cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Exploring the Determinants of Adult Black Identity: Context and Process

L'A. s'efforce d'evaluer l'impact des relations interraciales et de la socialisation parentale en ce qui concerne l'identite des adultes afro-americains. Il examine un certain nombre d'analyses en ce domaine et s'attache a evaluer comment ces deux facteurs peuvent intervenir dans ce processus identitaire. Il montre que les contacts interraciaux tendent a reduire le sentiment d'attachement a la communaute noire tandis que la socialisation parentale tend a le renforcer. Il constate que les facteurs lies aux relations interraciales dans l'enfance n'interviennent ni dans le cadre des processus identitaires de la culture afro-americaine ni en ce qui concerne les relations intergroupes
Long-term decrease in the global atmospheric burden of tetrachloroethene (C2Cl4)

[1] We present a 14-year record of tropospheric tetrachloroethene (C2Cl4) mixing ratios measured each season at remote surface locations throughout the Pacific Basin (71°N–47°S). Our calculated annual mean C2Cl4 mixing ratio for the extra-tropical northern hemisphere (NH) was 13.9 ± 0.5 pptv in 1989, but declined to less than half this value (to 6.5 ± 0.2 pptv) by 2002. Mid-latitude southern hemisphere (SH) mixing ratios, which were much smaller than NH values, showed interannual variations comparable to measured long-term changes, and the SH annual mean was slightly less in 2002 than in 1989. Driven by the relatively large decrease in NH values, the global C2Cl4 mixing ratio declined from 6.3 ± 0.6 pptv in 1989 to 3.5 ± 0.2 pptv in 2002. These values suggest that the global C2Cl4 burden decreased by roughly 205 Gg between 1989–2002, which is consistent with industrial estimates of declining NH emissions over a similar period.
Obesity, systemic inflammation, and increased risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes among adolescents: A need for screening tools to target interventions

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus have their roots in childhood, particularly in obese children and adolescents, raising important opportunities for early lifestyle intervention in at-risk individuals. However, not all obese individuals are at the same risk for disease progression. Accurate screening of obese adolescents may identify those in greatest need for intensive intervention to prevent or delay future disease. One potential screening target is obesity-related inflammation, which contributes to insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and CVD. In adults, the inflammatory marker high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) has utility for risk stratification and treatment initiation in individuals of intermediate CVD risk. In adolescents, hsCRP shares many of the associations of hsCRP in adults regarding the degree of insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and carotid artery media thickness. However, long-term data linking increased hsCRP levels-and increased insulin or decreased adiponectin-in childhood to adult disease outcomes are lacking at this time. Future efforts continue to be needed to identify childhood clinical and laboratory characteristics that could be used as screening tests to predict adult disease progression. Such tests may have utility in motivating physicians and patients' families toward lifestyle changes, ultimately improving prevention efforts.
A Radioimmunoassay for Rat Pancreatic Secretory Trypsin Inhibitor

A radioimmunoassay for the detection of pancreatic secretory trypsin inhibitor (PSTI) in the rat is described. The sensitivity of the assay enables the specific measurement of this inhibitor in the serum of normal rats. The average base-line value for multiple animal serum specimens taken from fasting female Wistar rats being fed conventional diets was 11.6 +/- 6.2 micrograms/l. The inhibitor existed in its free form in serum, and PSTI immunoreactivity increased significantly within 2 h of the induction of experimental pancreatitis. The present assay will facilitate the study of PSTI in experimental diseases of the pancreas.
Statistical quality control in services

This paper argues that the under-utilisation of statistical quality control techniques in the service industry results from an incomplete conceptualisation of service quality. A systems framework for service process quality is proposed and used to diffuse popular arguments against the use of statistical quality control in services. The framework is also used to discuss potential misapplication of control chart techniques that may occur when charting methodologies are implemented regardless of the process flow of the service operation that is being analysed. A general approach to categorising control chart methods according to service process flow characteristics is also provided.
Endoscopic therapies for small-bowel bleeding

Video capsule endoscopy and device-assisted enteroscopy have revolutionized the way bleeding lesions of the small bowel are diagnosed, localized, and treated. Many of the standard techniques for treating upper or lower gastrointestinal tract bleeding, including bipolar electrocoagulation, argon plasma coagulation, injection therapy, and polypectomy, may be applied to bleeding in the small bowel. Rarer conditions, such as small-bowel varices and blue rubber band nevus syndrome, also have the potential to be managed endoscopically. The diagnostic yield of device-assisted enteroscopy for obscure gastrointestinal bleeding ranges from 50% to 90%, and both technical and clinical success in achieving hemostasis have been demonstrated in several large studies.
Surge Protection of Motors - Is it Sufficient?

