cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of atrial fibrillation and warfarin use in older patients receiving hemodialysis.

BACKGROUND Little is known about the use of warfarin in hemodialysis (HD) patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). We studied temporal trends of AF among older HD patients, and of warfarin use among those with AF. METHODS We linked US Medicare and prescription claims from older patients undergoing HD in 2 Eastern US states. We established annual cohorts of prevalent HD patients; AF was ascertained from >2 claims (>7 days apart) in the same year, with a diagnosis code indicating AF. Among those with AF, we defined current and past warfarin use. Demographic and clinical characteristics were also ascertained for each cohort. We used repeated-measures logistic regression to define the odds of AF and of current or past versus absence of warfarin use. RESULTS Of 6,563 unique patients, 2,185 were determined to have AF. The prevalence of AF increased from 26% in 1998 to 32% in 2005. In 2005, current warfarin use was present in 24% of AF patients and past use in 25%; 51% had no evidence of any warfarin use. No significant trends in utilization were observed from 1998 through 2005. Patients aged =85 years and nonwhites were less likely to have received warfarin; most comorbidities were not associated with warfarin use except for patients with past pulmonary embolism or deep venous thrombosis who were more likely than those without such history. CONCLUSION While the prevalence of AF has been increasing among older HD patients, warfarin use was low and unchanged over time, perhaps reflecting the lack of evidence supporting its use.
Invariant Imbedding Applied to Eigenvalue Problems in Mechanics

A formal method is presented for obtaining eigenvalues of ordinary differential equations associated with problems of buckling and vibration. The method utilizes the idea of invariant imbedding which has previously been applied to two point boundary value problems in transport theory and wave propagation. The present method reduces the eigenvalue problem to an initial value problem for a matrix of Riccati equations. The numerical solution of such formulations has proved to be generally more efficient than known methods.
From Public Support for the Arts to Cultural Policy

Although public funding for the arts had been an element of budget and appropriations business at both the federal and state levels for over a quarter century, the idea that policy justifies and directs these resource allocations has been slow to emerge. This article provides a historiographical discussion of how the issue was framed and of the resistance to the term “cultural policy” through reference to contextual, political, and epistemic factors. It then uses four presidential reports ranging from 1953 to 1997 to track the evolution of political language concerning the policy definition of the arts and culture, the roles and responsibilities of the federal government regarding these, and the emergence of a range of policy issues beyond public funding.
"Yours is better!": participant response bias in HCI

Although HCI researchers and practitioners frequently work with groups of people that differ significantly from themselves, little attention has been paid to the effects these differences have on the evaluation of HCI systems. Via 450 interviews in Bangalore, India, we measure participant response bias due to interviewer demand characteristics and the role of social and demographic factors in influencing that bias. We find that respondents are about 2.5x more likely to prefer a technological artifact they believe to be developed by the interviewer, even when the alternative is identical. When the interviewer is a foreign researcher requiring a translator, the bias towards the interviewer's artifact increases to 5x. In fact, the interviewer's artifact is preferred even when it is degraded to be obviously inferior to the alternative. We conclude that participant response bias should receive more attention within the CHI community, especially when designing for underprivileged populations.
Antioxidant activity of anacardic acids

Abstract Anacardic acids, 6-pentadec(en)ylsalicylic acids isolated from the cashew Anacardium occidentale L. (Anacardiaceae) nut and apple, were found to possess preventive antioxidant activity while salicylic acid did not show this activity. These anacardic acids prevent generation of superoxide radicals by inhibiting xanthine oxidase (EC 1.1.3.22, Grade IV) without radical-scavenging activity. Notably, the inhibition kinetics of anacardic acids do not follow hyperbolic dependence of enzyme inhibition on inhibitor contents (Michaelis–Menten equation) but follow the Hill equation instead. Anacardic acid (C 15:1 ) inhibited the soybean lipoxygenase-1 (EC 1.13.11.12, Type 1) catalyzed oxidation of linoleic acid with an IC 50 of 6.8 μM. The inhibition is a slow and reversible reaction without residual enzyme activity. The inhibition kinetics indicate that anacardic acid (C 15:1 ) is a competitive inhibitor and the inhibition constant, K I , was 2.8 μM. Anacardic acids act as antioxidants in a variety ways, including inhibition of various prooxidant enzymes involved in the production of the reactive oxygen species and chelate divalent metal ions such as Fe 2+ or Cu 2+ , but do not quench reactive oxygen species. The C 15 -alkenyl side chain is largely associated with the activity.
The Ethical Intention and Prediction Matrix: Reducing Perceptual and Cognitive Biases for Learning

Perceptual and cognitive biases are significant factors influencing ethical judgment, conduct, and learning. These biases inhibit the quality of students’ personal engagement, inquiry, and learning on cases and exercises assigned in business ethics courses. The purpose of this article is to describe certain common biases involved in the perception and interpretation of ethical dilemmas and to introduce a survey-feedback tool that can help students recognize and reduce some of these biases for ethical decision making.
Comparisons of Energy Intake and Energy Expenditure in Overweight and Obese Women With and Without Binge Eating Disorder

