cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases: review of general contributing factors and of West Nile virus.

Smallpox eliminated from the world as a naturally occurring disease now is touted as a weapon of mass destruction. The incidence of tuberculosis (TB) once on the downward slope has been on the increase. In the early 1990s plague reemerged in India killing 54 persons a number quite small in comparison with the thousands who die daily from malaria and TB but sufficient to alarm the medical community. Subsequently in 1999 West Nile encephalitis emerged in New York sparking a new emergency. Other diseases thought to be under control or even eliminated are reemerging; certain diseases previously considered to be strictly zoonotic are appearing in people in different parts of the world; diseases that are new or that once were unrecognized such as severe respiratory syndrome (SARS) have appeared with alarming ferocity; and many antibiotics are losing their effectiveness as a result of resistance that has been acquired by different organisms. This emergence of new and reemergence of old infectious diseases have become a major global problem. Although the numerous concerns that these and other factors present are far beyond the scope of this publication the next several issues of Seminars will present a series of special articles devoted to this subject beginning in this issue with a review of the threat to human and social security and various factors that contribute to the situation. One particularly recent threat West Nile virus (WNV) will be considered in this issue (excerpt)
Convection in multiple layers of immiscible liquids in a shallow cavity—II. Steady thermocapillary convection

Abstract The problem of thermocapillary convection in multiple immiscible liquid layers in a differentially heated shallow rectangular cavity with rigid and insulated upper and lower boundaries is considered. A three-layer system is considered as a model for multiple liquid layers. The middle layer is encapsulated on both sides by immiscible liquids, and features two interfaces which are considered to be deformable. The method of matched asymptotic expansions is used to determine the flow in the two distinct regions: the core region characterized by parallel flow; and the end-wall regions where flow turns around. Interfacial tension gradients induced by differential heating of the cavity drive the flow. Mechanical coupling across interfaces between immiscible liquids is investigated by varying the encapsulant viscosity and the height of encapsulant layers.
An improved phase de-embedding technique for high speed connectors

As high-speed data applications, such as USB 3.0, are coming down to the consumer electronic world, there is a need of accurate methods to characterize channel behavior. This paper investigates further S-parameter phase errors when de-embedding a device under test (DUT) from onboard structures. A fixture model containing a DUT is constructed enabling the determination of the de-embedding solutions. From these solutions, new equations for DUT S-parameter phase sensitivity are developed. The improved method enables accurate de-embedding of the phase of high-speed connectors used in consumer electronics hardware.
Correction of eddy current distortions in high angular resolution diffusion imaging

Purpose: To correct distortions caused by eddy currents induced by large diffusion gradients during high angular resolution diffusion imaging without any auxiliary reference scans. Materials and Methods: Image distortion parameters were obtained by image coregistration, performed only between diffusion-weighted images with close diffusion gradient orientations. A linear model that describes distortion parameters (translation, scale, and shear) as a function of diffusion gradient directions was numerically computed to allow individualized distortion correction for every diffusion-weighted image. Results: The assumptions of the algorithm were successfully verified in a series of experiments on phantom and human scans. Application of the proposed algorithm in high angular resolution diffusion images markedly reduced eddy current distortions when compared to results obtained with previously published methods. Conclusion: The method can correct eddy current artifacts in the high angular resolution diffusion images, and it avoids the problematic procedure of cross-correlating images with significantly different contrasts resulting from very different gradient orientations or strengths. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2013;37:1460–1467. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Observer reference triad rotation, magnetic fields, and rotation in Euclidean cosmological models

It is shown that a cosmological model with Euclidean space sections admits fluid flows if a magnetic field is present. Further, if observer reference frames spin in their response to the universe, a vorticity may exist. Limits can be set on any present intergalactic magnetic field of less than 5.38 x 10 to the -10th gauss (for a model with the chosen symmetry and choice of initial field and fluid velocity components).
Effects of Temperature, Concentration and Solute Structure on the Acoustic Properties of Monosaccharide Solutions

A sound velocimeter was used to study the physical structure of aqueous solutions (0.0–1.20 molal) of five monosaccharides, fructose, galactose, glucose, mannose and xylose. Over most of the temperature range employed (20–80°C) adiabatic compressibility of the solutions was the dominant factor in defining sound velocity through and structural rigidity of solution. Analysis of the data also indicated that differences in the solution rigidity of the various monosaccharides was attributable to structural differences among the sugars. At temperatures less than 30°C, where foods are often stored or consumed, fructose produces the most rigid structure followed in descending order by galactose, glucose, mannose and xylose.
A NEW APPROACH TO PRACTICE IN READING A MODERN LANGUAGE

Author's summary.— The length of the period of study by the majority of pupils is a major consideration in fixing the objectives of modern language courses. The ability to read is generally recognized as the first goal. Investigations in teaching children to read the mother tongue provide material of value to modern language teachers and suggest a technique for the development of skill in reading a foreign language silently.
Interaction of Ouabain and Malonate upon the Contractile Response of Myocardium

