cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Length of stay and imminent discharge probability distributions from multistage models: variation by diagnosis, severity of illness, and hospital

Multistage models have been effective at describing length of stay (LOS) distributions for diverse patient groups. Our study objective was to determine whether such models could be used for patient groups restricted by diagnosis, severity of illness, or hospital in order to facilitate comparisons conditioned on these factors. We performed a retrospective cohort study using data from 317,876 hospitalizations occurring over 2 years in 17 hospitals in a large, integrated health care delivery system. We estimated model parameters using data from the first year and validated them by comparing the predicted LOS distribution to the second year of data. We found that 3- and 4-stage models fit LOS data for either the entire hospital cohort or for subsets of patients with specific conditions (e.g. community-acquired pneumonia). Probability distributions were strongly influenced by the degree of physiologic derangement on admission, pre-existing comorbidities, or a summary mortality risk combining these with age, sex, and diagnosis. The distributions for groups with greater severity of illness were shifted slightly to the right, but even more notable was the increase in the dispersion, indicating the LOS is harder to predict with greater severity of illness. Multistage models facilitate computation of the hazard function, which shows the probability of imminent discharge given the elapsed LOS, and provide a unified method of fitting, summarizing, and studying the effects of factors affecting LOS distributions. Future work should not be restricted to expected LOS comparisons, but should incorporate examination of LOS probability distributions.
Employment status and psychological symptomatology among drug users not currently in treatment

Previous research has investigated employment status and its correlates among drug users in treatment programs; however, few studies have addressed these variables among out-of-treatment drug users. Thus, little is known about variables that are associated with employment status in this population. Using two separate samples of drug users not currently in treatment, this study examined the relationship between employment status and psychological symptomatology, as measured by the Risk Behavior Assessment and Brief Symptom Inventory. Results revealed that unemployed drug users who are not looking for work report consistently higher levels of psychological symptomatology than do unemployed drug users looking for work or those employed. Although future research is needed to explore the causal nature of these findings, they have immediate implications for vocational rehabilitation programs or job training programs targeted at drug users.
Photoemission study of Au on a-Si:H

We report a high-resolution photoemission study of Au evaporated on rf-sputtered {ital a}-Si:H at room temperature. Three regions of coverage can be classified according to the behavior of the valence-band and core-level spectra: an unreacted region with an equivalent thickness of 2 A, followed by an intermixed Au/{ital a}-Si overlayer ({approximately}9 A), and a dual-phase region at higher coverage. Au adatoms are dispersed in the unreacted region. They subsequently cluster in the intermixed region, where they attach to Si atoms that are not hydrogen bonded, suggesting that the intermixed Si is mainly from those that have dangling bonds. In the dual-phase region, two sets of Au 4{ital f} core levels evolve with higher binding energy, one from Au intermixed with Si, and the lower one exhibiting pure gold character. The interface eventually ends up with the sequence: {ital a}-Si:H(sub.)+(pure Au mixed with intermixed Au/Si)+(vac). This is unlike the case of Au on {ital c}-Si, which has a pure gold layer sandwiched by intermixed Au/Si complexes along the surface normal. Traces of silicon atoms on top of composite surfaces appear even at the highest coverage, 205 A, of the gold deposit. The applicability of the four models previously used for themore » Au/{ital c}-Si interface is also briefly discussed.« less
PKM-ζ is not required for hippocampal synaptic plasticity, learning and memory

Long-term potentiation (LTP), a well-characterized form of synaptic plasticity, has long been postulated as a cellular correlate of learning and memory. Although LTP can persist for long periods of time, the mechanisms underlying LTP maintenance, in the midst of ongoing protein turnover and synaptic activity, remain elusive. Sustained activation of the brain-specific protein kinase C (PKC) isoform protein kinase M-ζ (PKM-ζ) has been reported to be necessary for both LTP maintenance and long-term memory. Inhibiting PKM-ζ activity using a synthetic zeta inhibitory peptide (ZIP) based on the PKC-ζ pseudosubstrate sequence reverses established LTP in vitro and in vivo. More notably, infusion of ZIP eliminates memories for a growing list of experience-dependent behaviours, including active place avoidance, conditioned taste aversion, fear conditioning and spatial learning. However, most of the evidence supporting a role for PKM-ζ in LTP and memory relies heavily on pharmacological inhibition of PKM-ζ by ZIP. To further investigate the involvement of PKM-ζ in the maintenance of LTP and memory, we generated transgenic mice lacking PKC-ζ and PKM-ζ. We find that both conventional and conditional PKC-ζ/PKM-ζ knockout mice show normal synaptic transmission and LTP at Schaffer collateral-CA1 synapses, and have no deficits in several hippocampal-dependent learning and memory tasks. Notably, ZIP still reverses LTP in PKC-ζ/PKM-ζ knockout mice, indicating that the effects of ZIP are independent of PKM-ζ.
Enthalpy damping for the steady Euler equations

