cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
EFFECTS OF ITEM ARRANGEMENT, KNOWLEDGE OF ARRANGEMENT TEST ANXIETY AND SEX ON TEST PERFORMANCE

The evaluation of student achievement and aptitude by means of paper and pencil multiple-choice tests is confounded by the presence of test idiosyncracies and student characteristics which may impede the accurate assessment of student performance (Millman, Bishop, & Ebel, 1965). Among test characteristics which may affect test performance are the presentation of the questions and the specificity of the test directions. Item arrangement, or the physical location of the test questions within the test is one aspect of item presentation that has been subjected to empirical investigation. Basically, the following four item arrangements have been studied: easy-hard, hard-easy, uniform or spiral-cyclical, and random. Results have generally supported easy-hard ordering for speeded tests, but have shown no practical difference for power tests (Flaugher, Melton, & Meyer, 1968; Brenner, 1964). Specificity of test directions, in particular information provided to the examinee about the item ordering, has been hypothesized to affect test performance (Cronbach, 1946; Hambleton & Traub, 1974). Little empirical evidence, however, has been found to support this idea (Plake, 1980; Plake, Thompson, & Lowry, 1981). Student characteristics which may affect test performance include test wiseness and test anxiety. Studies combining test anxiety and item arrangement show conflicting results (Hambleton & Traub, 1974; Marso, 1970; Smouse & Munz, 1968; Plake, Thompson, & Lowry, 1981). Sarnacki (1979), in his review of factors affecting test performance in the cognitive domain, suggests that familiarity with the arrangement of the items in a test may reduce one's test anxiety. Plake, Thompson, and Lowry (1981) investigated the effects of item arrangement (easy-hard, uniform, random), knowledge of arrangement, and test anxiety on performance on a 48-item mathematics test. No significant (p > .05) order or knowledge effects were found. However, the subject pool consisted of college sophomore volunteers from a general educational psychology class who may not have been motivated to achieve on the mathematics test. Therefore, the validity and applicability of the results may be questionable. The sex of the subject has also been suggested as a variable which will influence test performance, particularly in the area of mathematics (Tobias & Weissbrod, 1980). The purposes of the present study were (1) to investigate the effects of item arrangement, knowledge of arrangement, and test anxiety using motivated subjects to contrast with the Plake, Thompson, and Lowry (1981) research results on non-motivated subjects, and (2) to investigate the interactive effects of sex of the subject and test anxiety, item arrangement and/or knowledge of arrangement on test performance.
Plasma betatron without gas breakdown

1407_49Following Budker's proposal, experiments on plasma betatrons were carried out in several laboratories. Large conduction currents were observed as a result of gas breakdown, but the current of energetic electrons did not exceed 10 (Alpha) . Plasma injection to start a beam in good vacuum has been adopted. The chamber consisted of outer and inner glass pipes lined with stainless steel mesh at radii of 5 cm and 2 cm, respectively. A toroidal field of 2-3 kG was applied along with a vertical field of up to 1.4 kG. Plasma was injected by coaxial guns, 1/4 inch in outer diameter, without increasing the neutral pressure significantly. A 20 (Alpha) beam was accelerated to a peak energy of 1 MeV with little loss and then dumped to the chamber wall by a spiller field. The current was enhanced to more than 100 (Alpha) by the addition of electron injection using a field emission cathode.© (1991) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Vigilante Fascism: The Black Legion as an American Hybrid

Because in retrospect we know that fascism never took in the United States, we are likely to overlook aspects of the American experience that nurtured what might well be described as protofascist proclivities: our hardy nativist tradition, from the Know-Nothings to the second Ku Klux Klan, cultivated attitudes that strikingly paralleled many of the characteristics of European fascism during the interwar period. American nativism, one would have been tempted to argue, should have served as a seedbed for the growth of an aggressive American fascism during the crisis of the 1930s. Yet it did no such thing.
Valleys That Never Were: Time Surfaces Versus Stratigraphic Surfaces—Discussion

Strong and Paola (2008) have written a seminal paper rich with insights that contribute to our understanding of the origin and time significance of sequence boundaries. These insights derive from the animated proxy for natural depositional systems offered by the experimental flume approach. Their perspective differs from the finished-product vantage provided by the rock and sediment record, and the work-in-progress view granted by the recent stratigraphy of extant depositional systems. Still, these rock and recent perspectives provide critical angles to the full view of sequences and through their differing datal slant have already rendered comparatively supportable versions of the Strong and Paola (2008) conclusions. Their paper does not well consider the testimony of these other witnesses. This discussion provides a few examples where conclusions of Strong and Paola have more converged with existing field insights and further comments on areas where the flume has enhanced the recent and rock perspectives. A central point of Strong and Paola's paper is that sequence boundaries form as “composite surfaces” that are never synchronously exposed, but instead are cut and reshaped diachronously by sequential scour and burial beneath locally active topography of a larger and laterally migrating fluvial system. This process is observed …
Therapeutic human papillomavirus vaccines: current clinical trials and future directions

