cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Tools: Computational and Experimental Techniques

This chapter combines brief summaries of computational as well as experimental procedures that have been instrumental for the study of nanostructure magnetism. All of the methods sketched here have been successfully applied to magnetic carbon nanostructures. None of them, however, is specific to this type of materials. The models and techniques included in this chapter are pertinent to condensed matter systems or have, in some cases, an even wider scope of usage, including matter at the molecular scale. They thus have the status of standard methods. Procedures more specifically adjusted to exploring magnetism in carbon-based materials, such non-local measurement of spin signals in carbon transmission elements, will be introduced later in their distinct theoretical or experimental contexts. Computational Methods In the first part of this chapter we survey a variety of methods that have proved to be efficient in modeling carbon nanostructure magnetism. Procedures based on the tight-binding and the Hubbard model , as sketched in Section 3.1, have played important roles in clarifying the electronic architecture of graphene and its derivatives. Tight-binding schemes have successfully addressed salient phenomena pertaining to these materials, among them the nature of electronic states at the Fermi level of graphene as massless Dirac Fermions. Lifting the methodological constraints typical for these methods, such as the restriction of interatomic coupling to next-neighbor sites, or the representation of a given lattice site by a single electron, leads to more general theories of electronic structure. These are the topic of Section 3.2, which deals with ab initio and density functional theory (DFT) methods. In all cases covered in this survey, emphasis is placed on the capacity of a given computational approach to describe magnetic states and to represent magnetic properties. The Tight-Binding and the Hubbard Model The theory of one- or two-dimensional carbon nanostructures, represented respectively by the nanotube and the graphene paradigms, has been largely developed by use of the tight-binding or the Hubbard model. In this section we will introduce some general traits of these approaches, insofar as they are of relevance to this text. Both models rest on the tight-binding premise . According to this condition, the system in its ground state may be described as a lattice populated with atoms in a hydrogen-like configuration.
Terrestriality in a Middle Miocene Context: Victoriapithecus from Maboko, Kenya

As possibly the earliest higher primate to eschew the trees and descend to the ground, Victoriapithecus offers several important lessons that may have implications for understanding our own ancestry. First, while paleoenvironment obviously constrains paleoecology, it should not be equated with a species’ paleoecology. Although there is a definite correlate between substrate preference and locomotor mode, evidence from Victoriapithecus suggests there is no a priori relationship between locomotor mode and paleoenvironment; that is, wooded or forested environs do not preclude terrestrial behaviors.
Rhodium-Catalyzed Intermolecular C-H Functionalization as a Key Step in the Synthesis of Complex Stereodefined β-Arylpyrrolidines.

The synthesis of β-arylpyrrolidines via a catalytic enantioselective intermolecular allylic C(sp)3–H functionalization of trans-alkenes followed by immediate reduction, ozonolysis, and then in situ diversification of the resulting cyclic hemiaminal to furnish highly substituted, stereoenriched β-arylpyrrolidines is reported. This methodology utilizes 4-aryl-1-sulfonyl-1,2,3-triazoles as carbene precursors and the dirhodium tetracarboxylate catalyst Rh2(S-NTTL)4. A variety of β-arylpyrrolidines were prepared in good yields with high levels of diastereo- and enantioselectivity over four linear steps, requiring only a single purification procedure.
Abstract 838: Heritability Of Oxidized Phospholipids And Lp(a): Studies In Twin Pairs

We have recently demonstrated that Lp(a) is a carrier of oxidized phospholipids (OxPL) and this may confer a novel mechanism of cardiovascular risk. It is well appreciated that Lp(a) is a genetic risk factor with an autosomal dominant penetration. Since circulating measures of OxPL on apoB-100 particles (OxPL/apoB) are strongly associated with Lp(a), we hypothesized that OxPL/apoB levels may also be a genetically determined cardiovascular risk factor. We measured OxPL/apoB and Lp(a) in a series of 396 predominantly healthy monozygotic and dizygotic twins, both to estimate trait heritability (h 2 ) and to determine specific genetic effects on traits. Single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping was also done at adrenergic pathway loci. Haplotypes were inferred from genotypes by likelihood methods. OxPL/apoB was measured by antibody EO6 and Lp(a) by an established ELISA technique. OxPL/apoB levels were strongly correlated with Lp(a) levels (r 2 =0.71, r=0.93, p 2 of OxPL/apoB was 86.8±1.89% and for Lp(a) was 85.3±2.11%, and such h 2 s were higher than that for other physical, physiologic, inflammatory, and lipid parameters. Twin pair correlations indicated that the Lp(a) and OxPL/apoB traits shared genetic determination (genetic covariance: 0.703±0.040, p=1.3×10 −28 ), though not environmental determination (environmental covariance: 0.056±0.084, p=NS). Lp(a) levels (16.3±0.30 vs. 15.1±0.30 mg/dl, p=0.0059) were higher in subjects carrying the tyrosine hydroxylase G-801C promoter C (minor) allele, which is associated with heritable adrenergic stress responses. OxPL/apoB is a potent heritable cardiovascular risk factor, and even more heritable than traditional risk factors. The fact that OxPL/apoB levels are primarily genetically determined suggests enhanced exposure from birth in those with elevated Lp(a) levels. This may help to explain the enhanced risk for atherothrombosis associated with Lp(a), particularly in younger patients.
Computer-Aided Process Planning in Robotic-Based CIM Systems