This paper presents a guideline for motor surge protection policy as a result of failure investigation of a 9000 HP induction motor, which was adequately protected by surge arresters and capacitors.
Central venous catheter infection with Bacillus pumilus in an immunocompetent child: a case report

Background Bacillus organisms are common laboratory contaminants. The majority of Bacillus bacteraemias are transient and not clinically significant. Clinically significant infection due to Bacillus species is rare and mostly due to Bacillus cereus infections in immuno-compromised hosts.
Optically Driven Quantum Computing Devices Based on Semiconductor Quantum Dots

This paper concerns optically driven quantum logic devices based on semiconductor quantum dots. It provides a brief review of recent theoretical and experimental progress towards building such devices and a description of a possible direction of further research. We consider both the exciton and the electron spin as a potential qubit. Quantum dot fabrication and single dot spectroscopy studies are briefly discussed followed by a description of experimental demonstrations of basic quantum logic operations. A scheme for a scalable quantum computer based on optical control of electron spins localized in quantum dots is described in detail. Important lessons as well as challenges for future research are summarized.
Thoracotomy for pulmonary mycoses in non-HIV-immunosuppressed patients

Abstract Pulmonary mycoses can be life threatening in patients who are in an immunocompromised state stemming from defective host defenses or the use of certain treatment regimens. In 36 immunosuppressed patients undergoing thoracotomy for the treatment of pulmonary fungal disease, the underlying cause of immunosuppression was malignancy (n = 9), Wegener's granulomatosis (n = 4), hematologic disorders (aplastic anemia, 5-Q minus syndrome, or myelofibrosis) (n = 6), or chronic granulomatous disease of childhood (n = 17). The mean age of the patients was 25 years, and 89% were symptomatic (fever, n=27; cough, n=20; chest pain, n=14; and other, n=13). Chest x-ray studies revealed the presence of cavitary disease (n = 7), a mass (n = 8), infiltrates (n = 20), or cavity and infiltrate (n = 1). A preoperative diagnosis was lacking in 23 of the 36 patients. Procedures included wedge biopsy (n = 13), segmentectomy with or without wedge or chest wall resection (n = 5), lobectomy with or without chest wall resection (n = 16), wedge resection plus completion pneumonectomy (n = 1), and segmentectomy plus completion pneumonectomy (n = 1). Fungi identified included Aspergillus (n = 23), Zygomycetes (n = 4), Cryptococcus (n = 3), and other (n = 6; 1 each), and specific antifungal treatment was instituted in 34 of the patients (94%). The 31% operative (ie, 9 / 11 ). Univariate analysis identified the following as prognostic of death during hospitalization: underlying hematologic disease ( p 2 = 0.012), angioinvasive disease ( p 2 = 0.0064), treatment with chemotherapy and steroids ( p 2 = 0.052), and a granulocyte percentage of 30% or less or a granulocyte count of 100 or less ( p 2 = 0.048). Moreover, multivariate analysis revealed that angioinvasion correlated with all risk factors and operative mortality. Nineteen patients are still alive at a mean follow-up period of 2.8 years. These data reinforce the risk of operation for the treatment or diagnosis of angioinvasive fungal disease in selected groups of immunosuppressed patients, and the need for improved pharmacologic agents in these high-risk populations.
Practical decentralized high-performance coordinated beamforming for both downlink and uplink in time-division duplex systems

Coordinated beamforming (CBF) has been studied in hope of mitigating the inter-cell interference experienced by cell-edge users. Unfortunately, due to the limitations and/or impracticalities of the proposed designs, the expected performance gains have yet to be realized. Relying on channel soundings from the users and equivalent channel soundings from the cell sites (all on the same frequency), both downlink and uplink decentralized frameworks (and various example designs) are proposed in this paper for the practical transceiver and signaling design of a K-pair system desiring to employ CBF. Remarkably, the proposed singular value decomposition (SVD) example design for both frameworks is equivalent to a centralized interference alignment (IA) design. Furthermore, three other proposed design examples achieve better bit error rate, mean square error, and sum capacity performances than the proposed IA-equivalent SVD example design, respectively. In addition, higher sum capacities than the generalized iterative approach, a centralized minimum mean square error CBF design, are numerically observed. Clearly, practical CBF designs which can deliver the expected performance gains are finally available.a
Restriction endonucleases, simian virus 40, and the new genetics.