The interaction of two positive inotropic agents, ouabain and malonate, was studied upon the electrically-stimulated rat ventricle strip. Dose-response relationships of each were determined independently and in combination. The response to ouabain was linear within the concentration range tested, while malonate induced depression of the contractile force in higher concentrations. The combined administration resulted in potentiation and it was concluded that ouabain and malonate induce their positive inotropic actions through different mechanisms.
Money, Prices and Production: Some Fundamental Concepts

Introduction, 39. — I. A simplified case; basic relations and equations, 39.— II. "Circular velocity" and "velocity of circulation," 43. — III. The value of working capital, 47. — IV. The required stock of money; determinants of its circular velocity, 58. — V. Producers' goods and "equilibrium"; pure services; government finance, 67.— VI. Summary; available statistics, 72.
Contralateral Testicular Blood Flow during Unilateral Testicular Torsion

Summary— Changes in contralateral testicular blood flow during unilateral testicular torsion were evaluated using an electromagnetic flowmeter in 13 adult male New Zealand White rabbits. There was an immediate and then a progressive decrease during torsion and a gradual increase following detorsion. A decrease in testicular blood flow over a critical period of time may be associated with contralateral testicular damage following unilateral testicular torsion.
Reference Journals Used by Dairy Scientists

Summary A survey was made of the source of literature citations in ten volumes of the Journal of Dairy Science . While the Journal provided nearly 25 per cent of the total references, citation of chemical journals occurred more frequently than did those from any other field. Citations from journals in the biological and medical sciences followed in order. German was the foreign language most frequently used in the citations, followed by French, Italian and the Scandinavian languages. However, only slightly over 10 per cent of the reference citations, exclusive of textbooks, were to journals published in a language other than English ; of these somewhat over one-half were published in German.
Reconstruction of brachytherapy seed positions and orientations from cone-beam CT x-ray projections via a novel iterative forward projection matching method.

Purpose: To generalize and experimentally validate a novel algorithm for reconstructing the 3D pose (position and orientation) of implanted brachytherapy seeds from a set of a few measured 2D cone-beam CT (CBCT) x-ray projections. Methods: The iterative forward projection matching (IFPM) algorithm was generalized to reconstruct the 3D pose, as well as the centroid, of brachytherapy seeds from three to ten measured 2D projections. The gIFPM algorithm finds the set of seed poses that minimizes the sum-of-squared-difference of the pixel-by-pixel intensities between computed and measured autosegmented radiographic projections of the implant. Numerical simulations of clinically realistic brachytherapy seed configurations were performed to demonstrate the proof of principle. An in-house machined brachytherapy phantom, which supports precise specification of seed position and orientation at known values for simulated implant geometries, was used to experimentally validate this algorithm. The phantom was scanned on an ACUITY CBCT digital simulator over a full 660 sinogram projections. Three to ten x-ray images were selected from the full set of CBCT sinogram projections and postprocessed to create binary seed-only images. Results: In the numerical simulations, seed reconstruction position and orientation errors were approximately 0.6 mm and 5 deg., respectively. The physical phantom measurements demonstrated an absolute positionalmore » accuracy of (0.78{+-}0.57) mm or less. The {theta} and {phi} angle errors were found to be (5.7{+-}4.9) deg. and (6.0{+-}4.1) deg., respectively, or less when using three projections; with six projections, results were slightly better. The mean registration error was better than 1 mm/6 deg. compared to the measured seed projections. Each test trial converged in 10-20 iterations with computation time of 12-18 min/iteration on a 1 GHz processor. Conclusions: This work describes a novel, accurate, and completely automatic method for reconstructing seed orientations, as well as centroids, from a small number of radiographic projections, in support of intraoperative planning and adaptive replanning. Unlike standard back-projection methods, gIFPM avoids the need to match corresponding seed images on the projections. This algorithm also successfully reconstructs overlapping clustered and highly migrated seeds in the implant. The accuracy of better than 1 mm and 6 deg. demonstrates that gIFPM has the potential to support 2D Task Group 43 calculations in clinical practice.« less
A souslin operation for Π 2 1

Throughout this paper we assume the existence of a measureable cardinal. Membership in a Π21 set of reals is shown to be equivalent to the existence of an infinite path in a tree ℐ* of pairs of finite sequences of natural numbers and ordinals. This is used to prove that every Π21 relation can be uniformized by a Π21 function. One gets that under certain assumptions the Shoenfield Absoluteness Theorem holds for Σ31 statements, that Π31 sets include perfect subsets and that Σ31 sets are Lebesgue measureable and have the Baire Property.
All Sky Extrasolar Planet Searches with Multi-Object Dispersed Fixed-Delay Interferometer in Optical and Near IR

An all sky extrasolar planet survey (ASEPS) with the Sloan 2.5m wide field telescope is being developed for monitoring 1,000,000 nearby stars over a decade to detect ~ 100,000 planets.
Magnetic anomalies and early plate tectonics at Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory

Abstract A marine magnetics program was begun at Lamont Geological Observatory in the late 1950's. It consisted of developing the magnetometers, acquiring data from all the oceans, establishing computer processing techniques, and new interpretative methods. Areas off the east coast of North America and over the Reykjanes Ridge showed the linear nature of the magnetic anomalies. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge showed a characteristic anomaly over its entire length. A long magnetic profile obtained in the South Pacific showed that the anomalies were symmetric about the ridge axis and were caused by the same sequence of magnetic bodies as were the anomalies of the Reykjanes Ridge. Similar sequences of anomalies were found in all the oceans and they were best interpreted in terms of the Vine-Matthews-Morley theory of seafloor spreading. The history of the Indian, South Pacific, South Atlantic, and North Atlantic Oceans, the Galapagos, and other areas was published, ushering in the age of plate tectonics. The history of geomagnetic reversals for the last 75 million years was revealed and the age of the sediment layers of the ocean could then be determined with this geomagnetic chronology. These results, which were first made public in 19S7, provided much excitement in the scientific community and much interaction among different disciplines. It is here suggested that the rotational motion of the earth could be the ultimate cause of tectonic plate motion, the behavior of the geomagnetic field, variations of climate and the extinction of certain species. A large extraterrestrial impact could perturb all of these phenomena.
Dual modality imaging of a novel rat model of ovarian carcinogenesis.

Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer death in women, in part because of the limited knowledge about early stage disease. We develop a novel rat model of ovarian cancer and perform a pilot study to examine the harvested ovaries with complementary optical imaging modalities. Rats are exposed to repeated daily dosing 20 days with 4-vinylcyclohexene diepoxide VCD to cause early ovarian failure model for postmenopause, and ovaries are directly exposed to 7,12-dimethylbenzaanthracene DMBA to cause abnor- mal ovarian proliferation and neoplasia. Harvested ovaries are exam- ined with optical coherence tomography OCT and light-induced fluorescence LIF at one, three, and five months post-DMBA treat- ment. VCD causes complete ovarian follicle depletion within 8 months after onset of dosing. DMBA induces abnormal size, cysts, and neoplastic changes. OCT successfully visualizes normal and ab- normal structures e.g., cysts, bursa, follicular remnant degeneration and the LIF spectra show statistically significant changes in the ratio of average emission intensity at 390:450 nm between VCD-treated ova- ries and both normal cycling and neoplastic DMBA-treated ovaries. Overall, this pilot study demonstrates the feasibility of both the novel animal model for ovarian cancer and the ability of optical imaging techniques to visualize ovarian function and health. © 2006 Society of
Outsiders and Executive‐Legislative Conflict in Latin America

One of the most significant developments in Latin American democracies since the beginning of the Third Wave of democratization is the rise to power of political outsiders. However, the study of the political consequences of this phenomenon has been neglected. This article begins to fill that gap by examining whether the rise of outsiders in the region increases the level of executive-legislative confrontation. Using an original database of political outsiders in Latin America, it reports a series of logistic regressions showing that the risk of executive-legislative conflict significantly increases when the president is an outsider. The likelihood of institutional paralysis increases when an independent gets elected, due to the legislative body's lack of support for the president and the outsider's lack of political skills. The risk of an executive's attempted dissolution of Congress is also much higher when the president is an outsider.
On the Capacity Limits of Advanced Channel Reservation Architectures

The next generation of grid applications demand fast and reliable transfers of extremely large volumes of data between distributed sites around the world. For example, the U.S. Department of Energy's Genomes to Life (GTL) project aims at supporting critical applications such as bioenergy production or microbial carbon recycling [1]. GTL studies relies on ultra high throughput connections between research laboratories and supercomputers for processing and analyzing massive amounts of data.
Evaluation of Harmonic Direction-Finding Systems for Detecting Locomotor Activity

Abstract We conducted a physical simulation experiment to test the efficacy of harmonic direction finding for remotely detecting locomotor activity in animals. The ability to remotely detect movement helps to avoid disturbing natural movement behavior. Remote detection implies that the observer can sense only a change in signal bearing. In our simulated movements, small changes in bearing (<5.7°) were routinely undetectable. Detectability improved progressively with the size of the simulated animal movement. The average (±SD) of reflector tag movements correctly detected for 5 observers was 93.9 ± 12.8% when the tag was moved ≥11.5°; most observers correctly detected tag movements ≥20.1°. Given our data, one can assess whether the technique will be effective for detecting movements at an observation distance appropriate for the study organism. We recommend that both habitat and behavior of the organism be taken into consideration when contemplating use of this technique for detecting locomotion.
Family care and burden at the end of life.