This paper summarizes the discussions of a working group on computer-aided-process-planning (CAPP) in robotic-based CIM systems. The croup consisted of scientists and engineers with diverse backgrounds and expertise in robotics and manufacturing. The discussion focused on defining terminology and outlining the problem scope in order to bring such a diverse group to a common level of understanding.
Genetics | Selection: Economic Indices for Genetic Evaluation

Genetic evaluations are available on an increasing number of traits in dairy cattle. Health, survival, and fertility traits have proliferated in recent years, increasing the amount of information dairy producers must evaluate to make effective sire selection decisions. The extra information has increased the importance of selection indexes, which combine information across traits to accomplish genetic improvement of a single breeding objective or aggregate genotype. For most countries, that objective is a measure of lifetime economic merit. The selection index approach guides genetic progress toward improvement of the breeding objective, and allows producers to follow a consistent plan over time. This article presents a variety of selection indexes used around the world and explains how the Net Merit index used in the United States was developed and is maintained as new traits are evaluated. Producers should use selection indexes that are designed to improve the lifetime economic merit of dairy cows. Mating decisions should be made after the selection of service sires using such an index. Matings that avoid major inbreeding are an economically justifiable strategy for commercial herds.
Adenocarcinoma and Other Small Intestinal Malignancies

Despite the enormous surface area of the small intestinal mucosa and the rapid turnover of the enterocytes, malignancies of the small bowel are uncommon. Of the more than 250,000 digestive system cancers projected for diagnosis in the United States in 2003, only an estimated 5,300 were small intestinal malignancies. There is a slight predominance of men diagnosed with these tumors. An estimated 1,100 Americans died of small intestinal malignancies in 2003. Because of the low incidence of small bowel cancers and the common occurrence of four distinct histologic types, namely adenocarcinoma, lymphoma, gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST), and carcinoid tumor, even major clinical centers have limited experience in treating patients with these diseases. As a result, controlled data evaluating treatment variables and other aspects of small intestinal malignancies are virtually nonexistent.
The Transition State of the Acid Catalyzed Alkoxide Ion Departure from Meisenheimer Complexes (1)

Alkoxide ion departure from Meisenheimer complexes of the 1,1-dialkoxy-2,6-dinitro-4-X-cyclohexadienate type is catalyzed by pyridinium ions and by the hydronium ion. Bronsted α values which vary between 0.35 and 0.65 decrease when the alkoxy group becomes more electron withdrawing and increase when the X-substituent is made more electron withdrawing. This is inconsistent with a mechanism where proton transfer is rate limiting but in complete agreement with a concerted mechanism of acid catalysis as shown with the help of More O’Ferrall-Jencks energy diagrams.
Care Considerations for the Abused and Neglected Child

Emotionally disturbed children have been treated in institutions since the 1920s. The recognition that these children have been sexually abused or neglected has been a more recent phenomenon (Masson, 1984). For example, Krenk (1984) reported that 86 percent of girls and 50 percent of boys in residence during the calender year of 1980 had a documented history of inappropriate sexual contact with an adult. Statistics from the late’ 70s indicate that over 400,000 children lived in residential settings, treatment centers, detention homes, or youth correctional facilities (Harrell & Orem, 1980). Furthermore, there has been an estimated 450 percent increase in adolescent admissions for psychiatric care between 1980 and 1984. As many children find themselves living in group settings for some portion of their lives, it becomes critical that residential treatment centers devote attention to the recognition, knowledge, and sound treatment of children who have been sexually or physically abused or neglected by their prior caretakers (Friedman, 1986).
Perioperative Management of Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: What Is New?

Severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) continues to represent a global public health issue, and mortality and morbidity in TBI patients remain substantial. There are ongoing international collaborations to provide guidelines for perioperative care and management of severe TBI patients. In addition, new pharmacologic agents are being tested along with cognitive rehabilitation to improve functional independence and outcome in TBI patients. This review will discuss the current updates in the guidelines for the perioperative management of TBI patients and describe potential new therapies to improve functional outcomes. In the most recent guidelines published by The Brain Trauma Foundation, therapeutic options were reviewed based on new and revised evidence or lack of evidence. For example, changes and/or updates were made to the recommendations for the use of sedation and hypothermia in TBI patients, and new evidence was provided for the use of cerebrospinal fluid drainage as a first-line treatment for increased intracranial pressure (ICP). In addition to the guidelines, new ‘multi-potential’ agents that can target several mechanisms are being tested along with cognitive rehabilitation. The major goal of perioperative management of TBI patients is to prevent secondary damage. Therapeutic measures based on established guidelines and recommendations must be instituted promptly throughout the perioperative course to reduce morbidity and mortality.
Tools, Techniques, and Uses for Performance Measurement

