cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hybrid models for 3D analysis of plain and reinforced concrete: Using Merlin

Cet article presente l'analyse non lineaire en 3D d'une etude de performance d'EDF sur quatre problemes tests. Les calculs sont realises a l'aide d'un code ad hoc, Merlin, qui combine des non-linearites continues et localisees (fissures discretes et diffuses).
Some Factors Affecting Body Temperature of Turkeys

Abstract NORMAL body temperature is generally associated with an animal’s state of health. With some diseases body temperature is increased (e.g., erysipelas and cholera), while in others, such as hexamitiasis, a subnormal temperature may be noted (Hinshaw, 1952). Fronda (1921) reported that turkeys had an average body temperature of 106.0°F. with a range of 105.1° to 106.7°, with the 4 p.m. readings the highest. The purpose of this paper is to relate body temperature to air temperature, amount of shade, plumage color, and sex of turkeys. MATERIALS AND METHODS Most of the data were obtained from a series of tests designed to study the shade requirements of turkeys. The turkeys ranged in age from 12 to 26 weeks. They were given a standard turkey growing ration (mash and barley) and water ad lib. Body temperatures were taken with a clinical thermometer inserted in the cloaca to a depth of 8 cm… .
GIANT STATIC AND DYNAMIC MAGNETISM IN THE LA2CUO4 FAMILY OF SUPERCONDUCTORS : A PROGRESS REPORT

Abstract The question of single vs multi-band description of La 1.85 Sr 0.15 CuO 4 is discussed in terms of the disparate nuclear spin-lattice relaxation ( T 1 ) behaviors of 63 Cu and planar 17 O in this system. Recent data for the transferred hyperfine coupling at the planar oxygen sites in La 2 CuO 4 are shown to be consistent with earlier results indicting multi-band behavior. Ordered state 17 O shift results in La 2 CuO 4 are shown to mandate a new magnetic structure in the weak ferromagnetism of this compound.
Fish consumption and advisory awareness among low-income women in California's Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta ☆

Abstract Fishing is a culturally important activity to the ethnically diverse population living in California's Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta. Due to runoff from abandoned gold mines, certain Delta fish are contaminated with methylmercury, a neurodevelopmental toxin. A state health advisory recommends limited consumption of certain Delta fish, to be followed in conjunction with a federal advisory for commercial and sport fish. We conducted a survey of low-income women at a Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) clinic, to characterize commercial and sport fish consumption patterns and advisory awareness. Ninety-five percent of women consumed commercial fish. Thirty-two percent consumed sport fish; this proportion was much higher in Hmong (86%) and Cambodian (75%) women. Ninety-nine percent of sport fish consumers also consumed commercial fish. The overall fish consumption rate among consumers was 27.9 g/day (geometric mean, past 30 days, cooked portion); commercial and sport fish consumption rates were 26.3 and 10.5 g/day, respectively. We found ethnic differences in overall fish consumption rates, which were highest in African Americans (41.2 g/day) and Asians (35.6 g/day), particularly Vietnamese and Cambodians. Pregnant women ate less fish overall than other women (16.8 vs. 30.0 g/day, p=0.0001), as did women who demonstrated specific advisory awareness (23.3 vs. 30.3 g/day, p=0.02). Twenty-nine percent of all women exceeded federal fish consumption advisory limits. These results highlight the need for culturally and linguistically appropriate interventions that address both commercial and sport fish consumption.
Evaluation of selective treatment of penetrating abdominal trauma.

Objective In penetrating abdominal trauma, diagnostic imaging and the application of selective clinical management may avoid negative celiotomy and improve outcome. Design We prospectively observed patients with penetrating abdominal trauma over 15 months and recorded demographics, presentation, imaging, surgical procedure, and outcome. Patients who underwent immediate laparotomy were compared with patients who were observed and/or had a computed tomography (CT) scan. Outcomes of negative versus positive and immediate versus delayed celiotomy were compared. Chi-square and Student t tests were used. A p value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. Setting A level 1 trauma center. Participants Adult patients who presented with penetrating abdominal injury. Results In all, 100 consecutive patients (mean age, 32 years) were included (male:female, 91:9; gunshot wound:stab wound, 65:35). Overall, 60 immediate and 10 delayed laparotomies were performed; 30 patients did not undergo surgery. Predictors of immediate celiotomy were hypotension (p = 0.03), anteriorly located entrance wounds (p = 0.0005), and transaxial wounds (p = 0.03). Overall morbidity and mortality was 32% and 2%, respectively. The negative celiotomy rate was 25%. Patients with a positive celiotomy had higher morbidity (p = 0.006) and longer hospital length of stay (p = 0.003) compared with negative celiotomy. A CT scan was employed in 32% of patients, with 100% sensitivity and 94% specificity. Delayed celiotomy (10%) did not adversely impact morbidity (p = 0.70) and was 100% therapeutic, with no deaths. Conclusion Nonselective immediate celiotomy for penetrating abdominal trauma results in a high rate of unnecessary surgery. Hemodynamically stable patients can safely be observed and/or have contrast CT scans and undergo delayed celiotomy, if indicated. This selective treatment had no adverse effect on patient outcomes and can potentially improve overall outcome.
Evaluating a modified point-based method to downscale cell-based climate variable data to high-resolution grids