For inviscid steady flow problems where the enthalpy is constant at steady state, it was previously proposed to use the difference between the local enthalpy and the steady state enthalpy as a driving term to accelerate convergence of iterative schemes. This idea is analyzed, both on the level of the partial differential equation and on the level of a particular finite difference scheme. It is shown that for the two-dimensional unsteady Euler equations, a hyperbolic system with eigenvalues on the imaginary axis, there is no enthalpy damping strategy which moves all the eigenvalues into the open left half plane. For the numerical scheme, however, the analysis shows and examples verify that enthalpy damping is potentially effective in accelerating convergence to steady state.
The design and application of an automatic endless‐belt polymer fractionator

The automatic endless belt polymer fractionator utilizes a continuous application and multistage extraction technique. A thin coating of polymer deposited on a slowly moving endless belt which passes through a series of solvent–nonsolvent mixtures of increasing solvent strength is fractionally dissolved. Discussion includes the description of the construction of the apparatus, details and results of fractionations of Neoprene W and polytetramethylene ether glycol, fractionation techniques and subsequent work-up of the fractions, “large scale” preparative fractionations, and general performance characteristics.
Developing and building a quality management system based on stakeholder behavior for enterprise architecture

Existing Enterprise Architecture (EA) frameworks (EAF) focus on the governance and alignment of an enterprise’s strategic business plans and operating model with its Information Technology (IT) capabilities. These technically-oriented processes attempt to simplify the verification and validation of design artifacts used during software development. Yet, many EA projects fail mostly for non-technical reasons. The development of an EA can necessitate organizational change which can influence stakeholder behavior in ways that may be detrimental to the EA. An analysis of EAFs finds that they are deficient in incorporating human behavior and that they avoid any of the consequences of human action during EA development. This paper proposes a behavior-driven EA requirements quality management program designed to encourage stakeholder collaboration and participation in EA.
Vibration spectrum of a pulse-tube cryostat from 1 Hz to 20 kHz

Abstract The vibrations of the cold finger of a low-vibration helium pulse-tube cryostat are measured from 1 Hz to 20 kHz using an optical interferometer specially designed to measure small amplitude vibrations at high frequencies in the presence of large vibrations at lower frequencies. While the vibrational amplitude is dominated by the contribution at the fundamental compressor frequency of 1.4 Hz, the pulse tube contributes mechanical noise at frequencies up to 15 kHz, where the spectral density is measured to be 4 × 10−12 m/Hz1/2. Root-mean-squared vibration amplitudes of 5.2 μm and 3 μm are measured along perpendicular axes in the horizontal plane, and 1.0 μm in the vertical direction. The effect of a suspended sample holder for the purpose of attenuating high-frequency vibrations is evaluated. Finally, the cryostat is shown to be considerably noisier than typical laboratory floors.
Targeted Therapy in Head and Neck Cancer

The desire to target therapies to specific cancers while leaving the host unharmed remains an ongoing quest for scientists, surgeons, radiation oncologists, and medical oncologists. In recent years, great scientific progress has been made in targeted therapies. Although many modalities remain in preclinical validation, some advances affect patient care today. This article summarizes the concepts of targeting and explores current examples of successful targeting and emerging targeting technologies in head and neck oncology.
Under pressure: Avatar appearance and cognitive load effects on attitudes, trustworthiness, bidding, and interpersonal distance in a virtual store

This study investigated how avatar appearance and cognitive load affect virtual interactions. Avatar salespeople dressed in black were perceived as unpersuasive and untrustworthy, and were offered less money compared to avatars in white clothes. Moreover, participants stood closer to avatars in white clothes compared to avatars dressed in black. Contrary to the traditional prediction i.e., cognitively busy participants would trust avatars in white clothes the most but avatars in dark clothes the least, cognitively nonbusy participants expressed less trust towards avatar salespeople dressed in black instead of white clothes, while cognitively busy participants trusted both characters equally. The findings expanded current research on virtual social influence by considering the effects of the clothing color of virtual characters, along with how cognitive load and avatar appearance can modify perceived avatar trustworthiness when combined.
Stillness and the Anticinematic in the Work of Fiona Tan

Fiona Tan's video installation Island (2008) is a twelve-minute black- and-white film composed of footage taken by Tan while she was staying on the Swedish island of Gotland, the largest island in the Baltic Sea. The visual subject of Island is the natural landscape of Gotland's peninsula of Narsholmen, and the majority of the film is made up of a series of shifting long takes, which, in their sameness and repetition, get at the barrenness of the stark landscape. 1 Like her other recent installations—including A Lapse of Memory (2007), Rise and Fall (2009), and Disorient (2009)— Island abstracts the more overt postcolonial themes of Tan's earlier work to focus on broadly conceived questions of provenance, place, and medium. 2 In the opening fixed shot of Island , a few scrubby pine trees and a lighthouse, which is the only sign of human life, punctuate the shore of the peninsula. An expanse of calm water keeps the land at a distance. The atmospheric sound of the film emerges: the lilting noise of lapping water and a slight wind envelops the viewer in the natural poetics of a soundscape that attends the sub - sequent still views of the island. The establishing shot is followed by a closer view of the shore, isolating and pausing on the image and shape of a solitary tree. Then, unhurried, the film cuts to another long, still shot of a group of similar trees gathered at the edge of the water, the silhouettes of their spare trunks intersecting the horizontal striations of the screen where water meets land and land meets sky. Absent of narration, the initial shots of landscape and trees in Island are not only still but untethered by the subsequent narrative voice-over (spoken by Heathcote Williams), which presents the story of an unidentified and unseen woman who has come to the island "to think," an act of contemplation that is opened up by the stilled space within the images of landscape. The tree is figured as the dominant subject of the multiple still shots, shaped through fragmented and photographic perspectives on the landscape. The filmed images of trees in Island bring cinema to bear upon photography, recalling the history of the photographic view and a distinct lineage of tree photographs that dates to the invention of the medium. That the trees are themselves not photographs but
Magnetoresistance anisotropy in ferromagnetic NiCu alloys