(2002). Tools, Techniques, and Uses for Performance Measurement. Journal of Public Affairs Education: Vol. 8, No. 1, pp. 83-88.
ON THE FRONTLINE: PREPARING PREHOSPITAL PROVIDERS FOR END-OF-LIFE CARE

AbstractPrehospital providers’ (Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics) scope of practice involves responding to life-threatening situations and saving lives. Yet, increasingly they are called to see people who are dying in later life from multiple chronic conditions rather than acute events. The purpose of the study was to identify how prehospital providers are prepared for end-of-life calls and their perspectives on improving training for this work. Surveys (N=239) explored training about Do Not Resuscitate and Medical Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (MOLST), how frequently these documents are encountered and comfort with honoring expressed wishes. Formal education was provided on DNR (86%) and MOLST (80%). 79% said that MOLST provided clear instructions about patient preferences. However, 75% endorsed the need for more end-of-life care curriculum in prehospital provider education and 79% identified the need for on-the-job training. The results suggest the importance of real-time training about the complexities of emergency end-of-life calls.
Ribosome-induced RNA conformational changes in a viral 3′-UTR sense and regulate translation levels

Structured RNA elements, programmed RNA conformational changes, and interactions between different RNA domains underlie many modes of regulating gene expression, mandating studies to understand the foundational principles that govern these phenomena. Exploring the structured 3' untranslated region (UTR) of a viral RNA, we discovered that different contexts of the 3'-UTR confer different abilities to enhance translation of an associated open reading frame. In one context, ribosome-induced conformational changes in a 'sensor' RNA domain affect a separate RNA 'functional' domain, altering translation efficiency. The structure of the entire 3'-UTR reveals that structurally distinct domains use a spine of continuously stacked bases and a strut-like linker to create a conduit for communication within the higher-order architecture. Thus, this 3'-UTR RNA illustrates how RNA can use programmed conformational changes to sense the translation status of an upstream open reading frame, then create a tuned functional response by communicating that information to other RNA elements.
Fiber Motion near the Collector during Melt Blowing Part 1: General Considerations:

We conducted numerous experiments to achieve greater understanding of multi-hole melt blowing at commercial speed. On-line measurements acquired near the collector and off-line measurements of web ...
113 – Gender Differences in Dermatology

This chapter describes structural, functional, and disease-specific gender differences in dermatology and examines the current understanding on the topic. The skin is just one of the many tissues capable of metabolizing hormones. Many of the sexual dimorphisms can be attributed to the effects of distinctive hormonal milieus between the sexes. The abrupt and often dramatic evidence of structural and functional changes appearing at the time of menopause and the reversibility with hormonal replacement therapy (HRT) give credence to the impact of estrogen on the skin. Sex steroids influence the development and function of cells of the immune system resulting in females having higher immunoglobulin levels and prevalence of autoimmune diseases including systemic lupus. At present, the gender discrepancy in melanoma survival is not clearly explicable on the basis of hormones. The dearth of gender-specific research in dermatology has primarily risen as an incidental finding in studies with an alternate focus. An increased emphasis on gender-specific basic science, clinical, and epidemiologic research highlighting dissimilarities should result in improvements in illness prevention and optimal health care delivery for both women and men.
Green Energy Distribution in Southwestern Haiti

To create a green energy educated population in the Southwestern Peninsula of Haiti, a team from the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) partnered with L'Institut Technique de la Cote-Sud (ITCS) in Coteaux, Haiti. Through the partnership and funding from the IEEE Humanitarian Activities Committee (HAC) the CU Boulder team guided the design and installation of a photovoltaic (PV) system to provide for daily educational needs while simultaneously serving as a living laboratory for hands-on teaching at the ITCS. The students and teachers at the green energy institute had the opportunity to install the entire system and learn about two different battery chemistries, Lithium Ferro Phosphate (LPF) and Lead Acid. Discussed in the paper will be the reasoning behind the approach presented, the objectives and motivation, the trips to Haiti, the PV system, the results, future plans, and the sustainable growth of the ITCS.
Hypersphere indexer

Indexing high-dimensional data for efficient nearest-neighbor searches poses interesting research challenges. It is well known that when data dimension is high, the search time can exceed the time required for performing a linear scan on the entire dataset. To alleviate this dimensionality curse, indexing schemes such as locality sensitive hashing (LSH) and M-trees were proposed to perform approximate searches. In this paper, we propose a hypersphere indexer, named Hydex, to perform such searches. Hydex partitions the data space using concentric hyperspheres. By exploiting geometric properties, Hydex can perform effective pruning. Our empirical study shows that Hydex enjoys three advantages over competing schemes for achieving the same level of search accuracy. First, Hydex requires fewer seek operations. Second, Hydex can maintain sequential disk accesses most of the time. And third, it requires fewer distance computations.
Concerns about treatment for infertility in a probability-based sample of US women