Background: Cervical cancer is the second largest cause of cancer deaths in women worldwide. It is now evident that persistent infection with high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) is necessary for the development and maintenance of cervical cancer. Thus, effective vaccination against HPV represents an opportunity to restrain cervical cancer and other important cancers. The FDA recently approved the HPV vaccine Gardasil for the preventive control of HPV, using HPV virus-like particles (VLP) to generate neutralizing antibodies against major capsid protein, L1. However, prophylactic HPV vaccines do not have therapeutic effects against pre-existing HPV infections and HPV-associated lesions. Furthermore, due to the considerable burden of HPV infections worldwide, it would take decades for preventive vaccines to affect the prevalence of cervical cancer. Thus, in order to speed up the control of cervical cancer and treat current infections, the continued development of therapeutic vaccines against HPV is critical...
Microvascular Obstruction After Nonsurgical Septal Reduction for the Treatment of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

A 47-year-old woman with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy presented with worsening exertional dyspnea, paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea, and chest pain, despite maximal medical therapy. Echocardiography showed severe ventricular hypertrophy, left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) narrowing, a 110 mm Hg LVOT gradient, and systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve. She was referred for nonsurgical septal reduction (NSSR). Coronary angiography revealed 3 proximal septal branches of the left anterior descending artery; each was injected with ethanol through an occlusive balloon catheter. Final angiography showed low flow and incomplete contrast penetration into the treated septal branches. The patient’s …
Crowds, Fenianism and the Victorian Stage

This article examines two Irish rebellion-themed plays in context of the growth of Fenianism in the months preceding the Clerkenwell explosion in order to reveal the ways that popular theatre participated in a wider public discussion about what was seen as the modern phenomenon of the crowd. The melodramatic dramas Oonagh; or the Lovers of Lisnamona (Her Majesty's, 1866) and Achora Machree; or Gems of Ould Ireland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 1867) were produced on the eve of one of the greatest Irish–English political crises of the nineteenth century when fears of Irish crowds, and the chaos, violence and contagion they were believed to bring, reached their peak. Both plays feature dangerously ambiguous crowds that alternately form portraits of bucolic sentimentality and forcefully express Irish dissent. This powerful ambiguity mirrors conflicting visions of crowds in this period. While dominant Victorian crowd theory characterized the crowd as a source of chaos that needed to be controlled, political movements...
Unsupervised droplet identification during the pulsed laser enhanced GMAW process

Pulsed laser-enhanced gas metal arc welding (GMAW) is an innovative arc welding process developed recently at the University of Kentucky. It uses the recoil pressure force generated by a pulsed laser to provide an additional force to reduce the needed electromagnetic detaching force (which is produced by the current) to assure the detachment of the droplet and the arc stability. The reduction in the current needed to detach droplets and maintain the arc stability improves the controllability of the most widely used arc welding process—GMAW—and its application range. To accurately control the detachment of the droplets, the force generated by the pulsed laser needs to be computed. Since this force is proportional to the distance from the center of the droplet to the welding wire, the problem can thus be changed to compute the distance between the droplet and the wire. To compute this distance, image processing method is the most effective way. Hence, different well-known image processing algorithms are implemented to address this problem and their performances are evaluated in this paper. Considering the robustness, processing speed, and automation, none of the evaluated image processing methods produce an acceptable result. To solve this specific problem, a novel image processing method is proposed. It is unsupervised and fast. Experimental results indicate that this proposed method can also achieve adequate computation accuracy.
The Artist’s Artist: Cullen Washington in Conversation with Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons

Cullen Washington's work exudes energy, rawness, and a visceral urban vibe, manifesting a fighting engagement with painting practice, painting history, and painting's entrapments and luring out into the open the hidden implications of masculinity and race versus the purity of painting semantics. In this interview Washington reflects on the discipline of painting, the challenges he faces as he refines his skills, and his aims as he positions himself to claim a place in the present discourse. The interview covers such topics as his heroes and what they represent, what is important for painting today, science fiction and outer space as a frontier for blackness, Ralph Ellison's influence on him, and Washington's artistic and cultural inspirations, as well as his experiences as a graduate student.
“Central” Quadriceps Tendon Harvest With Patellar Bone Plug: Surgical Technique Revisited

The objective of this article is to review the surgical technique for quadriceps tendon graft harvest while highlighting an additional technical note that has not been previously emphasized. The quadriceps tendon typically inserts eccentrically on the superior pole of the patella. By shifting the soft-tissue harvest to a location just off the medial edge of the tendon, the adjoining patellar bone plug will be centered on the superior pole of the patella, reducing the risk of an iatrogenic patellar fracture.
The Effectiveness of Boundary and Hydrodynamic Lubrication when Cold Rolling Aluminum Metal

How hydrodynamic and boundary lubrication affect a lubricant's film strength when cold rolling aluminum was studied using a laboratory mill. The film strength of the lubricant was determined by inc...
Hot-stage scanning electron microscope for high-temperaturein-situ oxidation studies