The magnetoresistance anisotropy is calculated for ferromagnetic nickel-copper alloys. The model is based on $\mathrm{sd}$ impurity scattering at temperatures sufficiently low for the electron-magnon interaction to be negligible. The $d$ bands as well as the conductivity integrals are treated in considerably more detail than previously reported. The results indicate that the majority-spin current favors the condition ${\ensuremath{\rho}}_{\ensuremath{\parallel}}l{\ensuremath{\rho}}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}$ and the minority-spin current favors ${\ensuremath{\rho}}_{\ensuremath{\parallel}}g{\ensuremath{\rho}}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}$. This is in opposition to previous work based on overly simplified band models. The feature of the band models. The feature of the band structure most responsible for producing a large, positive, magnetoresistance coefficient $\frac{({\ensuremath{\rho}}_{\ensuremath{\parallel}}\ensuremath{-}{\ensuremath{\rho}}_{\ensuremath{\perp}})}{{〈\ensuremath{\rho}〉}_{\mathrm{av}}}$ appears to be a near-degeneracy at the Fermi energy between predominantly minority-spin bands.
An inducible offense: carnivore morph tadpoles induced by tadpole carnivory.

Phenotypic plasticity is commonplace, and plasticity theory predicts that organisms should often evolve mechanisms to detect and respond to environmental cues that accurately predict future environmental conditions. Here, we test this prediction in tadpoles of spadefoot toads, Spea multiplicata. These tadpoles develop into either an omnivore ecomorph, which is a dietary generalist, or a carnivore ecomorph, which specializes on anostracan shrimp and other tadpoles. We investigated a novel proximate cue – ingestion of Scaphiopus tadpoles – and its propensity to produce carnivores by rearing tadpoles on different diets. We found that diets containing tadpoles from the genus Scaphiopus produced more carnivores than diets without Scaphiopus tadpoles. We discuss why Scaphiopus tadpoles are an excellent food source and why it is therefore advantageous for S. multiplicata tadpoles to produce an inducible offense that allows them to better utilize this resource. In general, such inducible offenses provide an excellent setting for investigating the proximate and evolutionary basis of phenotypic plasticity.
Effects of placing negatively charged groups at the corona terminus on the aqueous dispersion stabilities for PCL-b-PEO block copolymer micelles

Abstract A series of diblock copolymers HO-PCL n - b -PEO 32 – RX ( n = 51, 67, 109, R = –O(CH 2 ) 3 S(CH 2 ) 2 –, X = –CO 2 H, –SO 3 Na) were synthesized from the HO-PCL n - b -PEO 32 –CH 2 CH CH 2 diblock copolymer precursor by thiol-ene click chemistry. These PCL- b -PEO diblock polymers with different terminal groups were used to form spherical micelles with narrow size distribution. Micelles from [PCL n - b -PEO 32 – R CO 2 ] − Na + and [PCL n - b -PEO 32 – R SO 3 ] − Na + are observed to give stable aqueous dispersions with much larger hydrophobic cores and higher solution ion concentrations than micelles from PCL n - b -PEO 32 –CH 2 CH CH 2 where a neutral allyl group terminates the corona.
Crack-Interface Grain Bridging as a Fracture Resistance I, Mechanism in Ceramics: I, Experimental Study on Alumina

Direct microscopic evidence is presented in support of an explanation of R-curve behavior in monophase ceramics by grain-localized bridging across the newly formed crack interface. In situ observations are made of crack growth in tapered cantilever beam and indented flexure specimens of a coarsegrained alumina. The fractures are observed to be highly stable, typical of a material with a strongly increasing resistance characteristic, but are discontinuous at the microstructural level. Associated with this discontinuity is the appearance of overlapping segments in the surface fracture trace around bridging grains; the mean spacing of such “activity sites” along the trace is about 2 to 5 grain diameters. These segments link up with the primary crack beneath the specimen surface, and continue to evolve toward rupture of the bridge as fracture proceeds. The bridges remain active at large distances, of order 100 grain diameters or more, behind the crack tip. Scanning electron microscopy of some of the bridging sites demonstrates that secondary (interface-adjacent) microfracture and frictional tractions are important elements in the bridge separation process. Evidence is sought, but none found, for some of the more popular alternative models of toughening, notably frontal-zone microcracking and cracktip/internal-stress interaction. It is suggested that the crackinterface bridging mechanism may be a general phenomenon in nontransforming ceramics.
The effect of the small-aspect-ratio approximation on canonical electrostatic MEMS models