To address the demand for high spatial resolution gridded climate data, we have advanced the Daymet point-based interpolation algorithm for downscaling global, coarsely gridded data with additional output variables. The updated algorithm, High-Resolution Climate Downscaler (HRCD), performs very good downscaling of daily, global, historical reanalysis data from 1° input resolution to 2.5 arcmin output resolution for day length, downward longwave radiation, pressure, maximum and minimum temperature, and vapor pressure deficit. It gives good results for monthly and yearly cumulative precipitation and fair results for wind speed distributions and modeled downward shortwave radiation. Over complex terrain, 2.5 arcmin resolution is likely too low and aggregating it up to 15 arcmin preserves accuracy. HRCD performs comparably to existing daily and monthly US datasets but with a global extent for nine daily climate variables spanning 1948–2006. Furthermore, HRCD can readily be applied to other gridded climate datasets.
COIN flips: American international relations and counter-insurgency

The essay examines the recent rehabilitation of counter-insurgency doctrine, especially as conducted by third party interveners. The advent of the refurbished US (United States) Army/Marine Corps Counterinsurgency field manual, a volume with scholarly self-presentation, is the focal point. This essay is concerned with the dubious bases of the doctrinal justifications driving recent US interventions. The Vietnam War turns out to be the crucial case for American scholars and policy-makers who have construed the history of counter-insurgency there as an unacknowledged success, which today has become the standard account in American International relations scholarship. The essay is a critical examination of this development and of its implications.
Classical and endovascular surgery: Indications and outcomes

For more than 40 years, endarterectomy and bypass grafting have been the primary means of surgically revascularizing peripheral vessels threatened by atherosclerotic disease. However, with today's endovascular technology, stenoses and occlusions in nearly every circulatory system can be approached intraluminally with a wide variety of techniques: thrombolysis, laser angioplasty, atherectomy, balloon dilation, and intravascular stents. Just as exciting is the newer technique of endoluminal grafting, which has extended percutaneous therapy to aneurysmal disease in the thoracic and abdominal aorta and distal arteries, as well as to long-segment occlusive disease. Today's vascular surgeon is in a unique position to combine his or her classical surgical training with these catheter-based interventions. Certainly, the potential advantages of percutaneous therapy as compared to surgical reconstruction are significant: no general anesthesia or lengthy incisions, shorter hospitalization, lower morbidity and mortality, earlier intervention in the course of the disease, and less complicated reapplication in the event of disease recurrence. Undoubtedly, endovascular techniques will become a major component of the vascular surgeon's armamentarium, and as we approach the year 2000, they will be the treatment of choice in nearly every vascular pathology and circulatory system.
Bioadhesive Polymers as Platforms for Oral Controlled Drug Delivery II: Synthesis and Evaluation of Some Swelling, Water-Insoluble Bioadhesive Polymers

A series of cross-linked, swellable polymers was sythesized from monomers such as acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, and others with various cross-linking agents to produce a range of polymers differing in charge densities and hydrophobicity. The densities, rate, and extent of hydration of the polymers were determined. An increase in the number of hydrophobic groups in the polymer structure reduced hydration whereas the density of the polymer was unaffected. A sensitive in vitro method for measuring adhesion of polymer to tissue from the rabbit stomach was developed. Polymers of acrylic acid loosely cross-linked (0.3%, w/w) with three different agents, divinyl glycol, 2,5-dimethyl-1,5-hexadiene, and divinylbenzene, showed the same degree of bioadhesion while poly(methacrylic acid–divinylbenzene) showed reduced bioadhesion. The small percent of cross-linking agent, irrespective of physicochemical properties, did not contribute substantially to bioadhesion, whereas the starting monomer had a large effect. The effect of pH on the bioadhesion of poly(acrylic acid–divinyl glycol) was studied at constant temperature, ionic strength, and osmolality. The polymer showed maximum adhesion at pH 5 and 6 and a minimum at pH 7. Gastrointestinal transit studies of cross-linked polymers in rats were studied. Poly(acrylic acid-divinyl glycol) and poly(methacrylic acid–divinylbenzene) were shown to have substantially longer Gl transit times than the control, Amberlite 200 resin beads. The delay in transit time was due to bioadhesion of the polymer to the mucin–epithelial cell surface which was clearly observable on animal autopsy. The acrylic acid polymer showed a longer Gl transit time than the methacrylic acid polymer, and this in vivo Gl transit result is consistent with in vitro bioadhesion test results.
Analysis of cluster defects in photonic crystals for biosensor applications

