cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
TH-E-BRB-09: Dose Invariance in Adaptive Prostate Radiation Therapy Treatment: Implication for Treatment Simulations

Purpose: To determine dose errors inherent in assuming that dose is fixed in the accelerator coordinate system for image guided planning of prostate cancer. Methods: A 17 prostate patient cohort with 8–13 isocentrically aligned CTs/patient are used. For each patient, a 79.2 Gy, 18 MV, 7 beam IMRT plan is developed on the first/primary image reliant on RT0G 0126 objectives. Dose on the remaining images is evaluated in two ways: (A1) Dose is recalculated on each image. (A2) The planned/primary dose distribution is copied to each image. A2 assumes dose is invariant in the accelerator coordinate system. Effects of patient miss‐alignment are simulated by evaluating dose with 27 patient shifts per image; 0 and ±5mm in left‐right, anterior‐posterior and superior‐inferior directions. Per‐image dose differences and dose‐volume metrics (prostate‐D90, bladder‐ and rectum‐D25) are used to compare A1 and A2. With no shifts, 4D dose accumulated over all images is compared. Results: The per‐image root‐ mean‐square‐error percentage error (RMSPE) between A1 and A2 over all shifts and all patients is 1% for prostate‐D90, 1.5% for rectum‐D25, and 4.6% for bladder‐D25. For accumulated dose, the RMSPE values are prostate‐D90=0.7%, rectum‐D25=12.0% and bladder‐D25=0.7%. 4 out of 17 patients had large variations. Excluding those patients RMPSE reduced from 12.0% to 3.0%. Conclusions: For the patient cohort studied, assumption of shift‐ and deformation‐invariant dose distributions on average introduces <2% error in evaluated dose‐volume metrics in case of prostate and rectum. Further study is required for the bladder. Use of invariant dose distributions has a potential to reduce online re‐planning time and permit pre‐planning based on tissue deformation models. (Supported by NIH 5P01CA116602).
The effects of rural telecommunications self-development projects on local adoption of new technologies

Abstract In the mid-1990s, rural US communities began investing in local telecommunications self-development projects in anticipation of market and policy failure to provide advanced telecommunications services. This study examines whether self-development projects were effective in encouraging local adoption of new telecommunications services by businesses and residents as compared to control communities. Results show that the projects had some effect. However, the study also found that market forces provided similar services in the control communities more quickly than anticipated, and after four years, differences in adoption between project and control communities were generally not significant. This raises questions about whether investments in such projects are justified. Residents of project communities did, however, have significantly more positive attitudes towards new technologies.
SLIM: Sparse Linear Methods for Top-N Recommender Systems

This paper focuses on developing effective and efficient algorithms for top-N recommender systems. A novel Sparse Linear Method (SLIM) is proposed, which generates top-N recommendations by aggregating from user purchase/rating profiles. A sparse aggregation coefficient matrix W is learned from SLIM by solving an `1-norm and `2-norm regularized optimization problem. W is demonstrated to produce high quality recommendations and its sparsity allows SLIM to generate recommendations very fast. A comprehensive set of experiments is conducted by comparing the SLIM method and other state-of-the-art top-N recommendation methods. The experiments show that SLIM achieves significant improvements both in run time performance and recommendation quality over the best existing methods.
Effect of bulk liquid BOD concentration on activity and microbial community structure of a nitrifying, membrane-aerated biofilm

Membrane-aerated biofilms (MABs) are an effective means to achieve nitrification and denitrification of wastewater. In this research, microsensors, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and modeling were used to assess the impact of bulk liquid biological oxygen demand (BOD) concentrations on the activity and microbial community structure of nitrifying MABs. With 1 g m−3 BOD in the bulk liquid, the nitrification rate was 1.3 g N m−2 day−1, slightly lower than the 1.5 g N m−2 day−1 reported for no bulk liquid BOD. With bulk liquid BOD concentrations of 3 and 10 g m−3, the rates decreased to 1 and 0.4 g N m−2 day−1, respectively. The percent denitrification increased from 20% to 100% when the BOD increased from 1 to 10 g m−3 BOD. FISH results indicated increasing abundance of heterotrophs with increasing bulk liquid BOD, consistent with the increased denitrification rates. Modeling was used to assess the effect of BOD on nitrification rates and to compare an MAB to a conventional biofilm. The model-predicted nitrification rates were consistent with the experimental results. Also, nitrification in the MAB was much less sensitive to BOD inhibition than the conventional biofilm. The MAB achieved concurrent nitrification and denitrification, whereas little denitrification occurred in the conventional biofilm.
Home visiting options within head start: Current practice and future directions

The results of a national survey of home-visiting programs compared Head Start home visiting programs (n = 295) to other home-visiting programs serving families with children in the 3- to 6-year-old age range (n = 117). Because both sets of programs serve children within the same age range, comparisons have been made to illustrate common points of contact for possible integration of services at the client level and coordination at the systems level. Consonant with the recent Advisory Committee on Head Start Quality and Expansion (ACHSQE) report (1994), strategies for providing more coordination of Head Start home visiting services at the systems and client levels are discussed.
Adsorption of sulfur hexafluoride and propane at temperatures near ambient on pillared clays