In their article on family burden and the care of breast cancer patients (see page 1795), Grunfeld and colleagues make a fundamental and important point: family members provide a considerable amount of the care for people with terminal illnesses and their own health may suffer as a consequence.[1][1
The Effects of Mesoscale Eddies on the Main Subtropical Thermocline

Abstract The effects of mesoscale eddies on the main subtropical thermocline are explored using a simply configured wind- and buoyancy-driven primitive equation numerical model in conjunction with transformed Eulerian mean diagnostics and simple scaling ideas and closure schemes. If eddies are suppressed by a modest but nonnegligible horizontal diffusion and vertical diffusion is kept realistically small, the model thermocline exhibits a familiar two-regime structure with an upper, advectively dominated ventilated thermocline and a lower, advective– diffusive internal thermocline, and together these compose the main thermocline. If the horizontal resolution is sufficiently high and the horizontal diffusivity is sufficiently low, then a vigorous mesoscale eddy field emerges. In the mixed layer and upper-mode-water regions, the divergent eddy fluxes are manifestly across isopycnals and so have a diabatic effect. Beneath the mixed layer, the mean structure of the upper (i.e., ventilated) thermocline is still...
Serum Melatonin Concentrations During Different Stages of the Annual Reproductive Cycle in Ewes

To determine the effect of reproductive status on photo-induced alterations in serum concentrations of melatonin, samples of blood were collected at 2 h intervals for 96 h from ewes during estrous cycles, anestrus, the transition from estrus to anestrus and the transition from anestrus to estrus. Two groups of ewes were sampled during the normal breeding season. One group was sampled during the luteal phase of the estrous cycle (Days 8-11 of a 16 day cycle) and the other group was sampled during the follicular and estrual phases of the cycle (Days 15, 16, 1, 2). At each of the 4 times of the year sampled, there was a distinct circadian rhythm in peripheral concentrations of melatonin. Average night-time concentrations (297 ± 46.5, S.E.M., pg/mI) were 2-3 times greater than average day-time concentrations (140 ± 16.8, S.E.M., pg/mI). Concentrations of melatonin remained constant throughout the dark phase. Due to alterations in duration of the photoperiod, the duration of elevated melatonin concentrations was longest when ewes were exhibiting estrous cycles and shortest when ewes were exhibiting anestrus. Mean concentrations of melatonin during the day or during the night did not differ significantly during different reproductive states. To determine precisely how serum melatonin concentrations reflect light-dark transitions, melatonin concentrations were quantified in samples of blood collected at 1 mm intervals from 3 ewes during the mid-luteal phase of the estrous cycle. Lights were left on 2 h into the normal night, turned off 1 h and then turned on. Sampling was initiated 30 mm before the initial light-dark transition and was terminated 30 mm after the return to light. When ewes were exposed to light, plasma concentrations of melatonin remained at baseline levels of 10-100 pg/mI. Upon initiation of darkness, there was a short lag (5-10 mm) after which melatonin concentrations elevated to levels of 150-300 pg/mi. This elevation occurred over a 2 mm interval in 2 ewes and over a 10 mm interval in the third. Upon return to light, melatonin concentrations declined to baseline levels within 5-10mm.
Acute hemodynamic effects of indigo carmine in the presence of compromised cardiac function

This report describes the acute hemodynamic effects of indigo carmine in a surgical patient with compromised cardiac function. A 68-year-old woman with stable but severe cardiac dysfunction and renal artery stenosis was scheduled for an elective aortorenal bypass procedure. No hemodynamic instability occurred during the operation until the patient was administered intravenous (IV) indigo carmine 5 ml. At that time, the patient experienced an acute increase in afterload, which resulted in acute left ventricular failure documented by a decrease in cardiac output (CO) and an increase in pulmonary artery pressure (PAP). Until further studies defining the mechanism for its hypertensive side effect are performed, indigo carmine should be used with caution in patients with severe cardiac dysfunction.
Immatures of Exomalopsine Bees with Notes on Nesting Biology and a Tribal Key to Mature Larvae of Noncorbiculate, Nonparasitic Apinae (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

ABSTRACT This paper describes the eggs/mature oocytes (including ovarian statistics), mature larvae, and pupae of bees belonging to the Exomalopsini, furthering our understanding of the anatomical and behavioral diversity of included taxa. The mature larva is the life stage best represented with the following treated: Anthophorula (Anthophorula) completa (Cockerell), Anthophorula (Anthophorisca) chionura (Cockerell), Anthophorula (Anthophorisca) consobrina (Timberlake), Anthophorula (Anthophorisca) nitens (Cockerell)*, Anthophorula (Anthophorisca) sidae (Cockerell)*, Anthophorula (Isomalopsis) uncicornis Gonzalez-Vaquero & Roig-Alsina, Eremapis parvula Ogloblin, Exomalopsis (Exomalopsis) auropilosa Spinola, Exomalopsis (Exomalopsis) bruesi Cockerell*, Exomalopsis (Stilbomalopsis) solani Cockerell*, Exomalopsis (Stilbomalopsis) solidaginis Cockerell, Chilimalopsis parvula Toro*, and Teratognatha modesta Ogloblin*. Pupae of those species bearing an asterisk (*) are also described. Most specimens were collec...
Pediatric hemofiltration: Normocarb dialysate solution with citrate anticoagulation

