PEG Hydrogels

Ischemic heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. The ideal therapy would include regeneration of functional myocardial cells as well as vascularization of the regenerated cardiac tissue. In this context, c-kit+ cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) isolated from the heart are an exciting stem cell population as they have been shown to have potential to differentiate into cells of myocardial as well as vascular (endothelial, vascular smooth muscle) lineages. Being an autologous adult stem cell source, they provide advantages of alleviation of immune-rejection and disease transmission risks and are free from ethical concerns. Driving the vascular differentiation of CPCs can enable them to be used for angiogenic cell therapy. The objective of this project is to direct CPCs to the endothelial lineage via stimulation with VEGF immobilized in a PEG-maleimide (PEG-MAL) hydrogel scaffold for better retention of grafted cells. This hydrogel has protease-cleavable sites which should enable the hydrogel to be degraded while allowing for tube formation. CPCs are encapsulated in PEG-MAL hydrogel constructs presenting 100 ng VEGF/mL hydrogel. CPCs encapsulated in these PEG-MAL hydrogels maintain high viability for up to 14 days. In hydrogels presenting immobilized VEGF, successful biochemical stimulation of the encapsulated CPCs is evidenced by downstream ERK phosphorylation, likely through VEGFR2. These immobilized-VEGF treated CPCs also demonstrate greater RNA expression of endothelial markers 7 days post-encapsulation. CPCs in VEGF presenting gels show a trend toward increasing formation of vascular structures in comparison to cells encapsulated in empty hydrogels. Together, this preliminary evidence suggests that c-kit+ cardiac progenitor cells can be driven toward the endothelial lineage when stimulated with immobilized VEGF, and may adapt a vascular phenotype. This system has the potential to be used for therapeutic angiogenesis as the PEG hydrogel scaffold should enable controlled delivery of the CPCs in vivo and is injectable and biodegradable.
Density-based clustering and radial basis function modeling to generate credit card fraud scores

Historical information on credit card transactions can be used to generate a fraud score which can then be used to reduce credit card fraud. The report describes a fraud-nonfraud classification methodology using a radial basis function network (RBFN) with a density based clustering approach. The input data is transformed into the cardinal component space and clustering as well as RBFN modeling is done using a few cardinal components. The methodology has been tested on a fraud detection problem and the preliminary results obtained are satisfactory.
Thickness and Interface-Dependent Crystallization of CoFeB Alloy Thin Films

We have analyzed the crystallization processes of sputtered thin films of Co20Fe60B20 and Co20Fe60B20−X alloys (X = Ta, Hf) using the increase in saturation magnetization that accompanies the formation of α-FeCo. Constant heating rate analysis shows a decrease in crystallization temperature for MgO/CoFeB/Ta multilayers with decreasing CoFeB thickness (from 350 °C for a 20 nm film to 275 °C for a 2 nm film) that we attribute to interface effects on critical nucleus formation. Alloying CoFeB with Ta or Hf is found to decrease Curie temperature and inhibit crystallization. For very thin (<2 nm) CoFeB films, such as those found in modern perpendicular devices, interdiffusion of adjacent Ta layers in the absence of a low-energy nucleation surface, such as MgO, can prevent crystallization altogether. CoFeB films with adjacent TaN layers are found to crystallize regardless of film thickness, and we suggest that these alternate capping layers have lower interdiffusivity.
Is couple and relationship education effective for lower income participants? A meta-analytic study.

The negative effects of family instability on children and adults have captured the attention of legislators and policymakers wondering if something could be done to help at-risk couples form and sustain healthy relationships and marriages. For a decade now, public funds have supported grants to provide couple and relationship education (CRE) to lower income individuals and couples. This meta-analytic study reviewed 38 studies (with 47 independent samples) assessing the effectiveness of CRE for lower income couples (defined as more than two-thirds of the sample below twice the poverty level) in an attempt to inform current policy debates. Overall effect sizes for control-group studies suggest that CRE for diverse, lower income couples has small, positive relationship effects (overall d =.061), especially on self-reports of relationship quality, communication, and aggression. There were somewhat stronger effects for studies with more married couples (d =.091), mostly "near-poor" (vs. poor) participants (d =.074), and more (vs. fewer) participants in relationship distress (d =.072). In comparison to the effect sizes for control-group studies, the effects of one-group/prepost studies were larger (overall d =.352). Practitioners will need to continue to innovate curriculum design and pedagogy, improve other programmatic elements, and find ways to increase participant engagement to achieve greater success with the limited public funds that support CRE. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved). Language: en
Pressure dependence of transport and optical properties of Ag2HgI4