The design of a hot stage for a Cambridge S 4 scanning electron microscope (SEM) is described. Provision is made for the entry of noncondensible reactive gases to the specimen chamber through a leak tube connected to a microvalve. Preliminary oxidation studies on copper at 850°C and $$P_{O_2 } $$ = 3 × 10−4 have shown exceptional promise for the continuous observation of the scalegas interface at magnifications of up to 20,000x. Growth strains resulted in fractures at the grain boundaries of the oxide scale. Growth and random nucleation of oxides are all important features which have been observed here, and clearly show the usefulness of the modified stage of the SEM for future studies of oxidation of metals and alloys.
Succession and replacement in the development of Silurian brachiopod populations

Fluctuating water depths in platform seas covering central North America during late Llandovery time introduced shifts in the spectrum of coral-algal, pentameran, and stricklandian communities. Opportunistic orthotetacean brachiopods were common during these times of community replacement. A pavement constructed by their flat shells was sometimes used as the initial substrate for attachment by the spat of pentameran brachiopods. Both orthotetacean and pentameran shells served as the initial substrate for stricklandian brachiopods. With the decline of a pentameran or stricklandian population, disarticulated shells provided a substrate for repopulation. An assemblage of immature Pentamerus in life position indicates that the typical umbo-down posture was an early result of maximum packing. Development of more advantageously placed individuals severely restricted the growth of others trapped between the substrate and the beak regions of surrounding neighbors. After pentameran assemblages were buried in life position, scouring of the sea bottom frequently produced erosion surfaces which truncated their thin shells. These surfaces were sometimes penetrated by boring organisms, and were firm enough for brachiopod repopulation.
Solderability of pre-tinned Cu sheet

The reliability and integrity of pre-tinned copper-clad printed circuit (PC) boards are serious concerns in the manufacture of electronic devices. The factors that influence the wetting during soldering of Cu are discussed. The results suggest that pre-tinning with a Pb-rich solder, such as 95Pb-5Sn, is preferred to pre-tinning with eutectic solder, since the latter can develop exposed intermetallics during aging that wet poorly. The results also confirm that the use of flux leads to carbon contamination in the solder.
Magnetic and structural properties of SmTiFe11−xCox alloys

Abstract SmTiFe11-xCox (0⩽x⩽11) alloys were synthesized and studied by X-ray, SEM, EDXS and magnetometry at fields up to 90 kOe in the temperature range of 4.2–1100 K. It is established that almost single-phase materials exhibiting a ThMn12 type structure can be formed only for x
The role of p38 mitogen-activated kinase (MAPK) in the mechanism regulating cyclooxygenase gene expression in equine leukocytes

The goal of this study was to define the role for p38 mitogen-activated kinase (MAPK) in the signaling mechanism regulating pro-inflammatory cyclooxygenase (COX) gene expression in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated equine leukocytes for the purposes of identifying novel targets for anti-inflammatory therapy in endotoxemic horses. The p38 MAPK has been shown to positively regulate inflammatory gene expression in human leukocytes and can be activated by a variety of stimuli including LPS, TNF-alpha, and IL-1. Activation-associated phosphorylated p38 MAPK has been implicated in the up-regulation of several inflammatory genes, including COX-2 which ultimately results in the production of prostanoids that are responsible for the pathophysiology associated with endotoxemia. Our hypothesis is that activation of p38 MAPK is essential for LPS-induced COX-2 expression in equine peripheral blood leukocytes. We tested our hypothesis by investigating the effects of the specific p38 MAPK inhibitors SB203580 and SB202190 on LPS-induced COX-2 protein expression and PGE(2) production in equine leukocytes. LPS stimulation activated p38 MAPK and increased COX-2 expression in a dose-dependent manner with maximal activation observed after 30min and 4h, respectively, at a concentration of 10 ng/ml LPS. In contrast, LPS stimulation did not affect COX-1 protein expression. Pretreatment with SB203580 or SB202190 significantly inhibited LPS-induced activation-associated p38 MAPK phosphorylation, COX-2 mRNA and protein levels, and PGE(2) production in equine leukocytes. Maximal inhibition of LPS-induced COX-2 protein expression was achieved at a concentration of 10 microM SB203580. We concluded that p38 MAPK is essential for LPS-induced COX-2 expression suggesting that p38 MAPK is a potential target for anti-inflammatory therapy during equine endotoxemia.
Plastic near-tip fields for branched cracks

A procedure is outlined whereby the plastic near-tip stress and deformation fields for branched cracks are determined under plane strain and small scale yielding conditions. This method utilizes the known elastic stress intensity factor solutions and the universal mixed-mode plastic near-tip fields to determine the stress and deformation conditions at the tip of a kinked or forked crack. The plastic near-tip fields are characterized by an amplitude and a mixity parameter. We examine the influence of crack tip plasticity and material strain hardening characteristics on the local stress and strain states. Possible beneficial effects of crack branching and crack tip plasticity on fracture toughness and crack growth resistance are discussed in the light of these results.
Frequency stability and offset locking of a laser-diode-pumped Nd:YAG monolithic nonplanar ring oscillator.