Fourteen children, newborn to 17 years of age, underwent continuous veno-venous hemofiltration with dialysis (CVVHD), using a new FDA-approved bicarbonate-based calcium-free dialysis solution (Normocarb) in combination with citrate anticoagulation. Dialysis prescription included use of the PRISMA system (Gambro, Lakewood, Colo., USA), with ACD-A (Baxter, Deerfield, Ill., USA) for anticoagulation and Normocarb (Dialysis Solution, Richmond Hills, Ontario, Canada) for dialysate. Diagnosis included 11 children with sepsis and 3 children with tumor lysis syndrome. Mean weight was 31.6±4.7 kg (range 3.7–62 kg) and average length of therapy was 11.4±3.7 days (range 6 h to 67 days). Length of circuit patency was 71.3±7.2 h (range 6 h to 127 h), which was influenced in part by a decision to change circuits at 72 h as per manufacturer’s recommendation. No bleeding occurred. This protocol utilizes industry-manufactured CVVHD machinery with both thermic and ultrafiltration control, with an effective anticoagulation protocol, and industry-produced bicarbonate dialysate. The use of industry machinery and solutions allows for consistent industrial quality assurance standards. This potentially may decrease the cost of therapy and minimize the risk of pharmacy errors that can occur with pharmacy-made dialysis solutions.
Injecting software architectural constraints into legacy scientific applications

While software architectures have been shown to aid developers in maintenance, reuse, and evolution as well as many other software engineering tasks, there is little language-level support for these architectural concepts in scientific programming languages such as Fortran and C. Because many existing scientific codes are written in legacy languages, it is difficult to integrate them into architected software systems. By wrapping scientific codes in architecturally-aware interfaces, we are able to componentize legacy programs, integrating them into systems built with first-class architectural elements while meeting performance and throughput requirements of scientific codes.
Qualitative evaluation of fiducial markers for radiotherapy imaging.

Purpose:To evaluate visibility, artifacts, and distortions of various commercial markers in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computer tomography (CT), and ultrasound imaging used for radiotherapy ...
¿No es la misma de siempre esta mujer? Género, raza y poesía cubana de los ochenta en la obra poética de Soleida Ríos

Este articulo se propone determinar cuan revolucionarias fueron las construcciones poetico discursivas de las categorias identitarias de raza y genero, segun las imagenes poeticas creadas por la escritora afrodescendiente cubana Soleida Rios (Santiago de Cuba, 1950), en la decada de los ochenta. Es decir, como la poeta se vio a si misma como mujer negra, dentro de un contexto cuya retorica de igualdad se contradecia con su praxis diferenciadora. Me interesa la evolucion de la mujer negra cubana a casi treinta anos de iniciado el proyecto revolucionario del “hombre nuevo”. Analizo el dialogo del discurso poetico con el discurso dominante (el politico), para distinguir cuan considerable fue la participacion de este ultimo en la redefinicion de las categorias genero y raza, teniendo en cuenta que tales conceptos de identidad no son construcciones exclusivamente culturales, sino tambien politicas, camufladas estrategicamente detras de lo cultural, tradicional e historico.
A Black-Box Approach to Query Cardinality Estimation

We present a “black-box” approach to estimating query cardinality that has no knowledge of query execution plans and data distribution, yet provides accurate estimates. It does so by grouping queries into syntactic families and learning the cardinality distribution of that group directly from points in a high-dimensional input space constructed from the query’s attributes, operators, function arguments, aggregates, and constants. We envision an increasing need for such an approach in applications in which query cardinality is required for resource optimization and decision-making at locations that are remote from the data sources. Our primary case study is the Open SkyQuery federation of Astronomy archives, which uses a scheduling and caching mechanism at the mediator for execution of federated queries at remote sources. Experiments using real workloads show that the black-box approach produces accurate estimates and is frugal in its use of space and in computation resources. Also, the black-box approach provides dramatic improvements in the performance of caching in Open SkyQuery.
Orientation specificity in chromatic adaptation of human “edge-detectors”

The McCollough effect, a pattern-specific complementary hue aftereffect, has usually been demonstrated with horizontal and vertical adapting and test patterns. The present study measured the strength of the effect produced by adapting patterns of various angular separations. The effect decreased with decreasing angular separations until it was minimal at 11 deg of separation. The results are considered to be consistent with an edge-detector interpretation of this aftereffect. With vertical and horizontal adapting patterns, the reddish aftereffect was 17% and the greenish aftereffect 9%of colorimetric purity.
Modes on a Short Spear Bunch as Observed with a Streak Camera

The longitudinal structure of electron bunches in the storage ring SPEAR on a single pass was studied with time resolution approx. 10 ps. The measuring instrument used is an image-converter streak camera, a specialized device heretofore used mostly by laser workers. Unexpectedly, under some conditions the charge in a single RF bucket breaks up into two short sub-bunches which seem to rotate about a common center in energy-phase space. No evidence is seen for other, higher-frequency structure on the bunches.
Epitaxial GaN films grown on Si(1 1 1) with varied buffer layers

