cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Community-Based Health Interventions

An article published in the New England Journal of Medicine in early 1990 augured the current health care crisis when it concluded that a black man in Harlem was less likely to reach 65 years of age than a man in Bangladesh (McCord & Freeman, 1990). Americans spend more than 11% of the gross national product on health services—more than any other country. Health expenditures in the United States have risen from $26.9 billion in 1960 to $699.5 billion in 1990, and $1,035.1 billion in 1996 (U.S. Health Care Financing Administration, 1997). Paradoxically, these enormous health expenditures do not begin to assure better quality care or better health for all Americans. The differential gap in life expectancy for whites and blacks has been widening; a white female born in 1996 could expect to live about 79.7 years, a black female 74.2 years (Anderson, 1998; the comparable figures for males are 73.9 and 66.1). In 1997, an estimated 43.4 million Americans (15.3% of the population) were not covered by health insurance at any time during the year and the percentage nearly doubles (31.6%) for poor people
Hemodynamics of the central nervous system arteriovenous malformation nidus during particulate embolization. A computer model.

We have modelled the hemodynamics of the nidus of the central nervous system (CNS) arteriovenous malformation (AVM) during the process of particulate embolization. The model accurately reproduces the visually apparent incremental slowing observed during such embolization of CNS AVMs. The model is simple and proposes that the nidus is composed of many identical microchannels. As the microchannels are occluded by particles at a constant rate, the rate of change of flow reduction with each bolus of emboli constantly increases exponentially. A rapid reduction in apparent flow rate occurs immediately prior to complete occlusion. With a more accurate understanding of the workings of the nidus of CNS AVMs we can increase the safety of therapeutic particulate embolization.
Real-Time Distribution of Stochastic Discount Factors

I use option prices to infer real-time moments of stochastic discount factors (SDFs). The moments are estimated, from daily SP 500 index option data, in real time, without relying on past observations. These moments are forward-looking and significantly predict the market excess return. The theory suggests that the SDF variance (kurtosis) is positively priced while the SDF skewness is negatively priced in the cross section of returns. A cross-sectional analysis shows that the price of risks associated with the moments of the SDF are economically and statistically significant after controlling for a comprehensible set of economic variables.
Navigating the Healthcare Service "Black Box": Individual Competence and Fragmented System

CSCW research has investigated how people at workplace and organizational settings gain knowledge required for work, but less is known regarding how "organizational outsiders" obtain knowledge about organizations and organizational landscapes that provide a service. Gaining knowledge about service landscapes is particularly difficult because they are often complex, non-transparent, and fragmented. We address this gap through an interview study of 19 U.S. parents regarding how they navigated health services for their young children, and how they gained competence in navigation practices. We describe a similar process all participants went through including four inherently iterative stages: seeking and integrating knowledge, decision-making, encountering breakdowns, and repairing and reflecting. We further elucidate what constitutes navigational competence, or the creation of resources about how to navigate, for our participants. We discuss how our study could advance understanding of navigation practices, and the importance for HCI design to support these complex yet essential navigation practices and the accumulation of navigational competence.
Continent Ileostomy After Removal of a Failed IPAA

Ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) is considered the reconstructive procedure of choice for patients who require total proctocolectomy (TPC) for treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC) [1, 2]. IPAA is also offered in some centers to highly-selected patients with indeterminate colitis and Crohn’s colitis requiring TPC [3–5]. While the vast majority of patients who undergo IPAA report good quality of life and high pouch retention rates [6, 7], approximately 10% will suffer complications leading to pouch excision [8]. These patients are usually presented with standard ileostomy as the only option. However, in a few highly specialized centers throughout the world, creation of a continent ileostomy may be offered as a more palatable alternative to end ileostomy.
Comparative Responsiveness and Minimally Important Difference of Common Anxiety Measures.

Background:Anxiety is one of the most prevalent mental disorders and accounts for substantial disability as well as increased health care costs. This study examines the minimally important difference (MID) and responsiveness of 6 commonly used anxiety scales.Methods:The sample comprised 294 patients
P-Akt/SNF5 signaling interactions in rhabdoid tumors