Photonic crystals are the subject of intense study due to their capability to provide precise control of optical transmission characteristics through the choice of their periodic lattice parameters and the material with which they are fabricated. The sensitivity of photonic crystal band structure and defect transmission states to refractive index changes either at planar boundaries of a 2-D crystal or at individual lattice sites, make these structures potentially attractive for integrated point detection biosensor devices, given that scalable geometries and materials suitable for micro/nanofluidic addressing and co-integration with integrated source and detectors are achievable. Recent work in the literature has experimentally shown the efficacy of single defect induced intra-band gap optical transmission peak shifts for detection of refractive index changes occurring globally in either the superstrate or lattice void space. In this paper, we present results from the analysis of single and cluster defects in hole and rod geometry 2-D photonic crystal lattices to assess the efficacy of photonic crystal under selective addressing of cell clusters with micro/nano fluidic channels and under selective binding to activated crystal cell or rod surfaces by large biomolecules. Using MPB [MIT Photonic Bands] and Optiwave FDTD tools, we have analyzed the optical transmission properties of Si semiconductor photonic crystals as a function of defect cluster size and refractive index to identify design windows with viable fabrication dimensions, and measurable spectral shifts for ranges of induced refractive index change of interest. Modeling results are presented and efforts towards fabrication of prototype test structures described.
Breast cancer in multi-ethnic populations: the Hawaii perspective.

The five major ethnic groups in Hawaii's population of 1.1 million are the Japanese, comprising 23%; Caucasians, 23%; ethnic Hawaiians, 19.9%; Filipinos, 11.3%; and Chinese, 4.8%. Only 14% of the population is foreign born. Breast cancer incidences are 29.2 per 100,000 among Filipinos, 51.3 for Japanese, 64.1 for Chinese, 104.3 for Hawaiian, and 105.6 for Caucasian women. The Caucasian incidence is similar to mainland US rates, but the incidence among Hawaii's Japanese is more than twice the rate in Japan. Japanese in Hawaii have less postmenopausal breast cancer than Caucasians, fewer axillary lymph node metastases, and a greater proportion of non-invasive tumors. Late stage at diagnosis is common among Filipino and ethnic Hawaiian women, and their risk of death is 1.5–1.7 times that of Caucasian, Chinese, and Japanese women with the disease, even after adjustment for age, extent of disease, and socio-economic status. In the BCDDP screening study, only 20% of breast cancers detected in ethnic Hawaiians were not yet palpable and were found by mammography alone. Comparative studies of diet and estrogen levels in the ethnic groups of Hawaii and the parental populations in Japan and the West do not account for the degree of variation observed in breast cancer incidence and tumor pathology. Future research directions are suggested with a view to accounting for these differences.
The immunologic role of methionine and cysteine residues in ribonuclease

Abstract Antibodies were prepared in rabbits and in a goat to oxidized bovine pancreatic ribonuclease, an unfolded form in which the methionines have been changed to methionine sulfone and the cystines to cysteic acid. Rabbit antibodies were also made to ribonuclease which had been reduced and carboxymethylated, a process which leaves the methionines intact but converts the cystines to S-carboxymethyl-cysteines. The cross reactions of antigens containing intact methionine, methionine sulfone, or carboxymethyl methionine suggest that methionine and methionine sulfone play a minor immunologic role in this system. Derivatives containing cysteic acid, carboxymethyl cysteine, cysteine, or the p -hydroxymercuribenzoate derivative of cysteine cross react only partially with the antisera suggesting that cysteic acid and carboxymethyl cysteine are important in these immune systems.
ROLE OF SOLVENT PERMITTIVITY IN ESTIMATION OF ELECTROLYTE ACTIVITY COEFFICIENTS ON THE BASIS OF THE MEAN SPHERICAL APPROXIMATION

A modified version of the model for electrolyte solutions based on the restricted version of the mean spherical approximation is applied to estimate mean ionic activity coefficients for aqueous solutions of the alkali metal halides. The modification involves using the actual dielectric permittivity of the solution rather than the permittivity of the pure solvent. In the case of sodium and potassium salts, fits between theory and experiment are possible over wide concentration ranges up to 2.5 M using one adjustable parameter, namely, the single effective ionic diameter. Limitations of the model, especially with respect to systems with weak ion pairing, are discussed.
Single institution and statewide performance of ultrasound in diagnosing appendicitis in pregnancy

AbstractObjective: Assess the performance of ultrasound (US) in pregnant patients presenting with acute abdominal pain concerning for appendicitis.Methods: Descriptive analysis of pregnant patients who underwent an US for acute abdominal pain over a 6-year period using data from a statewide quality improvement collaborative and a single center.Results: Statewide, 131 pregnant patients underwent an appendectomy and 85% had an US. In our single-center case series, 49 pregnant patients underwent an US for acute abdominal pain and four patients had appendicitis (8%). Of those, three were definitively diagnosed with US. The appendix was visualized by US in five patients (3 appendicitis/2 normal). Mean gestational age was 11 weeks for visualization of the appendix versus 20 weeks for non-visualization (p < 0.001). Concordance between US and pathology was similar statewide and at our institution (43%).Conclusions: US appears to play a central role in the evaluation of appendicitis in pregnant women, especially i...
RNA viruses: emerging vectors for vaccination and gene therapy