The purpose of this study was to determine whether there are differences in energy intake or energy expenditure that distinguish overweight/obese women with and without binge eating disorder (BED). Seventeen overweight/obese women with BED and 17 overweight/obese controls completed random 24-h dietary recall interviews, and had total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) assessed by the doubly labeled water (DLW) technique with concurrent food log data collection. Participants received two baseline dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans and had basal metabolic rate (BMR) and thermic effect of food (TEF) measured using indirect calorimetry. Results indicated no between group differences in TDEE, BMR, and TEF. As in our previous work, according to dietary recall data, the BED group had significantly higher caloric intake on days when they had binge eating episodes than on days when they did not (3,255 vs. 2,343 kcal). There was no difference between BED nonbinge day intake and control group intake (2,233 vs. 2,140 kcal). Similar results were found for food log data. Dietary recall data indicated a trend toward higher average daily intake in the BED group (2,587 vs. 2,140 kcal). Furthermore, when comparing TDEE to dietary recall and food log data, both groups displayed significant under-reporting of caloric intake of similar magnitudes ranging from 20 to 33%. Predicted energy requirements estimated via the Harris—Benedict equation (HBE) underestimated measured TDEE by 23–24%. Our data suggest that increased energy intake reported by BED individuals is due to increased food consumption and not metabolic or under-reporting differences.
The ExoVM system for automatic VM and application reduction

Embedded systems pose unique challenges to Java application developers and virtual machine designers. Chief among these challenges is the memory footprint of both the virtual machine and the applications that run within it. With the rapidly increasing set of features provided by the Java language, virtual machine designers are often forced to build custom implementations that make various tradeoffs between the footprint of the virtual machine and the subset of the Java language and class libraries that are supported. In this paper, we present the ExoVM, a system in which an application is initialized in a fully featured virtual machine, and then the code, data, and virtual machine features necessary to execute it are packaged into a binary image. Key to this process is feature analysis, a technique for computing the reachable code and data of a Java program and its implementation inside the VM simultaneously. The ExoVM reduces the need to develop customized embedded virtual machines by reusing a single VM infrastructure and automatically eliding the implementation of unused Java features on a per-program basis. We present a constraint-based instantiation of the analysis technique, an implementation in IBM's J9 Java VM, experiments evaluating our technique for the EEMBC benchmark suite, and some discussion of the individual costs of some of Java's features. Our evaluation shows that our system can reduce the non-heap memory allocation of the virtual machine by as much as 75%. We discuss VM and language design decisions that our work shows are important in targeting embedded systems, supporting the long-term goal of a common VM infrastructure spanning from motes to large servers.
On maximal sign-nonsingular matrices

Abstract We derive several new results on maximal sign-nonsingular (SNS) matrices. These include two methods for constructing new SNS matrices from smaller SNS matrices. The results are used to produce a matrix definition for the C 4 cockades and to introduce new families of SNS matrices not previously defined. All of our results were deduced with the help of tables of maximal, irreducible SNS matrices of orders three through nine which we previously computed. The interesting matrices in these tables for orders three through eight are reproduced at the end of an appendix in which we describe the computations.
Algorithm 938: Compressing circular buffers

Data sequences generated by on-line sensors can become arbitrarily large and must, therefore, be pared down to fit into available memory. For situations where only the most recent data is of interest, this problem can be solved with optimal efficiency by a simple circular buffer: it fills each memory location with useful data, and requires just one write to memory per update. The algorithm presented here provides essentially the same efficiency, but while maintaining a continuously updated, fixed-size, compressed representation of the entire data sequence. Each value in these compressed sequences represents a statistic (an average, maximum, random sample, etc.) computed over a contiguous chunk of the original sequence. Compressing circular buffers gain their efficiency by using an alternative indexing sequence, based on well-known principles of elementary number theory, to ensure that each newly written value gets stored in the unoccupied location created when the two oldest sequential over-sampled values are compressed into one. The associated Java implementation supports a variety of aggregating statistics and is used to compare the algorithm's performance with a more obvious approach (doubling).
Mechanisms for precipitation enhancement in a North American monsoon upper-tropospheric trough

AbstractTropical upper-tropospheric troughs (TUTTs), transient summertime disturbances over the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, are also observed to frequently occur in the North American monsoon (NAM) region. However, unlike TUTTs over the Pacific and Atlantic, which feature a predominance of precipitation on the eastern flank of the disturbances, TUTTs in the NAM region have been shown to enhance precipitation on their western flank as they pass over the mountains of northern Mexico. To investigate this phenomenon, convection-permitting simulations are performed over the core NAM region for the 12–14 July 2004 TUTT event that occurred during the North American Monsoon Experiment (NAME). The effects of the TUTT are isolated using an approach that removes the vorticity anomaly associated with it. Six simulations, three with the TUTT and three without it, are then executed.It is found that the mean of the TUTT simulations has increased surface–500-hPa and 700–400-hPa shear and that there is incrementally more...
Performance Enhancement Strategies for Multi-Block Overset Grid Cfd Applications