The adsorption isotherms for SF6 and C3H8 are reported at three temperatures near ambient on pillared clays with different gallery sizes imposed by heat treatment. X-ray diffraction experiments show a decrease in pore size (interlayer spacing) with increasing calcination temperature. Heat treatment also causes the decrease in surface areas and micropore volumes obtained from N2 adsorption isotherms. The relationship between the two effects is discussed. An objective, mathematically rigorous, method to calculate isosteric enthalpies of adsorption is proposed. This method allows for a critical assessment in the error of the derived enthalpies based on estimates of the error in the laboratory measurement. Isotherms with complex shapes can be successfully analyzed over the entire range of the experimental variable. Using this approach, a decrease in initial enthalpies of adsorption with heat treatment is observed.
Oral glutamine (AES-14) supplementation inhibits PI-3K/Akt signaling in experimental breast cancer

Background: 7,12-Dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) administration to pubertal rats causes breast tumors and inhibits glutathione (GSH) production. Our previous results have established that oral glutamine (GLN) supplementation significantly reduced tumor development, restored the depressed GSH production, and caused a significant decrease in the circulating levels of insulinlike growth factor-1 (IGF-1). The present study was designed to investigate the involvement of the IGF-1-activated phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI-3K)/Akt apoptotic signaling pathway. Materials and Methods: Forty female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: DMBA+GLN (n = 16), DMBA+water (n = 8), Oil+GLN (n = 8) and Oil+water (n = 8). At the age of 50 days, rats received a single dose of 100 mg/kg DMBA (n = 24) or sesame oil (n = 16) and were gavaged with a GLN suspension formulation (AES-14) or water for the duration of the entire experiment. The animals were killed 11 weeks after the DMBA application, and the levels of IGF-1, IGF-1 receptor (IGF-IR), Akt, Bcl-2 and Bad in tumorous and nontumorous breast tissue samples were measured by Western blot analysis. Results; GLN supplementation resulted in a significant decrease in the levels of IGF-1, IGF-IR, Akt, and Bcl-2 in nontumorous samples. At the same time, the levels of pro-apoptotic protein Bad were significantly elevated. The samples collected from tumor tissues showed lower levels of IGF-1, Akt, Bcl-2, Bad, and IGF-IR in comparison with nontumorous tissues. Conclusions: GLN supplementation inhibited the PI-3K/Akt pathway that is thought to be important in increasing cell survival during tumorigenesis. These results are in agreement with our hypothesis that GLN counteracts the effects of DMBA and blocks carcinogenesis in vivo.
The Evaporation Rates of Small, Freely Falling Water Drops.

Abstract The evaporation rates of small (radius 3–9 μ), freely failing water droplets were determined. The droplets, produced in a diffusion cloud chamber, were allowed to fall through air of known relative humidity (95–99%) and at three ambient temperatures (25, 30 and 35C) in. a vertical drift tube. The rates of evaporation were ascertained by recording the drop positions on film at fixed time intervals. The results are compared with several existing theories, and are found to lie between the formulation of Kinzer and Gunn and the quasi-stationary theory based on Maxwell's equation.
Patterns of Changes in Binocular Contour Rivalry

The reports of 3 Ss observing the binocular rivalry of 3.9° light contours were examined to determine whether or not patterns of rivalry changes were random. Sequential dependencies were identified...
Chronic levodopa administration alters cerebral mitochondrial respiratory chain activity.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized mainly by a loss of nigrostriatal dopamine neurons. Thus far, the actual physiopathology of PD remains uncertain, although recent studies have found decreased activity of complex I, one of the enzymatic units of the mitochondrial respiratory chain, in various tissues of PD patients. Because most, if not all, of PD patients are treated chronically with levodopa, the precursor of dopamine, and because we have shown previously that catecholamines may alter mitochondrial respiration, we assessed the effects of chronic administration of levodopa on complex I activity in rat brain. We found that chronic administration of levodopa, at a dose used in PD patients, caused a significant reduction in complex I activity while it did not affect the activities of complex II, complex IV, and citrate synthase. Reduction in complex I activity correlated well with catecholamine innervation as the reduction was observed mainly in the striatum and substantia nigra and to a lesser extent in the frontal cortex but not in the cerebellum. Moreover, the levodopa-induced decrease of complex I activity was reversible since activities at 1, 3, and 7 days after the last injection showed a progressive return to control values. Incubation of whole brain mitochondria in vitro showed that both levodopa and dopamine inhibit complex I activity in a dose- and time- dependent manner. In contrast, other compounds such as homovanillic acid, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid, and 3-O-methyl-dopa were minimally effective. Reduced glutathione, ascorbate, superoxide dismutase, and catalase prevented the effect of levodopa and dopamine on complex I. Various inhibitors of monoamine oxidase also prevented the effect of dopamine. In agreement with a critical role of monoamine oxidase in this effect in vitro, we observed that noncatecholamine substrates of this enzyme such as serotonin and β-phenylethylamine were potent inhibitors of complex I. However, autoxidation may also be involved in this process because the effect of levodopa, 6-hydroxydopa, and 6-hydroxydopamine on complex I activity was only partially suppressed by monoamine oxidase inhibitors. These observations demonstrate that the chronic administration of levodopa can cause alterations in mitochondrial respiratory chain activity in rats that are most likely related to an oxidative stress provoked by the increase in dopamine turnover. We suggest that this mechanism may exaggerate a mitochondrial defect already present in the brains of PD patients and thus may play a role in the progression of PD.
Absolute Error vs "E" in Target Accuracy.