The mathematical modeling and analysis of electrostatically actuated micro- and nanoelectromechanical systems (MEMS and NEMS) has typically relied upon simplified electrostatic-field approximations to facilitate the analysis. Usually, the small aspect ratio of typical MEMS and NEMS devices is used to simplify Laplace's equa- tion. Terms small in this aspect ratio are ignored. Unfortunately, such an approximation is not uniformly valid in the spatial variables. Here, this approximation is revisited and a uniformly valid asymptotic theory for a general "drum shaped" electrostatically actuated device is presented. The structure of the solution set for the standard non-uniformly valid theory is reviewed and new numerical results for several domain shapes presented. The effect of retaining typically ignored terms on the solution set of the standard theory is explored.
The mitral valve is an actively adapting tissue: new imaging evidence

With the mitral valve (MV) leaflet bases arising from the mitral annulus (MA) and the leaflet body and tips connected via the chordae and papillary muscles (PM) to the left ventricular (LV) wall, the anterior and posterior MV leaflets are hoisted like sails. The precise systolic spatial and temporal three-dimensional (3D) interplay of all these structures ensures optimal MV leaflet coaptation within the LV cavity just at the level of the MA, while preventing leaflet displacement into the left atrium (LA; prolapse) or the LV outflow tract (systolic anterior motion, SAM). Any change in form or function that leads to an imbalance of this interplay can result in mechanical leaflet stretch, and if leaflet redundancy is exhausted, to a relative leaflet tissue to MA area deficit and therefore mitral regurgitation (MR).1 Gradually evolving changes that do not unsettle this balance, such as fetal to adulthood growth, seem to allow the MV leaflets to adapt, grow and match the needs of the enlarging LV and MA (×20 area increase).2 The …
Rapid prenatal diagnosis using uncultured amniocytes and oligonucleotide array CGH.

Objective Oligonucleotide-based array comparative genomic hybridization (array CGH) is an established method for detecting chromosomal abnormalities. Here, we explored the feasibility of using DNA extracted from uncultured amniocytes in amniotic fluid for array CGH on an oligonucleotide array platform. Methods Fifteen fetuses from 14 ongoing pregnancies were studied by array CGH on targeted oligonucleotide arrays with DNA isolated from direct amniotic fluid using a modified DNA extraction protocol. Results High-quality array CGH results were obtained for 13 samples with suboptimal but interpretable results in only 2 samples due to limited DNA amounts. Array CGH using whole genome amplification (WGA) of DNA for the two cases with limited DNA was successful, and results were consistent with those from unamplified DNA. For another five samples, the results of array CGH with amplified DNA matched those with unamplified DNA. Chromosome analysis was performed for 14 cases and was consistent with array CGH results. Conclusion This study demonstrates the feasibility of prenatal genetic diagnosis using oligonucleotide array CGH analysis for direct analysis of amniocytes without culturing cells. The use of oligonucleotide arrays increases the sensitivity and accuracy of detection over previous bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC)-based arrays. Furthermore, the direct analysis allows for rapid array CGH results and shorter reporting time. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Establishment and Management of Virtual End-to-End QoS Paths through Modern Hybrid WANs with TeraPaths

The resource reservation capabilities offered by modern wide area networks, such as ESnet and Internet2, create a new network utilization model that coexists but drastically differs from the standard best-effort network paradigm. These capabilities enable the dedication of network resources to specific users/applications that may suffer from interruptions and other adverse effects because of the default best-effort behavior of networks. Extending the new capabilities through the local area networks of end sites and making them available to end users and applications in a useful, transparent, and scalable manner is a variation of the “last mile” problem. The TeraPaths project at Brookhaven National Laboratory is pioneering a framework that takes advantage of the new capabilities to establish and manage on-demand true end-to-end QoS-aware network paths dedicated to authorized data flows. In this paper, we examine the issues raised by the new end-to-end resource reservation-based networking paradigm and the implications/benefits for end users and applications.
Experimental Studies on Ettringite-Induced Heaving in Soils

Sulfate-induced heaving in soils is primarily attributed to ettringite formation from the reactions between calcium of a lime or cement stabilizer, reactive alumina in soils, and sulfates in soils. Ettringite formation and subsequent heaving in soils are complex topics that are not well understood. This research is an attempt to advance the state of the knowledge on these topics. Ettringite was successfully synthesized in the laboratory by simulating conditions close to those in chemically treated sulfate-bearing soils. Soils spiked and compacted with the synthesized ettringite did not undergo heaving in one-dimensional free swell tests. However, heaving was observed when ettringite was formed inside the lime-treated soil specimen by including ionic reactions. Mineralogical studies including x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope studies were used to evaluate the presence of ettringite. Experimental investigations showed that the ettringite or sulfate-induced heaving was higher in clays than in sands under similar chemistry and environmental conditions. This is attributed to the void sizes of soil types and crystalline ettringite formation in the voids. Also, the effects of soil type, lime and sulfate amounts on this type of heaving, and hypothesized threshold levels of chemical ions to form ettringite mineral in treated soils, are addressed.
Oedipal narratives and the exilic ovid