methodological developments that have opened a new approach to the analysis of chromosomes: site-specific cleavage of DNA by restriction endonucleases and electrophoretic fractionation of the resulting fragments; recombination, cloning, and amplification of DNA segments from any source; rapid methods for determining the nucleotide sequence of DNA; site-directed in vitro mutagenesis; synthesis of polydeoxynucl eotides of predetermined sequence; and the ability to introduce cloned, functioning genes into prokaryotic or eukaryotic cells. As a result of these developments even chromosomes which are largely inaccessible to classical genetic methods can now be analysed piece by piece in chemical detail. Genes and signals can be altered at pre-selected sites, and the functional effect of such alterations determined. And active, synthetic genes can be constructed in vitro by recombination or by chemical synthesis. Many investigators have contributed to the “new genetics”. Contributions from my own laboratory resulted from our studies of a model eukaryotic chromosome, that of a small mammalian tumor virus. I became interested in tumor viruses in the mid 1960’s when I was asked to give a lecture on this subject to Johns Hopkins medical students. Although I had been working with an RNA coliphage (a bacterial virus) for some years, I knew very little about animal viruses. As I reviewed the tumor virus literature, I was impressed by the fact that simple viruses had a profound and permanent effect on the growth of cells in culture or in a living animal. Here was a microcosm of regulatory mechanisms related to the development of the virus itself and to the growth of animal cells, including neoplastic cells. At least some of these mechanisms appeared approachable with the tools of molecular genetics that had been so successfully used with bacterial viruses. Of course all of this was appreciated by a number of
Levofloxacin plus Metronidazole Administered Once Daily versus Moxifloxacin Monotherapy against a Mixed Infection of Escherichia coli and Bacteroides fragilis in an In Vitro Pharmacodynamic Model

Moxifloxacin has been suggested as an option for monotherapy of intra-abdominal infections. Recent data support the use of a once-daily metronidazole regimen. The purpose of this study was to investigate the activity of levofloxacin (750 mg every 24 h [q24h]) plus metronidazole (1,500 mg q24h) compared with that of moxifloxacin (400 mg q24h) monotherapy in a mixed-infection model. By using an in vitro pharmacodynamic model in duplicate, Escherichia coli and Bacteroides fragilis were exposed to peak concentrations of 8.5 mg of levofloxacin/liter q24h, 32 mg of metronidazole/liter q24h, and 2 mg for moxifloxacin/liter q24h for 24 h. The activities of levofloxacin, metronidazole, moxifloxacin, and levofloxacin plus metronidazole were evaluated against E. coli, B. fragilis, and E. coli plus B. fragilis. The targeted half-lives of levofloxacin, metronidazole, and moxifloxacin were 8, 8, and 12 h, respectively. Time-kill curves were analyzed for time to 3-log killing, slope, and regrowth. Pre- and postexposure MICs were determined. The preexposure levofloxacin, metronidazole, and moxifloxacin MICs for E. coli and B. fragilis were 0.5 and 1, >64 and 0.5, and 1 and 0.25 mg/liter, respectively. Levofloxacin and moxifloxacin achieved a 3-log killing against E. coli and B. fragilis in all experiments, as did metronidazole against B. fragilis. Metronidazole did not decrease the starting inoculum of E. coli. The area under the concentration-time curve/MIC ratios for E. coli and B. fragilis were 171.7 and 85.9, respectively, for levofloxacin and 26 and 103.9, respectively, for moxifloxacin. Levofloxacin plus metronidazole exhibited the fastest rates of killing. The levofloxacin and moxifloxacin MICs for B. fragilis increased 8- to 16-fold after the organism was exposed to moxifloxacin. No other changes in the postexposure MICs were found. Levofloxacin plus metronidazole administered once daily exhibited activity similar to that of moxifloxacin against the mixed E. coli and B. fragilis infection. A once-daily regimen of levofloxacin plus metronidazole looks promising for the treatment of intra-abdominal infections.
Two-parameter sequential adsorption model applied to microfiber clustering

Capillary-mediated self-assembly and self-organization are useful techniques for constructing ordered superstructures from nanoscale and microscale building blocks. Square arrays of flexible microfibers attached to a substrate have been shown to form highly ordered patterns of 2 × 2 fiber clusters (tetramers) under the influence of capillary forces at the surface of an evaporating liquid layer. We model this pattern formation as an irreversible sequential adsorption process on a square lattice, in which tetramers form sequentially on an initially empty lattice and locally enhance the formation of nearby tetramers, giving rise to partially ordered domains. Restrictions analogous to excluded volume interactions for hard squares prevent additional tetramers forming at next-and second-neighbor positions. Two parameters regulate the enhancement in tetramer formation at third- and fourth-near neighbor positions. We study the model using numerical simulations and compare it to a realization of a self-organization experiment. The model reproduces many features of the observed patterns when the two parameters are chosen by a least-squares fit to a single experimental quantity. The fourth-near neighbor enhancement, not considered in previously studied sequential adsorption models, is shown to be significant for the pattern formation under study.
Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation

Importance Atrial fibrillation is a common arrhythmia that affects more than 2.5 million people in the United States and causes substantial morbidity and mortality, especially regarding the increased risk of stroke. Objective To summarize atrial fibrillation treatment exclusive of stroke prevention. Evidence Review An Ovid MEDLINE comprehensive literature search was performed on atrial fibrillation therapy excluding anticoagulation and emphasizing studies published within the last 5 years through April 2015 (N = 5044 references). The 2014 atrial fibrillation guideline from the American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology, and the Heart Rhythm Society also was reviewed. Findings Reversible causes of atrial fibrillation should be identified. Risk factor modification, including weight loss and treatment of hypertension, diabetes, and obstructive sleep apnea can reduce atrial fibrillation episodes. Appropriate anticoagulation is necessary for patients at substantial stroke risk regardless of rate or rhythm treatment strategy. Sinus rhythm is often needed to control symptoms; however, an alternative strategy for atrial fibrillation is appropriate rate control. Rate control is safe in older patients (those who are about age ≥65 years) followed up for a few years, but no such safety data exist for patients younger than 60 years or for those followed up for longer periods. Thus, selection of therapy is individualized, taking into account present and future medical problems for the patient. Choice of an antiarrhythmic drug is based on safety first vs efficacy. Catheter ablation is an effective nonpharmacological alternative that is often, but not always, the second-line treatment. Reduction of the frequency and duration of atrial fibrillation episodes that result in a significant improvement in quality of life is a good marker of drug treatment success and complete elimination of atrial fibrillation is not required in many patients. Rate control is usually achieved with a β-blocker or non–dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers. It is important to assess adequate rate control during both rest and activity. If the ventricular rate goes uncontrolled for a prolonged period, tachycardia-mediated cardiomyopathy can occur. Conclusions and Relevance Therapy for atrial fibrillation includes prevention and modification of inciting causes and appropriate anticoagulation. Rate control is necessary for all patients. Maintenance of sinus rhythm with drugs or catheter ablation should be considered based on the individual needs of each patient.
Improving outpatient safety through effective electronic communication: a study protocol

Health information technology and electronic medical records (EMRs) are potentially powerful systems-based interventions to facilitate diagnosis and treatment because they ensure the delivery of key new findings and other health related information to the practitioner. However, effective communication involves more than just information transfer; despite a state of the art EMR system, communication breakdowns can still occur. [1–3] In this project, we will adapt a model developed by the Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety (SEIPS) to understand and improve the relationship between work systems and processes of care involved with electronic communication in EMRs. We plan to study three communication activities in the Veterans Health Administration's (VA) EMR: electronic communication of abnormal imaging and laboratory test results via automated notifications (i.e., alerts); electronic referral requests; and provider-to-pharmacy communication via computerized provider order entry (CPOE). Our specific aim is to propose a protocol to evaluate the systems and processes affecting outcomes of electronic communication in the computerized patient record system (related to diagnostic test results, electronic referral requests, and CPOE prescriptions) using a human factors engineering approach, and hence guide the development of interventions for work system redesign. This research will consist of multiple qualitative methods of task analysis to identify potential sources of error related to diagnostic test result alerts, electronic referral requests, and CPOE; this will be followed by a series of focus groups to identify barriers, facilitators, and suggestions for improving the electronic communication system. Transcripts from all task analyses and focus groups will be analyzed using methods adapted from grounded theory and content analysis.
Plasmon Printing – a New Approach to Near-Field Lithography

We propose a method for replicating patterns with a resolution well below the diffraction limit, using broad beam illumination and standard photoresist. In particular it is shown that visible exposure (λ=410 nm) of silver nanoparticles in close proximity to a thin film of g-line resist (AZ 1813) can produce selectively exposed areas with a diameter smaller than λ/20. The technique relies on the local field enhancement around metal nanostructures when illuminated at the surface plasmon resonance frequency. The method can be extended to various metals, photosensitive layers, and particle shapes.
Detecting Class-Independent Linear Relationships within an Arbitrary Set of Features

Classifiers for surveillance sonar systems are often designed to operate on large sets of predefined clues, or features. Sometimes the mathematical definitions for these features are poorly known. Other times the designer is not aware that a fixed and class-independent linear (or affine) relationship exists between subsets of features. We discuss a method based on Gram-Schmidt orthogonalization which allows the classifier designer to determine whether subsets of features have such relationships. Certain features can then be shown unnecessary by application of Wozencraft and Jacobs' "Theorem of Irrelevance". An approach is also described to rank features to aid in the selection of an effective subset.
Incorporating ecology and ecological risk into long‐term stewardship on contaminated sites