The composite error E (i.e.,√ (v2 + c2) yields a multiple R approximating unity with the variable error v and constant error c, however, v is not adequately represented in all of the absolute error scores Ae as verified by a lower multiple correlation.
Spectrofluorimetric determination of thallium in silicate rocks with rhodamine b in the presence of aluminum chloride

Abstract A sensitive spectrofluorimetric procedure with rhodamine B in the presence of aluminum chloride is given for determining submicrogram and microgram quantities of thallium in silicate rocks. Samples are decomposed with a mixture of hydrofluoric and nitric acids and then treated with hydrochloric acid. Thallium is extracted as its dithizonate with chloroform from an alkaline medium containing ascorbate, citrate, and cyanide and then back-extracted with dilute nitric acid. After destruction of the organic matter and treatment with bromine, hydrochloric acid, aluminum chloride, and rhodamine B, the T001 . Determination of thallium in U.S. Geological Survey standard rocks by different laboratories Thallium (p.p.m.) Method Ref. G-1 W-1 1.06 0.102 Neutron activation analysis 1 1.08 0.121, 0.116 Neutron activation analysis 2 1.3 0.17 Neutron activation analysis 3 1.3 0.11 Spectrographic 4 0.105–0.110 Flameless atomic absorption spectroscopy 5 1.3 a 0.13 a 19 1.24 b 0.110 b 20 1.09 ± 0.01 0.110 ± 0.005 Spectrofluorimetric Present method a Values given by Fleischer. b Average value given by Flanagan. fluorescence intensity of the benzene-extracted rhodamine B chlorothallate is measured. The limit of determination is approximately 0.01 p.p.m. for a 1.0-g sample. The thallium contents of U.S. Geological Survey standard rocks G-1 and W-1 were found to be 1.09 ± 0.01 and 0.110 ± 0.005 p.p.m., respectively.
Finite element solution of nonlinear fluid-structure interaction problems under hydrodynamic shock conditions

Abstract A method of solution for the transient response of nonlinear fluid-structure systems is presented. Finite element discretization is applied to the nonlinear hydrodynamic equations in Eulerian form. The resulting system of equations is solved by Galerkin's method via a Newton-Raphson technique. Interaction between fluid and structure is accounted for by iteratively enforcing the interface conditions. The fluid finite element mesh is redefined by linear interpolation as the system deforms. The procedures are demonstrated by solution of a one-dimensional system consisting of a single-degree-of-freedom spring-mass in contact with a perfect gas through which a shock is propagated.
A Low-Density M-type Asteroid in the Main Belt

The orbital parameters of a satellite revolving around 22 Kalliope indicate that the bulk density of this main-belt asteroid is 2.37 ± 0.4 grams per cubic centimeter. M-type asteroids such as Kalliope are thought to be the disrupted metallic cores of differentiated bodies. The low density indicates that Kalliope cannot be predominantly composed of metal and may be composed of chondritic material with ∼30% porosity. The satellite orbit is circular, suggesting that Kalliope and its satellite have different internal structures and tidal dissipation rates. The satellite may be an aggregate of impact ejecta from an earlier collision with Kalliope.
Exact closed‐form solution of the return mapping algorithm in plane stress elasto‐viscoplasticity

In Simo and Taylor, the classical radial return algorithm of Wilkins and Krieg and Key for plane strain and three‐dimensional J2‐flow theory, is extended to the case of plane stress. In three dimensions (or plane strain), enforcement of the discrete consistency condition reduces to a simple radial scaling of the trial stress onto the yield surface; i.e., the return map is radial. In plane stress, on the other hand, the return map, that restores the trial stress back to the yield surface, is constrained to remain in the plane stress subspace, and thus no longer reduces to a simple radial scaling. The determination of the final stress point from the trial stress now involves the solution by Newton's method of a non‐linear scalar equation, referred to as the discrete consistency equation in what follows, that yields the discrete consistency parameter λn+>0. The requirement that λn+>1 be positive is a direct consequence of the discrete Kuhn‐Tucker optimality conditions.
Drivers of Liking for Soy‐Based Indian‐Style Extruded Snack Foods Determined by U.S. and Indian Consumers