‘…we think [for example] of the word writing (schreiben) and immediately before us we have the image of two men, one man carrying the other on his back…’So wrote G. Schubert in his study of dream symbolism (Die Symbolik des Traumes) published in 1814—one of many works of dream theory that served as a resource for Freud, whose magnum opus—The Interpretation of Dreams—would appear at the turn of the century. Schubert offers the example of the nonsensical association of the word ‘writing’ with the image of two men (‘one carrying the other on his back’) in an effort to argue a thesis later challenged by the work of Freud: that a ‘daytime language of words’ exists independent of, and unaffected by, a ‘nighttime language of dreams’. Read nearly a century after Freud, the passage is ironic, as Neil Hertz has observed, largely because Schubert's exemplary ‘nonsensical’ combination of word and image is richly suggestive of one of the principal concerns of poststructuralist psychoanalysis: how writing is a process of bearing the burden of the past and shouldering the father, an (oedipal) narrative of the son coming to terms with paternal authority: ‘The weight of the older man's body, the pressure of his will give substance to the voiced word…[w]riting, Freud would have us say, is Oedipal, a coming to terms with the Father, a shouldering of the burden of the past.’
Does central nervous system plasticity contribute to hyperalgesia

Hyperalgesia can arise from peripheral sensitization, on-going peripheral activation, and central plasticity. In the target article, coderre & katz argue that all three mechanisms contribute to hyperalgesia. In contrast, we believe that existing experimental evidence suggests that central plasticity plays only an insignificant role in most experimental models and clinical presentations of hyperalgesia induced by tissue injury or chemical activation of sensory receptors.
Role of the superoxide anion in the myeloperoxidase-mediated antimicrobial system.

Abstract An antimicrobial system has been previously described in the polymorphonuclear leukocyte which consists of myeloperoxidase, H2O2, and a halide. In the present study, H2O2 is replaced by xanthine and xanthine oxidase in the isolated myeloperoxidase-mediated antimicrobial system and the contribution of the superoxide anion (O2-) and hydroxyl radicals (·OH) to the antimicrobial effect investigated. Xanthine, xanthine oxidase, chloride, and myeloperoxidase have a marked microbicidal effect on Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida tropicalis. The requirement for H2O2 is indicated by the inhibitory effect of catalase. Superoxide dismutase, which catalyzes the conversion of (O2-) to O2 and H2O2, inhibits microbicidal activity at high concentration (g88 µg per ml); however, this is probably due, in large part, to the nonspecific inhibitory effect of protein. Cytochrome c is reduced by (O2-) and thus inhibits the conversion of (O2-) to H2O2. The microbicidal activity of the xanthine-xanthine oxidase-chloride-myeloperoxidase system is inhibited by cytochrome c and superoxide dismutase, at low concentration (4.4 µg per ml), largely reverses this inhibition. Microbicidal activity in the presence of cytochrome c and superoxide dismutase is inhibited by catalase. The hydroxyl radical scavengers, benzoate and ethanol, also have an inhibitory effect on the microbicidal system which is partially reversed by superoxide dismutase. Again, catalase abolishes the microbicidal activity of the reconstituted system. These studies suggest that superoxide dismutase and scavengers of the (O2-) and ·OH radicals influence microbicidal activity through their effect on H2O2 formation. Their interaction offers a possible means of control of the myeloperoxidase-mediated antimicrobial system in the intact cell.
Whatcha Doin' After School?: A Review of the Literature on the Influence of After-School Programs on Young Black Males

Basic quality-of-life indicators including employment, access to health care, and involvement with the criminal justice system paint a grim picture for the lives of urban Black males; thus, it is i...
The accuracy of user authentication through keystroke features using the most frequent words

We study the performance and influence of various keystroke features on keystroke dynamics authentication systems. In particular, we investigate the performance of keystroke features on a subset of most frequently used English words. Four features including key duration, flight time latency, diagraph time latency, and word total time duration were analyzed using non-parametric Wilcoxon Man-Whitney statistical test technique. Two experiments were performed to measure the performance of each feature individually as well as the results from the combinations of these features. The results of the experiments were evaluated with eight users. The results show that while the combination of hold time and word total duration produces best performance among all four keystroke features combinations, hold time of the key press offers the optimal result if used independently.
Chitosan/Pectin Laminated Films

Chitosan/lactic acid films were cast upon pectin films with either glycerol or lactic acid as plasticizer to give clear laminated films with dynamic mechanical properties similar to those for pectin films alone. To prevent fungal growth, lactic acid was used to replace glycerol in the pectin film without significant change in dynamic mechanical properties. The storage modulus and loss modulus of chitosan/pectin laminated films were significantly greater than respective moduli of chitosan films alone. Water vapor permeation of pectin or chitosan films, made with lactic acid, was unchanged by lamination.
Human Capital as a Fertility Determinant in an Economically Developed Homogeneous Population