The application of modern molecular techniques has profoundly influenced our understanding of virus function. As a consequence, virus biology is being directly applied to medical research. It is a reflection of the current pace of virology that we are now beginning to think of our ancient foes as useful and beneficial tools.
cis and trans Requirements for Rolling Circle Replication of a Satellite RNA

Satellite RNAs usurp the replication machinery of their helper viruses, even though they bear little or no sequence similarity to the helper virus RNA. In Cereal yellow dwarf polerovirus serotype RPV (CYDV-RPV), the 322-nucleotide satellite RNA (satRPV RNA) accumulates to high levels in the presence of the CYDV-RPV helper virus. Rolling circle replication generates multimeric satRPV RNAs that self-cleave via a double-hammerhead ribozyme structure. Alternative folding inhibits formation of a hammerhead in monomeric satRPV RNA. Here we determine helper virus requirements and the effects of mutations and deletions in satRPV RNA on its replication in oat cells. Using in vivo selection of a satRPV RNA pool randomized at specific bases, we found that disruption of the base pairing necessary to form the non-self-cleaving conformation reduced satRPV RNA accumulation. Unlike other satellite RNAs, both the plus and minus strands proved to be equally infectious. Accordingly, very similar essential replication structures were identified in each strand. A different region is required only for encapsidation. The CYDV-RPV RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (open reading frames 1 and 2), when expressed from the nonhelper Barley yellow dwarf luteovirus, was capable of replicating satRPV RNA. Thus, the helper virus's polymerase is the sole determinant of the ability of a virus to replicate a rolling circle satellite RNA. We present a framework for functional domains in satRPV RNA with three types of function: (i) conformational control elements comprising an RNA switch, (ii) self-functional elements (hammerhead ribozymes), and (iii) cis-acting elements that interact with viral proteins.
Slip Flow in Ducts

Slip flow in ducts occurs in many practical fluid transport situations. The method of eigenfunction expansion and collocation is used to solve the velocity distribution for slip flow in ducts of polygonal, elliptic and cuspidal cross sections. The friction factor- Reynolds number products are tabulated. L'ecoulement glissant dans les tuyaux survient dans beaucoup de situations de transport de fluides pratiques. On a utilise l'extension des vecteurs propres et la collocation pour resoudre la distribution de vitesse pour l'ecoulement glissant dans des tuyaux de sections polygonales, elliptiques et pincees. Les produits du facteur de friction et du nombre de Reynolds sont tabules.
On inferences from Wei's biased coin design for clinical trials

Wei (1988) analyzed data from a clinical trial in which an urn-sampling model was used to allocate patients to treatments. The trial resulted in 11 patients being allocated to the experimental treatment, all successes, and with one patient allocated to the control treatment, a failure. Wei analyzed these data using a randomization algorithm and concluded that the results were almost significant at p = 0 051. He asserted that an analysis which ignored the design and presumed complete randomization leads to a p-value of 0-001. In fact, if a more conventional analysis is used in which both margins are fixed, then this leads to p = 0-083, Fisher's exact test, if complete randomization is assumed. If the urn-sampling allocation is taken into account much more conservative inferences are obtained. An analysis which conditions on both margins leads to p = 028, while one which conditions on the observed sequence of responses, and the observed treatment totals leads to p = 0-62. These serious discrepancies are discussed, in addition to the inappropriateness of biased coin design and small sample sizes in important medical trials.
Removal of obstructing T-tube and stabilization of the airway†

Although they are extremely effective in maintaining tracheal and subglottic patency, T-tubes themselves can result in airway obstruction from plugging. Many practitioners educate patients on placing a small (5.0) endotracheal tube (ETT) through the tracheal limb of the T-tube if they develop airway obstruction. Unfortunately, this can be a difficult task to complete during acute airway obstruction. In this article, we describe a simple set of steps for rapid relief of airway obstruction and stabilization of the airway in the event of T-tube obstruction. This method requires removal of the T-tube with a Kelly clamp and stabilization of the airway with a tracheostomy tube. Although it is simple, we hope that this technique will prevent morbidity and mortality from acute airway obstructions related to T-tubes.
Deltaic deposits at Aeolis Dorsa: Sedimentary evidence for a standing body of water on the northern plains of Mars

A fundamental long-standing question regarding Mars history is whether the flat and low-lying northern plains ever hosted an ocean. The best opportunity to solve this problem is provided by stratigraphic observations of sedimentary deposits onlapping the crustal dichotomy. Here, we use high-resolution imagery and topography to analyze a branching network of inverted channel and channel lobe deposits in the Aeolis Dorsa region, just north of the dichotomy boundary. Observations of stacked, cross-cutting channel bodies and stratal geometries indicate that these landforms represent exhumed distributary channel deposits. Observations of depositional trunk feeder channel bodies, a lack of evidence for past topographic confinement, channel avulsions at similar elevations, and the presence of a strong break in dip slope between topset and foreset beds suggest that this distributary system was most likely a delta, rather than an alluvial fan or submarine fan. Sediment transport calculations using both measured and derived channel geometries indicate a minimum delta deposition time on the order of 400 years. The location of this delta within a thick and widespread clastic wedge abutting the crustal dichotomy boundary, unconfined by any observable craters, suggests a standing body of water potentially 105 km2 in extent or greater and is spatially consistent with hypotheses for a northern ocean.
Intimate Partner Violence Among Stigmatized Latina Workers