: Although many researchers have studied potential ways to deliver soy in novel forms, little is known about specific sensory attributes associated with soy snacks, or how those attributes drive liking for consumers. The first objective of this study was to use sensory descriptive analysis to characterize 9 extruded soy snacks with varying soy levels and soy grits contents. A total of 12 trained panelists used a descriptive analysis method to evaluate the snacks and found 14 attributes to be significantly different across the samples. Furthermore, it is not known how preferences of Indian snack consumers living in the United States and India may vary for sensory attributes of soy snacks. The 2nd objective was to correlate descriptive profiling data and previously collected consumer data to construct preference maps illustrating consumers’ attitudes toward the snacks. Results indicate that consumers generally accept samples characterized by attributes such as crunchy, cumin, curry, salty, and umami, but dislike samples with wheat, rough, or porous attributes. Indian consumers differed from the U.S. consumers in that their preferences were more varied, and they tended to be more tolerant of wheat and porous attributes. Therefore, different strategies should be utilized when developing products for these groups to cater to their specific inclinations.
Complication from plastibell circumcision ring

We describe the cases of 4 neonates with retained Plastibell rings and discuss the potential seriousness of this problem. Removal of the rings was accomplished by use of wire cutters. Local wound care resulted in perfect healing in 3 and slight scarring with ventral curvature in 1. None of these patients required skin grafting.
Mathematical systems theory: Causality

The concept of state is studied in a new set-theoretic formalism for systems theory. Starting with the notion of a time system as a set of ordered pairs of abstract time functions, the concepts of (i) non-anticipation and (ii) causality are introduced. It is proved that the class of causal systems (those possessing a set of states and functional state transitions) is precisely the class of non-anticipatory systems. It is shown that every causal system has a series decomposition consisting of a transition system followed by a static system. It is proved that a state set for a causal system is always constructible using a class of “natural” partitions of the system input set. This latter construction generalizes the result known for certain functional discrete systems to a much more general situation.
Dissimilarity cumulation as a procedure correcting for violations of triangle inequality

Abstract Dissimilarity on a finite set is a function that assigns to every pair of points (stimuli) a nonnengative number vanishing if and only if the two points are identical. For any two points in a finite set, the minimum of the length of all finite chains connecting these points is a quasimetric (i.e., it satisfies all metric axioms except for symmetry). The computation of the quasimetric from a dissimilarity can be viewed as a data-analytic procedure of “correcting” dissimilarities into (quasi)distances, an alternative to nonmetric Multidimensional Scaling: the procedure simply replaces the dissimilarity between any two points with the shortest length across all chains of points connecting them. It is shown in this paper that this procedure can be equivalently described as a series of recursive corrections for violations of the triangle inequality across all triples of points considered in an arbitrary order.
Robotic transperitoneal infra-renal aortic lymphadenectomy in early-stage endometrial cancer

Abstract Objectives To assess the clinical performance of robotic-assisted infra-renal aortic lymphadenectomy (IRL) using a single center-docked approach for patients with endometrial cancer. Methods Robotic-assisted hysterectomy with pelvic and aortic lymphadenectomy was performed in 97 clinical stage I endometrial cancer (EC) patients with the intent to remove infra-renal aortic lymph nodes. Peri-operative data was contemporaneously accessioned and a retrospective database analysis was performed to examine clinical outcomes. Results IRL versus infra-mesenteric artery (IMA) dissections were accomplished in 88 (90.7%) and nine (9.3%) cases, respectively. There were no laparotomy conversions. Histology included 20.6% G1, 41.2% G2, and 38.1% G3 (endometrioid and Type II histologies). Forty-four (45.4%) cases had >50% depth-of-invasion and 43 (44.3%) cases had lymphovascular space invasion. Lymph node metastases were detected in 39 (40.2%) cases [37 (38.1%) pelvic, 16 (16.5%) pelvic+aortic, two (2.1%) isolated aortic lymph nodes]. Aortic metastasis was identified in 16/37 (43.2%) pelvic node positive cases, and 6/34 (17.7%) IRL cases with positive pelvic nodes had infra-renal metastasis, yet normal aortic nodes below the IMA. Harvested aortic lymph nodes for IRL exceeded IMA cases (15.9±6.3 vs. 8.9±4.6; p 2 ; p 35kg/m 2 underwent successful IRL (range 36–47kg/m 2 ) compared to 95% of cases 2 ( p =0.03). Conclusions IRL was accomplished in 95% of EC patients with BMI 2 and 81% with BMI >35kg/m 2 using a single center-docked approach. A strict 35kg/m 2 BMI cut-off for avoiding IRL is therefore not advised.
Larval substratum selection and postsettlement mortality as determinants of the distribution of two bryozoans

Abstract In Great Bay, New Hampshire, colonies of the bryozoan Flustrellidra hispida (Fabricius) occur mainly on the alga Ascophyllum nodosum (Linnaeus) Le Jolis, while colonies of Alcyonidium polyoum (Hassall) encrust rock, the musel Geukensia demissa (Dillwyn) and the algae Fucus distichus Linnaeus and Chondrus crispus (Linnaeus) Stackhouse. Laboratory substratum choice experiments showed that settlement of A. polyoum larvae was significantly greater on F. distichus and C. crispus than on other algae, indicating preferential settlement. In the field, recent settlers of both species were nonrandomly distributed across substratum types, with settler most common on the same substrata as adults. Survival of settlers appeared to be relatively greater for F. hispida on A. nodosum and for A. polyoum on mussel than on rock, Fucus vesiculosus Linnaeus, F. distichus and C. crispus . The distribution of F. hispida adults was mostly the result of selective settlement on the most abundant substratum. While A. polyoum selectively settled on rare algae, the majority of adults occurred on the more abundant substratum rock.
Popular technology: Exploring inequality in the information economy