The overset grid methodology has significantly reduced time-to-solution of high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations about complex aerospace configurations. The solution process resolves the geometrical complexity of the problem domain by using separately generated but overlapping structured discretization grids that periodically exchange information through interpolation. However, high performance computations of such large-scale realistic applications must be handled efficiently on state-of-the-art parallel supercomputers. This paper analyzes the effects of various performance enhancement strategies on the parallel efficiency of an overset grid Navier-Stokes CFD application running on an SGI Origin2000 machine. Specifically, the role of asynchronous communication, grid splitting, and grid grouping strategies are presented and discussed. Details of a sophisticated graph partitioning technique for grid grouping are also provided. Results indicate that performance depends critically on the level of latency hiding and the quality of load balancing across the processors.
Avoidance behavior of mallards and northern bobwhite exposed to carbofuran‐contaminated food and water

Food and water avoidance experiments were conducted on mallards (Anas platyrhynchos L.) and northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus L.) exposed to a range of dietary carbofuran concentrations. A dietary avoidance concentration 50 (analogous to an LC50) was calculated for each avoidance experiment. This statistic describes the dietary toxicant concentration threshold at which, when exceeded, exposed animals are likely to discriminate between untreated and treated feed or water. The food avoidance concentration 50s (FAC50s) for mallards and bobwhite were 10 and 159 ppm, respectively. The water avoidance concentration 50 (WAC50) for mallards was 3 ppm. For bobwhite the WAC50 for carbofuran was estimated to exceed 50 ppm.
Salicylate-induced inhibition of collagen and mucopolysaccharide biosynthesis by a chick embryo cell-free system.

The ability of a chick embryo cell-free system to synthesize collagen, mucopolysaccharide and non-collagen protein in the presence of sodium salicylate was studied. Added creatine phosphate together with endogenous creatine kinase was the ATP generating system. The incorporation of labelled proline or labelled glucose into collagen or mucopolysaccharide respectively depended on ATP level in the cell-free system used. Salicylate inhibited collagen and mucopolysaccharide synthesis to a greater extent than non-collagen protein synthesis. The ability of the cell-free system to hydroxylate labelled protocollagen was inhibited 50% by storage at −18°. Ferrous iron reversed this inhibition. Salicylate prevented the restoration of the enzyme activity by ferrous iron. Incorporation of radioactivity into hyaluronic acid, when labelled UDP-glucuronic acid and UDP-N-acetylglucosamine were supplied, was inhibited 17% by salicylate. Under the same conditions 47% inhibition of incorporation into chondroitin sulphate was seen. This suggests that UDP-N-acetyl-glucosamine-UDP-N-acetylgalactosamine epimerase is inhibited by salicylate.
Quantitation of CK-MB release: diagnostic utility in coronary artery bypass grafting.

Abstract The quantitative release of creatine kinase (CK-MB) into the circulation of 97 patients receiving between three and five distal aorto-coronary bypass grafts was used to quantitate the minimal operative myocardial injury and to determine the diagnostic utility of this measurement in the detection of perioperative myocardial infarction. Independently read electrocardiography (ECG) was used to define infarction. The ± 2 SD confidence range for traumatized heart tissue based on 88 patients without infarction was 0–40.5 g equivalents. Six patients with perioperative myocardial infarction had values significantly above this range. Three patients with indeterminate ECG both released CK-MB significantly above the reference range and were clearly abnormal from a clinical standpoint.
The early retirement plans of women and men: An empirical application

This paper deals with the factors that influence plans to retire from the labour force. We use a theoretical model to explain the empirical findings from a bivariate probit model relating economic, demographic, and social characteristics to retirement plans for over 7000 women and men between the ages of 40 and 64. The results of the analysis concerning retirement intentions suggest that personal, economic and household characteristics are more important determinants of retirement plans for women than men.
Evaluation of Operative Left Ventricular Outflow Tract Lesions with a Fluid Impedance Plot

A hydraulic fluid impedance plot is produced by plotting instantaneous differential pressure against phasic blood flow across a vascular segment. This simple plot quantitatively and compactly describes the changes in flow resistance (impedance) throughout the entire cardiac cycle. Impedance plots were obtained before and after corrective surgery in patients with a variety of left ventricular outflow tract and aortic valve lesions. Although present techniques are still limited, impedance plots now provide quantitative measurement of flow resistance throughout the cardiac cycle in a variety of cardiac and great vessel lesions.
Consistency and Correspondence of Mothers' and Teachers' Assessments of Young Handicapped Children

