cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Gender differences in Axis I comorbidity among depressed outpatients.

Objective: The aim of our study was to assess gender differences in Axis I comorbidity in patients with a primary diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), as well as gender differences in age of onset of MDD. Methods: The presence of MDD, including age of onset, and of comorbid Axis I disorders were assessed in 396 depressed outpatients. Results: Women were significantly more likely than men to meet criteria for comorbid bulimia nervosa and for simple phobia, while men were significantly more likely than women to meet criteria for lifetime history of alcohol abuse/dependence and other substance abuse/dependence. No other significant gender differences in those comorbid Axis I disorders examined were observed. In addition, the age of onset of the first episode of MDD was significantly lower in women than in men. Conclusions: Our findings are consistent with those of previous studies showing a greater prevalence of alcohol and substance abuse and dependence in men and of eating disorders in women.
Nonlinear Optical Properties of II-IV- V 2 Semiconductors

The nonlinear optical properties of the II-IV-${\mathrm{V}}_{2}$ ternary semiconductors are calculated using a molecular-orbital model of the ground-state wave function. A variational technique is used to compute the microscopic polarizabilities of individual II-V and IV-V bonds. The corresponding values of ${d}_{14}$ are in good agreement with available experimental data; eight new values of ${d}_{14}$ are predicted.
A Fibrous Keratin Precursor from the Human Epidermis

Keratin formation is one of the major unsolved problems in skin physiology. In his work on the keratin o£the hair follicle, Mercer (1) commented that as the size and shape of the molecules of the keratinprecursor were unknown, our knowledge was still rather limited. He thought that in keratinization the most likely primary stage was the conversion of a globular protein into a fibrous form by end to end linkage of the particles.
Hey Buddy, Can You Spare Seventeen Cents? Mindful Persuasion and the Pique Technique1

According to the pique technique, a target is more likely to comply if mindless refusal is disrupted by a strange or unusual request. We demonstrated the use of this technique in two experiments. In Experiment 1, passersby on a local municipal wharf were approached by a confederate panhandler who made either one of two strange requests: “Can you spare 17¢ (or 37¢)?” or made either one of two typical requests “Can you spare a quarter (or any change)?” Subjects in the strange conditions were almost 60% more likely to give money than those receiving the typical plea. In addition, a strange request piqued interest as evidenced by increased verbal inquiries about the request. Experiment 2 replicated the first experiment in a laboratory setting and provides additional evidence (via a cognitive response analysis) that strange requests piqued subjects' interest in the appeal as well as increased liking for the panhandler.
The Practical Applications of Modulation Transfer Functions

It is the objective of this discussion to present a mechanism for the appraisal of the performance of optical systems. In order for such a mechanism to be of value, it must be based on reasonable theoretical concepts and be so composed as to permit straightforward, easily interpreted physical measurements. These requirements are necessary so that a body of theory will exist which can predict with reasonable accuracy the results of experiment and the performance of actual systems. It is not our intention in this discussion to delve deeply into the theory, to go into extensive discussions of experiments and results, or to provide numerous comparisons of prediction and performance on actual optical systems. On the other hand, we will try to cover the salient features of the theory and its experimental support, as well as some insight into the practical aspects of mechanism.
ANDROGENS AND EXPERIMENTAL MENSTRUATION IN THE MONKEY (Macaca mulatto)

SEVERAL of the physiological reactions produced by testosterone closely resemble those characteristic of progesterone. Among these are certain effects on the primate endometrium. Its administration will inhibit menstruation in normal monkeys (Hartman, 1937; Zuckerman, 1937) and women (Games, Salmon and Geist, 1938; Papanicolaou, Riley and Shorr, 1938), prevent estrogen-withdrawal bleeding in monkeys (Hartman, 1937; Engle and Smith, 1939; Duncan, Allen and Hamilton, 1941) and bleeding following castration (Hartman, 1937). The development induced by estrogen in the endometria of castrated monkeys is maintained by testosterone without involution or progestational changes, and when bleeding is inhibited following injections of progesterone, the progestational condition of the endometrium is preserved (Engle and Smith, 1939). In contrast with these reactions, testosterone has an estrogenic action on the sexual skin (Hartman, 1937; Engle and Smith, 1939; Duncan, Allen and Hamilton, 1941). It is also notable tha...
Analytical applications of fine-scale terrestrial lidar at the imperial Inca site of Caranqui, northern highland Ecuador

AbstractThe relatively recent availability of terrestrial lidar for mapping archaeological subjects has allowed for great advances in representation and reconstruction but the analytic potential of this technology remains under-developed in archaeology. This paper provides an overview of the analytical directions we are taking with point cloud data generated through ground-based laser scanning at the imperial Inca site of Caranqui in northern Ecuador. Our approach to data analysis employs insights and ideas from the domains of GIScience, remote sensing, cartography, computer vision and hydrology. While creating a comprehensive visual record of the site was an important project goal, we also sought to develop improved methods of feature extraction and surface calibration to better understand water manipulation and flows at the site. Here we highlight some of the preliminary results of our analyses as well as the challenges and benefits of employing terrestrial lidar to investigate a mid-sized archaeologica...
Ceboid models for the evolution of hominoid dentition