Are we asking the wrong questions about inequality in the information economy? This paper explores what scholars and activists miss when we frame our critiques of science, technology and inequality only in terms of distributive justice. In it, I suggest that recent feminist scholarship on justice and oppression offers important correctives to the “distributional ethic” of science and technology policy-making. I argue that strategies that focus on oppression rather than distribution—like the “popular technology” technique described here—are better suited to understanding and ameliorating the complex inequalities of the information age. Copyright , Beech Tree Publishing.
Trunk muscular activation patterns and responses to transient force perturbation in persons with self-reported low back pain.

Trunk stability requires muscle stiffness associated with appropriate timing and magnitude of activation of muscles. Abnormality of muscle function has been implicated as possible cause or consequence of back pain. This experimental study compared trunk muscle activation and responses to transient force perturbations in persons with and without self-reported history of low back pain. The objective was to determine whether or not history of back pain was associated with (1) altered anticipatory preactivation of trunk muscles or altered likelihood of muscular response to a transient force perturbation and (2) altered muscle activation patterns during a ramped effort. Twenty-one subjects who reported having back pain (LBP group) and twenty-three reporting no recent back pain (NLBP group) were tested while each subject stood in an apparatus with the pelvis immobilized. They performed ‘ramped-effort’ tests (to a voluntary maximum effort), and force perturbation tests. Resistance was provided by a horizontal cable from the thorax to one of five anchorage points on a wall track to the subject’s right at angles of 0°, 45°, 90°, 135° and 180° to the forward direction. In the perturbation tests, subjects first pulled against the cable to generate an effort nominally 15% or 30% of their maximum extension effort. The effort and the EMG activity of five right/left pairs of trunk muscles were recorded, and muscle responses were detected. In the ramped-effort tests the gradient of the EMG–effort relationship provided a measure of each muscle’s activation. On average, the LBP group subjects activated their dorsal muscles more than the NLBP group subjects in a maximum effort task when the EMG values were normalized for the maximum EMG, but this finding may have resulted from lesser maximum effort generated by LBP subjects. Greater muscle preactivation was recorded in the LBP group than the NLBP group just prior to the perturbation. The likelihood of muscle responses to perturbations was not significantly different between the two groups. The findings were consistent with the hypothesis that LBP subjects employed muscle activation in a quasi-static task and preactivation prior to a perturbation in an attempt to stiffen and stabilize the trunk. However, interpretation of the findings was complicated by the fact that LBP subjects generated lesser efforts, and it was not known whether this resulted from anatomical differences (e.g., muscle atrophy) or reduced motivation (e.g., pain avoidance).
Electrostatic Energy Harvester and Li-Ion Charger Circuit for Micro-Scale Applications

Modern portable micro-systems like biomedical implants and ad-hoc wireless transceiver micro-sensors continue to integrate more functions into smaller devices, which result in low energy levels and short operational lives. Researchers and industry alike are consequently considering harvesting energy from the surrounding environment as a means of offsetting this energy deficit. Even with power efficient designs, low duty-cycle operation, smart power-aware network architectures, and batteries with improved energy density, the stored energy in micro-scale systems is simply not sufficient to sustain extended lifetimes. Fortunately, the surrounding environment is a rich source of energy, from solar and thermal to kinetic, but harnessing it without dissipating much power in the process is challenging. In this paper, an electrostatic vibrational energy harvester circuit is proposed and evaluated. It harnesses energy from inherent vibrations in the system (e.g., engine-powered applications) by modulating the parallel-plate distance of a variable capacitor and channeling the resulting change in charge into a secondary Li-ion micro-battery. The varactor, in essence, behaves like a vibration-dependent current source. Simulations show that a 100-to-1 pF variable plate capacitor subjected to vibrations with a period of 15 mus produces an average harvesting current of 40.8 muA, an energy gain of 569 pj per cycle, and a net average power gain of 38 muW.
ELECTROMAGNETIC MASS DIFFERENCES IN THE UNITARY SYMMETRY MODEL

Higher Order Effects due to both the electromagnetic and the SU(3)-violating interactions have been investigated for masses of particles belonging to the octet and decouplet representations of the unitary symmetry.
Interaction among self-efficacy, goal orientation, and unrealistic goal-setting on videogame-based training performance