Due to the recognition of the limitations of standardized, formal assessment instruments and the mandates of Public Law 94-142, teachers, direct care staff, and parents are becoming Involved in assessment of young handicapped children. If the evaluation and judgments of parents are to be valid sources of information about the child, the utility of clinical judgment must be documented. Typically, parents tend to overestimate their child's general intelligence or ability; however, this may be a function of the specific test, measure, or rating scale used. The study described in this article was designed to determine (a) the degree of correspondence between mothers' and teachers' ratings on the same version of the same assessment instrument and (b) the degree of correspondence between mothers' ratings across a period of time. The data support the reliability of maternal assessment and provide evidence for the contributions of parents to the assessment process in early intervention.
Non-Markovian Green function for plasma turbulence

Abstract We consider the Green function appropriate for weak plasma turbulence and show that, after a sufficiently long time, it approaches the Green function for a Markovian system.
Cold War Paradigms and the Post-Cold War High School History Curriculum

This article is a discussion of how ideological paradigms shaped during the Cold War might be adapted in high schools to explore critically the roles played by the United States in world affairs during the last half century. The author focuses on two specific paradigms, represented respectively by the work of Paul Gagnon and Noam Chomsky. Whereas Gagnon asserts that examination of flaws in American foreign and military policies must be tempered by recognition of the legitimate national security concerns of policymakers and the difficult dilemmas they face, Chomsky argues that the rela objective of American policies has been geopolitical dominance and that the methods used to realize that objective have been ruthless. The author concludes with the argument that allowing students to stand outside of both paradigms and explore them in light of historical evidence will help them to develope a meaningful perspective on the roles played by the U.S. during the Cold War.
Numerical Simulation of the Fiber Pulled out from Steel-Fiber Concrete

ANSYS finite element analysis software is used to simulate the pull-out process of hooked-end steel fiber from concret in this paper. The contact element is adapted to simulate the interface contact of fiber and concrete, the effect of concrete matrix damage is ignored, the plastic deformation of fibers is considered and the numerical results is good compared with test results. In addition, the effect of some influencing factor on the pull-out process of fibers such as the interface friction coefficient, elastic modulus of matrix, the tensile strength of steel fiber and concrete shrinkage characteristics are discussed.
The Principle of Minimum Information

The principle of maximum entropy for assignment of estimated probabilities is intriguing. Since entropy is the negative of information, the principle was renamed. The formalisms for discrete and continuous random variables are described and illustrated. The problem of complete ignorance is discussed and the concept of quasi-ignorance is introduced as a substitute. Constraints on the probabilities, beyond the minimum, are a source of consternation and a stumbling block to the application of the principle. Many questions are raised, but no answers are given. At present, the principle cannot be evoked to solve practical problems in reliability. Theoreticians should apply themselves to find realistic tractable constraints that do not involve logical contradictions.
Folk Belief Theory, the Rigor Gap, and the Achievement Gap

Abstract Folk belief theory is suggested as a primary cause for the persistence of the achievement gap. In this research-supported theory, culturally specified folk beliefs about learning and teaching prompt educators to direct more rigorous curriculum to high-advantage students but not to low-advantage students, resulting in impoverished pedagogy in disadvantaged schools. Folk beliefs tend to be resistant to change, which helps to explain why the achievement gap has proven so persistent. At the same time, various belief-change strategies have potential to promote use of rigorous curriculum with disadvantaged students.
Practice ordering guidance for neonatal parenteral nutrition.

Neonatal parenteral nutrition (PN) is designed for very low birth weight infants (BW⩽1500 g) for whom enteral feedings are inadequate. Evaluating the clinical practice guidance (CPG) content of printed paper order forms could provide a baseline for comparison and serve as a reference for electronic neonatal nutrition order design systems. A scoring system for clinical practice guidance was developed and applied to nine institutions printed paper PN order forms. CPG scores were assigned as: (1) generic reminder only, (2) prompt with order entry space, (3) patient specific reminder only, (4) patient specific recommendation with order entry space. User-friendliness and form completion time were also recorded. The overall CPG score for the six most common PN components was 1.85±0.68 (mean±1s.d.), consistent with a generic reminder, but short of a specific nutrient dose order field. Amino acid received the highest CPG score, 2.05±0.64; vitamins rated the lowest. The institution of origin was an independent predictor of the CPG score. Paper neonatal PN order forms offer relatively little CPG. Significant form variation and format reflects the need to standardize neonatal PN design as the neonatal PN design moves from paper to electronic ordering systems.
COMPARISON OF PLANT DNA CONTENTS DETERMINED BY FEULGEN MICROSPECTROPHOTOMETRY AND LASER FLOW CYTOMETRY