This study analyzes the relationship between human capital and fertility in West Germany, an economically developed homogeneous society that has been characterized by low and declining birthrates, a rise in educational levels, and increasing female labor force participation for more than a decade and a half. The theoretical links between human capital and fertility are first explored within the framework of an informal household optimization model drawn from the economics of fertility literature. Cross-sectional empirical relationships are then assessed using OLS regression techniques. The impact of educational measures on desired family size is found to be statistically weaker than in prior studies. Evidence is presented for the existence of a general time trend in tastes as a source of falling fertility. It is argued that these results may stem from the existence of strong norms and other special characteristics of the society, casting doubt on the validity of the economic model in such a setting.
Connectivism as a Framework for Creative Productivity in Instructional Technology

In the field of instructional technology (IT), working professionals find themselves in a world of rapidly changing information. By engaging with both professional and personal communities simultaneously via the Internet, IT professionals can stay "connected" to information in its real-time form. Using connectivism as a framework, in this survey-based study we explored ways in which IT professionals manage their rapidly changing work environment and enhance their creative productivity through the use of Web 2.0 technologies. We found connectivism to be an appropriate framework for understanding the day-to-day accessing of resources by IT professionals for creative productivity.
Peer Evaluations of Collaborative Learning Experiences Conveyed Through an Asynchronous Learning Network

The value of project-based, collaborative learning activities has been well established in the literature. For both students and faculty, fair and meaningful evaluation of the collaborative assignment is an overarching concern. Since the group-interaction elements of this type of assignment are of great interest - especially in terms of measuring such constructs as group productivity, division of labor, and teamwork skills and detecting instances of social loafing - evaluation cannot be based solely on the instructor's assessment of the final product produced by the team. A blending of instructor, self, and peer assessment is indicated but the problems associated with gathering, weighing, and analyzing the data from such a multi-faceted evaluation are quite daunting. There is, however, little consensus on what data is available and how it can be effectively processed to facilitate evaluation of the teamwork in collaborative learning activities conducted in an ALN. The goal of this study was to develop a reliable and valid instrument for conducting self and peer evaluations of the teamwork aspect of a project-based, collaborative learning assignment.
Effect of dopants on arsenic precipitation in GaAs deposited at low temperatures

High resolution x-ray diffraction using synchrotron radiation was used to characterize GaAs grown by MBE at low temperatures (LT-GaAs) LT-GaAs grown at 225°C is nonstoichiometric and exhibits a 0.15% lattice expansion along the growth direction. Annealing LT-GaAs results in arsenic clusters with a well-defined orientation relationship with the GaAs matrix and a relaxation of the LT-GaAs lattice. The arsenic precipitation corresponds to a classical case of diffsion controlled nucleation and growth followed by coarsening. While the rates of growth and coarsening in the n-doped and the p-doped samples are observed to be identical, the effects of the superlattice seem to accelerate the precipitation kinetics in the p-n superlattice sample. The enhanced coarsening in the p-n superlattice sample is consistent with a previously propsed model involving interaction between charged precipitate and arsenic defects.
Guided Self-Help Treatment for Recurrent Binge Eating: Replication and Extension

Objective:The aim of this study was to replicate and extend results of a previous blended efficacy and effectiveness trial of a low-intensity, manual-based guided self-help form of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT-GSH) for the treatment of binge eating disorders in a large health maintenance organization (HMO) and to compare them with usual care. Methods:To extend previous findings, the investigators modified earlier recruitment and assessment approaches and conducted a randomized clinical trial to better reflect procedures that may be reasonably carried out in real-world practices. The intervention was delivered by master's-level interventionists to 160 female members of a health maintenance organization who met diagnostic criteria for recurrent binge eating. Data collected at baseline, immediately posttreatment, and at six- and 12-month follow-ups were used in intent-to-treat analyses. Results:At the 12-month follow-up, CBT-GSH resulted in greater remission from binge eating (35%, N=26) than usual care...
The Nature of Uplifts in North-Central Oklahoma and Their Local Expression

The relative importance of the forces which have stressed north-central Oklahoma, and the regional nature of the vertical stresses, are pointed out. There follows a discussion of vertical stresses and their local effect as determined by the pre-existing character of the pre-Cambrian complex. The theory is advanced for the origin of many of the structures by local differential movements in a mass of rock which is being regionally tilted by vertical stresses.
Nonlinear dynamics of small neural networks

We discuss small networks of biological neurons which send rhythmic voltage activity to muscles. These Central Pattern Generators (CPGs) are found widely in animals. We have studied both the individual neurons and small networks building both numerical and analog electrical models.
Greenhouse Rose Production in Media Containing Coal Bottom Ash