The frequency stability of laser-diode-pumped, monolithic Nd:YAG solid-state unidirectional nonplanar ring oscillators was studied by heterodyne measurements. CW single-axial- and transverse-mode power of 25 mW at 1064 nm was obtained at a slope efficiency of 19 percent. Two independent oscillators were offset-locked at 17 MHz with frequency fluctuations of less than + or - 40 kHz for periods of 8 min.
Implications of upper stratospheric trace constituent changes observed by HALOE for O3 and ClO from 1992 to 1995

Measurements from the Halogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE) of the upper stratosphere show increases in HCl and H2O and decreases in CH4 and O3 during the period 1992–1995. These changes all coincide with the decline of solar cycle 22. Using a simple photochemical model, we find that 4 major components contribute to the O3 decrease: 1) an increase in total chlorine as indicated by increasing HCl 2) an additional increase in reactive chlorine due to repartitioning of Cly by the decreasing CH4 3) a decrease in odd oxygen production due to decreased solar flux and 4) an increase in odd hydrogen loss due to increasing H2O. At 2 mbar, the Cly repartitioning is the largest cause of O3 changes. Because the Cly repartitioning coincides with decreasing solar flux, some recent observational estimates of the long-term response of upper stratospheric O3 to solar UV irradiance variability may be too large. Compared with the HALOE O3 data, the model O3 exhibits a larger negative trend. This appears to be because the model O3 is more sensitive to the increased H2O than is the observed O3. The 20–30% decline in CH4 also implies a large increase in ClO which exceeds that expected from CFCs. Observations of ClO from the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) support this inference.
Magnetism and bonding in a D88 structure; Mössbauer and magnetic investigation of the system Mn5Si3-Fe5Si3

Abstract The Mossbauer spectra and magnetic measurements of the phases Mn 5− x Fe x Si 3 , 1 ⩽ x ⩽ 5, and Mn 5 Si 3 were obtained from 4·2°K to above room temperature. The compounds crystallize with the hexagonal D8 8 structure (Mn 5 Si 3 type), space group P6 3 /mcm. The first iron atom substitutes into the 4( d ) site. The second iron occupies mainly the 6( g ) site while the third iron occupies both the 6 (g) and 4( d ) sites of the space group. The fourth iron substitutes in such a manner that 4( d ) sites are completely occupied by iron and only one Mn is left in 6( g ). The phases Mn 4 FeSi 3 and Mn 3 Fe 2 Si 3 show antiferromagnetic behavior similar to Mn 5 Si 3 ; MnFe 4 Si 3 is ferromagnetic and displays a magnetization curve similar to Fe 5 Si 3 . The data indicate that iron in the 4( d ) site can be described on the basis of a low spin 3 d 5 configuration with covalent bonding between it and the surrounding six silicon atoms. Covalency is assigned on the basis of the internal field value H n ≈ 130 kG. The 6( g ) iron displays about 50 per cent covalent and 50 per cent metallic character. A magnetic structure for MnFe 4 Si 3 and Fe 5 Si 3 is proposed in which canting of the sublattice magnetizations is considered.
Competition between DDT-resistant and susceptible house flies.

Sokal and Sullivan (1963) have reported on developmental competition between mutant and wild-type house fly, Musca domestica L., strains. They discussed techniques and compared their experimental results with related studies including those of Boggild and Keiding (1958) on the competitive advantage of resistant strains of house fly.
Physical exercise and cognitive recovery in acquired brain injury: a review of the literature

Objective Physical exercise has been shown to play an ever-broadening role in the maintenance of overall health and has been implicated in the preservation of cognitive function in both healthy elderly and demented populations. Animal and human studies of acquired brain injury (ABI) from trauma or vascular causes also suggest a possible role for physical exercise in enhancing cognitive recovery. Data Sources A review of the literature was conducted to explore the current understanding of how physical exercise impacts the molecular, functional, and neuroanatomic status of both intact and brain-injured animals and humans. Study Selection Searches of the MEDLINE, CINHAL, and PsychInfo databases yielded an extensive collection of animal studies of physical exercise in ABI. Animal studies strongly tie physical exercise to the upregulation of multiple neural growth factor pathways in brain-injured animals, resulting in both hippocampal neurogenesis and functional improvements in memory. Data Extraction A search of the same databases for publications involving physical exercise in human subjects with ABI yielded 24 prospective and retrospective studies. Data Synthesis Four of these evaluated cognitive outcomes in persons with ABI who were involved in physical exercise. Three studies cited a positive association between exercise and improvements in cognitive function, whereas one observed no effect. Human exercise interventions varied greatly in duration, intensity, and level of subject supervision, and tools for assessing neurocognitive changes were inconsistent. Conclusions There is strong evidence in animal ABI models that physical exercise facilitates neurocognitive recovery. Physical exercise interventions are safe in the subacute and rehabilitative phases of recovery for humans with ABI. In light of strong evidence of positive effects in animal studies, more controlled, prospective human interventions are warranted to better explore the neurocognitive effects of physical exercise on persons with ABI.
Estimation of completeness of stratigraphical sections using empirical data and theoretical models