Objective: Many women experience infertility as distressing, but only about half of US women seek medical services. It is unknown whether concerns about fertility treatment are related to receiving fertility treatment or to distress levels.Methods: Using the nationally representative National Survey of Fertility Barriers, we constructed a nine-item scale measuring fertility treatment concerns. The analytical sample for this study included 1218 women who said that they were trying to become pregnant and who were asked questions regarding treatment concerns. We conducted multiple regression analysis to discover factors associated with treatment concerns and whether treatment concerns were associated with depressive symptoms and fertility-specific distress. We used logistic regression to determine whether treatment concerns were associated with receiving fertility tests.Results: Desiring a(nother) child, infertility stigma, higher family income, higher economic hardship and claiming a Hispanic identity were associated with higher levels of treatment concerns than those in the comparison groups. Having friends and family with children and having private health insurance were associated with lower levels of concern. Treatment concerns were not associated with receiving fertility tests. Higher levels of treatment concern were associated with higher levels of fertility-specific distress and depressive symptoms. Higher infertility stigma was related both directly and indirectly to higher levels of fertility-specific distress and depressive symptoms.Conclusion: For US women, fertility treatment concerns are not associated with whether women pursue fertility testing, but they are associated with higher levels of fertility-specific and general distress.
Campus Racial Incidents, Hate Crimes, and White Male and Female Students’ Racial Attitudes

Despite popular claims that the United States has reached a “post-racial” era—one in which race no longer matters for determining one’s life chances—college students continue to have strong views t...
Competing interactions and traveling wave solutions in lattice differential equations

The existence of traveling front solutions to bistable lattice differential equations in the absence of a comparison principle is studied. The results are in the spirit of those in Bates, Chen, and Chmaj [1], but are applicable to vector equations and to more general limiting systems. An abstract result on the persistence of traveling wave solutions is obtained and is then applied to lattice differential equations with repelling first and/or second neighbor interactions and to some problems with infinite range interactions.
Body image in older women: a mediator of BMI and wellness behaviors.

Negative body image is prevalent among mid- and late-life women. In younger women, negative body image is associated with reduced quality of life (QOL) when controlling for body mass index (BMI), a...
Scalable Performance Awareness for In Situ Scientific Applications

Part of the promise of exascale computing and the next generation of scientific simulation codes is the ability to bring together time and spatial scales that have traditionally been treated separately. This enables creating complex coupled simulations and in situ analysis pipelines, encompassing such things as "whole device" fusion models or the simulation of cities from sewers to rooftops. Unfortunately, the HPC analysis tools that have been built up over the preceding decades are ill suited to the debugging and performance analysis of such computational ensembles. In this paper, we present a new vision for performance measurement and understanding of HPC codes, MonitoringAnalytics (MONA). MONA is designed to be a flexible, high performance monitoring infrastructure that can perform monitoring analysis in place or in transit by embedding analytics and characterization directly into the data stream, without relying upon delivering all monitoring information to a central database for post-processing. It addresses the trade-offs between the prohibitively expensive capture of all performance characteristics and not capturing enough to detect the features of interest. We demonstrate several uses of MONA; capturing and indexing multi-executable performance profiles to enable later processing, extraction of performance primitives to enable the generation of customizable benchmarks and performance skeletons, and extracting communication and application behaviors to enable better control and placement for the current and future runs of the science ensemble. Relevant performance information based on a system for MONA built from ADIOS and SOSflow technologies is provided for DOE science applications and leadership machines.
An 11.1nJ-Start-up 16/20MHz Crystal Oscillator with Multi-Path Feedforward Negative Resistance Boosting and Optional Dynamic Pulse Width Injection

This paper presents a fast start-up crystal oscillator (XO) that reduces both start-up time and energy via an elegantly effective muti-path feedforward ∣ RN ∣ boosting technique. To further improve start-up speed, yet with a more energy/cost-favorable imprecise on-chip ring oscillator, an optional dynamic pulse width (DPW) injection is also proposed. The proposed fast start-up technique is implemented in 65nm process and works with 20MHz and 16MHz crystals, achieve start-up times of 30μs and 34μs while consuming 11.1nJ and 13.2nJ, respectively. Multiple chips are measured over temperature and supply voltage to verify the robustness of the employed techniques.
Twenty-five Years of Ojibwe Treaty Rights in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota

The recognition and implementation of American Indian treaty rights beginning in the last quarter of the twentieth century are transforming the ways in which landscapes are managed, tribal and state institutions are structured, and civic identities are constructed in a number of states that surround Indian nations.1 This national treaty-rights movement first antedates, catalyzes, and finally comes to be coextensive with the passage of federal legislation that operationalizes tribal self-determination. This synergy has had the effect of politically transforming indigenous polities, their relationships with each other, and their relationships with other sovereign bodies. Since the mid-1980s, exercising the hunting, fishing, and gathering rights reserved in the treaties of the mid-nineteenth century that were signed between bands of Ojibwe Indian people in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan has changed those communities’ practices and self-conceptions in some fundamental ways. In 1984, the signatories to those treaties were just beginning to contract with the federal government for services under the provisions of
The Need for Increasing Black Entrepreneurship as a Result of the COVID-19 Pandemic

COVID-19 and recent high-profile police killings are putting focus on the inequities and societal hurdles facing blacks in the U.S. There is no quick fix or singular solution; however, increasing black entrepreneurship may be a key piece of the solution. The reasons for, and potential benefits of, new public policies and private investment to spur black entrepreneurship are discussed.
'Why Me?' The Role of Perceived Victimhood in American Politics.

Despite growing recognition among journalists and political pundits, the concept of victimhood has been largely ignored in empirical social science research. In this article, we develop a theory about, and use unique nationally-representative survey data to estimate, two manifestations of victimhood: an egocentric one entailing only perceptions of one’s own victimhood, and one focused on blaming “the system.” We find that these manifestations of victimhood cut across partisan, ideological, and sociodemographic lines, suggesting that feelings of victimhood are confined to neither “actual” victims nor those partisans on the losing side of elections. Moreover, both manifestations of victimhood, while related to candidate support and various racial attitudes, prove to be distinct from related psychological constructs, such as (collective) narcissism, system justification, and relative deprivation. Finally, an experiment based on candidate rhetoric demonstrates that some political messaging can make supporters feel like victims, which has consequences for subsequent attitudes and behavior.
Emotional reactions to threats to acceptance and belonging: a retrospective look at the big picture

Looking back at more than 40 years of the author’s work on social emotions reveals that emotional reactions as diverse as hurt feelings, loneliness, social anxiety, jealousy, guilt, embarrassment, ...
Remote sensing using open-path dual-comb spectroscopy

Abstract Open-path dual-comb spectroscopy (DCS) is an emerging technique for long open-path measurements across km-scale paths. It provides both broad spectral coverage over hundreds of wavenumbers with high spectral resolution and negligible instrument lineshape. In this chapter, we discuss the principle of open-path DCS; provide an overview of the necessary technology and analysis techniques; review field applications including near-infrared (NIR) measurements of urban CO2 emissions, CH4 emissions from drilling and agricultural operations, measurements to a unmanned aerial vehicle, and recent measurements of volatile organic compounds in the mid-infrared (MIR); and finally provide an outlook especially on how this technique can move to additional spectral regions beyond the NIR and MIR.
Abstract 3032: A pilot study of epigenetic age acceleration and neurocognitive outcomes among survivors of pediatric medulloblastoma

Background: Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant brain tumor diagnosed in children. Treatments for medulloblastoma are associated with neurocognitive impairment; however, there is little known about the biological factors which influence variability in neurocognitive outcomes. There is emerging evidence that epigenetic age acceleration (EAA) – the difference between DNA methylation-based predicted age and chronological age – is associated with chronic health conditions among pediatric cancer survivors. Therefore, we sought to evaluate the association between EAA and neurocognitive outcomes in pediatric medulloblastoma survivors. Methods: Neurocognitive tests were obtained between 2003 and 2012 from >1-year survivors of pediatric medulloblastoma (n=49). Assessments included the following: Full Scale Intelligence Quotient (FSIQ), Working Memory Index (WMI), and Processing Speed Index (PSI). Whole blood samples were obtained, and DNA was extracted for genome-wide DNA methylation using the Illumina HumanMethylation450K chip. DNA methylation age was calculated using the Horvath DNA Methylation Age Calculator. Associations were assessed using linear regression models with statistical significance defined at p Results: Patients were predominantly male (n=36, 73.5%), non-Hispanic White (n=34, 69%) and diagnosed at a mean age of 7.5 years. Patients received intensity-modulated radiation (n=39, 80%) or proton beam radiation (n=10, 20%). The mean FSIQ was 82.2 (95% CI: 76.9-87.6), WMI was 82.2 (95% CI: 76.2-88.2), and PSI was 79.5 (95% CI: 73.5-85.6) a median of 3.03 years (range: 1.0 – 15.2 years) post-radiotherapy. On average, the DNA methylation age of participants was significantly higher than their chronologic age at the time of sample collection (mean difference = 2.4 years; 95% CI: 1.2-3.5; p Conclusions: In this pilot study of pediatric medulloblastoma survivors, we report that the biologic age assessed by DNA methylation profiles often exceeds the chronologic age of survivors. We also identified suggestive associations between EAA and the degree of neurocognitive impairment in survivors of medulloblastoma. These findings highlight the potential utility of evaluating measures of biological aging to better understand variability in neurocognitive performance in larger, longitudinal cohorts of patients with pediatric medulloblastoma. Citation Format: Kevin O. Wilhelm, Philip J. Lupo, Kimberly P. Raghubar, Lisa S. Kahalley, Murali Chintagumpala, Mehmet F. Ocku, Michael E. Scheurer, Austin L. Brown. A pilot study of epigenetic age acceleration and neurocognitive outcomes among survivors of pediatric medulloblastoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 3032.
Analyzing the effects of alcohol on adolescent trauma using the National Trauma Data Bank