Coal bottom ash was mixed with composted hardwood bark fines in proportions of 3: 1,2: 1 and 1: 1 (by vol) and with soil and peat in proportions of 1:l: 1 (by vol). A mix of soil, sand and peat 1: 1:l (by vol) was used as the control root medium. Rosa x hybrida L. 'Samantha' plants were planted and cultured for one year and production indices recorded for four harvests. Flower stem lengths, flower bud diameters, production times, and numbers of flowers produced in media composed of ash and bark were equivalent to those in the control medium. Stem fresh weights of flowers produced in ash:bark media exceeded those in the control during third and fourth harvest. Foliar analysis showed increased B but decreased Mn and Cu in plants grown in the ash:bark media. Values of physical characteristics of all media were within acceptable ranges. Requirements for imgation and fertilization were higher in the ash:bark media. The coal bottom ash:hardwood bark combinations showed potential as components of artificial root media for growing greenhouse roses. I Index words: greenhouse roses, coal bottom ash, composted hardwood bark fines, cut rose flower production. I
Pain and Satisfaction With Pain Management Among Older Patients During the Transition From Acute to Skilled Nursing Care.

Purpose Approximately 20% of hospitalized Medicare beneficiaries are discharged from the hospital to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs); and up to 23% of SNF patients return to the hospital within 30 days of hospital discharge, with pain as one of the most common symptoms precipitating hospital readmission. We sought to examine the prevalence of moderate to severe pain at hospital discharge to SNF, the incidence of new moderate to severe pain (relative to prehospitalization), and satisfaction with pain management among older acute care patients discharged to SNF. Design and methods Structured patient interviews were conducted with 188 Medicare beneficiaries discharged to 23 area SNFs from an academic medical center. Pain level (0-10) and satisfaction with pain management were assessed upon hospital admission, discharge, and within 1 week after transition to SNF. Results There was a high prevalence of moderate to severe pain at each time point including prehospital (51%), hospital discharge (38%), and following SNF admission (53%). Twenty-eight percent of participants reported new moderate to severe pain at hospital discharge, whereas 44% reported new moderate to severe pain following SNF admission. Most participants reported being "satisfied" with their pain treatment, even in the context of moderate to severe pain. Implications Moderate to severe pain is a common problem among hospitalized older adults discharged to SNF and continues during their SNF stay. Pain assessment and management should involve a specific, planned process between hospital and SNF clinicians at the point of care transition, even if patients express "satisfaction" with current pain management.
Reductions of myocardial Na-K-ATPase activity and ouabain binding sites in heart failure : prevention by nadolol

To study the changes in myocardial digitalis binding sites in heart failure, we measured myocardial ouabain binding sites, Na-K-adenosinetriphosphatase (ATPase) activity, and ventricular muscle mechanical responses to acetylstrophanthidin in dogs with right-heart failure (RHF) produced by tricuspid avulsion and pulmonary artery constriction. Sham-operated dogs were studied as the control. RHF produced a significant decrease in ouabain binding sites in the right and left ventricular myocardium, which was accompanied by a proportional decrease in Na-K-ATPase activity. However, RHF and sham-operated dogs did not differ in systemic hemodynamic or right ventricular trabeculate muscle isometric contractile responses to acetylstrophanthidin. To determine whether chronic beta-adrenergic stimulation contributed to the development of Na-K-ATPase downregulation, we administered nadolol (40 mg/day) to a separate group of dogs during an early stage of RHF development. Nadolol effectively prevented the reduction of myocardial ouabain binding sites that occurred in RHF. Thus we conclude that myocardial ouabain binding sites and Na-K-ATPase activity are reduced in dogs with experimental heart failure and that these changes probably occur as a result of the attendant heightened sympathetic activity.
The alcohol dehydrogenase gene adh1 is induced in Aspergillus flavus grown on medium conducive to aflatoxin biosynthesis.

Abstract An Aspergillus flavus cDNA library was screened by differential hybridization to isolate clones corresponding to genes that are actively transcribed under culture conditions conducive to aflatoxin biosynthesis. One clone with a 1.28-kb insert was isolated, and its nucleotide sequence was determined. The nucleotide sequence of this clone had 75% DNA identity to those of the alcohol dehydrogenase genes from Aspergillus nidulans, and the putative polypeptide translated from the cDNA sequence had 82% similarity with the amino acid sequences of the A. nidulans proteins. Thus, this gene has been designated adh1. Southern hybridization analysis of genomic DNA from A. flavus indicated that there was one copy of the adh1 gene. Northern (RNA) hybridization analysis indicated that the adh1 transcript accumulated in culture medium conducive to aflatoxin production and the timing of accumulation of adh1 transcripts was similar to that for aflatoxin. Fusion of the promoter region of adh1 to a beta-glucuronidase reporter gene indicated that accumulation of the adh1 transcript was the result of transcriptional activation. These molecular data support previous physiological evidence that showed the importance of carbohydrate metabolism during aflatoxin biosynthesis.
Pattern Recognition Analysis of Snowdrifts