This study sought to investigate what happens to trainee performance when an individual sets an unrealistically difficult performance goal early in training, which results in a large goal-performance discrepancy. Data from 185 trainees participating in a videogame-based training environment demonstrated that a single large discrepancy negatively impacts immediate subsequent training performance. Moreover, performance avoid goal orientation and self-efficacy were found to jointly moderate the impact of the discrepancy for both trainees' immediate subsequent performance and their rate of performance improvement across the training program. These findings highlight the importance of realistic goal-setting and trainee self-efficacy for optimizing videogame-based training success.
Polyvalent hydrogen-bonding functionalization of ultrathin Hyperbranched films on polyethylene and gold

Hyperbranched poly(acrylic acid) and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) grafts on gold and polyethylene films are good substrates for a new, mild hydrogen-bond-based grafting method. In this chemistry, a hydrogen-bond-donating or -accepting hyperbranched graft couples to a polymeric acceptor or donor in ethanol solution through multiple hydrogen-bonds. In contrast to plain surface-functionalized polyethylene films or to functional monolayers on gold, hyperbranched grafts are more capacious and more tenacious in this hydrogen-bond graft chemistry. Substantial amounts of polyacrylamide or poly(acrylic acid) reversibly bind to the hyperbranched graft based on IR spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, and ellipsometry. Fluorescence studies using dansyl-labeled soluble polymers that were hydrogen-bonded to hyperbranched grafts show that these hydrogen-bond assemblies are stable to prolonged extraction with protic and aprotic solvents. These interfacial hydrogen-bonded assemblies do not readily disassemble unless th...
An approach to benchmarking terminal oriented systems

From 1970 to 1975 the Air Force, together with the MITRE Corporation, designed and developed a Remote Terminal Emulator for the purpose of benchmarking large terminal oriented computer systems. This paper briefly describes the reasons for the development, certain criteria used for the design, and some of the results of the tests used to verify the design.
Carbon credit schemes for forest landowners are counterproductive

Abstract As part of carbon cap-and-trade policy development, programs are being proposed that would pay landowners for the carbon stored in the trees in their forests. We contend that such programs could be counterproductive to the aim of mitigating atmospheric carbon if they discourage the use of wood for carbon-neutral fuels and as substitutes for more fossil carbon-intensive building products.
Frederick Douglass’ Civil War: Keeping Faith in Jubilee

In this sensitive intellectual biography David W. Blight undertakes the first systematic analysis of the impact of the Civil War on Frederick Douglass' life and thought, offering new insights into the meaning of the war in American history and in the Afro-American experience. Frederick Douglass' Civil War follows Douglass' intellectual and personal growth from the political crises of the 1850s through secession, war, black enlistment, emancipation, and Reconstruction. This book provides an engrossing story of Douglass' development of a social identity in relation to transforming events, and demonstrates that he saw the Civil War as the Second American Revolution, and himself as one of the founders of a new nation. Through Douglass' life, his voice, and his interpretations we see the Civil War era and its memory in a new light.
Transition from a planar interface to cellular and dendritic structures during rapid solidification processing

The development of theoretical models which characterize the planar-cellular and cell-dendrite transitions is described. The transitions are analyzed in terms of the Chalmers number, the solute Peclet number, and the tip stability parameter, which correlate microstructural features and processing conditions. The planar-cellular transition is examined using the constitutional supercooling theory of Chalmers et al., (1953) and it is observed that the Chalmers number is between 0 and 1 during dendritic and cellular growth. Analysis of cell-dendrite transition data reveal that the transition occurs when the solute Peclet number goes through a minimum, the primary arm spacings go through a maximum, and the Chalmers number is equal to 1/2. The relation between the tip stability parameter and the solute Peclet number is investigated and it is noted that the tip stability parameter is useful for studying dendritic growth in alloys.
Colonic ulceration leading to massive lower gastrointestinal bleeding in a patient with Wegener's granulomatosis: a rare presentation

Wegener's Granulomatosis is a rare disease characterized by a triad of necrotizing granulomas of the upper respiratory and lower respiratory tract and glomerulonephritis. The pathology is defined by the triad of small vessel vasculitis, granulomatous inflammation and necrosis. Associated symptoms can be scleritis, arthritis, purpura and neuropathy. We present a patient with Wegener's granulomatosis who presented with massive lower gastrointestinal bleeding secondary to colonic ulceration. A 35 year-old woman with a 10 year history of Wegener's Granulomatosis presented with hemoptysis and shortness of breath for one month. There were also complaints of nausea and vomiting for one day and painful oral ulcerations for three days. Past medical history also included asthma and anemia. On admission, physical exam was significant for ulcerative lesions on the tongue, buccal mucosa and midline lips. Lungs had bilateral ronchi in upper lung fields. Abdominal exam was normal and stool giuiac was negative. Laboratory analysis was significant for leukocytes 15,200, hematocrit 24.4. Treatment with intravenous steroids and cyclophosphamide was begun. On the seventh day of admission, the patient began to have massive lower gastrointestinal bleeding, passing blood and clots from the rectum. Upper endoscopy revealed only gastritis. Colonoscopy was performed which revealed fresh blood and clots. There were multiple 1–2 cm ulcerations in the cecum and ascending colon. Hemostasis was achieved with heater probe and injection of epinephrine. This case represents the first report of colonic ulceration from Wegener's granulomatosis leading to massive lower gastrointestinal bleeding. An ischemic process complicating the typical vasculitis seen in Wegener's disease is suspected as causing the colonic ulcers. Despite standard medical treatment of Wegener's granulomatosis, the colonic ulcers do not appear to respond. Endoscopic therapy is required and appears effective.
Reactive Stream Separation Photography