Abstract Silver mercury iodide, Ag 2 HgI 4 , has been studied to pressures of 75–100 kbar at 25°C. There are now four high pressure phases known. Transport studies indicate predominantly electronic conduction, with the highest pressure phase showing rectification in an asymmetric conductivity cell. Optical studies now corroborate the four high pressure phases. For two of the phases the energy gap shifts to lower energies with increasing pressure.
Robust control system for a compact modular adaptive optics system

Buiding a compact general-purpse adaptive optics system presents new challenges. By “compact” we mean a complete system less than 0.05 m 3 in volume that contains all optics and processing electronics. By “general-purpose” we mean a system that can be used in astronomy, in laser communications, and in commercial and military applications with only minimal modifications specific to the application. This necssarily requires a robust control system that can be easily set-up, calibrated, and run by a minimally-trained operator. Knowing that transport or installation of such a system can misalign some components, we built a control system to accommodate those errors in a fast reconstructor reconfiguruing algorithm. A robust H-infinity control is implemented for closed-loop operation. Results of computer simulations and a series of laboratory demonstrations are presented.
Personality Type and Personal Development

The Myers‐Briggs Type Indicator is an extremely useful tool that can be used for career counselling, placement, quality circle teams, team development, and self‐understanding during career assessment. Experience derived from its use within such companies as Fine Fare Limited, Honeywell Control Systems Limited, Hewlett‐Packard Limited and also the EITB (Bristol office) shows that it is not a panacea for every organisation but it does allow positive development of individual strengths within teams. Organisations' usage of psychological instruments demonstrates acceptance of the value of people as a resource.
Making a Difference Online: Facilitating Service-Learning through Distance Education

Abstract Development in the understanding and education of responsible citizenship is an important priority for higher education institutions. Evidence of this importance is expressed in the mission statements of many colleges and universities throughout the United States. As increasing numbers of students take advantage of distance education, it is essential to consider both the ways students can engage in experientially based learning environments that promote civic engagement as well as the manner by which institutions can fulfill this aspect of their missions. This article explores service-learning pedagogy delivered in an online format, specifically a case study describing the way one institution, University of Illinois at Springfield, successfully uses the Internet to provide such instruction.
Effects of Growth Temperature and Postgrowth Annealing on Inhomogeneous Luminescence Characteristics of Green-Emitting InGaN Films

Microscopic photoluminescence was applied to investigate μm-order inhomogeneity of InGaN alloys. Samples had InGaN/GaN multiple-quantum-well structures grown on sapphire substrates at various temperatures, and luminescence was adjusted to be green. Luminescence morphologies of dendritic appearance were observed on as-grown samples. Bright spots luminescing at long wavelengths (green to amber) were formed at high growth temperatures. After annealing at 1000°C, the bright spots disappeared and the dendritic morphology turned into a granular morphology. Because of these μm-order inhomogeneities, it has been suggested that small-scale characterization (sub-μm or smaller) requires special attention in order not to miss effects of μm-order inhomogeneity in InGaN alloys.
Tumescent infusion for liposuction: a practical method and pressure delivery system.

To facilitate tumescent liposuction, a pressure infusion technique is necessary. We have devised a new technique for anesthetic solution infusion—a pressure infusion bag along with an automatic low-pressure tourniquet pump—that can generate sustained and significant volume infusion. This system is readily available, requires a minimal capital outlay, and is economically advantageous to our patients.
Yield surface applications in nonlinear steel frame analysis

Abstract An efficient procedure for modeling inelastic behavior in three-dimensional beam-column finite elements is presented. Plastic hinge formation, the interaction of element forces at a hinge, and elastic unloading are taken into account. A single-equation, stress-resultant yield surface has been developed to model the plastification of light and medium weight American wide-flange steel sections under a combination of axial force and bending about both principal axes. The techniques discussed have been incorporated in a three-dimensional static nonlinear analysis program capable of treating both geometrical and material nonlinearities. The results of several numerical examples are presented.
Measurement of image contrast using diffraction enhanced imaging.