Latinas recently immigrated to the United States who work in bars or cantinas are at risk of experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) due to the heavy drinking and sex-related expectations associated with their work and the stigmatized nature of their occupation. We explored the influence of demographic characteristics, substance abuse, and sexual risk behaviors on IPV reported by cantineras for primary and nonprimary sexual partners. Results based on interviews conducted with 669 cantineras indicate that length of residency in the United States and current sexual practices predict IPV perpetrated by both their primary and nonprimary sexual partners. There were also partner-specific predictors of violence related to the substance use and working practices of cantineras. Our findings have implications for understanding the partner violence experienced by this subgroup of stigmatized Latina immigrants and for the ability of current IPV research to capture their experience.
Impact of males on variation in the reproductive cycle in an androdioecious desert shrimp

. In the clam shrimp Eulimnadia texana and some other species of desert ephemeral pool-dwelling branchiopod crustaceans, males coexist with hermaphrodites. The hermaphrodites can mate with males or can fertilize their own eggs but cannot mate with other hermaphrodites. Understanding the evolutionary dynamics of this mixed mating system, known as androdioecy, requires a basic knowledge of the reproductive behavior of this species. Here we describe the reproductive cycle of hermaphrodites when isolated and when in the presence of a male. Videos were analyzed to provide a description of egg movement from the ovotestes to the brood chamber. Through time-lapse photography, we determined that paired hermaphrodites carried their brood longer and swam fast for a greater duration than did isolated hermaphrodites. Isolated hermaphrodites dug more preliminary burrows before burying their clutch and had longer inter-clutch intervals than did paired hermaphrodites. These observations suggest that hermaphrodites may behave in ways that maximize the likelihood of mating, and that males may interfere with hermaphrodites during egg laying.
Abciximab-associated profound thrombocytopenia : Therapy with immunoglobulin and platelet transfusion

First-time abciximab administration was associated with acute profound thrombocytopenia in 4 of 575 consecutive patients. Therapy with platelet transfusion, but not intravenous immunoglobulin, was associated with a rapid and sustained increment in circulating platelet count and clinical hemostasis.
Understanding Psychopathology Melding Behavior Genetics, Personality, and Quantitative Psychology to Develop an Empirically Based Model

Research on psychopathology is at a historical crossroads. New technologies offer the promise of lasting advances in our understanding of the causes of human psychological suffering. Making the best use of these technologies, however, requires an empirically accurate model of psychopathology. Much current research is framed by the model of psychopathology portrayed in current versions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM; American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Although the modern DSMs have been fundamental in advancing psychopathology research, recent research also challenges some assumptions made in the DSM—for example, the assumption that all forms of psychopathology are well conceived of as discrete categories. Psychological science has a critical role to play in working through the implications of this research and the challenges it presents. In particular, behavior-genetic, personality, and quantitative-psychological research perspectives can be melded to inform the dev...
Financial Statements Insurance

The fact that auditors are paid by the companies they audit creates an inherent conflict of interest. We analyze how the provision of financial statements insurance could eliminate this conflict of interest and properly align the incentives of auditors with those of shareholders. We first show that when the benefits to obtaining funding are sufficiently large, the existing legal and regulatory regime governing financial reporting (and auditing) results in low quality financial statements. Consequently, the financial statements of firms are misleading and firms that yield a low rate-of-return (low fundamental value) are over-funded relative to firms characterized by a high rate-of-return (high fundamental value). We present a mechanism whereby companies would purchase financial statements insurance that provides coverage to investors against losses suffered as a result of misrepresentation in financial reports. The insurance premia that companies pay for the coverage would be publicized. The insurers appoint and pay the auditors who attest to the accuracy of the financial statements of the prospective insurance clients. For a given level of coverage firms announcing lower premia would distinguish themselves in the eyes of the investors as companies with higher quality financial statements relative to those with higher premia. Every company would be eager to pay lower premia (for a given level of coverage) resulting in a flight to high audit quality. As a result, when financial statements insurance is available and the insurer hires the auditor, capital is provided to the most efficient firms.
A robust high power-handling (> 10 W) RF MEMS switched capacitor

We present the design, fabrication, and measurement of an RF MEMS switched capacitor with > 10 W power handling at 10 GHz under hot-switching conditions while maintaining a relatively-low (&#60; 30 V) pull-in voltage. The device consists of separate RF and DC electrodes, which are defined underneath a temperature-stable circular beam, to result in a large spring constant above the RF electrode. The design increases both the restoring force above the RF electrode and the RF self-actuation voltage, resulting in improved power-handling capabilities with a pull-in voltage of only 24–28V. Measurements at 10 GHz of several switched capacitors show 10–11 W power handling, and &#60; 3 V change in the pull-in voltage from 0.2–10 W of incident power.
Making it Real