(...) Nuclei stained with propidium iodide, isolated from chopped plant leaves, were passed through an Ortho Cytofluorograph with a Lexel model 95 argon laser (514 nm) and the fluorescence measured, integrated, and recorded using an Ortho 2140 Data Acquisition computer. All nuclear samples were mixed with nuclei of Sultan barley (2C DNA content=11.12 pg [picogram]) as an internal standard (...)
Implications of a strongly peaked polar magnetic field

Using the flux-transport equation in the absence of sources, we study the relation between a highly peaked polar magnetic field and the poleward meridional flow that concentrates it. If the maximum flow speed νm greatly exceeds the effective diffusion speed κ/R, then the field has a quasi-equilibrium configuration in which the poleward convection of flux via meridional flow approximately balances the equatorward spreading via supergranular diffusion. In this case, the flow speed ν(θ) and the magnetic field B(θ) are related by the steady-state approximation ν(θ) ≃ (κ/R)B′(θ)/B(θ) over a wide range of colatitudes θ from the poles to midlatitudes. In particular, a general flow profile of the form sin p θ cos q θ which peaks near the equator (q ≪ p) will correspond to a cos n θ magnetic field at high latitudes only if p = 1 and νm = n κ/R. Recent measurements of n ∼ 8 and κ ∼ 600 km2 s−1 would then give νm ∼ 7 m s−1.
The measurement of harmonization in the form and content of the auditor’s report in the European Union

Abstract This study attempts to determine the degree of harmonization in the form and content of the auditor’s report in the European Union. To accomplish this goal, audit reports from 1995 annual reports of the largest industrial companies in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom are analyzed. The analysis uses the basic elements of the auditor’s report listed in the International Standard on Auditing, “The Auditor’s Report on Financial Statements” as the control. Comparability is tested using the chi-square statistic which tests for equality of the proportions of the various elements in the auditor’s report across the Member States. The results reveal that harmonization exists in three of the five elements in the auditor report relating to form (appropriate title, the dating of the report and the listing of the location of the auditor’s office). Harmonization does not exist for the remaining two elements related to form, nor does it exist for any of elements related to content.
Collaborative design of instructional sequences: teacher developed support for formative assessment

Abstract Professional development activities focused on the organization of mathematics content can be used to enhance the relationship between teacher content knowledge, formative assessment, and instructional decisions. To synthesize and apply what mathematics teachers learned from a three-year professional development project designed to improve classroom assessment practices, we designed the Learning Line Activity. Groups of teachers co-constructed and presented learning lines that reflected their collective understanding of how the content domain was represented and developed. The processes and products of the Learning Line Activity can be used to support teachers’ instructional planning and enactment of formative assessment.
Interrelationships among instructional effectiveness, publication record, and monetary reward

Measures of teaching effectiveness, scholarly publication, and average salary adjustments were interrelated for a sample of 222 experienced college teachers. A moderate relationship was found between scholarly productivity and salary increases, and a more modest relationship existed between teaching effectiveness and salary. Scholarly publication and teaching effectiveness were independent, however.
Altered 'three-flash' illusion in response to two light pulses in schizophrenia.

Background Disorganization is a core dysfunction in schizophrenia. Coherent thought and behavior rely on the interactive neural responses to temporally discrete external events. Previous studies have demonstrated that a single visual stimulus (event) is abnormally affected by another (as in backward masking), but the integration (or ‘synthesis’) of temporally discrete events remains largely unexplored in schizophrenia. We examined the perceived interaction of two elementary visual events in schizophrenia patients, using a psychophysical approach.
The kinetics of zinc accumulation by the marine prosobranch gastropod Littorina littorea

Abstract The kinetics of accumulation of 65Zn by L. littorea from seawater containing low ( 2·5 × 10 −10 m ) and high ( 150 × 10 −10 m ) concentrations of Zn has been studied. The accumulation of 65Zn by the animals was essentially linear with time at both external concentrations of the metal. Analyses of the individual tissues show that at low ambient concentrations, 65Zn is accumulated primarily by the kidney while at elevated concentrations, the stomach and visceral complex also play a prominent role in accumulating the metal. Comparative analyses of the isotopic and total concentrations of Zn in the animals exposed to high concentrations of Zn show, however, that the rates of turnover and flux of the metal in these tissues are different. Thus, although the initial rates of Zn accumulation are highest in the kidney when normalized for weight, there is no net accumulation of the Zn in the tissue after 1 week of exposure since the biological half-life is short and there is rapid bidirectional flux of the metal. This is in marked contrast to the stomach and visceral complex which have long biological half-lives for the metal and have been identified as major sites of Zn accumulation in Zn contaminated environments.
Bordered pits in ray cells and axial parenchyma: the histology of conduction, storage, and strength in living wood cells