Reactive stream separation high speed color photography for impinging streams of nitrogen tetroxide and hydrazine
Light element redistribution and property changes in insulators due to ion bombardment and chemical processing

Abstract Ion-implantation into certain classes of insulating materials results in compositional changes due to loss of material from the implanted region. These changes may be accompanied by the incorporation of ambient H. Crystalline LiNbO3 (Li-loss) and alkali-silicate glasses (alkali-loss) are materials which exhibit such changes. In both cases, radiation-enhanced diffusion has been invoked for the heavy-ion losses. The compositional changes in the implanted region of alkali-silicate glasses can bring about phase-separation and crystallization with consequent significant physical property changes. Ion-implantation of H into SiO2 (glassy and crystalline) has proved useful in determining the number of interstitial sites in these materials and a direct confirmation of indirectly obtained free-volume fraction values.
Relationship between white blood cell count and incident hypertension

Abstract Background Elevated white blood cell (WBC) count is considered to be prospectively associated with cardiovascular disease. However, its relationship to hypertension, independent of smoking and other established cardiovascular risk factors, is not clear, especially among women. Methods We used data from a large population-based study in Wisconsin (Beaver Dam Eye study) to examine the prospective association between elevated WBC count and incident hypertension among 2459 hypertension-free women (48.6%) and men (51.4%) after adjusting for, and stratifying by smoking and several other potential confounding factors. Results In multivariable proportional hazards models, increasing tertiles of WBC count was associated with increased risk ratios (RR) of hypertension in the whole cohort (WBC count tertiles 1–3; RR 1, 1.2, 1.7; P P P Conclusions Elevated WBC count is associated with incident hypertension among women and men independent of smoking and most traditional cardiovascular risk factors in this predominantly white cohort. Further research is required to determine whether this association is true among racial minorities (eg, African Americans), and independent of C-reactive protein, a more specific marker of inflammation.
The Effects of Multitasking on Cerebral Hemodynamics and Task Performance

The research objective was to evaluate cerebral blood flow velocity's (BFV) sensitivity to performance changes in a multitasking setting and to examine resulting constraints on multitasking. The re...
Extracting Critical Path Graphs from MPI Applications

The critical path is one of the fundamental runtime characteristics of a parallel program. It identifies the longest execution sequence without wait delays. In other words, the critical path is the global execution path that inflicts wait operations on other nodes without itself being stalled. Hence, it dictates the overall runtime and knowing it is important to understand an application's runtime and message behavior and to target optimizations. We have developed a toolset that identifies the critical path of MPI applications, extracts it, and then produces a graphical representation of the corresponding program execution graph to visualize it. To implement this, we intercept all MPI library calls, use the information to build the relevant subset of the execution graph, and then extract the critical path from there. We have applied our technique to several scientific benchmarks and successfully produced critical path diagrams for applications running on up to 128 processors
Investigation of mechanical and tribological properties of amorphous diamond-like carbon coatings

We investigated the mechanical and tribological properties of amorphous diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings deposited on Si(100) by a pulsed bias deposition technique. Tribological studies were performed using a pin-on-disc (POD) apparatus under a normal load of 6.25 N and at 10% relative humidity, with a ruby pin as a slider. Hardness measurements were performed using a nanoindenter and apparent fracture toughness using indentation techniques. We studied the influence of residual stresses on apparent fracture toughness. The data revealed that the thickness, hardness and compressive stress of the coating play different roles in the apparent fracture toughness. Crack initiation is influenced by the thickness and hardness of the coating, whereas crack propagation is influenced by the compressive stress in the film. The apparent fracture toughness of DLC coatings increased with coating hardness.
Automated profiling and resource management of pig programs for meeting service level objectives

An increasing number of MapReduce applications associated with live business intelligence require completion time guarantees. In this paper, we consider the popular Pig framework that provides a high-level SQL-like abstraction on top of MapReduce engine for processing large data sets. Programs written in such frameworks are compiled into directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) of MapReduce jobs. There is a lack of performance models and analysis tools for automated performance management of such MapReduce jobs. We offer a performance modeling environment for Pig programs that automatically profiles jobs from the past runs and aims to solve the following inter-related problems: (i) estimating the completion time of a Pig program as a function of allocated resources; (ii) estimating the amount of resources (a number of map and reduce slots) required for completing a Pig program with a given (soft) deadline. For solving these problems, initially, we optimize a Pig program execution by enforcing the optimal schedule of its concurrent jobs. For DAGs with concurrent jobs, this optimization helps reducing the program completion time: 10%-27% in our experiments. Moreover, it eliminates possible non-determinism of concurrent jobs' execution in the Pig program, and therefore, enables a more accurate performance model for Pig programs. We validate our approach using a 66-node Hadoop cluster and a diverse set of workloads: PigMix benchmark, TPC-H queries, and customized queries mining a collection of HP Labs' web proxy logs. The proposed scheduling optimization leads to significant resource savings(20%-40% in our experiments) compared with the original, unoptimized solution, and the predicted program completion times are within 10% of the measured ones.
Survey of recently board‐certified prosthodontists on the board certification process. part 1: Demographics