Some have proposed that realistic problem situations are better for learning. This issue contains two articles that examine the effects of “making it real” in computer architecture and human-computer interaction.
Cost and quality of life outcome analysis of postoperative infections after subaxial dorsal cervical fusions

OBJECT Infections following spine surgery negatively affect patient quality of life (QOL) and impose a significant financial burden on the health care system. Postoperative wound infections occur at higher rates following dorsal cervical procedures than ventral procedures. Quantifying the health outcomes and costs associated with infections following dorsal cervical procedures may help to guide treatment strategies to minimize the deleterious consequences of these infections. Therefore, the goals of this study were to determine the cost and QOL outcomes affecting patients who developed deep wound infections following subaxial dorsal cervical spine fusions. METHODS The authors identified 22 (4.0%) of 551 patients undergoing dorsal cervical fusions who developed deep wound infections requiring surgical debridement. These patients were individually matched with control patients who did not develop infections. Health outcomes were assessed using the EQ-5D, Pain Disability Questionnaire (PDQ), Patient Health Q...
STAT5 Activation Underlies IL7 Receptor-Dependent B Cell Development

Signals initiated by the IL7R are required for B cell development. However, the roles that distinct IL7R-induced signaling pathways play in this process remains unclear. To identify the function of the Raf and STAT5 pathways in IL7R-dependent B cell development, we used transgenic mice that express constitutively active forms of Raf ( Raf-CAAX ) or STAT5 ( STAT5b-CA ) throughout lymphocyte development. Both Raf-CAAX and STAT5b-CA mice exhibit large increases in pro-B cells. However, crossing the Raf-CAAX transgene onto the IL7R −/− background fails to rescue B cell development. In contrast, STAT5 activation selectively restores B cell expansion in IL7R −/− mice. Notably, the expansion of pro-B cells in STAT5b-CA mice correlated with an increase in cyclin D2 , pim-1 , and bcl-x L expression, suggesting that STAT5 directly affects pro-B cell proliferation and survival. In addition, STAT5 activation also restored B cell differentiation in IL7R −/− mice as determined by 1) the restoration of V H Ig gene rearrangement and 2) the appearance of immature and mature B cell subsets. These findings establish STAT5 as the key player entraining B cell development downstream of the IL7R.
Transient Analysis of Real-Time Systems Using Deterministic and Stochastic Petri Nets

We present an analysis of a real-time system which has fixed-priority scheduling of aperiodic and periodic tasks. We assume that the cycle times of periodic tasks are multiples of each other, task execution times have phase-type distributions and aperiodic tasks arrive from Poisson sources. Since interarrival times of periodic tasks are constant, deterministic and stochastic Petri nets (DSPN) are an appropriate model. Using Markov regenerative theory to solve the DSPN model, the time-dependent behavior of the real-time system is studied. The steady-state behavior of such a system is shown to be periodic, i.e., there is no limiting probability distribution. Further, the response time distribution of an aperiodic task is also computed numerically. To our knowledge, this is the first time an analytical evaluation of a real-time system has been carried out at this level of detail.
Physiological variations in ovine cerebrovascular calcium sensitivity.

Cerebrovascular reactivity to biogenic amines varies in relation to both arterial diameter and age. The present study examines the hypothesis that these patterns of reactivity are secondary to corr...
Motivation and Performance Following Open-Ending of Closed-End Funds

This study investigates the motives for open-ending closed-end funds, and performance of closed-end funds following open-ending announcements. We find that the propensity to open end is higher for funds that are larger, have high expense ratios, exhibit high volatility, and whose prices reflect large discounts from net asset value. The total wealth effects of open-ending announcements are stronger for smaller closed-end funds, and in periods when market conditions are relatively weak. There is no observable evidence that the governance-related factors found to predict future open ending are being successfully used to extract higher gains.
Taurine in aging and models of neurodegeneration.

Taurine, the second most abundant amino acid in the CNS, is acknowledged to be important in cell volume regulation yet little is known about how aging might alter taurine homeostasis. Unfortunately, few investigators have focused on the study of taurine in aging and senescence. Previously we summarized much of the older work showing that taurine content declines in a number of tissues with advanced age in rodents1. I will briefly summarize some recent studies that have examined the effects of aging on taurine. I will also summarize our own findings that point to several potential mechanisms that may impact taurine homeostasis with advanced aging.
Civil Unions and Parenthood at Birth

The Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act (RFPCU) took effect on June 1, 2011. It recognizes civil unions, affording unionized parties “the same legal obligations, responsibilities, protections and benefits as are afforded to spouses.” Parties may be “of either the same or opposite sex.” The RFPCU reflects federal constitutional equalities. As declared in Eisenstadt v. Baird, 405 U.S. 438 (1972), “if the right of privacy means anything, it is the right of the individual, married or single, to be free from unwarranted governmental inrusion into matters so fundamentally affecting a person as the decision whether to bear or beget a child.” Notwithstanding the directive for “same” treatment, however, marriages and opposite sex unions are naturally different than same sex unions. At times there can be no absolute sameness. Consider parenthood. Same sex unions can never produce children genetically-tied to both partners. Similarly, though husbands and wives are generally accorded equal treatment regarding children born into marriage, here too there are differences. Only wives bear children. The U.S. Supreme Court has declared that mothers automatically are accorded parental rights at birth, while fathers only have parental opportunity interests which must be affirmatively seized. How should legal parenthood at birth arise when children are born into civil unions? Should the standards differ between same sex female and male couples? Between married and unionized opposite sex couples? These questions are addressed in the article, which explores the Parentage Act, the Gestational Surrogacy Act, and voluntary paternity acknowledgment practices. The article concludes that Illinois legislators should consider new parentage laws rather than leaving important family law policies to the Illinois courts which can only resolve assisted reproduction and other parentage cases “on the particular circumstances presented.” In re Parentage of M.J., 203 Ill.2d 526 (2003). “Unitary” families, subject to significant potential governmental protections under Michael H. v. Gerald D., 491 U.S. 110 (1989), deserve more clarity so that parent-child relationships can develop early on with little fear of later disruptions.
Toward a Usable Archival Past: Recent Studies in the History of Literacy

William V. Harris, Ancient Literacy (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1989). ISBN-0-674-03380-9; $35.00. If the study of history is useful readers of this journal probably think it is, but that may be a minority opinion in society at large it is because history allows us to find contingency and change in a world we otherwise perceive as fixed and necessary. Seeing the variety of options that human society has had in the past and the conscious and unconscious ways in which choices were made helps disabuse us of the notion that present arrangements of the world were at all inevitable. The assertion that anything has "always been this way" cannot stand in the face of the ongoing historical enterprise. This is as true for professional activity as it is for life in general. As practitioners of what the Library of Congress classification system calls an "auxiliary science of history," archivists more than others should recognize that the way they do their own jobs had by no means to turn out as it has. The history of the profession is therefore directly relevant to current professional practice, but not enough work has been done in English on archival history,
Media Landscape on Tumblr: News organization convergence attributes in youth-oriented social media networks

Growing concern for the future news consumption of young people and millennials has left journalism scholars and educators with the interesting challenge of engaging youth in news. Rendered “newsless” by one Pew Research report, this study examines news organizations’ publication practices in the largely under-researched and youth-oriented social network Tumblr. Results suggest that while news organizations have become increasingly involved in social media networks, many have created a digital presence on Tumblr and failed to maintain their accounts. Of the few that do consistently post, content appears to be tailored to adhere to the culture of the Tumblr platform, and posts are diversified in terms of format and topic. Surprisingly, though the majority of Tumblr users are considered to be young people and young adults, audience activity totals indicate that user interests may stretch beyond entertainment, widening assumptions that youth are primarily interested in entertainment, sports, and trivial news.
The Wisdom of Way Kot Art, Rhetoric and Political Economy

In this article I examine how commerce and the global economy are represented locally through the analysis of a popular Yucatecan tale. Way Kot depicts a veritable fantasy world in which human beings become winged beasts and animals betray their natural instincts; however, unlike the authors of many studies that explore the intersection of different modes of exchange, I do not view these images as projections of a mystified mind. On the contrary, building on Marx's discussion of money, and the aesthetic theory of the Frankfurt School, particularly Adorno's notion of'exact fantasy', I demonstrate the myth's rigorous logic by showing how it unravels the mysteries of the commodity form. In addition, I highlight the critical function of the tale (c. 1935), as rhetorical counterpoint to the commodity aesthetics of the era. While agents of a rapidly modernizing state were eager to make commodities enchant, Way Kot presents commerce as a form of witchcraft, and consumption as a form of cannibalism, in which unsuspecting Maya consume their relatives.
A Quality Control Assay to Access the HCl Molarity of Radionuclide Solutions

Strontium-82 is produced by proton activation of a rubidium chloride target in an accelerator or cyclotron and purified by ion exchange chromatography. The Strontrium-82 is used in Cardigen generators to produce Rubidium-82 for cardiac imaging. Quality control testing of the purified Strontium-82 is performed with Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and gamma spectroscopy. To meet Department of Energy specifications for HCl molarity the purified Strontium-82 solution needs to be tested to determine if the isotope is in the 0.05–0.5 M HCl range. This manuscript reports a simple HCl molarity test to determine if the purified Strontium-82 solution meets specifications. Validation of the assay was performed by evaluating all solutions associate with Strontium-82 processing.
Measuring body fatness in children and young adults: comparison of bioelectric impedance analysis, total body electrical conductivity, and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.