Abstract Platyrrhine and catarrhine Primates have independently evolved such features of the teeth and jaws as U-shaped dental arches, reduced cingula on molars and premolars, and modifications for small tough-object feeding. The presence of specialization for tough-object feeding in arboreal cebids such as Cebus apella and Callicebus indicates that hominids may have acquired such a specialization in an arboreal habitat before becoming terrestrial.
Three-dimensional cinematography with control object of unknown shape

A technique for reconstruction of three-dimensional (3D) motion which involves a simple filming procedure but allows the deduction of coordinates in large object volumes was developed. Internal camera parameters are calculated from measurements of the film images of two calibrated crosses while external camera parameters are calculated from the film images of points in a control object of unknown shape but at least one known length. The control object, which includes the volume in which the activity is to take place, is formed by a series of poles placed at unknown locations, each carrying two targets. From the internal and external camera parameters, and from locations of the images of point in the films of the two cameras, 3D coordinates of the point can be calculated. Root mean square errors of the three coordinates of points in a large object volume (5m x 5m x 1.5m) were 15 mm, 13 mm, 13 mm and 6 mm, and relative errors in lengths averaged 0.5%, 0.7% and 0.5%, respectively.
Morphological instability during directional epitaxy

We consider the stability of a single step during epitaxial growth of a monolayer on a continuously supplied substrate in the presence of an imposed gradient in the deposition rate along the direction of growth. This allows control of instabilities that arise from asymmetries in the supply of atoms attaching from the upper and lower side of the step. We consider both a linear stability analysis of a mean-field terrace-step model and kinetic Monte-Carlo (KMC) simulation of an atomistic growth model.
Measurement of the K S branching ratio into two pions

A spark-chamber experiment to measure the branching ratio of the short-lived ${K}_{1}$ meson into the modes ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ and ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{0}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{0}$ was performed at the Princeton-Pennsylvania Accelerator. A 1.0-GeV/c beam of incident ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ mesons produced ${\ensuremath{\Lambda}}^{0}{K}^{0}$ from a polyethylene target. The decay of $\ensuremath{\Lambda}$ into ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}p$ was used as a signal for the associated production of a ${K}^{0}$. A total of 160 000 pictures, taken in two views, were completely scanned for $V'\mathrm{s}$ (charged decays of neutral particles), and all tracks were measured. A final sample of 16 000 ${K}_{1}$ charged decays and 65 000 ${\ensuremath{\Lambda}}^{0}$ charged decays directly determined the branching fraction for ${K}_{1}$ to decay into ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ to be 0.684 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 0.009. The branching ratio found by this experiment is then $\frac{\ensuremath{\Gamma}({K}_{1}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}})}{\ensuremath{\Gamma}({K}_{1}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{0}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{0})}=2.169\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.094$.
SU-EE-A2-02: Efficient Automatic Pre-Selection of Mass Lesion Candidates in DBT Breast Volumes

Purpose: We are developing a computerized mass detection algorithm for the DBT breast volume. Extending existing concepts from projection mammography to 3D is computationally expensive. We are presenting an efficient algorithm for the pre‐selection of lesion candidates from the DBT volume for further processing. Method and Materials: We applied a 3D radial gradient filter to the DBT breast volume. The convolution integral was limited to a shell. To account for variablity of mass sizes, volumes were filtered with multiple shell sizes. To increase computational efficiency, convolution was done in the Fourier domain. A maximum‐intensity projection of each filtered volume was processed with a 2D tophat filter, using a structuring element of the same scale as the shell. Projections at multiple scales were combined by chosing the largest filter response, of the 3 scales, at a given pixel location. Algorithm performance was evaluated on a database of 21 breast volumes with 13 malignant and 8 benign lesions. Patient images were acquired at Massachusetts General Hospital. Results: The algorithm had a sensitivity of 100% at 22 false positives and 90% at 13 false positives per breast volume. For this pre‐selection stage, the goal is to achieve high sensitivity. The false positive rate can be reduced subsequently through feature analysis. Conclusion: We have developed an efficien pre‐selection stage for a 3D mass detection algorithm. The radial filtering stage uses a 3D filter which is less sensitive to reconstruction artifacts and responds more accurately to 3D spherical structures. Future work will include feature analysis to further reduce false positive detections. Conflict of Interest: RMN and MLG are shareholders in R2 Technology, Inc. (Sunnyvale, CA). DBK is patent holder for the technique of DBT and has received research funding from GE.
Developmental Plasticity Links Local Adaptation and Evolutionary Diversification in Foraging Morphology