Purpose A survey of recently board-certified prosthodontists was conducted in 2001. The purpose of this survey was to identify trends that assisted candidates in attaining diplomate status. Materials and Methods A questionnaire was mailed to 176 diplomates who had become board certified between the years 1993 and 2001. Of these, 131 board-certified prosthodontists returned the completed survey, resulting in a response rate of 74%. The mean, median, and range of responses were computed when applicable. Results Results from this survey show that the mean number of years from completion of a postdoctoral program to achieving board certification was 6 years, with a median of 4 years and a range of 1 to 23 years. The mean number of years from the time of completion of a postdoctoral program to board eligibility was 2.3 years, with a median of 1 year and a range of 0 to 22 years. The mean number of years from board eligibility to board certification was 3.9 years, with a median of 3 years and a range of 0 to 17 years. The military was the most frequently reported employment status at the time the respondents took Parts 1–4 of the boards. A total of 54% of the diplomates reported that they challenged Part 1 separately, and then challenged Parts 2, 3, and 4 together; 79% of the diplomates were encouraged by their graduate program director/faculty to challenge the board; and 48% of the diplomates reported that their patients received free dental treatment. Conclusions Certain trends were observed regarding diplomates who succeeded in their efforts to challenge the board examination. The largest group who challenged the board certification examinations comprised members of the armed forces. Most prosthodontists challenged Part 1 before challenging the remaining 3 parts. In an effort to encourage more prosthodontists to challenge the board examination, numerous changes were made between 1992 and 1998; however, most of the diplomates did not take advantage of those changes.
A comparison of neural network and traditional signal processing techniques in the classification of EMG signals

The decomposition of an electromyographic (EMG) signal is the separation of the complex signal into its constituent motor units' action potentials (MUAPs). The goal of this work is to achieve real-time interpretation of MUAPs. Traditional approaches are relatively successful but suffer from the drawback of being relatively slow and often requiring human intervention. Our work attempts to overcome these problems in two stages. (1) Use traditional methods where appropriate, but speed up the processing. We are currently developing a multiprocessor array using an Analogue Devices ADSP-21060 SHARC processor. (2) Use AI techniques to reduce the amount of human intervention. Work has started on using neuro-fuzzy methods to resolve MUAPs and thus to classify the waveforms for each train. It is likely that the solution to the decomposition problem will require both AI and signal processing techniques. Because of the non-stationary nature of the EMG signal, the neural net requires the weights to be continually modified to reflect the changes in wave shape. All of the methods described in this paper require a certain amount of pre-processing using digital filters and some used simple compression techniques, which if to be realised in real time, will require fast DSP hardware. The pattern recognition aspect of the decomposition has been realised using both traditional methods and AI, but, because of their generalisation abilities, neural nets appear to be a slightly better option. (5 pages)
A survey of data sources for studies of family and population in Korean history

Compared to China and Japan, family and population studies of pre-modern Korea have not been widely available to scholars outside Korea. As a necessary step to increase scholarship in Korean historical demography, we introduce major historical materials currently available in Korea as useful for historical studies, summarizing demographic variables provided, the type of population covered, and the historical period referred in those historical materials. In particular, we focus on genealogies and household registers that provide demographic information of Korean population before the 20th century. We describe major features of those Korean materials as demographic sources, highlighting similarities and differences as compared to corresponding Chinese historical materials. Korean historical data showing their unique features, along with comparability with other East Asian data, have potential to expand the field of historical demography in East Asia.
Operational characteristics of high-pressure, high-efficiency water-hydrogen-electrolysis

Abstract After more than 5000 h of operation of the 100-kW-Pilot-Electrolyzer developed by the Gesellschaft fur Hochleistungselektrolyseure zur Wasserstofferzeugung mbH (GHW), the experience accumulated so far allows for the scale up to the Megawatt size of this high pressure electrolysis. Several operational concepts ranging from constant current long time tests over solar photovoltaic energy storage to subsecond compensation of power plant network fluctuations have been successfully simulated. The responses of the main system parameters during these simulations are described. For partial load operation, the normally increased hydrogen percentage in the produced oxygen has been stabilized by a special lye circulation control. The material problems, like corrosion under extreme conditions, are solved up to now. Some of the material aspects are discussed. As measurement and control techniques are the backbone of the safety system, sensors and signal processing are briefly mentioned. The single cell voltage measurement is explained. In total, the gained knowledge allows the design of this kind of electrolyzer for wherever its use is technically and economically attractive. The decreasing acceptance of air pollution improves the position of electrolysis. Beginning with an overview on high-pressure electrolyzers actually realized, an outlook on coming projects and future applications is given.