Terrain features and prevailing wind patterns play a dominant role in how snow is accumulated. Research was conducted to determine the location of snowdrifts on a 0.41 km 2 subbasin of the Reynolds Creek Experimental Watershed located in the Owyhee Mountains in southwestern Idaho. Snow depths at maximum accumulation were determined on a 7.6 m grid using aerial photography. The terrain variables used in the analysis were ground slope, ground aspect, elevation, distance from the top of the ridge, in the direction of the prevailing wind and the difference in elevation between the top of the ridge and the point. A pattern recognition technique called cluster analysis was used to determine the best terrain variables for locating snowdrifts. Our analysis indicated that slope and aspect were the best variables. Discriminant functions using these variables and the prevailing wind were developed to predict the location of snowdrifts. The functions were tested on a 16.7 km 2 area.
Experimental Validation of the Spectral Fit Algorithm Using Tissue Mimicking Phantoms

Characterizing tissue by measuring its physical properties has potential for improving the diagnostic capabilities of medical ultrasound. One parameter that is estimated using the power spectrum of backscattered ultrasound echoes is the characteristic size or correlation length of the tissue microstructure responsible for the scattering. Unfortunately, the characteristic size measurement has traditionally been corrupted by uncertainties in the frequency-dependent attenuation along the propagation path. Recently, this problem was addressed by estimating the characteristic size and attenuation along the propagation path simultaneously using an algorithm termed the Spectral Fit (SF) algorithm. Using computer simulations to study the SF algorithm, the accuracy and precision of the attenuation estimate improved as the frequency range (largest frequency minus smallest frequency used by the algorithm when obtaining estimates) was increased. Similarly, the accuracy and precision of the scatterer size estimates were improved as the Δka eff (largest wavenumber times scatterer radius minus smallest wavenumber times scatterer radius used by the algorithm) was increased. In this study, the simulation results were validated using a tissue mimicking phantom. The phantom had an attenuation of 0.83 dB/cm-MHz with glass beads with a radius range between 22.5 and 26.5 μm at a concentration of 47.7/mm3. The SF algorithm accurately estimated the size of the glass beads and the precision of the size and attenuation estimates improved with increasing Δka eff and frequency range respectively in the same manner as was observed in the simulation studies
A framework and model to evaluate promotions: A restaurant cross-promotion in-market study

This article presents a framework and a model to evaluate the impact of promotions on company revenue and profit based on the examination of empirical findings from a restaurant cross-promotion in-market study. Promotions are difficult to evaluate because firms do not know to what extent the promotion creates incremental transactions or to what extent it simply provides discounts to existing customers who would have paid full price. To properly measure the impact, a firm must be able to determine the following: (i) the percentage incremental versus replacement transactions, (ii) the percentage incremental transactions from new versus existing customers, and (iii) the extent to which the promotion affected their overall spending behavior. This information can be combined with the discount amount of the promotion and the firm’s profit margin to arrive at the financial impact of the promotion. To maximize this effect, the company must first market the promotion to a similar but different customer base to minimize cannibalization. Second, they can institute an aggressive upselling program to counteract the consequence of discounting existing customers.
Straying From the Breadwinner Norm: Men's Work Identities and their Wives' Work Choices

This study examines how married men in professional jobs make sense of their work identities in relation to their wives’ work choices. Drawing from qualitative interviews gathered with 42 married m...
Deleting Mcl-1 in mast cells: getting 2 birds with 1 stone.

In this issue of Blood , Lilla and colleagues report that Mcl-1 (myeloid cell leukemia sequence 1), an intracellular antiapoptotic factor in a multiple hematopoietic lineage cells, plays a crucial role in regulating survival of both mast cells and basophils.[1][1] Mcl-1 belongs to the bcl-2 family
Multi-mode Squeezed Light Transduction via Localized Surface Plasmons

Extraordinary optical transmission provides a workbench for squeezed light transduction by localized-surface-plasmons. Initial squeezing of 3.5 dB resulted in 1.2-1.4 dB of squeezing after passing through a nanohole-array despite 80% attenuation.
Enhancing Colloidal Metallic Nanocatalysis: Sharp Edges and Corners for Solid Nanoparticles and Cage Effect for Hollow Ones

There are two main classes of metallic nanoparticles: solid and hollow. Each type can be synthesized in different shapes and structures. Practical use of these nanoparticles depends on the properties they acquire on the nanoscale. Plasmonic nanoparticles of silver and gold are the most studied, with applications in the fields of sensing, medicine, photonics, and catalysis. In this Account, we review our group’s work to understand the catalytic properties of metallic nanoparticles of different shapes.Our group was the first to synthesize colloidal metallic nanoparticles of different shapes and compare their catalytic activity in solution. We found that the most active among these were metallic nanoparticles having sharp edges, sharp corners, or rough surfaces. Thus, tetrahedral platinum nanoparticles are more active than spheres. We proposed this happens because sharper, rougher particles have more valency-unsatisfied surface atoms (i.e., atoms that do not have the complete number of bonds that they can ch...
Sternal Closure With Tie Bands: A Word of Caution

The median sternotomy for cardiac operations can be reapproximated in a variety of ways. Traditionally, sternal wires have been used in several configurations to afford satisfactory closure. Alternative techniques include cables, plates, and clip-like devices. A relatively recent addition to the menu of options is the plastic tie band. Although a few studies have suggested its efficacy, this favorable experience has not been universal. The purpose of this report is to describe a failure in closure and the reaction of the soft tissue around it.