4544 Chromatin remodeling factors are important regulators of cell growth and differentiation. Alterations in these factors have been shown to lead to the development of human cancers. Expression of SNF5/Baf47, a member of the SWI/SNF (mating type switch/sucrose nonfermenting) complex, is lost in more than 80% of malignant rhabdoid tumors (MRT). Our lab previously demonstrated that re-introduction of SNF5 into A204 and TM87-16 MRT cell lines induces growth arrest. In A204 cells, SNF5 interacts directly at the p16 and p21 promoters to up-regulate expression. However, re-introduction of SNF5 does not induce a growth arrest in all SNF5 null rhabdoid tumor cell lines, including G401. Therefore we are investigating whether the SNF5 induced p21 response is functional in these cells. SNF5 does induce p21 expression in G401. However, transiently transfected p21 predominantly localizes in the cytoplasm of G401 as compared to solely localizing in the nucleus of A204. Because P-Akt has been shown to phosphorylate p21, causing its exclusion from the nucleus, we characterized Akt expression in these rhabdoid cell lines. We discovered high levels of P-Akt expression in G401 and TTC709 as compared to A204 and TM87-16 cells. As the growth inhibitory activity of p21 is associated with nuclear localization, we hypothesized that high levels of P-Akt and altered p21 localization may be responsible for impaired SNF5 sensitivity. In support of this model, we found that wild type p21 does not induce as great a growth arrest in G401 or TTC709 as compared to A204 or TM87-16 cells. In contrast, a p21 mutant incapable of being phosphorylated by P-Akt, induces a growth arrest in G401 and TTC709 similar to that found in A204 and TM87-16 cells. However, as p21 has some inhibitory effect on G401 and TTC709 cells, impaired p21 activity may not be solely responsible for lack of SNF5 induced growth arrest. We also generated stable control and dominant negative DN-Akt expressing G401 clones. We found DN-Akt G401 clones exhibit a 50% decrease in cellular proliferation and colony formation when transfected with SNF5 as compared to control. Therefore, blocking P-Akt allows SNF5 to induce a partial growth arrest in G401. These studies provide a more comprehensive approach to inhibiting rhabdoid tumor cell growth. Moreover, we also found that P-Akt expression is high in some human primary rhabdoid tumors in vivo. Therefore, this work may give insight into the development of rhabdoid tumors because their cellular origin remains unknown.
Acculturative Stress, Anxiety Sensitivity, and Smoking among Spanish-Speaking Latinx Adult Smokers.

Objectives: Although acculturative stress is a known individual difference factor related to poor health, little is understood about its relationship to smoking among Latinx adults. One transdiagno...
Multiple stressor responses are regulated by sirtuins in Mytilus congeners

Abstract Understanding physiological tolerances of marine organisms to environmental stress is key to predicting species susceptability under climate change. Along the Pacific Coast of the U.S.A. intertidal mussel congeners (genus Mytilis) vary in their physiological stress tolerances, with the invasive M. galloprovincialis being heat tolerant but vulnerable to hyposalinity while the native M. trossulus is vulnerable to heat stress and tolerant of hyposalinity. Sirtuins, a family of NAD+-dependent deacylases, may influence the environmental stressor tolerances in these mussel congeners. The purpose of our study was to determine the mechanism by which sirtuins may confer differential stress responses in the two mussel congeners. Mussels (N = 6 per species) were acclimated to laboratory conditions in tidal simulators and exposed to sirtuin inhibitors (suramin and nicotinamide). Following inhibition, mussels were exposed to hyposalinity stress (29 ppt) for 6 h followed by aerial heat stress (32 °C) for 6 h after which mussel gill was dissected for proteomic analysis. During sirtuin inhibition we found a reduction of cellular stress response (CSR) proteins (molecular chaperones, antioxidants), which are key to maintaining cellular homeostasis. Moreover, we found differential stress responses between the two species under aerial heat combined with hyposalinity exposure. Three-way interactions (aerial heat, hyposalinity and sirtuin inhibition combined) showed complex interactive effects with sirtuins as potential modulators. Thus, our study suggests that sirtuins are contributing to the species-specific CSR in Mytilus and our multiple-stressor approach provides information used to make predictions regarding climate change effects on these competing species.
NEURAL NETWORK FOR POSITIONING SPACE STATION SOLAR ARRAYS

As a Shuttle approaches the Space Station Freedom for a rendezvous, the Shuttle's reaction control jet firings pose a risk of excessive plume impingement loads of Freedom solar arrays. The current solution to this problem, in which the arrays are locked in a feathered position prior to the approach, may be neither accurate nor robust, and is also expensive. An alternative solution is proposed here: the active control of Freedom's beta gimbals during the approach, positioning the arrays dynamically in such a way that they remain feathered relative to the Shuttle jet most likely to cause an impingement load. An artificial neural network is proposed as a means to determining the gimbal angles that would drive plume angle of attack to zero. Such a network would be both accurate and robust, and could be less expensive to implement than the current solution. A network was trained via backpropagation, and results, which compare favorably to the current solution as well as to some other alternatives, are presented. Other training options are currently being evaluated.
Primaquine elicits Foxp3+ regulatory T cells with a superior ability to limit CNS autoimmune inflammation

Abstract Multiple sclerosis (MS) and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) are neuroinflammatory conditions where inflammatory CD4+ T cells play a major role. Forkhead box P3 (Foxp3)+ regulatory T (Treg) cells suppress inflammation and an increase in their numbers and activity is beneficial for MS and EAE. However, studies have shown that Treg cells can transdifferentiate to pathogenic Th17 cells under inflammatory conditions. Drugs that stimulate Treg cell induction and their resistance to inflammatory stimuli are necessary to develop effective therapies to treat MS. Here, we show that primaquine (PQ), an anti-malarial drug, suppresses EAE through the stimulation of Foxp3+ Treg cells. PQ-elicited Treg cells are refractory to inflammatory stimuli and suppress EAE. Additionally, PQ-elicited Foxp3+ Treg cells were more efficient in suppressing the proliferation of responder cells compared to PBS-elicited Treg cells. Although PQ does not directly induce Foxp3+ Treg cell differentiation from naive T cells, it modulated dendritic cells (DCs) to induce Foxp3+ Treg cells in an indoleamine 2,3 dioxygenase (IDO)-dependent manner. Together, our results show that PQ elicits Foxp3+ Treg cells with a superior suppressive activity to reduce EAE. PQ has the potential as a safe and effective treatment for MS and other CNS autoimmune inflammatory diseases.
Tabular Model: Access Operations and pandas