Refraction contrast of simple objects obtained using diffraction enhanced imaging (DEI) was studied and compared to conventional radiographic contrast. Lucite cylinders and nylon wires were imaged using monochromatic synchrotron radiation at the National Synchrotron Light Source (http://nslsweb. nsls.bnl.gov/nsls/Default.htm) at the Brookhaven National Laboratory. The DEI images were obtained by placing a silicon analyser crystal tuned to the [333] diffraction plane in the beam path between the sample and the detector. To compare the DEI images with conventional radiographic images requires a consistent definition of refraction and absorption contrast. Conventional definitions of contrast favour conventional radiography and DEI contrast is defined to emphasize the specific characteristics of DEI. The proposed definitions were then used to find the DEI gain (the ratio of the DEI contrast with respect to the conventional image contrast). The results presented here show that the DEI gain is consistently greater than 1, indicating that DEI provides more contrast information than conventional radiography.
An approach for evaluating power transfer coefficients for spot-welded joints in an energy finite element formulation

Abstract Low levels of vibration and noise in vehicles contribute to raising their perceived value. Currently, a widely utilized approach for high frequency analysis in the vibro–acoustics area is the Statistical Energy Analysis. An emerging new technology is the Energy Finite Element Analysis (EFEA). The energy density constitutes the primary variable in EFEA. The governing differential equations are formulated with respect to the energy density. A finite element approach is employed to solve numerically the governing equations. In order for this new method to be applicable to automotive structures it is important to identify an approach for modelling spot-welded joints. This paper presents the development, implementation, and validation of a numerical process that evaluates the EFEA power transfer coefficients that correspond to spot-welded joints. These power transfer coefficients can be utilized in an EFEA model to simulate the behavior of the spot-welded connections.
Long-term investigation of atmospheric mercury contamination in Connecticut.

Abstract Atmospheric mercury was monitored from January 1997 through the end of December 1999 in eight sampling locations in Connecticut. Four sampling locations were chosen along the shores of Long Island Sound and four were chosen in interior sections of Connecticut. Sampling locations were chosen to represent both rural and urban sectors. Average concentrations of gaseous and particulate mercury were found to be 2.06 ng/m 3 and 10.5 pg/m 3 , respectively. The weekly average wet deposition fluxes of mercury and methylmercury over the three-year sampling period were measured to be 611 and 11 μg/ha/week, respectively. Concentrations of gaseous, particulate and wet flux of mercury were found to be significantly higher in urban areas than the rural sampling locations. There was, however, no significant difference between the mean gaseous and particulate concentrations of mercury in coastal and inland sampling locations. No significant difference was observed either between the wet fluxes of total mercury in coastal and inland sampling locations and there was no spatial gradient for mercury concentration and deposition. The data of this study suggest that vehicular traffic and localized emission sources in urban areas play a significant role in determining the atmospheric concentration of mercury in Connecticut.
Enhanced Antibody Response in the Presence of Partial Adenosine Deaminase Inhibition

The enzyme adenosine deaminase (ADA) catalyzes the conversion of adenosine and 2'-deoxyadenosine to inosine and 2'-deoxyinosine, respectively. In the absence of ADA activity, 2'-deoxyadenosine is phosphorylated to deoxyadenosine triphosphate. This study concerned the effects of the ADA inhibitor 2'-deoxycoformycin on the murine in vitro immune response to sheep red blood cells (Mishell-Dutton cultures). In the presence of 10(-7) M 2'-deoxycoformycin or 1 mM 2'-deoxyadenosine, there was a significant increase in the plaque-forming cell response when calculated as plaques per 10(6) viable cells recovered. Cultures containing 10(-7) M 2'-deoxycoformycin retained approximately 10% of residual ADA activity of control cultures. Partial ADA deficiency was not preferentially toxic for cells capable of suppressing plaque cell generation. However, there was a decrease of recovered viable cells in all ADA-deficient cultures. There was no change in the percentage of recovered cells which were L3T4+ or Lyt 2+. A significant decrease was observed in a population of cells expressing surface immunoglobulins. The number of plaque-forming cells/10(3) recovered B cells increased significantly. We conclude that partial ADA deficiency results in selective toxicity to a population of non-antigen-specific B cells. Further studies with antigen-specific cells are necessary to determine the possible mechanism(s) by which cellular activation may prevent susceptibility to the toxic effects of ADA deficiency.
Second-order shift of the zeeman splitting of NQR lines in high magnetic fields

Abstract Measurements of the second-order shift of the center of gravity of the nuclear quadrupole resonance lines of CSI3 in a high magnetic field are reported. The observed shift is in excellent agreement with calculations using second-order perturbation theory, and the importance of a detailed understanding of the shift for applications in low-temperature thermometry and solid-state structural studies is discussed.
Characterization and local modification of atomically flat gold surfaces by STM