Developmental plasticity is thought to reconcile the constraining role of natural selection in maintaining local adaptation with evolutionary diversification under novel conditions, but empirical documentations are rare. In vertebrates, growth and development of bones is partially guided by contractions of attached musculature and such muscle activity changes progressively through embryonic development from sporadic motility to direct functional effects. In species with short generation times, delayed skull maturation extends the guiding effects of muscle activity on formation of foraging morphology into adulthood, providing an opportunity to directly examine the links between plasticity of bone development, ecological adaptations, and evolutionary diversification in foraging morphology. In this case, the morphological consequences of inputs due to local functional requirements should be evident in adaptive divergence across taxa. Here we provide evidence that epigenetic regulation of bone growth in Soricid shrews may enable both development of local adaptations and evolutionary divergence in mandibular morphology. We contrast the effects of muscle stimulation on early- vs. late-maturing components of, foraging apparatus to show that the morphology of late-maturing components is more affected by functional requirements than are early-ossifying traits. Further, the divergence in foraging morphology across shrew species occurs along the directions delineated by inductive effects of muscle loading and bite force on bone formation in late-maturing but not early-maturing mandible components within species. These results support the hypothesis that developmental plasticity can link maintenance of local adaptations with evolutionary diversification in morphology.
Electrospray cooling for microelectronics

The challenge of effectively removing high heat flux from microelectronic chips may hinder future advancements in the semiconductor industry. Spray cooling is a promising solution to dissipate high heat flux, but traditional sprays suffer from low cooling efficiency partly because of droplet rebound. Here we show that electrosprays provide highly efficient cooling by completely avoiding the droplet rebound, when the electrically charged droplets are pinned on the heated conducting surface by the electric image force. We demonstrate a cooling system consisting of microfabricated multiplexed electrosprays in the cone-jet mode generating electrically charged microdroplets that remove a heat flux of 96 W/cm 2 with a cooling efficiency reaching 97%. Scale-up considerations suggest that the electrospray approach is well suited for practical applications by increasing the level of multiplexing and by preserving the system compactness using microfabrication.
Online Adaptive Replanning Method for Prostate Radiotherapy

Purpose To report the application of an adaptive replanning technique for prostate cancer radiotherapy (RT), consisting of two steps: ( 1 ) segment aperture morphing (SAM), and ( 2 ) segment weight optimization (SWO), to account for interfraction variations. Methods and Materials The new "SAM+SWO" scheme was retroactively applied to the daily CT images acquired for 10 prostate cancer patients on a linear accelerator and CT-on-Rails combination during the course of RT. Doses generated by the SAM+SWO scheme based on the daily CT images were compared with doses generated after patient repositioning using the current planning target volume (PTV) margin (5 mm, 3 mm toward rectum) and a reduced margin (2 mm), along with full reoptimization scans based on the daily CT images to evaluate dosimetry benefits. Results For all cases studied, the online replanning method provided significantly better target coverage when compared with repositioning with reduced PTV (13% increase in minimum prostate dose) and improved organ sparing when compared with repositioning with regular PTV (13% decrease in the generalized equivalent uniform dose of rectum). The time required to complete the online replanning process was 6 ± 2 minutes. Conclusion The proposed online replanning method can be used to account for interfraction variations for prostate RT with a practically acceptable time frame (5–10 min) and with significant dosimetric benefits. On the basis of this study, the developed online replanning scheme is being implemented in the clinic for prostate RT.
Optimizing Hierarchical Access in OLAP Environment

In online analytic processing (OLAP) deployments, different users, lines of businesses and business units often create adhoc aggregation hierarchies tailor-made for specific reporting or analytical applications. As a result, a large number of these application specific hierarchies accumulate over time. System administrators typically are not able to optimize all these hierarchical accesses by hand due to the large number of hierarchies. However, many optimization opportunities exist due to the significant amount of overlap between some hierarhies. In this paper, we sketch a novel method for optimizing OLAP aggregation queries using precomputed aggregates on other overlapping hierarchies. Our method detects common sub-structures among hierarchies and provides a rewriting algorithm to exploit any precomputations on these shared sub-structures.
Dissociation of the regulation of fatty acid synthesis and cyclic AMP levels in cultured glial and neuronal cells.

— Cultured C-6 glia and neuroblastoma were utilized to investigate the relation of rates of fatty acid synthesis (from 3H2O) to levels of cyclic AMP under conditions of short-term and long-term regulation. The data demonstrate a consistent dissociation of alterations in rates of fatty acid synthesis and levels of cyclic AMP. Thus, marked alterations in the rate of fatty acid synthesis occurred when serum or albumin-bound palmitic acid was present in the culture medium, but there were no accompanying alterations in levels of cyclic AMP. Similarly, when high intracellular and/or extracellular levels of cyclic AMP were induced by exposure of the cells to dibutyryl cyclic AMP or isoproterenol, no change in the rate of fatty acid synthesis occurred. Although the data raise serious doubt about an important role for cyclic AMP in the regulation of fatty acid synthesis, they do not rule out such a role. The findings do indicate that any such role must involve alterations in compartmentalization, metabolism or binding of the mononucleotide within the cell.
Effect of oligomycin on NADH oxidation and its coupled phosphorylation with the particulate fraction from dark aerobically grown Rhodospirillum rubrum.