In this study, the authors investigate the impact of alcohol on adolescent trauma outcomes. Using a four-year retrospective analysis of the National Trauma Data Bank, adolescent patients (12-18 years old) testing positive and negative for alcohol use are evaluated for differences in complications and mortality. Results show adolescents with alcohol use to be more likely to have adult respiratory distress syndrome, pneumonia, and thromboembolic complications. Positive alcohol tests are also associated with higher mortality rates. The study concludes that alcohol use has a significant impact on adolescents and that it is increasingly associated with adolescent trauma. The authors recommend strict screening criteria for adolescent trauma patients.
Definition and Classification of Manufacturing Flexibility Types and Measures

Flexibility is one of the most sought-after properties in modern manufacturing systems. Despite this interest, flexibility remains poorly understood in theory and poorly utilized in practice. One reason for this is the lack of general agreement on how to define flexibility: over 70 terms (types and measures) can be found in the literature. This paper concerns developing a framework and classification scheme for use in defining and classifying the various terms regarding flexibility found in manufacturing. The framework consists of six attributes: level of manufacturing requirements specification, manufacturing system specification, manufacturing environment specification, flexibility dimension, flexibility measurement approach, and time frame. A six-field hybrid classification scheme is developed based on this framework. The framework serves as a guide for developing new flexibility terms, whereas the classification scheme provides a mechanism for summarizing the important aspects of and assumptions behind a given term. The approach is demonstrated by using the classification scheme to classify over 50 existing flexibility terms. The results indicate that the classification scheme is an effective tool to aid in understanding different flexibility terms and how they compare to one another. At the same time, the difficulty of the classification exercise indicates the need for a suitable framework when defining such terms.
The size effect on intermetallic microstructure evolution of critical solder joints for flip chip assemblies

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study the intermetallic compound (IMC) thickness, composition and morphology in 100-μm pitch and 200-μm pitch Sn–Ag–Cu (SAC305) flip-chip assemblies after bump reflow and assembly reflow. In particular, emphasis is placed on the effect of solder joint size on the interfacial IMCs between metal pads and solder matrix. Design/methodology/approach – This work uses 100-μm pitch and 200-μm pitch silicon flip chips with nickel (Ni) pads and stand-off height of approximately 45 and 90 μm, respectively, assembled on substrates with copper (Cu) pads. The IMCs evolution in solder joints was investigated during reflow by using 100- and 200-μm pitch flip-chip assemblies. Findings – After bump reflow, the joints size controls the IMC composition and dominant IMC type as well as IMC thickness and also influences the dominant IMC morphology. After assembly reflow, the cross-reaction of the pad metallurgies promotes the dominant IMC transformation and shape coarsened on the Ni pa...
The use of projective assessment techniques in pediatric research.

Abstract A variety of projective techniques are available to pediatric nurse researchers. This article focuses on four of the most frequently used projective assessment techniques in pediatric research: the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT); the Child Apperception Test (CAT); the Rorschach; and Human Figure Drawings (HFDs). Each of these techniques is described in terms of the underlying theoretical framework for its development, instructions for use with children, reliability and validity, and major findings from health care and nursing literature. Ten recommendations are provided to help nurse researchers ensure that their data meet reasonable criteria for objectivity to allow for replication of their investigations. Despite the often contradictory, inconclusive research findings, there is a role for projective techniques both in clinical practice and research.
A formal model for long range planning: 1 Relating the Company of the Economy

Abstract An article describing a quantitative approach to corporate long range planning to be published in three parts:—1. Relating the Company to the Economy. 2. Assessment of Opportunity and Risk. 3. Allocating and Appraising Capital Investment. In this first part, James Hetrick describes the development of a cash flow model to determine what funds will be available for future developments and the use of Input-Output models to evaluate growth prospects in specific sectors of the economy in an attempt to define the company's customers in the broad sense of economic sectors.
AAC Supports for Individuals With Rett Syndrome Across the Lifespan

Individuals with Rett syndrome (RS) present with a complex profile. They benefit from a multidisciplinary approach for diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up. In our clinic, the Communication Matrix© ...
Persistent trophoblastic tissue following salpingostomy for unruptured ectopic pregnancy