SUMMARY In order to characterize the surface of epitaxial gold on mica in air we have used a scanning tunnelling microscope (STM) to image and to modify this surface. It was possible to create controlled features by applying voltage pulses on the tip while scanning. The voltage threshold for writing (about 3 V, 100 ns pulses) was dependent of the tip condition. The lowest pulses were associated with sub-50 A feature size. We observed that at ambient temperature the written features disappeared in a time scale of half an hour for the smallest (<30 A) to a few hours for the bigger features (∼500 A). We have used the same surface as a substrate for organic imaging. We also present images of a polymer deposited on gold.
Feasibility of disturbance‐accommodating control in steering of a large tanker

The feasibility of applying disturbance-accommodating control (DAC) techniques to the problem of steering control of a large tanker in a seaway is examined. A performance criterion representative of propulsion losses related to steering is used as a basis for the design of course-keeping controllers. The development of disturbance state models to take advantage of the short-term regularity of the seaway within a DAC framework is presented. Comparisons are made between the performance resulting from the DAC approach and previous LQG approaches to the problem using computer simulation results. On this basis, it is shown that controller design within a DAC framework may be a viable alternative to existing Kalman filter estimation/control schemes used in autopilot design.
Cellular manufacturing in the U.S. industry: a survey of users

This paper reports the findings of a survey study of 32 U.S. firms involved with cellular manufacturing. Areas covered include the reasons for establishing cells, benefits achieved, types and sizes of cells, extent of cellularization in the plants, methods used to design the cells, changes to planning and control systems, labour-related issues and important experiences gained by the companies. The data presented here were collected as part of a larger study of various group technology (GT) applications in which 53 companies participated. GT applications other than cellular manufacturing are described in Hyer and Wemmerlov, 1989, Group technology in the U.S. manufacturing industry: a survey of current practices, International Journal of Production Research.
Light: Evidence for Its Direct Effect on Hypothalamic Neurons

Continuous light impinging on the suprachiasmatic region of enucleate rats resulted in a constant estrous-like vaginal cycle. The lowest precentage of cornified cells was obtained from exposure of the arcuate or mammillary neurons to light. Ovarian and pituitary weight increased significantly after exposure of the arcuate region to continuous light.
An ocean roughness correction algorithm for retrieving salinity on Aquarius

Aquarius/SAC-D is a joint NASA/CONAE (Argentine Space Agency) Earth Sciences satellite mission to measure the global sea surface salinity (SSS) using an L-band radiometer to measure ocean blackbody emissions also known as brightness temperature (Tb). The application of L-band radiometry to measure SSS is a difficult task, and there are many corrections that must be made correctly to obtain accurate SSS data. One of the major error sources is the effect of ocean roughness that “warms” the ocean brightness temperature (Tb). The Aquarius baseline approach uses the radar scatterometer to provide this ocean roughness correction through the correlation of radar backscatter with the excess ocean emissivity without directly measuring the surface wind speed. This paper provides an alternative approach using a theoretical Radiative Transfer Model (RTM) driven by numerical weather forecast model surface winds. The theoretical basis of our algorithm is described and results are compared with the AQ baseline scatterometer method.
Reduction of carbadox mediated by reaction of Mn(III) with oxalic acid

Manganese(III) geocomponents are commonly found in the soil environment, yet their roles in many biogeochemical processes remain unknown. In this study, we demonstrated that MnIII generated from the reaction of MnO2 and oxalic acid caused rapid and extensive decompositions of a quinoxaline-di-N-oxide antibiotics, viz carbadox. The reaction occurred primarily at the quinoxaline-di-N-oxide moiety resulting in the removal of one —O from N1-oxide and formation of desoxycarbadox. The reaction rate was accelerated by increasing amounts of MnIII, carbadox and oxalate. The critical step in the overall reaction was the formation of a quinoxaline-di-N-oxide/MnIII/oxalate ternary complex in which MnIII functioned as the central complexing cation and electron conduit in which the arrangement of ligands facilitated electron transfer from oxalate to carbadox. In the complex, the C—C bond in oxalate was cleaved to create CO2–• radicals, followed by electron transfer to carbadox through the MnIII center. This proposed re...
Differences between generalists and specialists in characteristics of patients receiving gastrointestinal procedures.