The completeness of a stratigraphical section is the fraction of time intervals of some specified length ( t ) that have left a record. A record is left when some sediment is deposited during the interval and is not subsequently eroded. A complete section contains no hiatuses longer than t . The completeness of a section varies with t and its accumulation rate varies with the length of the time span over which it is measured. Plots of measured accumulation rate against time span are an empirical means of estimating completeness. Simple theoretical models help extrapolate meagre data and identify bias. Completeness at time scale t can depend upon three general properties of the accumulation history: the age of the section, the long term net accumulation rate (drift) and the unsteadiness of the sedimentation rate. The way unsteadiness is measured depends upon the kinds of fluctuations that can be recognized in the accumulation rate. To describe random fluctuations a standard deviation of rates is sufficient. One dimensional Brownian motion is a model of random fluctuations that explains many aspects of stratigraphical completeness. Regular periodic fluctuations in accumulation rate may be described in terms of wavelength and amplitude. Completeness is an increasing function of t, drift and, in the periodic case, the wavelength of fluctuations; it decreases with increasing standard deviation of accumulation rate and the amplitude of periodic fluctuations. The completeness and thickness of stratigraphical sections are weakly positively associated.
Analysis of energy savings in a supermarket refrigeration/HVAC system

Abstract The paper analyzes refrigeration/HVAC system energy consumption in a typical food retail store to study the effects of indoor space conditions. Refrigerated display cases are normally rated at a store environment of 24 °C (75 °F) and a relative humidity of 55%. If the store can be maintained at lower relative humidity, significant quantities of refrigeration energy, defrost energy, and anti-sweat heater energy can be saved. Calculations were done for a typical day in a standard store for each month of the year using the climate data for Tampa, Florida. This results in a 24 h variation in the store relative humidity. Using these hourly values of relative humidity for a typical 24 h day, the store relative humidity distribution was calculated for a full year. The annual average supermarket relative humidity was found to be 51.1%. It is shown that for a 5% reduction in store relative humidity, the display case refrigeration load is reduced by 9.25%, and that results in total store energy load reduction of 4.84%. The results were compared to available experimental data and found to have a good agreement.
Pattern formation in a tunable medium: the Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction in an aerosol OT microemulsion.

Turing structures, standing waves, oscillatory clusters, and accelerating waves have been found in the spatially extended Belousov-Zhabotinsky system dispersed in water droplets of a reverse AOT microemulsion. The variety of patterns is determined by the tunable microstructure of the medium, i.e., by the concentration and size of water droplets. We propose a simple model to describe this system.
INCREMENTAL RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY OF MULTIPLE-CHOICE TESTS WITH AN ANSWER-UNTIL-CORRECT PROCEDURE1

Effort has long been devoted to seeking more adequate measurement with multiplechoice tests than conventional right-wrong scoring affords. Confidence weighing of options constitutes one dimension of these attempts to bolster reliability and validity. A variant of these techniques involves securing an examinee's second, third, fourth, etc., choice of options only when he errs in his prior choice(s). To do this requires immediate feedback concerning the correctness of each response. Since Pressey (1926) invented the teaching-testing machine, numerous mechanical, graphic, electrical, and chemical means have been devised to give immediate feedback. The examinee may be told to continue selecting answers to a question until he is successful. One attraction of this procedure is that immediate feedback may promote learning. Another attraction is that it enables examinees to continue responding in a real-to-life fashion until feedback indicates success. Yet another rationale for testing with immediate feedback is the supposition that if examinees continue answering questions until they answer them correctly, the range of possible scores will be increased (Pressey, 1950), and hence reliability and validity may be improved. Gilman and Ferry (1972) examined the reliability associated with the use of an answer-until-correct (AUC) method with graduate students of educational measurement. Their procedures involved directing the examinee to respond to each multiplechoice question by erasing a carbon shield covering a feedback message. If the selected answer was correct on the first trial, the student had completed the item. Otherwise, he made another response, etc., until the feedback signified that the right answer had been selected. An AUC score was obtained for each student by subtracting the total number of responses (erasures) made in finding the correct answers from the total number of possible responses. An inferred number right (INR) score was obtained for each examinee by counting as correct those questions answered correctly on the first trial. Comparisons of the two sets of scores revealed that the AUC scores were substantially more reliable than the INR scores. Hanna (1974) suggested that part of the reliability gain realized by the AUC procedure may result from affective characteristics. For example, the immediate feedback inherent in AUC media may adversely affect the performance of some anxious examinees who happen to score poorly on initial items. If the internal consistency of cognitive tests were raised by consistent affective traits, then this incremental reliability would be obtained at the expense of construct validity, and consequently would be undesirable.
Scaling of single-bubble growth in a porous medium.