Abstract The buffer layers used in this study included an AlN/3C-SiC composite film stack and a single AlN layer. 3C-SiC in the composite film stack prepared by the two-step process functioned better as a buffer layer than that prepared by direct epitaxial growth. The composite buffer prepared by this method was compared with the single AlN buffer. The GaN films grown on the composite buffer were significantly less susceptible to film cracking than those grown on a single AlN buffer. Photoluminescence evaluation showed that the GaN films deposited on the composite buffer were narrower in full width at half maximum than those deposited on a single buffer. However, the GaN and AlGaN films grown on top of the single AlN buffer showed smoother top surface and resulted in higher electron mobility in the AlGaN/GaN heterojunction. Surface and film qualities of the GaN films grown on the composite buffer were improved by insertion of an AlGaN/GaN superlattice.
Behavioral couple therapy for gay and lesbian couples with alcohol use disorders

Gay (n = 52) and lesbian (n = 48) patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and their non-substance-abusing same-sex relationship partners were randomly assigned to equally intensive interventions consisting of (a) behavioral couples therapy (BCT) plus individual-based treatment (IBT) or (b) IBT only. This study reports two separate trials, one with gay male participants and one with lesbian female participants. For both gay and lesbian patients with AUD, those who received BCT had a significantly lower percentage of days of heavy drinking during the year after treatment than patients who received IBT only. In addition, both gay and lesbian couples who received BCT reported higher levels of relationship adjustment at the end of treatment and in the year after treatment than those who received IBT only. Thus, the response of gay and lesbian couples with an alcoholic member to BCT was consistent with what has been observed with heterosexual couples.
Complications of static facial suspensions with expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE).

Background Expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) is a synthetic porous material that has been used for static suspension in facial paralysis. It is manufactured in thin (1-mm or 2-mm) sheets that can be cut into strips and implanted through keyhole facial incisions. Regional deformities are addressed by multiple suspensions that provide cosmetic and functional therapy. The use of ePTFE eliminates donor site morbidity associated with the traditional harvest of fascia from either the temporal area or fascia lata. However, properties unique to this alloplast contribute to the complications that have occurred after its use in facial reanimation. Objective To describe complications with the use of ePTFE for facial suspension. Setting Academic medical center. Method Retrospective chart review and review of literature. Results Six patients with facial paralysis who were treated with the ePTFE sling procedure had complications. Five slings failed because of stretch despite prestretching at implantation. One patient developed a late wound infection requiring removal of the sling. Conclusion An ePTFE facial sling is an option for static facial suspension that can be therapeutic for patients with seventh nerve damage. There is a high rate of complications leading to revision surgery. Future studies are needed to evaluate alloplastic alternatives to ePTFE.
The dri thermal/optical reflectance carbon analysis system: description, evaluation and applications in U.S. Air quality studies

Abstract The thermal/optical reflectance method of carbon analysis developed by Huntzicker et al. (in Particulate Carbon, Atmospheric Life Cycle, edited by Wolff G. T. and Klimisch R. L., pp. 79–88, Plenum Press, New York, 1982) has been adapted by several laboratories for the quantification of organic and elemental carbon on quartz-fiber filter deposits. While the principle used by these laboratories is identical to that of Huntzicker et al., the details differ with respect to calibration standards, analysis time, temperature ramping and volatilization/combustion temperatures. This paper reports a variation on this method which has been applied to over 27,000 samples taken in more than a dozen urban and regional air quality studies in the U.S.A. In this variation, a 0.5 cm2 punch from a dozen urban and regional air quality studies in 120, 250, 450 and 550°C in a pure helium atmosphere, then to combustion at temperatures of 550, 700 and 800°C in a 2% oxygen and 98% helium atmosphere. The carbon which evolves at each temperature is converted to methane and quantified with a flame ionization detector. The seven separate carbon fractions facilitate evaluation of the method and increase the information content concerning the samples. The reflectance from the deposit side of the filter punch is monitored throughout the analysis. This reflectance usually decreases during volatilization in the helium atmosphere owing to the pyrolysis of organic material. When oxygen is added, the reflectance increases as the light-absorbing carbon is combusted and removed. Organic carbon is defined as that which evolves prior to re-attainment of the original reflectance, and elemental carbon is defined as that which evolves after the original reflectance has been attained. By this definition, “organic carbon” is actually organic carbon that does not absorb light at the wavelength used (632.8 nm) and “elemental carbon” is light-absorbing organic and elemental carbon. Assumptions underlying the procedure are discussed, as well as comparisons with other methods and recommendations for further work.
Infection and Infertility

Asymptomatic infection appears to be a common cause of fallopian tube damage resulting in ectopic pregnancy or infertility.
Context-awareness in wearable and ubiquitous computing