BACKGROUND: As a result of market forces and maturing technology, generalists are currently providing services, such as colonoscopy, that in the past were deemed the realm of specialists. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether there were differences in patient characteristics, procedure complexity, and clinical indications when gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures were provided by generalists versus specialists. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. PATIENTS: A random 5% sample of aged Medicare beneficiaries who underwent rigid and flexible sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy, and esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) performed by specialists (gastroenterologists, general surgeons, and colorectal surgeons) or generalists (general practitioners, family practitioners, and general internists). MEASUREMENTS: Characteristics of patients, indications for the procedure, procedural complexity, and place of service were compared between generalists and specialists using descriptive statistics and logistic regression. MAIN RESULTS: Our sample population had 167,347 gastrointestinal endoscopies. Generalists performed 7.7% of the 57,221 colonoscopies, 8.7% of the 62,469 EGDs, 42.7% of the 38,261 flexible sigmoidoscopies, and 35.2% of the 9,396 rigid sigmoidoscopies. Age and gender of patients were similar between generalists and specialists, but white patients were more likely to receive complex endoscopy from specialists. After adjusting for patient differences in age, race, and gender, generalists were more likely to have provided a simple diagnostic procedure (odds ratio [OR] 4.2; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 4.0, 4.4), perform the procedure for examination and screening purposes (OR 4.9; 95% CI, 4.3 to 5.6), and provide these procedures in rural areas (OR 1.5; 95% CI 1.4 to 1.6). CONCLUSIONS: Although generalists perform the full spectrum of gastrointestinal endoscopies, their procedures are often of lower complexity and less likely to have been performed for investigating severe morbidities.
A fast recursive mapping algorithm

The paper presents a generic technique for mapping parallel algorithms onto parallel architectures. The proposed technique is a fast recursive mapping algorithm which is a component of the Cluster-M programming tool. The other components of Cluster-M are the Specification module and the Representation module. In the Specification module, for a given task specified by a high-level machine-independent program, a clustered task graph called Spec graph is generated. In the Representation module, for a given architecture or computing organization, a clustered system graph called Rep graph is generated. Given a task (or system) graph, a Spec (or Rep) graph can be generated using one of the clustering algorithms presented in the paper. The clustering is done only once for a given task graph (system graph) independent of any system graphs (task graphs). It is a machine-independent (application-independent) clustering, and therefore it is not repeated for different mappings. The Cluster-M mapping algorithm presented produces a sub-optimal matching of a given Spec graph containing M task modules, onto a Rep graph of N processors, in O(MN) time. This generic algorithm is suitable for both the allocation problem and the scheduling problem. Its performance is compared to other leading techniques. We show that Cluster-M produces better or similar results in significantly less time and using fewer or an equal number of processors as compared to the other known methods.
Permanent Placements for Young Children Placed in Foster Care: A Proposal for a Child Welfare Services Performance Standard

Abstract Performance indicators for child welfare services for young children entering foster care should be established to help agencies determine the sufficiency of their efforts to provide permanency. Child welfare services need a technically feasible, conceptually sound, and achievable performance standard. Use of a 100% permanency standard, not including long-term foster care or non-kinship guardianship, within four calendar years of placement is forwarded. Data on the permanency planning performance of a state and four counties within it are presented to sharpen the discussion.
Titanium miniplate fixation in free flap mandible reconstruction.

The use of miniplate fixation in free flap mandible reconstruction was reviewed in a series of 27 patients. Flap donor sites included the radius, scapula, and fibula. The bone defect ranged from 5 to 16 cm (mean, 11.5 cm). The number of fixation sites per graft ranged from 2 to 6 (mean, 3.96). Three
A powerful but simple editor based on APL

An experimental full screen editor has been written in APL for IBM 3270 display terminals, based on the following principles:• a small command repertoire, based on APL syntax• an undo facility for correcting mistakes• internal dependence upon a small number of editing primitivesAs written, the editor contains two major commands, thirteen minor commands, and permits all of APL for a macro language. The internal primitives are Erase, Insert Gap, Overlay and Find.
Horizontal two‐dimensional (iso‐dalt) electrophoresis: Use of agarose isoelectric focusing and SDS gel electrophoresis in an exponential gradient for characterization of plasma proteins

The two-dimensional (iso-dalt) electrophoresis system for protein separation has been modified to include the use of flat-bed agarose isoelectric focusing in the first dimension, horizontal SDS-electrophoresis in an exponential acrylamide gradient in the second dimension, molecular weight standards run side by side with the sample in the SDS-polyacrylamide gel, and radiolabeled proteins as internal standards. Direct determination of the pH gradient after the first dimension and of molecular weights after the second dimension permits more accurate measurement of the protein spots in both the x and y axes, thus improving the confidence limits of the technique. The reproducibility of molecular weight determinations was calculated for eight different proteins in six different gels, with an overall standard deviation of 3.02%. Incorporation of internal standards is useful in identifying and confirming protein patterns. Examples of the application of this technique to the separation of specific plasma proteins are described.