This chapter lays out the operations needed to access and manipulate tabular data. We begin with a conceptual summary of these operations, including row and column projection, column-vector operations, aggregation operations, updating columns, and adding and deleting data. We then illustrate these operations using “pandas” methods, “DataFrame” objects, and “Series” objects.
Speaking Up and Listening Strategies for Urgent Patient Safety Concerns and the Effect of Push Back

Background: Speaking up is critical to the culture of safety and depends on healthcare professionals’ willingness to express concerns regarding risky or deficient actions that may lead to patient harm. In reality, speaking up and listening to concerns is hampered by individual, interpersonal and cultural factors including perceived lack of knowledge or experience, power differentials, prior negative responses, and lack of institutional support. We hypothesized that healthcare professionals would utilize fewer listening and speaking up for safety strategies if they experienced a push back from a colleague. Methods: Healthcare providers recruited from a regional academic healthcare …
Bis Photobase Generator

The extension of 193nm technology is desirable due to the magnitude of past investments. Since “optical” advancements are increasingly difficult, there is a strong demand for more sophisticated “smart” resists to increase pattern density. Many studies have proven double pattering can be used for the extension of 193nm lithography. In this study, a new class of two stage photo base generators will be introduced along with the synthetic procedure and molecular characterization. The characterizations for exposure study by NMR have shown typical characteristics to stage decomposition under the exposure of 254nm light as well as promising pitch division. GCMS was utilized to indicate the formation of photo base and major products from secondary photo chemical reaction. Kinetic simulation was also taken into account to show the consistence of proposed mechanism. Index Terms – photo base generator, photo acid generator, double patterning, single exposure, pitch division, dual tone hybrid photo resist, polymer deprotection .
Scalable Service-Driven Database-Enabled Wireless Network Virtualization for Robust RF Sharing

Wireless virtualization has emerged as one of the efficient ways to overcome numerous wireless networking challenges such as RF resource sharing. RF spectrum sharing in wireless networks focuses on increasing the usage efficiency of radio frequency (RF) spectrum with its increasing demand. To reduce uncertainties that accompany the spectrum sharing process caused by RF sensing, database-based spectrum sharing allows opportunistic spectrum access through occupancy information query of a spectrum database. In this paper, we propose a 2-level hierarchical spectrum allocation framework for multiple service-based virtual networks (VN) by leasing wireless resources from Wireless Infrastructure Providers (WIPs). The software defined network (SDN)-enabled virtualization configures the operating environment on the fly. This paper focuses on the competition between multiple VNs to get best RF channels to serve their users while eliminating the need for one-to-one contracts between VNs and WIPs. We develop a mathematical model for the spectrum allocation scheme which allows heterogeneous network configurations with better economic benefit. A trust-based security mechanism is also proposed for early detection and prevention of security attacks to maintain the availability attribute of the resource allocation process. Simulation results show that spectrum sharing is efficient, and assures service availability to perceived legitimate VN users.
The linguistic landscape of an Urban Hispanic-Serving Institution in the United States

This paper critically analyzes the linguistic landscape (LL) of the three campuses of Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU), a federally-designated Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) located in C...
Promoting Equity, Diversity and Social Justice Through Faculty-Led Transformative Projects

We present a transformative professional development project with a focus on equity, diversity and social justice (EDSJ) to raise cultural awareness among faculty, increase agency, and promote positive change through transformative projects. Twenty-three faculty members from nine different colleges located at a Research I university were provided with critical cultural awareness workshops and then supported to develop transformative projects related to EDSJ. Based on focus group interviews and pre-post surveys, we identified four themes and five categories: two outcome-related (Building Community and Transformative Actions) and two operational themes (Barriers and Facilitators). We conclude that faculty-centered and transformative professional development projects could significantly benefit all those interested in establishing a culturally inclusive, positive and responsive climate. Our study also contributes to the emerging research on scholar activism and provides a practical model for implementation.
A framework to make PROMs relevant to patients: qualitative study of communication preferences of PROMs