Mass-transfer driven growth of a single gas cluster in a porous medium under the application of a supersaturation in the far field is examined. We discuss the growth pattern and its growth rate. Contrary to compact (spherical) growth in the bulk, growth patterns in porous media are disordered and vary from percolation to diffusion-limited aggregation (DLA) as the cluster size increases. At conditions of low supersaturation, scaling laws for the boundaries that delineate these patterns and of the corresponding growth rates are derived. In three dimensions (3D), it is found that the cluster grows as ${\mathit{R}}_{\mathit{g}}$\ensuremath{\sim}${\mathit{t}}_{\mathit{f}}^{1/(\mathit{D}}$-1), where ${\mathit{D}}_{\mathit{f}}$ is the pattern fractal dimension (\ensuremath{\approxeq}2.50 for percolation or DLA). A similar result involving logarithmic corrections is found for 2D. These results generalize the classical scaling ${\mathit{R}}_{\mathit{g}}$\ensuremath{\sim}${\mathit{t}}^{1/2}$ to fractal clusters.
Evolutionary operation of the exponential smoothing parameter: Revisited

On revoit les formulations du lissage pour une direction lineaire a partir du modele de Chow
Three-year root caries incidence and risk modeling in older adults in North Carolina.

Objectives: The purposes of this study were to describe the incidence of root caries and to identify its risk factors in a representative sample of older adults. Methods: Root caries incidence was estimated and multivariate risk assessment models were developed to identify predictors for root caries in a three-year follow-up study of 234 black and 218 white noninstitutionalized adults aged 65 and older residing in North Carolina. Results: During the observation period, 29 percent of blacks developed root caries, compared to 39 percent of whites (P .32). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that blacks wearing a partial denture, having some root fragments, having an average gingival recession ≥2 mm, and being free of P. intermedia were at greater risk for developing new root caries. The model for whites showed that retired people with their most severe gingival recession ≥4 mm, an average probing pocket depth ≥2 mm, and taking antihistamines were more likely to develop new lesions. Conclusions: These findings suggest that older blacks had less risk of root caries than whites, and in both groups indicators of poor periodontal status increased the risk of root caries.
Ideological Extremism and Public Participation

Objectives. Does aggregate ideological extremism reduce public participation? Does participation in governance processes fall when the social environment shifts to the extreme left or the extreme right of the political spectrum? Our main hypothesis is that the aggregate ideological orientation of the social environment constrains volunteerism in social regulatory programs. Methods. We test our hypothesis using a panel tobit analysis of data from the federal Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program. Results. Our model of public participation (expressed as volunteerism) shows that participation expands when the ideological position of a state’s citizens is at the extreme left or right of the political continuum. We show the differential effects of two types of aggregate ideological orientation: of citizens and their political leaders. We further find that participation is greatest in states with extremely liberal citizen ideological positions. Conclusions. These findings paint a more complex picture of the effect of extremism in the social environment on public participation measured as production volunteerism. In sum, public participation is greatest when the social environment is ideologically polarized, and social regulation is strongest when volunteerism is greatest. Democratic theorists have long debated the necessity of public participation in the search for participation structures that lend the greatest legitimacy to democratic governance. Although public participation in governance processes beyond simple voting is thin in industrialized democracies (e.g., Rokkan, 1962:71; Dalton, 1988), theorists often hold public participation out as both a cause of and a solution to the problem of matching policy reality to political wishes. On one hand, citizen participation in decision making may result in more opposition, more negotiation, and greater chance of failure; moderate and irregular participation may destabilize government (Crain and Rosenthal, 1967). Yet, public participation may increase the likelihood of successful policy implementation (Langton, 1978) and contribute to the legitimacy of the government’s actions (Gellhorn, 1972; Jaffe, 1968), and so proactive participation mechanisms
Factors associated with patients who leave acute-care hospitals against medical advice.

Objectives. We examined hospital- and patient-related factors associated with discharge against medical advice (termed self-discharge) after emergency admission to acute-care hospitals.Methods. We analyzed data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project using logistic regression models to assess the relationship between self-discharge and a set of patient and hospital characteristics.Results. Of 3 039 050 discharges in the sample, 43 678 were against medical advice (1.44%). In multivariable modeling, predictors of self-discharge included having Medicaid insurance (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]=3.32; 95% confidence interval [CI]=3.22, 3.42), having Medicare insurance (AOR=1.64; 95% CI=1.59, 1.70), urban location (AOR=1.66; 95% CI=1.61, 1.72), medium (AOR=1.25; 95% CI=1.20, 1.29) or large (AOR=1.08, 95% CI=1.05, 1.12) hospital (defined by the number of beds), shorter hospital stay (OR=0.84; 95% CI=0.84, 0.85), and African American race (AOR=1.10; 95% CI=1.07, 1.14). Teac...
Patient Outcome after Treatment in a Community-Based Crisis Stabilization Unit

Community-based residential treatment for acute psychiatric crisis has been proposed as an alternative to inpatient hospitalization, but there is a dearth of adequate outcome studies. We examined naturalistic symptomatic and treatment outcomes in patients admitted to a residential crisis treatment program. The 24-item Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale score dropped from moderately ill (40.5 ± SD 8.25 points) on admission to mildly ill at discharge (28.7 ± 11.37 points, t = 10.02, P < 0.0001). Beck’s Depression Inventory also improved greatly, from a significant level of depression of 29.5 ± 11.41 points on admission, to a nearly euthymic level of 10.1 ± 8.60 points at discharge (a difference of 19.4 ± 12.10 points, t = 12.5, P < 0.0001). The current study is limited by the lack of a matched comparison group of hospitalized patients. Nonetheless, community-based crisis stabilization units appear to be cost-effective alternatives to inpatient hospitalization for selected patients.
Surgical Management of Dumbbell and Paraspinal Tumors of the Thoracic and Lumbar Spine