NADH oxidation with the particulate fraction from dark aerobically grown Rhodospirillum rubrum is significantly stimulated by the addition of phosphate (Pi) and Mg++, or Pi, Mg++, ATP and the hexokinase-glucose system. K m values for Pi in NADH oxidation and phosphorylation are 10−3m and 8×10−4m, respectively. These K m values are almost the same as in corresponding photophosphorylation and oxidative phosphorylation catalyzed with chromatophores. As in the case of NADH oxidation with chromatophores, NADH oxidation with the particulate fraction has an optimal pH at 7.5 without additions, which is shifted to 6.9 by the addition of Pi and Mg++, or Pi, Mg++, ATP and the hexokinase-glucose system. The optimal pH for coupled phosphorylation is 6.9. 10 μg per ml of oligomycin can suppress stimulation of NADH oxidation by Pi, or by the energy trapping system, and prevent the shift of optimal pH. The particulate fraction can catalyze Pi-incorporation into glucose-6-phosphate without externally added ATP, so that Pi-incorporation is inhibited by oligomycin. From these findings, it is concluded that NADH oxidation in the particulate fraction is tightly coupled to phosphorylation.
Speech and Language Processing for Multimodal Human-Computer Interaction

In this paper, we describe our recent work at Microsoft Research, in the project codenamed Dr. Who, aimed at the development of enabling technologies for speech-centric multimodal human-computer interaction. In particular, we present in detail MiPad as the first Dr. Who's application that addresses specifically the mobile user interaction scenario. MiPad is a wireless mobile PDA prototype that enables users to accomplish many common tasks using a multimodal spoken language interface and wireless-data technologies. It fully integrates continuous speech recognition and spoken language understanding, and provides a novel solution to the current prevailing problem of pecking with tiny styluses or typing on minuscule keyboards in today's PDAs or smart phones. Despite its current incomplete implementation, we have observed that speech and pen have the potential to significantly improve user experience in our user study reported in this paper. We describe in this system-oriented paper the main components of MiPad, with a focus on the robust speech processing and spoken language understanding aspects. The detailed MiPad components discussed include: distributed speech recognition considerations for the speech processing algorithm designs a stereo-based speech feature enhancement algorithm used for noise-robust front-end speech processings Aurora2 evaluation results for this front-end processings speech feature compression (source coding) and error protection (channel coding) for distributed speech recognition in MiPads HMM-based acoustic modeling for continuous speech recognition decodings a unified language model integrating context-free grammar and N-gram model for the speech decodings schema-based knowledge representation for the MiPad's personal information management tasks a unified statistical framework that integrates speech recognition, spoken language understanding and dialogue managements the robust natural language parser used in MiPad to process the speech recognizer's outputs a machine-aided grammar learning and development used for spoken language understanding for the MiPad tasks Tap & Talk multimodal interaction and user interface designs back channel communication and MiPad's error repair strategys and finally, user study results that demonstrate the superior throughput achieved by the Tap & Talk multimodal interaction over the existing pen-only PDA interface. These user study results highlight the crucial role played by speech in enhancing the overall user experience in MiPad-like human-computer interaction devices.
Differential evolution particle swarm optimization for digital filter design

In this paper, swarm and evolutionary algorithms have been applied for the design of digital filters. Particle swarm optimization (PSO) and differential evolution particle swarm optimization (DEPSO) have been used here for the design of linear phase finite impulse response (FIR) filters. Two different fitness functions have been studied and experimented, each having its own significance. The first study considers a fitness function based on the passband and stopband ripple, while the second study considers a fitness function based on the mean squared error between the actual and the ideal filter response. DEPSO seems to be promising tool for FIR filter design especially in a dynamic environment where filter coefficients have to be adapted and fast convergence is of importance.
High-Dose Therapy and Autologous Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation in Peripheral T Cell Lymphoma (PTCL): Analysis of Prognostic Factors

Patients with peripheral T cell lymphoma (PTCL) have a poor prognosis with current treatment approaches. We examined the outcomes of high-dose therapy (HDT) and autologous hematopoietic cell transplant (AHCT) on the treatment of PTCL and the impact of patient/disease features on long-term outcome. Sixty-seven patients with PTCL–not otherwise specified (n = 30), anaplastic large cell lymphoma (n = 30), and angioimmunoblastic T cell lymphoma (n = 7) underwent HDT/AHCT at the City of Hope. The median age was 48 years (range: 5-78). Twelve were transplanted in first complete remission (1CR)/partial remission (PR) and 55 with relapsed or induction failure disease (RL/IF). With a median follow-up for surviving patients of 65.8 months (range: 24.5-216.0) the 5-year overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were 54% and 40%, respectively. The 5-year PFS was 75% for 1CR/PR compared to 32% for RL/IF patients (P = .01). When the Prognostic Index for PTCL unspecified (PIT) was applied at the time of transplant, patients in the PIT 3-4 group had 5-year PFS of only 8%. These results show that HDT/AHCT can improve long-term disease control in relapsed/refractory PTCL and that HDT/AHCT should ideally be applied either during 1CR/PR, or as part of upfront treatment. More effective and novel therapies are needed for patients with high-risk disease (PIT 3-4 factors) and allogeneic HCT should be explored in these patients.
Experimental and Computational Characterization of Nonlinear Vibration Response of "Plunging" Beams