OBJECTIVE : To determine the level of agreement for body fatness measurements among four body composition measurement techniques. SUBJECTS : 99 healthy children and young adults (63 males, 36 females ; ages : 5-22 y) MEASUREMENT : Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), bioelectrical impedance spectroscopy (BIS), total body electrical conductivity (TOBEC), and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) measurements of body fat mass, and its percentage of body weight (%Fat). RESULTS : Estimates for body fat mass and %Fat were highly correlated (r= 0.72 - 0.97, P < 0.001) among the four methods. However, a Bland-Altman comparison among the estimates indicated significant differences between methods. The mean differences between methods for body fat ranged from - 0.30 ± 6.7 kg to 4.2 ± 2.7 kg. Differences for %Fat ranged from 0.8% ± 3.5% to - 9.9% ± 5.2%. Fatness classification of an individual as normal, overweight, or obese on the basis of his/her %Fat was significantly method dependent. CONCLUSIONS : The lack of interchangeability for fatness classification makes it difficult to ensure that similar groups of subjects can be accurately selected for the same true fat content or %Fat range when different methods are used. Furthermore, this limitation may restrict comparison of findings among different studies, such as in weight reduction, exercise, or therapy programs, when the subjects were not originally classified using the same measurement methods. That is, the reported values and changes for body fat or %Fat appear to be highly method dependent.
The Formative Method for Adapting Psychotherapy

The purpose of this chapter is to introduce an empirically supported and flexible approach for culturally adapting mental health services. In addition, an initial introduction to the culturally adapted treatment manual is provided. The cultural adaptation framework utilized is called the Formative Method for Adapting Psychotherapy (FMAP). The FMAP is a community-participatory framework that integrates a bottom-up approach to generate knowledge from the ground up. Moreover, it utilizes a top-down approach to further inform cultural adaptations by incorporating theory and maximizing the usage of our extant knowledge base. Although theoretically driven approaches to cultural adaptation provide a strong foundation for tailoring interventions, an integration of bottom- or ground-up community-based approaches can also provide invaluable information by confirming theory-related adaptations, generating ideas, or by providing more specificity in the adaptations or examples offered.
The use of somatosensory evoked potentials in the evaluation of the central nervous system.

Somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) are easily elicited in the clinical neurophysiology laboratory. They have been used to detect lesions in central somatosensory pathways, to serve as a prognostic guide in patients who are either comatose or who have had a hemispheric stroke, and to monitor cord function to prevent or minimize neurologic problems. They have also been used to define the extent of neuropathologic involvement in patients with a wide variety of neurologic disorders, but in this context they provide information that is often of more academic relevance than clinical importance. These various applications of SEPs are reviewed in this article.
On The Strength Of Streak Artifacts In Filtered Back-projection Reconstructions For Limited Angle Weighted X-Ray Transform

In this article, we study the limited angle problem for the weighted X-ray transform. We consider two approximate reconstructions by applying filtered back-projection formulas to the limited data. We prove that each resulted operator can be decomposed into the sum of three Fourier integral operators whose symbols are of types \((\varrho ,\,\delta ) \ne (1,\,0).\) The first operator, being a pseudo-differential operator, is responsible for the reconstruction of visible singularities. The other two are responsible for the generation of the artifacts. The theory of Fourier integral operators then implies, in particular, the continuity of the reconstruction operator and geometry of the artifacts. We then extend the technique developed by the author in [Inverse Problems 31 (2015) 055003] to obtain more refined microlocal estimates for the strength of the artifacts.
Vertical Ga 2 O 3 Schottky barrier diodes on single-crystal β-Ga 2 O 3 (−201) substrates

Owing to the large bandgap, breakdown electric field (E b ) and high carrier mobility, wide-bandgap semiconductor (e.g. SiC and GaN) based power devices have been extensively studied for next-generation power-switching applications [1-2]. Recently, a new wide-bandgap oxide semiconductor, gallium oxide (β-Ga 2 O 3 ), has attracted attention for power-switching applications because it has an extremely large bandgap of 4.5∼4.9 eV enabling a high breakdown voltage (V br ) and a high Baliga's figure of merit [3]. Furthermore, large-area and high-quality bulk substrates of Ga 2 O 3 can be grown by low-cost methods, which remains a significant challenge for both SiC and GaN. Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs), with a low turn-on voltage and a fast switching speed due to majority carrier conduction, are ideal candidates for high-power and high-speed rectifiers. Recently, Higashiwaki et al. have demonstrated excellent device results, which includes SBDs with V br ∼115 V on (010) Ga 2 O 3 substrates (with a net doping concentration N D -N A ∼ 5×1016 cm−3) [4] and SBDs with epitaxial Si-doped n-Ga 2 O 3 drift layers (N D -N A ∼ 1.4×1016 cm−3) grown by HVPE on (001) Ga 2 O 3 substrates with V br ∼ 500 V [5]. Oishi et al reported Ni-based SBDs on (−201) Ga 2 O 3 with a Nd-Na ∼ 1×1017 cm−3 and V br ∼ 40 V [6]. However, no high voltage (V br > 100 V) devices have been reported yet on (−201) Ga 2 O 3 , the crystal orientation readily available in up to 4 inch diameter wafer. In this work, we report Pt-based SBDs fabricated on unintentionally-doped (UID) (−201) n-type Ga 2 O 3 substrates with V br > 100 V.