Patient-reported outcome measures are tools for evaluating symptoms, magnitude of limitations, baseline health status, and outcomes from the patient’s perspective. Healthcare professional organizations and payers increasingly recommend PROMs for clinical care, but there lacks guidance regarding effective communication of PROMs with orthopedic surgery patients. This qualitative study aimed to identify (1) patient attitudes toward the use and communication of PROMs, and (2) what patients feel are the most relevant or important aspects of PROM results to discuss with their physicians. Participants were recruited from a multispeciality orthopedic clinic. Three PROMs: the EuroQol-5 Dimension, the Patient-Specific Functional Scale, and the Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System Physical Function Computer Adaptive Test were shown and a semi-structured interview was conducted to elicit PROMs attitudes and preferences. Interviews were transcribed and inductive-deductively coded. Coded excerpts were aggregated to (1) identify major themes and (2) analyze how themes interacted. Three themes emerged: (1) Beliefs toward the purpose of PROMs, (2) PROMs as a reflection of self, and (3) PROMs to facilitate communication and guide healthcare decisions. These themes informed a framework outlining the patient perspective on communicating PROMs during clinical care. Patient attitudes toward the use and communication of PROMs start with the incorporation of patient beliefs, which can facilitate or act as a barrier to engagement. Patients should ideally believe that PROMs are an accurate reflection of personal health state before incorporation into care. Clinicians should endeavor to communicate the purpose of a chosen PROM in line with a patient’s unique needs and what they feel is most relevant to their own care. Aspects of PROMs results which may be helpful to address include providing context for what scores mean and how they are calculated, and using scores as a way to weigh risks and benefits of treatment and tracking progress over time. Future research can focus on the effect of communication strategies on patient outcomes and engagement in care.
Short report: Call to action for autism clinicians in response to anti-Black racism.

Anti-Black racism is a pervasive issue in the autism field that affects the autism service pathway, which ranges from identification of concerns to ongoing service navigation. In this short report,...
Two mathematical models predict the variation in capacity and compliance of hypertrophied bladders.

Severe outlet obstruction causes acute bladder hypertrophy and overdistension. We have developed two mathematical models to investigate what effect hypertrophy, both with and without overdistension, has on filling mechanics. The first models hypertrophy due to a mild obstruction as an increase only in bladder mass. The second models hypertrophy and overdistension due to a severe obstruction as an increase in both bladder mass and rest volume.
BUSINESS PROCESS REENGINEERING: Building a Comprehensive Methodology

The new paradigm of business process reengineering seeks to achieve dramatic performance improvement by radically redesigning the organization; it replaces information systems development that has focused largely on automating and supporting existing organizational procedures. The Process Reengineering Life Cycle (PRLC) proposed in this article is a comprehensive, six-stage methodology with guidelines for envisioning a reengineering project, getting started, diagnosing process pathologies, and redesigning, reorganizing, and measuring the newly configured process.
Control of strong ground motion of mining-induced earthquakes by the strength of the seismogenic rock mass

The shear stress ? that can be sustained by the rock mass in the environs of a mining-induced earthquake controls the near-fault peak ground velocity v of that event according to v?0.25(i?½/G)?, where i?½ is the shear wave speed and G is the modulus of rigidity. To estimate ? at mining depths, I review the results of four studies involving Witwatersrand tremors that relate to the bulk shear strength. The first and most general analysis uses the common assumptions that the seismogenic crust is pervasively faulted, has hydrostatic pore pressure before mining, and an extensional stress state that is close to failure. Mining operations reduce the pore pressure to zero within the mine and redistribute the stresses such that, in localized regions, the state of stress is again at the point of failure. Laboratory friction experiments can be used to estimate t in the zero-pore-pressure regime. Second, model calculations of states of stress in the vicinity of mining at about 3 km depth indicated the shear stress available to cause faulting near the centre of a distribution of induced earthquakes. Third, laboratory experiments combined with microscopic analyses of fault gouge from the rupture zone of a mining-induced event provided an estimate of the average shear stress acting on the fault to cause this earthquake at a depth of 2 km. Fourth, moment tensors determined for mining-induced earthquakes usually show substantial implosive components, from which it is straightforward to estimate ?. These four different analyses yield estimates of ? that fall in the range 30 to 61 MPa which implies that near-fault particle velocities could be as high as about 1.5 m/s. To the extent that the causative fault ruptures previously intact rock, both ? and ?, in localized regions, could be several times higher than 61 MPa and 1.5 m/s.
On non-equally spaced wavelet regression

Wavelet-based regression analysis is widely used mostly for equally-spaced designs. For such designs wavelets are superior to other traditional orthonormal bases because of their versatility and ability to parsimoniously describe irregular functions. If the regression design is random, an automatic solution is not available. For such non equispaced designs we propose an estimator that is a projection onto a multiresolution subspace in an associated multiresolution analysis. For defining scaling empirical coefficients in the proposed wavelet series estimator our method utilizes a probabilistic model on the design of independent variables. The paper deals with theoretical aspects of the estimator, in particular MSE convergence rates.
Bioactive Compounds from four Endophytic Penicillium sp. of a Northwest Pacific Yew Tree