In this study the vibration response of three different slender “plunging” beams of uniform rectangular cross-section is investigated both experimentally and computationally. In the experimental part of the research, beams prepared from a 2-ply unidirectional DA409U/G35 graphite/epoxy laminate, a Rohacell ® IG-35 foam-core sandwich composite with one ply unidirectional graphite/epoxy prepreg facings on each side, and an AISI 1010 cold-rolled steel shim stock are used. The beams are subjected to plunging (flapping) motion from their clamped end by means of a single-degree-of-freedom flapping mechanism. The flapping experiments are performed at a fixed flapping amplitude of ±20° over a range of flapping frequencies between 1 Hz and 10 Hz. Deformation of the beams is characterized through the use of a high-speed camera and foil strain gages. The flapping mechanism is shown to produce reliable kinematics when inertial loading transferred from the beam to the mechanism is not too excessive. Experimental strain and tip deflection data reveal that for the amplitude and frequencies of flapping tested the response is periodic and increases with increasing flapping frequency. At low flapping amplitudes the computational results indicate a possible universal scaling of the normalized (by length) beam tip deflection with an inertial load. In addition at large flapping amplitudes the beam tip deflections are relatively insensitive to a change in flapping amplitude. Examination of the steel beam computational phase plane results indicate a possible transition to non-periodic response at flapping amplitudes of 40° and higher. Further computational and experimental investigation is necessary to determine whether the response is truly aperiodic and if so whether it ultimately results in a chaotic dynamics.
Toll-like Receptor 3 Regulates Neural Stem Cell Proliferation by Modulating the Sonic Hedgehog Pathway

Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) signaling has been implicated in neural stem/precursor cell (NPC) proliferation. However, the molecular mechanisms involved, and their relationship to classical TLR-mediated innate immune pathways, remain unknown. Here, we report investigation of the mechanics of TLR3 signaling in neurospheres comprised of epidermal growth factor (EGF)-responsive NPC isolated from murine embryonic cerebral cortex of C57BL/6 (WT) or TLR3 deficient (TLR3−/−) mice. Our data indicate that the TLR3 ligand polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (PIC) negatively regulates NPC proliferation by inhibiting Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) signaling, that PIC induces apoptosis in association with inhibition of Ras-ERK signaling and elevated expression of Fas, and that these effects are TLR3-dependent, suggesting convergent signaling between the Shh and TLR3 pathways.
The Culture Industry, New Media, and the Shift from Creation to Curation; or, Enlightenment As a Kick in the Nuts

This article analyzes Pranked—a reality-TV show that takes amateur videos from YouTube and formats them into MTV broadcasts—to reconsider the culture industry as social media reconfigures it. For t...
Silver transport in Ge x Se 1-x :Ag materials: Ab initio simulation of a solid electrolyte

In this paper, we present models of Ge-Se glasses heavily doped with Ag obtained from ab initio simulation and study the dynamics of the network with an emphasis on the motion of Ag + ions. The models are analyzed with partial pair correlation functions, static structure factors, and novel wavelet techniques. The electronic properties are characterized by the electronic density of states and analysis of specific electronic eigenstates. As Ag content increases, the optical band gap increases. Ag diffusion is observed directly from thermal simulation. The most diffusive Ag + ions move preferentially through low density regions of the network and the existence of well-defined trapping centers is confirmed. Preliminary information about temperature dependence of trapping and release is provided.
Staying alive: a docking station for autonomous robot recharging

Autonomous mobile robots are constrained in their long-term functionality due to a limited on-board power supply. Typically, rechargeable batteries are utilized that may only provide a few hours of peak usage before recharging is necessary. Recharging requires a robot to be taken offline, and attached to a battery charger via human intervention. This is unacceptable in environments where long-term autonomous capabilities are necessary. We present a method to provide long-term autonomy by implementing autonomous recharging. A recharging station design is presented, consisting of a stationary docking station and a docking mechanism mounted to a Pioneer 2DX robot. The docking station and robot docking mechanism are designed to work together, providing a mechanical and electrical connection between the charging system and the robot. Algorithms are implemented to monitor the battery voltage and control the docking procedure, as well as account for any errors that may occur. Initial experiments that demonstrate the validity of the approach and design are presented.
Growth of private medicine in Sweden: The new diversity and the new challenge

The growth of private medical care in Sweden has occurred despite the lack of overt encouragement by the long-term Social Democrat government. This can be documented from official government statistics, private insurance sales, media sources, membership growth in the private doctors association, purchase of private risk insurance, growth of private health care organizations and services, and particularly an increase in public sector private contracting. While the percent of the population with private insurance is close to 1%, it is probable that over 20% of physicians engage in some form of private practice. Explanations range from increasing criticism of poor service orientation in the public system, long waiting lists and the reduced rate of public spending, to a general atmosphere that asserts more individual choice. With the Social Democrats now out of power, it is likely that the Moderate coalition will officially promote some forms of privatization. What will be the impact on the long-cherished Swedish principle of equity?
Plasma catecholamines and postoperative gastric emptying and small intestinal propulsion in the rat.