A common focus shared by researchers in mobile, ubiquitous and wearable computing is the attempt to break away from the traditional desktop computing paradigm. Computational services need to become as mobile as their users and be extended to take advantage of the constantly changing context in which they are accessed. This paper will report on work done in the Future Computing Environments Group at Georgia Tech. We describe solutions we have generated to provide a flexible context-aware infrastructure and several applications that take advantage of context-awareness to allow freedom from traditional desktop computing.
Degenerative Myelopathy and Vitamin a Deficiency in a Young Black-Maned Lion (Panthera Leo)

Degenerative myelopathy and vitamin A deficiency were diagnosed in a 1-year-old, female, black-maned lion (Panthera leo). Diffuse white matter degeneration characterized by dilated myelin sheaths, Wallerian degeneration, and reactive astrocytosis was present at all levels of the spinal cord. With luxol fast blue–cresyl echt violet stain, bilaterally symmetrical demyelination was observed in the fasciculus cuneatus of the cervical spinal cord and in peripheral white matter of cervical, thoracic, and lumbar segments. Additionally, the ventral gray columns and brain stem nuclei contained rare chromatolytic neurons with abnormal neurofilament accumulation. Leptomeninges of the cervical spinal cord were focally adhered to the dura and thickened by fibrosis and osseous metaplasia. Vitamin A deficiency was diagnosed based on hepatic vitamin A concentration of 1.71 μg/g dry weight. Adequate hepatic vitamin A concentration for yearling to adult domestic animals ranges between 150 and 1,000 μg/g dry weight. Lesions...
The Effects of Vocalics and Nonverbal Sensitivity on Compliance A Replication and Extension

An interaction between receiver ability to decode vocalic cues and speaker vocalic patterns in obtaining compliance was investigated in this study. Expectancy theory was offered as an explanation for this interaction. Because changes in vocalic patterns can violate expectations, receivers make consistent interpretations of these vocalic cues, and evaluations of these interpretations may be affected by decoder predispositions toward communication that, in turn, produce differentialperceptions ofsource reward. Respondents were interviewed by trained encoders who used neutral, pleasant, and hostile vocal patterns. Compliance was assessed by asking for a donation of time to communication research. Follow-up surveys measured perceived relational messages, interviewer credibility, vocal pleasantness, and the degree to which the vocalic pattern was expected. The predicted disordinal interaction between decoding ability and voice condition was found. Decoding ability did not correlate with predispositions, nullifying source reward as afactor in the evaluation of vocalic violations. It was suggested that preferences for vocalic patterns influenced evaluations: Good decoders may have preferred ajfiliative cues and thus complied more with pleasant voices, whereas poor decoders may have preferred assertive patterns and complied more with hostile voices. recent experiment by Hall (1980) examined the impact of vocal encoding and decoding ability on persuasion. Her results are intriguing because they unexpectedly showed that only decoding ability was related to compliance. These findings suggest that a fundamental shift in research focus from source behavior to receiver cognitive processing may be needed to understand completely this function of nonverbal communication. The present study was
Drug Interaction Potential of Soy Extract and Panax Ginseng

To determine if soy extract or Panax ginseng increases the urinary excretion of the 6-beta-hydroxycortisol/cortisol ratio as a marker of cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A enzyme induction, subjects received a soy extract containing 50 mg isoflavones twice daily (n = 20) or Panax ginseng 100 mg standardized to 4% ginsenosides twice daily (n = 20) for 14 days. Neither Panax ginseng nor soy extract significantly altered the urinary 6-beta-OH-cortisol/cortisol ratio, suggesting that unlike St. John's wort, they are not CYP3A inducers. Studies in vitro using human liver microsomes were performed to determine the effect of soy extract on probe substrates of CYP and UDP glucuronosyltransferase (UGT). Unhydrolyzed soy extract produced very little inhibition of CYP1A2, CYP2A6, and CYP2D6 and a trend of activation of CYP3A4. Hydrolyzed soy extract showed inhibition of all of the CYPs tested, particularly CYP2C9 and CYP3A4. UGT2B15 was the only UGT significantly inhibited. Even though both soy extract and ginseng have been shown to activate CYP3A4 in vitro, there is a lack of an in vitro correlation with the in vivo effects.
Price Containment in Emissions Permit Market: Balancing Market Risk and Environmental Outcomes