Radioimmunoassay of beta-hCG was used to diagnose an ectopic pregnancy in a 30 year old patient and the site of pregnancy was determined by ultrasonography. A salpingostomy was performed; the ectopic pregnancy and the residual trophoblastic tissue were removed. Six weeks later a right salpingectomy was performed to remove persistent trophoblastic tissue. Histologic examination of the surgical specimen demonstrated viable chorionic villi. Serial measurements of beta-hCG are recommended following conservative surgery for ectopic gestation to assure the patient and the surgeon that the tube contains no residual products of conception.
Status report on the development of large bore flashlamps for the National Ignition Facility

Summary form only given. We present the results of lifetime and performance measurements made on 4.3 cm bore, 180-cm arc length flashlamps of the size and type we expect to use in the NIF. These flashlamps had 2.5-mm-thick cerium-doped quartz envelopes, electrically insulated bases for mounting, and cathodes doped with low work-function materials to reduce sputtering. We review the results of radiant efficiency and relative Nd-pumping efficiency measurements made with 360- and 500-/spl mu/m pulse lengths and with pulse energies up to 30% of the single-shot explosion energy.
Is quality free? The relationship between cost and quality across 18 provider groups.

OBJECTIVE To learn whether the healthcare costs for patients of various care delivery systems are associated with the quality of ambulatory care received. Despite intense interest in the cost and quality of healthcare delivery in the United States, there have been relatively few studies of the relationship between those measures, and none have addressed the relationship for integrated care delivery systems. STUDY DESIGN Results of a retrospective analysis of claims records for overall costs of care for enrollees of 18 care delivery systems were compared with a variety of quality measures for each system. PATIENTS AND METHODS We analyzed the yearly (1996-1998) claims records of 110,000 to 150,000 employees and dependents of member companies of an employer coalition in Minnesota that received all of their medical services from 18 care systems that had at least 1,000 employees and dependents. Overall case-mix and inflation-adjusted costs of care for enrollees of each care system were compared with 21 ambulatory care process-oriented quality indicators covering 3 chronic diseases and 5 preventive services. RESULTS Regardless of whether the unit of analysis was the care system or the individual enrollee, there was no evidence of a consistent relationship between overall cost of care and quality on any measures. The little association there was tended to suggest that higher quality was provided by the lowest-cost care systems. CONCLUSION Although additional confirmatory research is needed, this analysis of the quality-cost relationship provides some reassurance for those who question whether selecting lower-cost sources of medical care might have a negative effect on quality of care.
Filament Dynamics during Simulated Ventricular Fibrillation in a High-Resolution Rabbit Heart

The mechanisms underlying ventricular fibrillation (VF) are not well understood. The electrical activity on the heart surface during VF has been recorded extensively in the experimental setting and in some cases clinically; however, corresponding transmural activation patterns are prohibitively difficult to measure. In this paper, we use a high-resolution biventricular heart model to study three-dimensional electrical activity during fibrillation, focusing on the driving sources of VF: “filaments,” the organising centres of unstable reentrant scroll waves. We show, for the first time, specific 3D filament dynamics during simulated VF in a whole heart geometry that includes fine-scale anatomical structures. Our results suggest that transmural activity is much more complex than what would be expected from surface observations alone. We present examples of complex intramural activity, including filament breakup and reattachment, anchoring to the thin right ventricular apex; rapid transitions among various filament shapes; and filament lengths much greater than wall thickness. We also present evidence for anatomy playing a major role in VF development and coronary vessels and trabeculae influencing filament dynamics. Overall, our results indicate that intramural activity during simulated VF is extraordinarily complex and suggest that further investigation of 3D filaments is necessary to fully comprehend recorded surface patterns.
Parameterization of the 3-PG model for Pinus elliottii stands using alternative methods to estimate fertility rating, biomass partitioning and canopy closure

The forest simulation model, 3-PG, has been widely applied as a useful tool for predicting growth of forest species in many countries. The model has the capability to estimate the effects of management, climate and site characteristics on many stand attributes using easily available data. Currently, there is an increasing interest in estimating biomass and assessing the potential impact of climate change for slash pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm. var. elliottii), a commercially important tree species of the southeastern U.S. The 3-PG model had not been previously parameterized for this species. Using data from the literature and long-term productivity studies, we parameterized 3-PG for slash pine stands, developing new functions for estimating biomass pools at variable starting ages, canopy cover dynamics, allocation dynamics, density-independent tree mortality and the fertility rating. The model was tested against data from measurement plots covering a wide range of stand characteristics (age, productivity and management), distributed within and beyond the natural range of the species, including stands in Uruguay, South America. Across all tested sites, estimations of survival, basal area, height, volume and above-ground biomass agreed well with measured values. The bias was small and generally less than 7%. This paper reports the first set of 3-PG parameter estimates for slash pine, showing new methodologies to determine important estimates. The model can be applied to stands growing over a large geographical area and across a wide range of ages and stand characteristics.
Relative motion of South America with respect to North America and Caribbean tectonics