The role of adrenal medullary discharge of catecholamines on inhibition of gastric emptying and small intestinal propulsion after laparotomy was examined in rats. The rate of movement of a 51Cr-labeled liquid test meal, which had been introduced by gastric intubation, out of the stomach and through the small intestine, was retarded 12 hr after laparotomy. Adrenal demedullation produced a striking decrease in plasma catecholamines and abolished surgically induced elevation of the catecholamines, but had no significant effect on gastric emptying or intestinal propulsion in rats subjected to laparotomy or in the unoperated control animals. Thus circulating catecholamines play little if any role in controlling normal gastrointestinal motility or in the postoperative decrease in rate of gastric emptying and small intestinal motility.
Global Motor Vehicle Assembly: Nationalism, Economics, and Rationale

Using motor vehicle manufacturers’ websites, information about associations, newspaper articles, advertising, GoogleEarth, Wikimapia, and Wikipedia, I created a data base of 1,261 global motor vehicle plants in use since World War II. Nearly 161,000 acres (65,150 ha) of land are devoted to auto assembly complexes worldwide. Depending upon the country, and perhaps contrary to popular thinking, a number of different approaches to land use related to auto production are evident and discussed. The questionable U.S. position in auto production, Japan’s stability, Europe’s variability and up and coming Malaysia and India are all considered. China, though unrationalized at present, seems destined to become the world’s lead producer.
Border control: sandboxing accelerators

As hardware accelerators proliferate, there is a desire to logically integrate them more tightly with CPUs through interfaces such as shared virtual memory. Although this integration has programmability and performance benefits, it may also have serious security and fault isolation implications, especially when accelerators are designed by third parties. Unchecked, accelerators could make incorrect memory accesses, causing information leaks, data corruption, or crashes not only for processes running on the accelerator, but for the rest of the system as well. Unfortunately, current security solutions are insufficient for providing memory protection from tightly integrated untrusted accelerators. We propose Border Control, a sandboxing mechanism which guarantees that the memory access permissions in the page table are respected by accelerators, regardless of design errors or malicious intent. Our hardware implementation of Border Control provides safety against improper memory accesses with a space overhead of only 0.006% of system physical memory per accelerator. We show that when used with a current highly demanding accelerator, this initial Border Control implementation has on average a 0.15% runtime overhead relative to the unsafe baseline.
Perte de sang occulte dans les arthrodèses rachidiennes lombaires antérieures (ALIF)

Abstract Background A retrospective study was performed to determine the factors affecting the total perioperative blood loss during anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF). Measurements of intraoperative blood loss underestimate the true blood loss during surgery. Our research project was to examine the hidden blood loss in lumbar spine surgery. Hidden blood loss in elective knee and hip replacement surgeries range between 100% and 30%. Hidden blood loss was about 40% in posterior spine surgery. Methods The factors analyzed included gender, body mass index (BMI), duration of surgery, type of surgery, aspiration, and number of fusion levels. Estimated blood loss (EBL) was obtained from the clinical records of patients as the blood collected from suctioning and the cumulative weight of the saturated sponges. Actual blood loss (ABL) was calculated from the estimated blood volume and hemoglobin level of patients. Hidden blood loss was calculated as the difference between ABL and EBL. Results Seventy-eight consecutive patients who underwent ALIF were reviewed. The average values (mean ± SD) for EBL and ABL were 700.1 ± 562.3 mL and 1150.6 ± 770.0 mL, respectively ( P = 0.001, Student's t -test). The hidden blood loss averaged 39.2% of the ABL. According to linear regression analysis, surgical duration, type of surgery, and the inclusion of the L4/5 level were independent factors contributing to the ABL ( P Conclusions ALIF is associated with substantial perioperative hidden blood loss. Length of surgery, type of surgery, and the inclusion of L4/5 in the procedure are significant risk factors for increased blood loss. Level of evidence Level IV: retrospective or historical series.
Linking Health and Marriage Practices Among Commingled Assemblages: A Case Study from Bronze Age Tell Abraq, UAE

Tell Abraq (2200BC–100AD) is the largest prehistoric site on the southern coast of the Arabian Gulf. A mortuary tomb at the site was used for a 200-year period (2200–2000BC) and a minimum of 276 adults and 127 subadults were commingled in the tomb. Analysis of 175 adult second cervical (C2) vertebrae resulted in the discovery of potentially a rare pathology: congenital agenesis (nondevelopment) of the dens. Seven (4 %) of the 175 C2 vertebrae presented this pathological anomaly, raising questions about the reasons for such a high prevalence.
Proteases of human leukocytes.