Bordered pits occur in walls of living ray cells of numerous species of woody dicotyledons. The occurrence of this feature has been minimally reported because the pits are relatively small and not easily observed in face view. Bordered pits are illustrated in sectional view with light microscopy and with scanning electron microscopy in face view for dicotyledonous and gnetalean woods. Bordered pits are more numerous and often have prominent borders on tangential walls of procumbent ray cells, but also occur on radial walls; they are approximately equally abundant on tangential and horizontal walls of upright cells, suggesting parallels to cell shape in flow pathway design. Axial parenchyma typically has secondary walls thinner than those of ray cells, but bordered pits or large simple pit areas occur on some cross walls of parenchyma strands. There is no apparent correlation between the phylogenetic position of species and the presence of borders in ray cells or axial parenchyma. Bordered pits represent a compromise between maximal mechanical strength and maximal conductive capability. High rates of flow of sugar solutions may occur if starch in ray cells or axial parenchyma is mobilized for sudden osmotic enhancement of the conductive stream or for rapid development of foliage, flowers, or fruits. Measurement of the secondary wall thickness of ray cells may offer simple inferential information about the role that rays play in the mechanical strength of woods. © 2007 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2007, 153, 157–168.
The role of sustainable agriculture in improving the safety and quality of the food supply

Agricultural and health policies are not integrated in the U.S. despite their obvious similarities and linkages. Sustainable agriculture can undoubtedly play an important role in joining the two sectors; however, before this can occur research is needed to answer questions in many areas. Some consumer concerns regarding the safety of the food supply can be abated through the use of sustainable practices in food production and processing which can lessen exposure to toxic contaminants and conserve resources. Among the farming issues considered here are pesticide toxicities and their synergistic interactions, yields, storability, nutrient quality, nitrates, mycotoxins, and antibiotics used in meat production. The manipulation of commodities during processing is also addressed, including the intense refining of grains, fortification and vitamin supplementation, imitation food, and food additives. Analogies between production and processing operations are drawn and specific research needs identified.
SU‐FF‐T‐252: Improvement of Localization Accuracy by Using 3D Cone Beam CT for Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy of Liver, Lung and Spine Lesions

Purpose: To compare treatment isocenter placement based on OBI 2D kV imaging and OBI 3D‐CBCT imaging for patients undergoing SBRT, and compare the CBCT based isocenter shifts among liver,lung and spine lesions. Material and Methods: 119 SBRT fractions were delivered to 40 lesions of 32 patients. The patients were initially localized with 2D orthogonal on‐board kV images. 3D on‐board CBCTimages were then acquired to localize the isocenter for treatment. The shifts from 2D to 3D localization were recorded. Histograms, mean values and standard deviation of the isocenter shifts were calculated. Results: The isocenter shifts based on the 3D CBCT for all 119 SBRT fractions were 0.27 ± 0.25 cm, 0.19 ± 0.23 cm, and 0.23 ± 0.27 cm in the A‐P, C‐C, and M‐L direction, respectively. The mean values and standard deviations of the magnitudes of the shifts along AP, CC and ML directions were 0.30 ± 0.26 cm, 0.21 ± 0.20 cm, and 0.31 ± 0.35 cm for liver patients, 0.31 ± 0.29 cm, 0.30 ± 0.31 cm, and 0.28 ± 0.33 cm for lung patients, and 0.22 ± 0.21 cm, 0.13 ± 0.16 cm, and 0.18 ± 0.18 cm for spine patients. Conclusion:CBCT guidance enhances the setup accuracy of SBRTtreatment by using 3D anatomical information. Partly supported by Varian Research Grant.
Microstrip antennas with full polarization diversity using packaged RF MEMS switches

The design of a 1.32 GHz microstrip antenna with polarization diversity using commercially available low-loss packaged RF-MEMS switches is presented. Two OMRON single-pole double-throw (SPDT) switches are used in a novel re-configurable feed network which is able to provide four polarization states; vertical, horizontal, left-hand circular and right-hand circular polarizations. A hardware demonstrator with measured return loss in the polarization states is presented.
Absolute photoacoustic thermometry in deep tissue.

Photoacoustic thermography is a promising tool for temperature measurement in deep tissue. Here we propose an absolute temperature measurement method based on the dual temperature dependences of the Gruneisen parameter and the speed of sound in tissue. By taking ratiometric measurements at two adjacent temperatures, we can eliminate the factors that are temperature irrelevant but difficult to correct for in deep tissue. To validate our method, absolute temperatures of blood-filled tubes embedded ∼9 mm deep in chicken tissue were measured in a biologically relevant range from 28°C to 46°C. The temperature measurement accuracy was ∼0.6°C. The results suggest that our method can be potentially used for absolute temperature monitoring in deep tissue during thermotherapy.
Three-body molecular formation in muon-catalyzed d-t fusion: The role of configuration mixing.