Abstract In 1993, we reported an interesting phenomenon: a novel endophytic fungus isolated from the inner bark of the Northwest Pacific yew tree was able to synthesize taxol in de novo fashion. Taxol is an important new chemotherapeutic agent with unusual efficacy against the deadly and refractory breast and ovarian cancers. Unfortunately, taxol was originally isolated from the bark of the yew tree, which was in short supply. If a fungal producer of taxol were found, it could theoretically generate an unlimited supply of this new drug without encroaching on the dwindling populations of the yew tree. Following the discovery of the first taxol-producing fungus, several other endophytes were also found that appeared to produce taxoids, based on monoclonal antibody immunoassay, chromatographic analysis and mass spectral analysis. One of these fungi, identified as Penicillium raistrickii H10BA2, appears to make taxol and other taxanes in de novo fashion. But this Penicillium, and three other unidentified endophytic Penicillium sp., produce other secondary metabolites with pharmaceutical potential, which could eventually rival taxol in importance. Media composition is a critical aspect of fungal metabolite production. Endophytic fungi may respond chemically to host plant metabolites. Microorganisms often produce secondary metabolites in response to specific nutrients or environmental stress. This stress can be chemically induced by media manipulation, resulting in the production of unique metabolites. Varying fermentation protocols in synthetic media can affect the production and diversity of secondary metabolites. With this in mind, the secondary metabolites of these endophytes were examined in both conventional and “extreme” fermentation media.
Optimizing storage of objects on mass storage systems with robotic devices

Automated robotic devices that mount and dismount tape cartridges and optical disks are an important component of a mass storage system. Optimizing database performance in such environments poses additional challenges as the response time to a query may involve several costly volume mounts and dismounts in addition to seek distances within a volume. In this paper we analyze some optimization problems concerning placement of data on such devices. We present a dynamic programming algorithm for optimal loading of data on a robotic device to minimize expected query response time. The method is general in the sense that it can be tailored to work for different hardware characteristics such as seek and mounting times. A variant of the method is also presented which achieves optimal response times subject to storage utilization constraints.
Graph-algebraic approach to 3-D object representation

A graph based scene representation scheme is described. The representation scheme is hierarchical, various levels in the hierarchy representing object parts, objects and relationships among objects in the scene. Representation features for each level of representation are discussed. Graph-algebraic operations are defined for deriving the representation features of a particular level of the hierarchy in terms of lower level descriptions. Graph operations are also defined to realise hierarchical model-matching for scene component identification from sensor imagery.
Determination of Growth Rates by Tetracycline Labeling in Young Guinea Pig Mandibles

Tetracycline-labeled regions of undecalcified sections of the mandibles of 22 young male guinea pigs were measured with a planimeter to assess bone-forming activity. There were statistically significant age-associated differences and differential growth in various regions.
Rational Choice for Machines: A Research Program for Normative Philosophy

Dans le cadre du debat sur les raisons morales et les raisons non-morales de notre conduite morale, l'A. presente l'ouvrage de P. Danielson intitule «Artificial morality: virtuous robots for virtual games» (1992) qui privilegie la seconde interpretation de la question et definit la base d'une justification fondamentale de la moralite. Examinant la theorie instrumentale du choix rationnel inspiree par D. Gauthier, l'A. etudie les resultats du modele computationnaliste developpe par Danielson a partir du principe de la maximisation contrainte et du principe de cooperation conditionnelle qui regissent les rapports entre les joueurs et les situations de choix contre-preferentiels propres a la morale artificielle
Yos9p: A Sweet-Toothed Bouncer of the Secretory Pathway

In this issue of Molecular Cell, Bhamidipati et al. (2005), Kim et al. (2005), and Szathmary et al. (2005) demonstrate that Yos9p selectively binds to aberrant glycoproteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and targets them for destruction through the ER-associated protein degradation pathway.
Action of juvenile hormone (JH) esterase on the JH-JH binding protein complex. an in vitro model of JH metabolism in a caterpillar

Abstract A decline in juvenile hormone (JH) titer early in the last larval instar leads to the metamorphosis of lepidopterous larvae into pupae. Clearance of JH is associated with an increase in the level of JH-specific esterase (JHE) that hydrolyzes JH into the biologically inactive JH-acid. Experiments with purified recombinant JHBP (rJHBP) and with both natural and recombinant JHE (rJHE) were designed to test the hypothesis that JHBP “protects” JH from JHE degradation in insect hemolymph. First, at low JHE concentrations, the rate of hydrolysis of JHBP-bound JH by JHE was determined by the rate of dissociation of JH from JHBP. Second, the rate of hydrolysis of JH increased with increasing JHE concentrations even in the presence of excess JHBP. In contrast, JH was not hydrolyzed by a general carboxylesterase in the presence of JHBP. Third, the rate of JH hydrolysis when the JHBP-JH complex was added to JHBP-depleted hemolymph was essentially identical to that in undiluted hemolymph. Taken together, these results suggest that JHBP protects JH from nonspecific hydrolytic processes, while still allowing highly specific JHE to hydrolyze JH by recognizing the JH-JHBP complex. Finally, JHBP efficiently extracted JH from lipophilic depots (the so-called “refractory pool”, resulting in more rapid degradation of JH by JHE. Thus, JHBP is crucial for maintaining and distributing JH in hemolymph in the absence of JHE, and may assist in the rapid clearance of JH in the presence of JHE.
A High Performance Optically Gated Heterostructure Thyristor Passivated with LT-GaAs