The lateral extracavitary approach was used for single-staged tumor resection in 12 patients with complex dumbbell or paraspinal tumors of the thoracic and lumbar spine. Six women and six men (age, 28-72 yr) were treated between August 1990 and January 1994. The tumors included schwannoma (6 patients), malignant meningioma (1 patient), hemangioma (1 patient), chondrosarcoma (1 patient), osteocartilaginous exostosis (1 patient), radiation-induced osteogenic sarcoma (1 patient), and metastatic renal carcinoma (1 patient). Gross total resection was achieved in 11 patients. Radical subtotal removal was performed in the remaining patient, who had a malignant osteogenic sarcoma. Concomitant spinal stabilization with internal fixation and anterior interbody strut grafting was performed on two patients. No significant perioperative complications occurred. Ten patients were alive and clinically stable at follow-up visits ranging from 14 to 55 months. Two patients died from systemic tumor dissemination during the follow-up period. The lateral extracavitary approach is useful when extensive or difficult spinal and paraspinal exposure is required. The surgical aspects of these neoplasms and the technique of lateral extracavitary approach are described in detail.
On the expected gain from adjusting matched term retrieval systems

A file adjustment procedure based on maximizing the Bayes expected gain is proposed for matched term retrieval systems. The expected gain and its probability distribution are derived as a function of: (1) the prior proportion of omitted terms, and (2) the coefficient of separation between two distributions corresponding to values of an adjustment statistic. An example evaluates the gain parameters for a typical information retrieval system.
The Expression and Action of Granulocyte Macrophage-Colony Stimulating Factor and Its Interaction with TGF-β in Endometrial Carcinoma

Abstract Objective. Previous studies have demonstrated that normal human endometrium expresses granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and GM-CSF receptors. Because GM-CSF is administer to cancer patients following chemotherapy, GM-CSF may directly or through interaction with ovarian steroids and other cytokines alter the behavior of endometrial cancer. The aim of this study was to determine the expression of GM-CSF and receptors in endometrial carcinoma and its direct effect and interaction with transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) on Ishikawa cells, a human endometrial carcinoma cell line. Methods. GM-CSF, GM-CSF receptors, TGF-β1, and TGF-β type II receptor expression were evaluated using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (Q-RT-PCR). The effect of GM-CSF on DNA synthesis, cell proliferation, expression of GM-CSF, TGF-β1, and TGF-β receptor, and their regulation by ovarian steroids was determined by the rate of [ 3 H]thymidine incorporation, MTT assay, Q-RT-PCR, and ELISA, respectively. Results. Endometrial carcinomas express significantly higher GM-CSF and GM-CSF α and β receptor mRNA compared with normal postmenopausal endometrium. GM-CSF at various doses had no significant effect on the rate of [ 3 H]thymidine incorporation or proliferation of Ishikawa cells, whereas TGF-β1 inhibited [ 3 H]thymidine incorporation. GM-CSF and TGF-β1 regulate their own expression and the expression of TGF-β type II receptor, which were both upregulated by 17β-estradiol and medroxyprogesterone acetate treatment and reversed following cotreatment with their respective receptor antagonists. Conclusion. Endometrial carcinoma expresses an elevated level of GM-CSF and GM-CSF receptors. GM-CSF is not a mitogen for the endometrial cancer cell line; however, either alone or through interaction with TGF-β1, it regulates its own expression and the expression of TGF-β1 and TGF-β type II receptor which inhabits endometrial cancer cells. This interaction may represent a regulatory feedback mechanism that could serve to suppress endometrial carcinoma growth.
Research on ibuprofen for sepsis and respiratory failure.

According to an experimental study in 26 dogs, ibuprofen reversed the hypotension, increased the cardiac index, prevented the acidosis associated with endotoxic shock, and apparently improved survival. In animals given endotoxin followed by ibuprofen, an initial decrease in systemic blood pressure subsequently recovered to 150.2 ± 4.1 mm Hg in 120 minutes (p 2 per minute), compared with animais given endotoxin alone (1.0 ± 0.09 1/m 2 per minute) by termination of the experiment. In addition, although arterial pH decreased to 7.18 ± 0.03 by 120 minutes in animais given only endotoxin, final pH was 7.36 ± 0.01 in the ibuprofen-treated group.
Enhancement of infectivity and persistence in vivo by HBZ, a natural antisense coded protein of HTLV-1