The long-term management of environmental contamination will be a major activity at many sites in the foreseeable future. While human health issues often drive decisions about cleanup, restoration, and long-term stewardship, ecological considerations are also major driving forces and are of paramount importance to the public. Incorporation of ecological considerations into decisions about environmental protection, both short term and long term, requires (1) understanding public perceptions of ecological values, including aesthetics and existence values, (2) understanding contamination issues within a context of the structure and functioning of ecosystems, (3) developing bioindicators of ecological health (including human), (4) developing indicators of ecosystem functioning, and (5) developing and implementing a biomonitoring plan before, during, and after remediation so that adverse effects can be ascertained before they become irreversible. Both remediation/restoration and long-term stewardship goals must be informed by public policy mandates that include public participation and healthy human and ecological systems. This article examines these issues as they relate to cost-effective, long-term protection of human and ecological health on contaminated lands. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Aging, arterial stiffness, and hypertension.

Although the etiology of essential hypertension remains unknown, it is clear that multiple factors may contribute to the pathogenesis of hypertension. Hypertension is an outcome of the interaction of multiple genetic and environmental factors. Several epidemiological studies indicated that the incidence of arterial stiffness and hypertension and related cardiovascular disease (stroke, myocardial infarction) is higher in the aged than in the young population.1–4 The prevalence of arterial stiffening and hypertension increases with age.1,5 Based on an epidemiological study,6 the prevalence of hypertension is more than doubled in the elderly than in the young population. More than two-thirds of individuals after 65 years of age experience hypertension according to the Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee (JNC-7).7 Therefore, it is generally thought that hypertension is an aging disorder. In recent years, metabolic syndrome and hypertension are increasingly seen in the middle-aged and young populations. In these subpopulations, insulin resistance and overproduction of adipokines impair endothelial and heart function leading to early and accelerated cardiovascular aging. It was reported that premature aging (progeria) is associated with accelerated vascular stiffening or vascular aging.8 Aging is defined as the age-related decline in physiological function essential for survival and fertility. Cardiovascular aging is an important factor that determines life span. The wall of large conduit arteries, especially aorta, thicken and lose elasticity over time, and this process results in an increase in pulse wave velocity, an important and reliable measure of arterial stiffness. The increased arterial stiffness, whatever its underlying causes, would reduce the reservoir/buffering function of the conduit arteries near the heart and increase pulse wave velocity, both of which increase systolic and pulse pressure. Therefore, aging-related hypertension is characterized by a significant increase in systolic blood pressure with no change or even a …
Patterns of Phrenic Nerve Discharge after Complete High Cervical Spinal Cord Injury in the Decerebrate Rat

Studies conducted since the second half of the 19th century have revealed spontaneous as well as pharmacologically induced phasic/rhythmic discharge in spinal respiratory motor outputs of cats, dogs, rabbits, and neonatal rats following high cervical transection (Tx). The extent to which these various studies validate the existence of a true spinal respiratory rhythm generator remains debated. In this set of studies, we seek to characterize patterns of spontaneous phasic/rhythmic, asphyxia-induced, and pharmacologically induced activity occurring in phrenic nerve (PhN) discharge after complete high cervical (C1-C2) spinal cord transection. Experiments were performed on 20 unanesthetized decerebrate Sprague-Dawley adult male rats. Patterns of spontaneous activity after spinalization included tonic, phasic, slow oscillatory, and long-lasting tonic discharges. Topical application of antagonists of GABAA and glycine receptors to C1- and C2- spinal segments induced left-right synchronized phasic decrementing activity in PhN discharge that was abolished by an additional C2Tx. Asphyxia elicited increases in tonic activity and left-right synchronized gasp-like bursts in PhN discharge, demonstrating the presence of spinal circuits that may underlie a spinal gasping-like mechanism. We conclude that intrinsic slow oscillators and a phasic burst/rhythm generator exist in the spinal cord of the adult rat. If present in humans, this mechanism may be exploited to recover respiratory function in patients sustaining severe spinal cord injury.
Investor Knowledge and Experience with Investment Advisers and Broker-Dealers

The financial services industry has been changing so fast and growing so complex that broker-dealers and investment advisers, which are subject to different regulations, are no longer easy to distinguish from one another. Since the 1990s, market demands have introduced new business practices and firms have taken many different forms, making it harder for investors to distinguish these traditional distinctions. Given such complexity, it is not surprising that typical investors are confused about the nature of the services their financial professional offers. Many of those surveyed, as well as focus group participants, did not understand the key distinctions between investment advisers and broker-dealers: their duties, the titles they use, the services they offer, or the fees they charge. They attributed part of their confusion to the dozens of titles used in the field, including generic titles such as financial advisor and financial consultant, as well as advertisements that claim "we do it all."
Clean graphene interfaces by selective dry transfer for large area silicon integration