Cell extracts possessing considerable proteolytic activity have been obtained from human leukocytes by ultrasonic breakdown or by treatment with surface active agents. Three proteolytic enzymes are present; one with an optimum at approximately pH 8 is inhibited by organophosphorus compounds and resembles chymotrypsin. This enzyme is derived from polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Lymphocytes contain two proteases with pH optima of 3.0 and 5.5, respectively.
The Myxomycete Taxa Described by Charles Meylan

SUMMARYAll of the genera, species, and varieties of myxomycetes described as new by Charles Meylan are discussed and a nomenclatural type is selected for each. Short discussions of the taxonomic me...
Relaxation Phenomena in Poled Electro-Optic Polymers

The relaxation of the nonlinear optical coefficient of poled electro-optic polymers remains an important issue in the potential application of these materials. This relaxation is due to the homogenization of the orientational distribution function of nonlinear chromophores in the polymer glass over time. We have measured the relaxation using optical second harmonic generation as a function of temperature for doped polymer materials over a range of temperatures deep in the glassy state. We relate the data to widely used physical models of the glassy state which indicate that the relaxation process occurs over a considerable range of time scales. It has been found that the decay of the nonlinear polarization exhibits two mechanisms depending on the time and temperature scales over which measurements are performed. We have carried out measurements over a range of times and show that a broad distribution of relaxation times characterizes the data. This broad distribution is an appealing model in that it not only fits the data well, but is well connected to accepted physical models of the relaxation behavior of glasses. The characteristic energy of the relaxation can be estimated from the temperature dependence and is found to be equal to or less than the energy characterizing the polymer motion, and agrees with dielectric studies. This indicates that the chromophores are more or less coupled to the dynamics of the polymer chain. A figure of merit for the coupling of the chromophore to the polymer chain is proposed.
Steroid Response to Therapy in Prostatic Cancer

IFTEEN years have passed since Huggins and F Hodgeslz first demonstrated the marked response of patients with prostatic cancer to castration and estrogen therapy. This response has become thoroughly established. Patients eventually relapse from this treatment, and there is a growing body 01 evidence that the relapse is frequently associated with increased production of adrenal androgen. It is now fairly well accepted that the object of therapy in cases of inoperable prostatic cancer is to lower the patient's androgen production. Thus, tests measuring steroid metabolites are an objective way of following a patient's response to therapy. Urinary 17-ketosteroids fall into two groups. In this presentation we shall refer to the 17keto-l I-deoxysteroids as "androgen metabolites'' and the 17-keto-1 1-oxysteroids as "corticoid metabolites." Our own data,* indicate that 40 per cent of administered testosterone is recovered from the urine as androgen metabolites and G per cent of administered cortisone as corticoid metabolites. The early workers in this field studied total 1 7-ketosteroid excretion, which is a combination of androgen and corticoid metabolites. In 1941 Satterthwaite, Hill, and Packardl5 showed a decrease in total 17-ketosteroids after orchiectomy in ten patients. In 1942 Scott and Vcrmeulen16 studied patients up to eight months after castration. They also noted a fall in total 17-ketosteroid levels that was followed by a rise to levels higher than the precastrate ones in nine out of ten patients. In I954 Birke,
QScale: thermally-efficient QoS management on heterogeneous mobile platforms

Single-ISA heterogeneous mobile processors integrate low-power and power-hungry CPU cores together to combine energy efficiency with high performance. While running computationally demanding applications, current power management and scheduling techniques greedily maximize quality-of-service (QoS) within thermal constraints using power-hungry cores. We show that such an approach delivers short bursts of high QoS, but also causes severe QoS loss over time due to thermal throttling. To provide mobile users with sustainable QoS over extended durations, this paper proposes QScale. QScale is a novel thermally-efficient QoS management framework for mobile devices with heterogeneous multi-core CPUs. QScale leverages two novel observations to provide thermally-efficient QoS: (1) threads of a mobile application exhibit significant heterogeneity, which can be exploited during scheduling; (2) thermal efficiency of core allocation decisions is significantly altered by thermal interactions across system-on-a-chip (SoC) components and application characteristics. QScale coordinates closed-loop frequency control with thermally-efficient scheduling to deliver the desired QoS with minimal exhaustion of processor thermal headroom. Our experiments on a state-of-the-art heterogeneous mobile platform show that QScale meets target QoS levels while minimizing heating, achieving up to 8× longer durations of sustainable QoS.
Irente Rainbow School