Configuration mixing of the rotational states of the [(dt\ensuremath{\mu})d2e${]}^{\mathrm{*}}$ complex formed in t\ensuremath{\mu}+${\mathrm{D}}_{2}$ collisions arises because of the torque exerted on it by any neighboring molecule. The resulting three-body term in the resonant molecular formation rate is calculated in the quasistatic picture and turns out to be comparable to the two-body term. Numerical results are presented for several values of the (dt\ensuremath{\mu}${)}_{11}$ binding energy. This effect may be large enough to explain the observed three-body effect in molecular formation without the collisional line-broadening contributions discussed previously.
Cellular differentiation and morphogenesis in Cordylophora.

The interstitial cells ofCordylophora were destroyed by treating animals with 4,500 Roentgens of x-irradiation. Within 5–6 days after treatment no interstitial cells were detected in the treated animals and they were never seen in later stages. Some cell divisions were noted in the epidermal epithelio-muscular cells of the x-rayed animals which survived for four weeks. This was ample time to perform reaggregation-reconstitution experiments.
Validation of the EQ-5D quality of life instrument in patients after myocardial infarction.

Background: We assessed cross-sectional validity of EQ-5D after myocardial infarction (MI). Methods: We compared EQ-5D, SF-36, quality of life After MI (QLMI), and Canadian Cardiovascular Society Anginal Classification (CCSG) scores. Correlation and regression techniques were used to assess convergent validity. SF-36 and alternate Rand-36 scoring were compared. CCSG class was used to evaluate discriminative validity and clinical difference in health state scores. Results: Of 99 patients: mean age 64; median 176.5 days post-MI; 80% had one MI; 74% were CCSG I. 1/3 to 1/2 reported mobility, self-care, pain, and emotional difficulties on EQ-5D. Median health state was 0.73. EQ-5D and SF-36 (or Rand-36) strongly correlate in overall health (0.75), emotional health (0.75), pain (0.68), and activity/ functional (0.5–0.63). EQ-5D and QLMI strongly correlate in activities/ self esteem (0.56), emotional health (0.64), anxiety/depression – restriction (0.53), and overall health (0.5–0.57). EQ-5D self-care correlates weakly with all domains. Domain scores from each general instrument contributed to each other’s overall health score (adjusted R2 0.61–0.69) and to disease specific score (0.45 adjusted R2). EQ-5D discriminates among CCSG classes (p < 0.000). Physicians detected a 0.16 difference in health state scores. Conclusion: The EQ-5D provides valid general HrQOL measurement post-MI.
Inadvertent methamphetamine poisoning in pediatric patients

With the increase in popularity of adult methamphetamine abuse in the state of Arizona, there has been an increase in the number of pediatric admissions from inadvertent methamphetamine poisoning. This report describes the signs and symptoms and the hospital course of pediatric patients inadvertently poisoned with methamphetamine. A nine-year retrospective chart review identified 18 pediatric patients poisoned only with methamphetamine. This review revealed that pediatric patients with methamphetamine poisoning commonly presented with the following signs and symptoms: tachycardia (18 patients), agitation (nine patients), inconsolable crying and irritability (six patients), and vomiting (six patients). The most common ancillary tests, excluding urine drug screens, used in formulating the diagnosis were computed tomography scans of the head (five patients) and lumbar punctures (three patients). Three patients received Centruroides sculpturatus antivenin intravenously. The most common complication of methamphetamine poisoning was rhabdomyolysis (two patients), and the average hospital stay for all patients was three days. This case series demonstrates that pediatric patients who ingest methamphetamine can present with signs and symptoms similar to those of an abdominal or neurologic pediatric emergency.
A Study on Gendered Portrayals in Children's Informational Books with Scientific Content

This study analyzes gender bias in children's informational books about science and science careers to determine how these early resources are affecting the disparity between males and females in science and engineering fields. The study focused on the number of male and female scientists both in pictures and text, and how much space was devoted to discussion of scientists of each gender. Overall, the findings of the study show that only 18% of the pictured scientists were female as well as only 16% of the scientists discussed in the text. These numbers are below current industry data that puts the number of females working in science and engineering fields at 26%.
A Flexible Approach To Evidentiary Standards For Comparative Effectiveness Research

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act established a new Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to identify and address research priorities for comparative effectiveness research. Among its many responsibilities, the institute has been charged with setting priorities, developing methodological standards, and communicating research results to decision makers. In this paper we consider how the institute can support the different standards for acceptable evidence used by various government agencies, providers, patients, and other decision makers. We argue that the public interest will best be served if the institute develops a balanced and flexible approach to deciding which types of studies to fund.
Towards the Improvement of Autonomous Glider Navigational Accuracy Through the use of Regional Ocean Models

Autonomous underwater gliders are robust and widelyused ocean sampling platforms that are characterized by their endurance, and are one of the best approaches to gather subsurface data at the appropriate spatial resolution to advance our knowledge of the ocean environment. Gliders generally do not employ sophisticated sensors for underwater localization, but instead dead-reckon between set waypoints. Thus, these vehicles are subject to large positional errors between prescribed and actual surfacing locations. Here, we investigate the implementation of a large-scale, regional ocean model into the trajectory design for autonomous gliders to improve their navigational accuracy. We compute the dead-reckoning error for our Slocum gliders, and compare this to the average positional
Design and evalution of control strategies for high cell density fermentations