Here we present a very fast, selective mechanical approach for transferring graphene with low levels of copper contamination from seed wafers on which it was grown to target wafers for very large scale integration (VLSI) electronics. We found that graphene/copper or copper/silicon oxide delamination paths could be selected by slow and faster separation rates, respectively. Thus graphene can be transferred to a target wafer, either exposed or protected by the seed copper layer, which can later be removed by etching. Delamination paths were identified by SEM and Raman spectroscopy. The sheet resistance of the graphene produced by the two approaches was slightly higher than graphene transferred by a PMMA wet-transfer process, indicating reduced impurity doping, and the variation in the sheet resistance values was much lower. Copper contamination levels, quantitatively established by TOF-SIMS, were several orders of magnitude lower than the values for PMMA assisted transfer. In addition, we demonstrated that top-gated transistor devices from our mechanical, delamination transferred graphene exhibited superior transistor behavior to PMMA-assisted wet transfer graphene. The adhesion energy, strength and range of the interactions were quantitatively determined by nonlinear fracture analyses, and suggest that the roughness of the interface between graphene and copper plays an important role with implications for improvements in manufacturing processes.
Constitutional Nondefense in the States

Although scholars have long debated the scope of the President’s power to decline to defend statutes challenged in litigation, no one has yet undertaken a systematic examination of nondefense by state executives, who, like their federal counterparts, often find themselves torn between competing obligations to defend statutes, on the one hand, and to maintain fidelity to state and federal constitutions, on the other. This Article takes up the question of how the executive nondefense power is conceived, wielded, and constrained — within what institutional frameworks and with what implications — in the states. Drawing on a number of case studies, the Article sketches an initial taxonomy of approaches to executive nondefense in the states, argues that significant benefits can attach to the practice of nondefense, and provides a set of recommendations for ensuring that when nondefense occurs, its benefits can be realized. Although critics of executive nondefense in the federal system worry that its use threatens to inject partisanship, instability, and uncertainty into the law, the practice in the states, in which nondefense occurs relatively routinely in the context of a variety of institutional design choices, provides a powerful answer to those objections.
General and Health Information Challenges of Patients With Rare Diseases: The Importance of Health Information Provision and Web Sites for Locating Rare Disease Resources

Patients who are diagnosed with rare diseases often encounter a difficult health care journey and face many challenges due to their medical conditions. In addition to the attendant challenges of li...
Sexual Orientation Self-Concept Ambiguity: Scale Adaptation and Validation

The current article describes the adaptation of a measure of sexual orientation self-concept ambiguity (SSA) from an existing measure of general self-concept clarity. Latent "trait" scores of SSA reflect the extent to which a person's beliefs about their own sexual orientation are perceived as inconsistent, unreliable, or incongruent. Sexual minority and heterosexual women ( n = 348), ages 18 to 30, completed a cross-sectional survey. Categorical confirmatory factor analysis guided the selection of items to form a 10-item, self-report measure of SSA. In the current report, we also examine (a) reliability of the 10-item scale score, (b) measurement invariance based on respondents' sexual identity status and age group, and (c) correlations with preexisting surveys that purport to measure similar constructs and theoretical correlates. Evidence for internal reliability, measurement invariance (based on respondent sex), and convergent validity was also investigated in an independent, validation sample. The lowest SSA scores were reported by women who self-ascribed an exclusively heterosexual or exclusively lesbian/gay sexual identity, whereas those who reported a bisexual, mostly lesbian/gay, or mostly heterosexual identity, reported relatively higher SSA scores.
High-Order Autocorrelation with Imaging Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy: Application to IgE on Supported Planar Membranes

The use of high-order autocorrelation with imaging fluorescence correlation spectroscopy is described. Fluorescently labeled, antitrinitrophenyl IgE antibodies were specifically bound to substrate-supported planar membranes composed of trinitrophenylaminocaproyldipalmitoylphosphatidylethanolamine and dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine. The IgE-coated membranes were illuminated with a laser beam that was totally internally reflected at the substrate/solution interface. The evanescently excited fluorescence arising from the membrane-bound IgE was measured with a CCD camera. The images were corrected for background and for the elliptically Gaussian spatial dependence of the evanescent excitation intensity. A series of high-order pixel-to-pixel spatial fluorescence fluctuation autocorrelation functions was calculated from the images. The autocorrelation functions generated multiple independent parameters which were used to characterize the nonuniform spatial distributions of the membrane-bound IgE. These parameters varied with the IgE density and also changed significantly when the IgE-coated membranes were further treated with unlabeled, polyclonal anti-IgE. The high-order autocorrelation functions calculated from images of planar membranes containing fluorescently labeled lipids rather than bound, labeled IgE demonstrated that the spatial nonuniformities were prominent only in the presence of IgE. Images of fluorescent beads were used to demonstrate the principles and the methods.
Energy-Accuracy Trade-off in Wireless Sensor Network Localization