Natural antisense viral transcripts have been recognized in retroviruses, including human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1), HIV-1, and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), and have been postulated to encode proteins important for the infection cycle and/or pathogenesis of the virus. The antisense strand of the HTLV-1 genome encodes HBZ, a novel nuclear basic region leucine zipper (b-ZIP) protein that in overexpression assays down-regulates Tax oncoprotein-induced viral transcription. Herein, we investigated the contribution of HBZ to HTLV-1–mediated immortalization of primary T lymphocytes in vitro and HTLV-1 infection in a rabbit animal model. HTLV-1 HBZ mutant viruses were generated and evaluated for viral gene expression, protein production, and immortalization capacity. Biologic properties of HBZ mutant viruses in vitro were indistinguishable from wild-type HTLV-1, providing the first direct evidence that HBZ is dispensable for viral replication and cellular immortalization. Rabbits inoculated with irradiated cells expressing HTLV-1 HBZ mutant viruses became persistently infected. However, these rabbits displayed a decreased antibody response to viral gene products and reduced proviral copies in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) as compared with wild-type HTLV-1–infected animals. Our findings indicated that HBZ was not required for in vitro cellular immortalization, but enhanced infectivity and persistence in inoculated rabbits. This study demonstrates that retroviruses use negative-strand–encoded proteins in the establishment of chronic viral infections.
Increased brain response to appetitive tastes in the insula and amygdala in obese compared with healthy weight children when sated

Increased brain response to appetitive tastes in the insula and amygdala in obese compared with healthy weight children when sated
Bandwidth Compression Using A Mode-Locked Local-Oscillator Laser

It has been demonstrated in a laboratory experiment that a mode-locked laser can be used as a local oscillator (LO) in a heterodyne ranging system to sample or bandwidth com-press the received signal. The bandwidth compression depends on the difference in the intermode frequency between the LO laser and the transmitter laser. Bandwidth compression of over 500 times was demonstrated, i.e., a 1.5 GHz He-Ne laser transmitter signal was reduced to 3 MHz upon detection. Since the mixing occurs on the surface of the detector only a narrow bandpass receiver that passes the compressed bandwidth is necessary to obtain ranging equivalent to that obtained by a wide bandwidth receiver that passes the full transmitter bandwidth
Nonenzymatic glycosylation of human IgG: in vitro preparation.

Incubation of human serum with either D- (1-14c)galactose (5 mM), D-(l-14c)glucose (5 mM) or L-(l-14c)fucose (5 mM) in vitro for 7 days under physiological conditions resulted in the accumulation of radioactivity into trichloroacetic acid precipitable material. Separation of the serum proteins by Sephadex G-200 chromatography, revealed the association of radioactivity with the. albumin fraction (95%) and to a lesser extent with IgG (4%) and IgM (1%). D-galactose glycosylated purified human IgG at 2 to 3 fold the rate of D-glucose or L-fucose. The rate of glycose incorporation into IgG increased parabolically with increasing pH and temperature of incubation, and followed a first order dependence with either the glycose or the IgG concentration. The post-translational modification of IgG through nonenzymatic glycosylation may affect its immunological properties in clinical conditions associated with increased blood sugar concentrations.
Client satisfaction with telehealth services in home health care agencies

We assessed client satisfaction with the home telemonitoring service provided by 14 home health care agencies in five US states. Clients were randomised to two groups. Telehealth services (health m...
Parameterizations of Condensational Growth of Droplets for Use in General Circulation Models

Abstract Motivated by the importance of the effective radius (re) of the droplets to radiative transfer, this paper presents parameterization schemes, which provide a measure of re in stratiform liquid water clouds (in the −13° to +13°C temperature range), for use in general circulation models (GCMs) or mesoscale models. The first scheme developed here is based on theory and numerical calculations of droplet condensational growth, while the second is based on Twomey's analytical approach. Both methods are evaluated against detailed model calculations, and a method for implementing either scheme in general circulation models and remote sensing applications is described. The new parameterization produces accurate (within a few percent) estimates of the effective droplet radius as a function of height, while the cloud optical thickness compares favorably (often to within <10%) with the model calculations. Twomey's scheme gives reasonable estimates of optical thickness, but tends to underestimate the droplet ...
NNcon: improved protein contact map prediction using 2D-recursive neural networks

Protein contact map prediction is useful for protein folding rate prediction, model selection and 3D structure prediction. Here we describe NNcon, a fast and reliable contact map prediction server and software. NNcon was ranked among the most accurate residue contact predictors in the Eighth Critical Assessment of Techniques for Protein Structure Prediction (CASP8), 2008. Both NNcon server and software are available at http://casp.rnet.missouri.edu/nncon.html.
Obtaining qualitative information on trace species in continuous open-path fourier transform spectroscopic measurements using target factor analysis and related techniques.

We report the application of target factor analysis (TFA) to the identification of trace analytes in open-path Fourier transform infrared (OP/FT-IR) spectra. Results showed that for components such...
The use of vaccinia virus for the construction of recombinant vaccines.

Recombinant DNA technology has been used to engineer vaccinia virus genetically into a eukaryotic expression vector. An exciting outcome of these gene-splicing techniques is that after the insertion of one or more genes which encode the information for antigens responsible for conferring immunity toward an infectious disease, vaccinia can be adapted for the development of live recombinant vaccines. This review discusses recombinant vaccinia design and the feasibility of using these vaccines for disease protection.