The Irente Rainbow School was born from parents’ will and desire to find a way to educate their children with disabilities. They sought the support and help of the Lutheran Church in Tanzania. This chapter tells the story of the planning and implementation for the school. It introduces to readers the teachers, teacher assistants, other school staff, and a selection of students. These individuals will be integral in telling their story of the Irente Rainbow School in the following chapters.
Compressive behavior of high viscosity granular systems: Effect of particle size distribution

Abstract Granular compressive behavior has been evaluated with respect to particle size distribution. All granules were prepared with a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) binder with viscosity ranging from 12 to 2413 Pa·s. All granules were prepared with 90% particulates and 10% binder by mass. Granules were prepared using two unimodal particle size distributions (420–595 μm silica and 105–420 μm silica) and two bimodal particle size distributions. The bimodal size distributions were comprised of 420–595 μm silica and 0–63 μm silica in 75%/25% and 50%/50% mass fractions, where the first percentage refers to the amount of 420–595 μm silica particles included. The granules were compressed with 1, 10, and 100 mm/s velocities. The granules prepared with 420–595 μm silica particles were found to exhibit greater granular strength than those prepared with 105–420 μm particles. These results are uniquely different from those of previous studies which indicate that a smaller size fraction of particles will result in a stronger granule. The addition of a secondary particle size distribution in conjunction with the 420–595 μm silica particles results in a granule with significantly increased strength over the granule prepared with a unimodal distribution. It is suggested that the bimodal size distribution allows an increased number of interparticle contacts per unit volume to increase the granular strength.
Block-controlled hillslope form and persistence of topography in rocky landscapes

Rocky hillslopes dotted with boulder-sized blocks and covered by a thin, nonuniform soil are common in both steep landscapes and arid environments on Earth, as well as on other planets. While the evolution of soil-mantled, convex-upward hillslopes in uniform lithology is reasonably well understood, the influence of heterogeneous lithology and geologic structure on hillslope form and evolution has yet to be properly addressed. Landscapes developed in layered sedimentary rocks feature sharp-edged landforms such as mesas and hogbacks that exhibit steep, linear to concave-upward ramps with scattered blocks calved from resistant rock layers overlying softer strata. Here we show that blocks can control the persistence of topography and the form and evolution of hillslopes in these landscapes. We present a numerical model demonstrating that incorporation of feedbacks between block release, interruption of soil creep by blocks, and sporadic downslope movement of blocks are necessary and sufficient to capture the morphology and evolution of these landscapes. Numerical results are reproduced by a simple analytical solution that predicts steady-state concave hillslope form and average slope angle from block size and spacing. Our results illuminate previously unrecognized hillslope feedbacks, advancing our understanding of the geomorphology of rocky hillslopes. On a landscape scale, our findings establish a quantitative method to address the migration of sharp edges and the persistence of topography in layered landscapes.
A preliminary look at readmission and mortality among chronically critically ill and other medically complex Medicare patients

ABSTRACTChronically critically ill and other medically complex patients (CCI/MC-Ps) are those who are hospitalized with long-term intensive care needs and require extended periods of hospital-level care. CCI/MC-Ps may be at higher risk for readmission and mortality than other populations due to the severe nature their illnesses. This article examines factors that lead to increased probability of hospital readmission or mortality among CCI/MC Medicare patients. Logistic regression analyses are used to examine mortality and readmissions among the CCI/MC population. Numerous factors including length of stay in the acute hospital, age and gender affect whether a patient is readmitted to the acute care hospital within 90 days of discharge or dies within 60 days following a hospital stay.
Ensemble Air Quality Forecasting: Effects of Perturbations in Meteorology and Emissions

Model-based air quality forecasts are affected by uncertainties in both meteorology and emissions. In this study, we analyze the impacts of these uncertainties on ozone (O3) forecasts over the Northeastern U.S. during a 45 day period in the summer of 2008. The meteorological uncertainty is prescribed through the use of 12 different weather forecasts from a short-range ensemble forecasting system differing in their initial conditions and physics options. To quantify the effects of emission uncertainties, we computed O3 sensitivities towards variations in anthropogenic NOx and VOC emissions using the Direct Decoupled Method (DDM). Results show that the perturbations in meteorology tend to have a larger impact on O3 forecasts than the emission perturbations considered in this study.
Pondering personal privacy: a pragmatic approach to the Fourth Amendment protection of privacy in the information age

AbstractAs technology with surveillance capacities has advanced, the debate over the rights of the citizenry to be free from governmental breaches of personal privacy has intensified. Within the United States, government actions legally challenged as intrusions into personal privacy have been analyzed under the Fourth Amendment, but Supreme Court rulings in such cases lack a clear and consistent rationale. Additionally, while more than a dozen federal privacy statutes have been enacted, each piece of legislation pertains to a specific type of information (e.g. driver’s license information, education records, and financial records). There is no overarching federal legislation which protects the individual’s private affairs from warrantless government inspection. A key issue underlying the scope of the debate and the variation in court decisions and public policies pertinent to invasions of privacy by government agencies is the lack of a clear and cogent definition of ‘privacy.’ By means of a review of the ...