While cap-and-trade policies have been advocated as an efficient market-based approach in regulating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the power sector, a major criticism is that the resulting GHG emissions permit prices may be volatile, adding one more layer of uncertainty to market participants, and hence may deter their interests in participating or investing in a competitive electricity market. To ease the concern of market participants, various permit price containment instruments, such as price ceiling, floor, or collar (all referred to as safety valves), have been proposed or implemented in emission trading policies. While such instruments may prevent permit prices from being extreme (either extremely high or low), they may incur inadvertent results such as under investment of low emission technologies or little reduction of system-wide GHG emissions, hence defeating the purpose establishing a cap-and-trade policy at the first place.To address such concerns, this paper examines the effect of imposing various forms of price-containment policies on investment decisions and spot market equilibria in a competitive electricity market. A major contribution of this paper is that, unlike other works in this area in which the price containment schemes are exogenous to their market models, we endogenously incorporate price ceiling and/or floor in our models, and hence can analyze the interactions between various policies and their corresponding market outcomes. In doing so, we also extend the fundamental welfare theorems into the market context with GHG cap-and-trade and safety valves. To further study the impacts of permit price volatility caused by market uncertainty, we introduce uncertainties in our market models and numerical studies.When applying to a case study of California, we find that a price ceiling can effectively reduce permit price variations while also lowering electricity prices, thereby discouraging capacity investments, especially for peaking technologies. On the other hand, the existence of a price floor could either encourage or discourage capacity investments, depending on technologies in consideration. A safety collar, consisting a price ceiling and a floor, with an unlimited supply of permits could revert the aggregated GHG emissions to the uncapped case. Therefore, our studies show indicate that careful.
Leach Rates of High Activity Waste from Borosilicate Glass

Borosilicate glasses containing actual high-level Savannah River Plant waste were leached in static, distilled water. Leach rates based on 90Sr, 137Cs, and plutonium analyses were similar: 10−5 to ...
Filtering for Discrete-Time Markov Processes and Applications to Inventory Control with Incomplete Information

We develop a general filtering framework for the problem of estimating the state of a system whose dynamics is governed by a discrete-time Markov process. We describe applications to inventory control systems with partial observations. We introduce conditional distributions and unnormalized conditional probabilities to transform nonlinear transition equations into linear ones. Moreover, this transformation greatly facilitates our study of the stochastic optimal control problems governed by nonlinear transition equations.
Opportunities and challenges in the use of personal health data for health research

Objective: Understand barriers to the use of personal health data (PHD) in research from the perspective of three stakeholder groups: early adopter individuals who track data about their health, researchers who may use PHD as part of their research, and companies that market self-tracking devices, apps or services, and aggregate and manage the data that are generated. Materials and Methods: A targeted convenience sample of 465 individuals and 134 researchers completed an extensive online survey. Thirty-five hour-long semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with a subset of 11 individuals and 9 researchers, as well as 15 company/key informants. Results: Challenges to the use of PHD for research were identified in six areas: data ownership; data access for research; privacy; informed consent and ethics; research methods and data quality; and the unpredictable nature of the rapidly evolving ecosystem of devices, apps, and other services that leave “digital footprints.” Individuals reported willingness to anonymously share PHD if it would be used to advance research for the good of the public. Researchers were enthusiastic about using PHD for research, but noted barriers related to intellectual property, licensing, and the need for legal agreements with companies. Companies were interested in research but stressed that their first priority was maintaining customer relationships. Conclusion: Although challenges exist in leveraging PHD for research, there are many opportunities for stakeholder engagement, and experimentation with these data is already taking place. These early examples foreshadow a much larger set of activities with the potential to positively transform how health research is conducted.
Strategizing Value Co-Creation with Poor Farmers in a Mexican Agribusiness

While recent research has established businesses can benefit from engaging with the Base of the Pyramid (BOP) population, we know little about the processes through which managers strategize these opportunities and turn them into action. To address this gap, we report a detailed action research study in which we collaborated with the managers of a Mexican agribusiness to expand the firm’s market through value co-creation with the poorest farmers. To inform the strategizing process, we combined dynamic capability theory with options thinking and a framework for identifying the needs of the BOP population. As a result, we offer a detailed account of how the management team collaborated downstream with distributors and farmers and upstream with suppliers to grow a new franchise business that would increase the well-being of the poorest farmers and create additional business opportunities. Based on these empirical results and extant theory, we offer an integrated process model for how managers may strategize and implement BOP opportunities. In conclusion, we discuss our research in relation to the theory and practice of business ethics.
De facto freedom, de facto authority: press and parliament, 1640–1643

In 1641 a century-long partnership of the crown and the London Stationers collapsed, leaving state control of the press and the Stationers’ interest in copyright in an extremely vulnerable situation. Tentatively at first and with growing assertiveness by 1642, the Lords and Commons revised and restated in their own interest the old partnership of the state and the Stationers; for their part, the Stationers worked hard to demonstrate their utility to the new regime and to preserve the privileges that allowed them to control the book business. The result of their joint efforts was the licensing ordinance of 1643, which critics, including John Milton, thought to be scarcely distinguishable from the Star Chamber decree of 1637, the high-water mark of the old regime. But the ordinance proved only partially successful. In the interim between regimes, there emerged a vigorous if vulgar tabloid journalism avant la lettre, sustained by an underclass of undisciplined elements of the Stationers’ Company, non-company interlopers and hawkers, and often youthful scribblers, several of them Cambridge drop-outs. Such engaging rascals no less than moralists like Milton had their share in acclimatizing the English to a press practically free of prior restraint.