A high performance, Al 0.3 Ga 0.7 As/GaAs based, optically gated thyristor with a bulk semi-insulating(SI) GaAs 650 μm in thickness as the voltage blocking layer has been fabricated and characterized for high power pulsed switching applications. Low temperature(LT) GaAs was used to passivate the device surface and was found to greatly improve the switch hold-off voltage. The switched current as a function of bias up to 2,200 V (34 kV/cm) has been tested and the maximum switched current was 240 A with a di/dt equal to 2.02×10 10 A/s. The forward dynamic current-voltage characteristics have been measured and the dissipated energy per switching determined. It was found that very sensitive triggering of the switch is possible, even with a light emitting diode operating in the sub-mW range, when the thyristor is reverse biased. The sensitive triggering is a result of the carrier tunneling through the reverse biased pn junctions.
PROTECTIVE EFFECT OF SEX ON CHRONIC STRESS- AND DEPRESSIVE BEHAVIOR-INDUCED VASCULAR DYSFUNCTION IN BALB/cJ MICE

The presence of chronic, unresolvable stresses leads to negative health outcomes, including development of clinical depression/depressive disorders, with outcome severity being correlated with depressive symptom severity. One of the major outcomes associated with chronic stress and depression is the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and an elevated CVD risk profile. However, in epidemiological research, sex disparities are evident, with premenopausal women suffering from depressive symptoms more acutely than men, but also demonstrating a relative protection from the onset of CVD. Given this, we investigated the differential effect of sex on conduit artery and resistance arteriolar function in male and female mice following 8 wk of an unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS) protocol. In males, plasma cortisol and depressive symptom severity (e.g., coat status, anhedonia, delayed grooming) were elevated by UCMS. Endothelium-dependent dilation to methacholine/acetylcholine was impaired in conduit arteries and skeletal muscle arterioles, suggesting a severe loss of nitric oxide bioavailability and increased production of thromboxane A2 vs. prostaglandin I2 associated with elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) and an increased level of systemic inflammation. Endothelium-independent dilation was intact. In females, depressive symptoms and plasma cortisol increases were more severe than in males, although alterations to vascular reactivity were blunted, including the effects of elevated ROS and inflammation on dilator responses. These results suggest that compared with males, female rats are more susceptible to chronic stress in terms of the severity of depressive behaviors, but that the subsequent development of vasculopathy is blunted owing to an improved ability to tolerate elevated ROS and systemic inflammatory stress.
Explaining Non-Zero Separation Distances between Attached Bacteria and Surfaces Measured by Total Internal Reflection Aqueous Fluorescence Microscopy

To relate observed separation distances between bacteria and surfaces to the forces governing adhesion, we need measurements of absolute distance that are accurate as well as precise. In this paper we examine factors thatpossibly contribute to a larger than expected separation distance for Escherichia coli attached to quartz and implications for using total internal reflection aqueous fluorescence (TIRAF) microscopy in quantitative studies. TIRAF was used to determine relative separation distances between bacteria and surfaces with an uncertainty of approximately 12 nm. This error in relative distances can be attributed to the uncertainty associated with the parameter values used to calculate the separation distance from light intensity measurements and to the uncertainty in the orientation of each individual cell with respect to the surface, which alters the effect that the curvature of the cell has on the separation distance. Absolute distances determined with TIRAF are overestimated by as much as 26 nm. The main source of error contributing to this value is caused by the averaging that occurs within each image pixel over the curvature of the body of a rod-shaped bacterium. Scattering of laser light off the microscope slide and the cell, and roughness of the bacterial and quartz surfaces also contribute to the overestimation. Liposomes were constructed to serve as a simple model of bacteria for which some of these factors have a reduced effect.
Interpretation of cardiac pathophysiology from pressure waveform analysis: mitral valve gradients: Part II.

The mitral valve gradient is dependent on the precise measurement of left atrial (or pulmonary capillary wedge) and left ventricular pressures. Artifacts involving either pressure measurement will produce inaccuracies which may have clinical significance. Several methods and formulas using both invasive and noninvasive techniques should verify clinical findings and confirm the severity of mitral valve disease prior to definite therapy. The changes in mitral valve gradients after balloon catheter valvuloplasty will be discussed in part II of this hemodynamic rounds.
Disease prevalence and the index of detectability: a survey of studies of lung cancer detection by chest radiography

A survey of 12 studies of lung cancer detection with cancer prevalence ranging from 0.9 to 476 cancers per 1000 showed that the unit-slope index of detectability, d', decreased from a high value of 3.9 at low prevalence to 1.4 at high prevalence. A proposed explanation is that the readers are operating on an ROC curve with a slope that is less than unity approximating 0.6. On such a curve, a shift to more stringent criteria that occurs with decreasing prevalence in order to minimize false positives, would result in a increased unity- slope d'.
Lactose synthase components in milk: concentrations of α-lactalbumin and β1,4-galactosyltransferase in milk of cows from several breeds at various stages of lactation.