In Wireless Sensor Networks WSN, research on localization is very common. Localization is a process of achieving the location information using nodes which already have location information. WSN's generally have limited nodes with given location information or a capability of getting their locations using Global Positioning System GPS. Therefore, it is important that wireless nodes have capability to localize. In this work the authors use Time of Flight TOF ranging technique to measure distances between nodes. These distance measurements are then used by trilateration/multi-lateration techniques which require distance measurements between three or more nodes to estimate location. Focus is to a find a trade-off between energy consumption and the location accuracy. For experiments we use SIDnet-SWANS simulator to two different WSN topologies. Experimental results show that accuracy achieved is relatively better without significantly draining the batteries. The results show the trade-off between accuracy and energy, which can be efficiently used by different applications.
Bioassay, Preliminary Purification, and Effect of Age, Crowding, and Mating on the Release of Sex Pheromone by Female Tenebrio molitor

The sex pheromone produced by female yellow mealworm beetles, Tenebrio molitor L. (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), was conveniently and quantitatively assayed by exposing males to air containing female scent. Although extracts of both sexes released a male response, males responded only to live females and not to live males. The female pheromone was purified 700-fold by column chromatography. By means of assays with live females it was demonstrated that pheromone emission reached a peak about 4 days after eclosion from the pupal skin. Crowding enhanced pheromone release in virgin females; after mating, the effect of crowding disappeared.
Treatment of Dicoumarol-Induced Hypoprothrombinemic Hemorrhage with Vitamin K1 Oxide.∗

SummaryIn a human subject, hypoprothrombinemia and the secondary hemorrhagic phenomena induced by multiple large doses of dicoumarol appeared to be corrected by the intravenous administration of a single massive dose of vitamin K1 oxide. The period of time elapsing between the institution of treatment with vitamin K1 oxide and the cessation of hemorrhagic phenomena is too long to make this method entirely satisfactory.
Constitutive Intracellular Na+ Excess in Purkinje Cells Promotes Arrhythmogenesis at Lower Levels of Stress than Ventricular Myocytes from Mice with Catecholaminergic Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia

Background—In catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT), cardiac Purkinje cells (PCs) appear more susceptible to Ca2+ dysfunction than ventricular myocytes (VMs). The underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Using a CPVT mouse (RyR2R4496C+/Cx40eGFP), we tested whether PC intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) dysregulation results from a constitutive [Na+]i surplus relative to VMs. Methods and Results—Simultaneous optical mapping of voltage and [Ca2+]i in CPVT hearts showed that spontaneous Ca2+ release preceded pacing-induced triggered activity at subendocardial PCs. On simultaneous current-clamp and Ca2+ imaging, early and delayed afterdepolarizations trailed spontaneous Ca2+ release and were more frequent in CPVT PCs than CPVT VMs. As a result of increased activity of mutant ryanodine receptor type 2 channels, sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ load, measured by caffeine-induced Ca2+ transients, was lower in CPVT VMs and PCs than respective controls, and sarcoplasmic reticulum fractional release was gre...
The Literati, the Eunuch, and a Memorial: The Nelson-Atkins's Red Cliff Handscroll Revisited

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art’s Illustration to the Second Prose Poem on the Red Cliff , attributed to Qiao Zhongchang, has been long celebrated as a major achievement of early Chinese literati painting. Nevertheless, the lifelike portraiture of Su Shi and the depiction of an actual site, as well as the contemporary colophons, all point to a memorial function for the scroll. The early provenance of this handscroll indicates that Liang Shicheng, the eunuch at Emperor Huizong’s court, was the one who commissioned it. The painting bears witness to the appropriation of the Li Gonglin style in the late Northern Song court.
Resection of the descending thoracic aorta with femoral vein to femoral artery oxygenation perfusion.

Summary Nineteen patients have had resection and graft replacement of the descending thoracic aorta with the aid of femoral vein to femoral artery oxygenation perfusion. Three patients died in the immediate postoperative period, 1 from a myocardial infarction and 2 from cardiac arrest during closure of the chest, a mortality of 15.8 per cent. The advantages of this technique are: (1) improved surgical exposure with peripheral cannulation, (2) lessened operative time with two operating teams, (3) constant rate of perfusion independent of cardiac output, (4) rapid blood replacement if necessary, and (5) absence of postoperative renal malfunction and caudal neurologic deficits.
Identity Crises in North American Sport Psychology: Academics in Professional Issues