Magnetic anomalies in the North Atlantic have been analyzed by Pitman and Talwani to determine a sequence of finite difference poles of relative motion of North America with respect to Africa for the time period 180 m.y. B.P. to the present. A similar analysis of South Atlantic magnetic anomalies by the writer determines a sequence of finite difference rotations of South America with respect to Africa for the time period 127 m.y. B.P. to the present. The two sequences of finite difference rotations are used to calculate the relative motion of South America with respect to North America for late Mesozoic and Cenozoic time. From Triassic to Early Cretaceous time, South America moved to the southeast away from North America. From Early Cretaceous to Late Cretaceous time, South America moved eastward with respect to North America. Southeastward motion of South America occurred again from Late Cretaceous to early Tertiary time followed by northward motion from early to late Tertiary. Tectonic styles in the Caribbean region change when major plate motions change; however, the details of Caribbean geology cannot be explained by simple plate margins between North and South America. Tertiary compressional structures on the northern and southern margins of the Caribbean can be attributed to Tertiary closure between North and South America, but earlier tectonic regimes are not so easily related directly to North America—South America motions.
A = 9 isospin quartet

New measurements of the mass excess of the lowest $T=\frac{3}{2}$ levels in $^{9}\mathrm{Be}$ and $^{9}\mathrm{B}$ give values of 25.7406\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.0017 and 27.0711\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.0023 MeV, respectively, and indicate a definite cubic dependence for the masses of the $A=9$ quartet which includes $^{9}\mathrm{Li}$ and $^{9}\mathrm{C}$ in their ground states. A value of 7.6\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}1.7 keV is obtained for the coefficient of the $T_{z}^{3}$ term which now clearly exceeds the current theoretical estimates. Precise values of excitation energy of levels in $^{10}\mathrm{B}$ and $^{11}\mathrm{B}$ have been obtained as part of these measurements.
A Sketch-Based Tool for Analyzing Vibratory Mechanical Systems

Sketches are a ubiquitous form of communication in engineering design due to their simplicity and efficiency. However, because of a lack of suitable machine-interpretation techniques, they are virtually unusable with current computer-aided design and engineering tools. The informal nature of sketches and their inherent ambiguity present a number of challenges to the development of such techniques. Here we address one particular challenge, the task of reliably locating and recognizing the intended visual objects from a continuous stream of pen strokes. We present an integrated sketch parsing and recognition approach, based on a novel mark-group-recognize paradigm, which is tailored to the domain of mechanical systems. In the first step of processing, the sketch is examined to identify certain delimiting symbols called "markers." The remaining pen strokes are then partitioned into distinct clusters, each representing a single symbol. Finally, a trainable symbol recognizer is used to find the best interpretation of each cluster. We have used these techniques to build a sketch-based tool for designing and analyzing vibratory mechanical systems. This tool enables designers to analyze and animate vibratory systems by simply sketching them on a tablet computer. User studies indicate that even first-time users find our tool to be effective.
Understanding spontaneous speech: the Phoenix system

The author describes the design of the Phoenix speech understanding system and reports on its current status. Phoenix is a system currently being developed at Carnegie Mellon University to understand spontaneous speech. The system has been implemented for an air travel information service (ATIS) task. In the ATIS task, novice users are asked to perform a task that requires getting information from the air travel database. Users compose the questions themselves, and are allowed to phrase the queries any way they choose. No explicit grammar or lexicon is given to the subject. This task presents several problems not found in real input. Not only is the speech not fluent, but the vocabulary and grammar are open. The results of the processing of both the speech and transcript data for subjects performing the task are reported. >
Kinetics of epoxy cure: a rapid technique for kinetic parameter estimation

Abstract A rapid estimation technique is proposed for the determination of the kinetic parameters describing the autocatalytic reaction of epoxy cure. The method utilizes information from a single characteristic point, namely, the point of maximum rate of cure. The proposed method yields results which are in very close agreement with more rigorous regression techniques.
A Model of electroweak-scale right-handed neutrino mass

Abstract If neutrino masses are realized through the see-saw mechanism, can the right-handed neutrinos be produced and detected at present and future colliders? The answer is negative in the most popular see-saw scenarios for the simple reason that they are too heavy in these models. However, a simple extension of the Standard Model (SM) particle content, including mirror fermions, two SU ( 2 ) L triplet and one singlet Higgs fields, leads to a scenario in which the see-saw mechanism is realized with the Majorana mass M R of the right-handed neutrino being of the order of the electroweak scale or smaller. A custodial SU ( 2 ) symmetry arising from the two triplet Higgs fields ensures that ρ = 1 at tree level even when their vacuum expectation values (VEV) which determine the value of M R , can be as large as the electroweak scale. M R is found to obey the bound M Z 2 ⩽ M R 246 GeV which makes it accessible experimentally (Tevatron, LHC or ILC) since, in our scenario, ν R 's can couple directly to the Standard Model (SM) gauge bosons.