It is believed that milk production is determined by the number and activity of mammary secretory cells. Secretory activity, as assessed by milk volume, depends on secretion of the major osmole in milk, lactose, which is produced by lactose synthase. The amount of either of the two proteins in lactose synthase may regulate milk production. The objective of this study was to determine whether the concentrations in milk of the two components of lactose synthase, alpha-lactalbumin (alpha-LA) and beta1,4-galactosyltransferase (B4GALT), were related to genetic background, stage of lactation, breed or parity of dairy cows. alpha-Lactalbumin and B4GALT concentrations were measured by ELISA and by enzyme assays, respectively, from single milk samples. Two herds with a total of 279 cows were used in the analysis. One herd contained Ayrshire, Brown Swiss, Holstein and Jersey cows; the second herd contained two groups of cows; Holsteins selected for high milk production and Holsteins with 1960s genetics. The alpha-LA concentration in milk was greater in Jerseys and Ayrshires than in Holsteins and Brown Swiss. However, no difference in alpha-LA concentration was observed in milk from high and low genetic merit cows in the Minnesota herd or among different genetic backgrounds in the Illinois herd. beta1,4-Galactosyltransferase concentrations were similar for all groups that were analyzed. alpha-Lactalbumin concentrations were positively correlated with milk protein concentration, milk fat concentration and lactose concentration. beta1,4-Galactosyltransferase concentration in milk exhibited a strong positive correlation with number of days in milk. Although the concentration of B4GALT increased as lactation progressed, the values did not show any correlation with persistency of lactation or late lactation milk production. In conclusion, this survey shows that the two components of lactose synthase are each correlated to protein concentration and individually correlated to the concentration of other milk components and stage of lactation.
CONCURRENT VALIDITY OF THE VOCATIONAL VALUES INVENTORY

In this age of psychological testing, great em phasis has been placed upon the student's abilities and interests to the neglect of underlying vocational values and desires which might well preceed and ac count for the development of interests. However, the basic question, "What do I really want from a job?" is so essential that an attempt needs to be made to introduce high school students to this fun damental problem. To do this, an instrument is needed which has some evidence of validity in this area. Previous research in the area of vocational val ues has not been extensive but does seem to indicate: 1. Occupational choice is a long-range process, largely irreversible, with compromise as an essential aspect of each separate choice
Unstructured mesh generation for the western North Atlantic tidal model domain

This paper presents an a posteriori approach to unstructured mesh generation via a localized truncation error analysis and applies it to the western North Atlantic tidal (WNAT) model domain. The WNAT model domain encompasses the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean east to the 60°W meridian. In this paper, we focus on the area surrounding the Bahamas. A bathymetric data set with fine resolution is employed in separate linear, harmonic simulations of shallow water tidal flow for seven different tidal-forcing constituents. Each set of simulation results is used to perform a truncation error analysis of a linear, harmonic form of the depth-averaged momentum equations for each of the different tidal-forcing frequencies. The process has been built upon successful research aiming to produce unstructured grids for large-scale domains that can be used in the accurate and efficient modelling of shallow water flow. The methodology described herein can also be transferred to other modelling applications.
A comparison of sensation seeking among different groups of athletes and nonathletes

Abstract The major purpose of this study was to compare the sensation seeking needs of different groups of athletes and nonathletes of both sexes. Athletes from four male sport teams (lacrosse, rugby, crew and soccer) and five female sport teams (soccer, Volleyball, softball, tennis and golf) from a local university participated in the study. Male and female nonathletes also served as subjects. All subjects were administered the Sensation Seeking Scale V (SSS). A major finding in contrast to Gundersheim's ( International Journal of Sport Psychology, 18 , 87–99, 1987) study, was that male athletes scored higher on sensation seeking than male nonathletes. In another departure from previous findings, contact sport athletes (rugby and lacrosse) scored higher on SSS than noncontact male sport athletes (crew and soccer). In other results, female athletes had significantly higher SSS scores than female nonathletes and both groups of males (athletes and nonathletes) exhibited stronger SSS needs than their female counterparts. The discrepancy in findings, reported above, are explained by the different methods of measuring SSS and different groups of athletes involved in the studies.
Many diabetic total joint arthroplasty candidates are unable to achieve a preoperative hemoglobin A1c goal of 7% or less