A methodology for the design and evaluation of bioprocess control strategies is presented. The strategies manage nutrient supply with demand and vary with the metabolic condition and phase of fermentation operation. Six carbon source addition strategies are based on different combinations of available measurements; they are described and evaluated under different operating conditions for yeast cultivation. It is concluded that a single control strategy is not the most appropriate under all possible operating conditions. An oxygen uptake rate-based control strategy performs better with a mean respiratory quotient (RQ) value less than 1.1 during an oxygen limitation than an ethanol control strategy which had a mean RQ of 14. The designed strategies and an approach of applying the strategy that best matches fermentation conditions consistently enables achievement of high cell densities 78.7 g DCW/L and yields 0.50 g DCW/g glucose as the mean values for three fermentations.
Breaking Through Fast-Forwarding: Brand Information and Visual Attention

Abstract This research explores how fast-forwarding through commercials alters the visual attention of viewers and how marketers can tailor advertisements to retain effectiveness as digital video recorder usage rises. Building on prior work in visual marketing and perceptual psychology, the authors conduct two eye-tracker studies that show how fast-forwarding viewers pay more attention during commercials, but their attention is heavily limited to the center of the screen. Fast-forwarded advertisements containing brand information at screen center still create brand memory even with a 95% reduction in frames and complete loss of audio, whereas advertisements with brand information located elsewhere are of virtually no value. A third study shows that fast-forwarded commercials containing extensive central brand information can positively affect brand attitude, behavioral intent, and even actual choice behavior. These findings show that marketers can counteract the negative effects of digital video recorders...
Gene expression analysis with the parametric bootstrap

Recent developments in microarray technology make it possible to capture the gene expression profiles for thousands of genes at once. With this data researchers are tackling problems ranging from the identification of 'cancer genes' to the formidable task of adding functional annotations to our rapidly growing gene databases. Specific research questions suggest patterns of gene expression that are interesting and informative: for instance, genes with large variance or groups of genes that are highly correlated. Cluster analysis and related techniques are proving to be very useful. However, such exploratory methods alone do not provide the opportunity to engage in statistical inference. Given the high dimensionality (thousands of genes) and small sample sizes (often 0 of the population mean and covariance. The practical performance of the method using a cluster-based subset rule is illustrated with a simulation study. The method is illustrated with an analysis of a publicly available leukemia data set.
Alignment using an uncalibrated camera system

We describe a method for the visual control of a robotic system which does not require the formulation of an explicit calibration between image coordinates and the world coordinates. By extracting control information directly from the image, we free our technique from the errors normally associated with a fixed calibration. We attach a camera system to a robot such that the camera system and the robot's gripper rotate simultaneously. As the camera system rotates about the gripper's rotational axis, the circular path traced out by a point-like feature projects to an elliptical path in image space. We gather the projected feature points over part of a rotation and fit the gathered data to an ellipse. The distance from the rotational axis to the feature point in world space is proportional to the size of the generated ellipse. As the rotational axis gets closer to the feature, the feature's projected path will form smaller and smaller ellipses. When the rotational axis is directly above the object, the trajectory degenerates from an ellipse to a single point. We demonstrate the efficacy of the algorithm on the peg-in-hole problem. >
The Time Has Come for Embracing Interdisciplinary Perspectives: Some Reflections

This article outlines a few reflections on the need to embrace, support, and apply interdisciplinary perspectives in the study of team dynamics.
Quantitative Imaging Network: Data Sharing and Competitive AlgorithmValidation Leveraging The Cancer Imaging Archive.

The Quantitative Imaging Network (QIN), supported by the National Cancer Institute, is designed to promote research and development of quantitative imaging methods and candidate biomarkers for the measurement of tumor response in clinical trial settings. An integral aspect of the QIN mission is to facilitate collaborative activities that seek to develop best practices for the analysis of cancer imaging data. The QIN working groups and teams are developing new algorithms for image analysis and novel biomarkers for the assessment of response to therapy. To validate these algorithms and biomarkers and translate them into clinical practice, algorithms need to be compared and evaluated on large and diverse data sets. Analysis competitions, or “challenges,” are being conducted within the QIN as a means to accomplish this goal. The QIN has demonstrated, through its leveraging of The Cancer Imaging Archive (TCIA), that data sharing of clinical images across multiple sites is feasible and that it can enable and support these challenges. In addition to Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) imaging data, many TCIA collections provide linked clinical, pathology, and “ground truth” data generated by readers that could be used for further challenges. The TCIA-QIN partnership is a successful model that provides resources for multisite sharing of clinical imaging data and the implementation of challenges to support algorithm and biomarker validation.