Recent views of professional concerns facing sport psychology have not addressed academic dimensions of service delivery. The perspective developed in this paper suggests that defining sport psychology by what sport psychologists do or by who offers services may permit, but cannot ensure, professional competence. The assumption is made that in order for a field of study to sanction applied services it must possess an applied body of knowledge and a reliable technology. The current availability of these for sport is not clear. It is proposed that an acceleration is needed in development of applied technology and theory through creation of sport psychology models rather than exclusive reliance on applying clinical or educational models borrowed from general psychology. It is also proposed that errors associated with available techniques be better defined. Scientific cautions are re-emphasized in the hope that issues over professional services not overshadow the need for a reciprocity between applied questio...
Prevalence of Driver Physical Factors Leading to Unintentional Lane Departure Crashes

ABSTRACTObjective: Some lane-keeping assist systems in development and production provide autonomous braking and steering to correct unintentional lane drift but otherwise require drivers to fully control their vehicles. The goal of this study was to quantify the proportion of drivers involved in unintentional lane drift crashes who would be unable to regain control of their vehicles to inform the design of such systems.Methods: The NHTSA's National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey collected in-depth, on-scene data for a nationally representative sample of 5,470 U.S. police-reported passenger vehicle crashes during 2005–2007 that occurred between 6 a.m. and midnight and for which emergency medical services were dispatched. The physical states of drivers involved in the 631 lane drift crashes in the sample, which represented 259,034 crashes nationally, were characterized.Results: Thirty-four percent of drivers who crashed because they drifted from their lanes were sleeping or otherwise incapacitated. T...
Segmentation of 3D brain MR using an adaptive K-means clustering algorithm

An algorithm is described for segmenting 3D MR brain image into K different tissue types, which include gray, white matter and CSF, and maybe other abnormal tissues. MR images considered can be either scale- or multi-valued. Each scale-valued image is modeled as a collection of regions with slowly varying intensity plus a white Gaussian noise. Each tissue type is modeled by a Markov random field with the second order neighborhood in a 3D lattice. The proposed algorithm is an adaptive K-means clustering algorithm for 3-dimensional and multi-valued images. Each iteration consists of two steps: estimate mean intensity at each location for each type, and estimate tissue types by maximizing the a posteriori probability. The algorithm slowly adapts to the local intensity variation of each region, so it is robust to the "shading" effect. It has the potential to routinely process clinical MR images with minimal user involvement. Its performance is tested using patient data. >
Macroinvertebrate community assembly on deep‐sea wood falls in Monterey Bay is strongly influenced by wood type

Environmental filtering, including the influence of environmental constraints and biological interactions on species' survival, is known to significantly affect patterns of community assembly in terrestrial ecosystems. However, its role in regulating patterns and processes of community assembly in deep-sea environments is poorly studied. Here we investigated the role of wood characteristics in the assembly of deep-sea wood fall communities. Ten different wood species (substrata) that varied in structural complexity were sunk to a depth of 3,100 m near Monterey Bay, CA. In total, 28 wood parcels were deployed on the deep-sea bed. After 2 yr, the wood parcels were recovered with over 7,000 attached or colonizing macroinvertebrates. All macroinvertebrates were identified to the lowest taxonomic level possible, and included several undescribed species. Diversity indices and multivariate analyses of variance detected significant variation in the colonizing community assemblages among different wood substrata. Structural complexity seemed to be the primary factor altering community composition between wood substrata. For example, wood-boring clams were most abundant on solid logs, while small arthropods and limpets were more abundant on bundles of branches that provided more surface area and small, protected spaces to occupy. Other factors such as chemical defenses, the presence of bark, and wood hardness likely also played a role. Our finding that characteristics of woody debris entering the marine realm can have significant effects on community assembly supports the notion of ecological and perhaps evolutionarily significant links between land and sea.
The Effect of Sex Hormones on Ligament Structure, Joint Stability and ACL Injury Risk

Sex hormones underlie most of the sex differences in physical characteristics that emerge after puberty, and have the potential to impact collagen metabolism, ligament remodeling, and the structural integrity of the ACL in a way that may increase the potential for ligament failure in physically active women. This chapter will examine the inherent variability in hormone profiles in women (both between women and within a woman across her menstrual cycle), and how this variability may impact ACL injury risk potential. Epidemiological studies are presented that address relative injury risk across the different phase of the menstrual cycle phase when estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and relaxin are known to vary. Findings from basic and clinical research studies examining hormone effects on collagen metabolism, tissue remodeling, ligament mechanical properties, and knee joint laxity are presented to elucidate the underlying mechanisms through which hormones may exert their influence on injury risk potential. Because physically active females use contraceptive hormones that are known to lower and stabilize endogenous hormone levels, the potential for contraceptive hormones to positively or negatively alter ligament structural integrity and ACL injury risk is also discussed.