Background: Patients with poorly controlled diabetes have an elevated risk of complications and death following total joint arthroplasty. Some centers set a threshold hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) value above which surgery is delayed pending better glycemic control. The purpose of this study was to examine how many diabetic patients scheduled for primary total joint arthroplasty underwent a delay because of an HbA1c value of >7.0%, how many subsequently achieved this goal, and how much time was necessary to achieve this goal. Methods: The study involved a retrospective chart review at one Veterans Affairs medical center. Patients with an HbA1c of >7.0% were referred to their primary care provider for better diabetic control. Unless reduction of the HbA1c to ≤7.0% was deemed medically inadvisable, surgery proceeded only after the patient returned with an HbA1c of ≤7.0%. Results: A total of 404 diabetic patients were scheduled for total joint arthroplasty. In fifty-nine cases, the surgery was delayed because of an HbA1c of >7.0%. Thirty-five of these patients were able to reduce the HbA1c level to ≤7.0% after a median of 141 days (range, seven to 1043 days), and twenty-four failed to achieve this goal. If an HbA1c goal of ≤8.0% had been used, the surgery would have been delayed in thirty cases, and twenty-one of these patients would have subsequently achieved the goal. Conclusions: When establishing a goal designed to reduce perioperative risks, there should be an expectation that the goal is achievable. Overall, an HbA1c of ≤7.0% was achieved by 380 of the 404 diabetic patients (94%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 91% to 96%), but it was achieved by only thirty-five (59%; 95% CI, 46% to 72%) of the fifty-nine patients presenting with an HbA1c of >7.0%. An HbA1c of 8.0% was achieved by 395 (98%; 95% CI, 96% to 99%) of the diabetic patients and by twenty-one (70%; 95% CI, 50% to 85%) of the thirty patients presenting with an HbA1c of >8.0%. Achieving an HbA1c value of ≤7.0% may not be possible for certain diabetic patients, and such a requirement may risk access to total joint arthroplasty treatment. Level of Evidence: Prognostic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Characteristics of pigeon gastrocnemius and its muscle spindle supply

The occurrence of spindles was compared in the three heads of the pigeon gastrocnemius, each having distinctive histochemical and contractile characteristics. Spindle densities in pars interna and pars externa were not significantly different from each other, whether expressed per cubic millimeter muscle volume (0.098 receptors and 0.113 receptors) or per alpha motoneuron (0.58 receptors and 0.69 receptors), even though times-to-peak tension (41.6 vs. 31.2 ms) and fatigue indices (59 to 91% vs. 33 to 78%) differed significantly (P <- 0.01), and oxidative indices were dissimilar. The partes interna and media had similar times-to-peak tension (41.6 and 39.8 ms) and oxidative indices (100 and 97%). Their spindle densities were significantly different from each other when based on muscle volume (0.098 vs. 0.213; P <- 0.01), but not if related to alpha motoneurons (0.58 and 0.64; P <- 0.01). These findings indicate that within a muscle complex characteristics of oxidative index or contractile properties may bear no relation to the incidence of muscle spindles. Should muscle tissues of differing histochemical compositions require different sensory inputs to their related motoneuronal pools, this must be accomplished by other means than variations in the number of spindles.
Inductive response of polished, single crystal of UPt3

Our earlier work on the inductive response of single crystals of UPt3 revealed a difference between the low frequency (31.7-317 Hz) and the radio frequency (RF) (3-16 MHz) temperature dependence of the susceptibility for T/Tc < 0.5. After carefully polishing the surface of the crystals (defect size ≤ 0.3 μm), RF measurements have been repeated, and the results are dependent on the surface conditions. © 1994.
Toward a paradigm of media agenda‐setting effect: Agenda‐setting as a process

Traditional agenda‐setting studies have usually focused on the influence of the media on the public agenda. However, little or no research attention has been paid to agenda‐setting as process. The authors contend that the persuasive power of the news media is embedded in the structure of news definition and presentation, with sources exploiting such institutionalized aspects of news coverage to influence the determination of news. As such, it will not be proper to ascribe agenda‐setting power to the media alone, but it will be appropriate to examine the process of this influence in a new analysis of the role of the media in agenda‐setting. This paper is an attempt to stake out a new conceptual approach to media agenda‐setting effects, emphasizing the process rather than the effects of this influence. It calls for a shift from the “effect‐centric”; focus of present agenda‐setting research to a process‐effect oriented approach. It argues that for the actual agenda‐setting effects to be determined, it is nec...
Single-Crystal Film Piezoelectric Sensors, Actuators and Energy Harvesters with Interdigitated Electrodes

In this paper, the design and the fabrication of novel devices using single crystal lead zinc niobate-lead titanate (1 − x)Pb(Zn 1/3 Nb 2/3 )O 3 -xPbTiO 3 (PZN-PT) and lead magnesium niobate-lead titanate (1 − x)Pb(Mg 1/3 Nb 2/3 )O 3 -xPbTiO 3 (PMN-PT) are presented. Piezoelectric biosensors using PZN-PT and PMN-PT are discussed. These single-crystal sensors improve on the existing detection sensitivity of quartz or silicon based devices. The biosensors can be miniaturized through the fabrication of freestanding single crystal films and patterning by ion milling and argon-ion laser etching. A smart cantilever structure using PZN-PT and PMN-PT is also presented. This device possesses both sensing and actuation capabilities, in a single monomorph configuration. Finally, a PMN-PT energy harvester with interdigitated electrodes is demonstrated. The device converts mechanical vibration energy into electrical energy through the piezoelectric effect. A simple PMN-PT energy harvesting beam is integrated into an e...