cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Assessment and standardization of resident handoff practices: PACT project

Abstract Background Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education duty hour guidelines have resulted in increased patient care transfers. Although structured hand-over processes are required in the guidelines, how to implement these processes is not defined. The purpose of this study is to investigate current handoff methods at our center in order to develop an effective structured handoff process. Materials and methods This is a prospective study conducted at two hospitals with large in-house patient censuses. Resident focus groups were used to define current practices and future directions. Based on this input, we developed a direct observation handoff analysis tool to study time spent in handoffs, content, quality, and number of interruptions. Results Trained medical students observed 86 handoffs. Survey response rates among junior and senior residents were 63% and 54%, respectively. Average daily patient census was 36 ± 10 patients with an average handoff time of 12 ± 9 min. There were 1.5 ± 1.8 interruptions per handoff. The majority of handoffs were unstructured. Based on information they were given in the handoff, junior residents had a 58% rate of incompletion of the assigned tasks and 54% incidence of being unable to answer a key patient status question. Conclusions Current handoffs are primarily unstructured, with significant deficits. Determination of key elements of an effective handoff coupled with evaluation of existing deficiencies in our program is essential in developing an institution-specific method for effective handoffs. We propose utilization of the mnemonic PACT (Priority, Admissions, Changes, Task) to standardize handoff communication.
Citizen science finds spring could come a month early to the United States

From a national collaboration among citizen scientists, educational institutions, environmental organizations, and federal agencies, Jeong et al. developed the first countrywide assessment of springtime tree budding based on in-the-field measurements. The phenological assessment, which measured the timing of bud burst for five tree species, was used to build a model of species-specific budding across the continental United States. Using their tree budding model in forecasts of future climate change, the authors found that by the end of the century, tree budding across the United States will occur more than 1 month earlier in some places.
Agricultural injury risk among rural California public high school students: prospective results.

OBJECTIVES: To characterize prospective agricultural injury experience among rural California Central Valley public high school students enrolled in agricultural sciences curriculum. METHODS: The University of California, Davis Youth Agricultural Injury Study (UCD-YAIS) examined prospective farm-work injury among students from 10 California Central Valley public high schools. RESULTS: Of eligible subjects, 882 (62.5%) completed at least one annual follow-up survey. Of these, 489 reported farm work in the previous year, including 40 (8.2%) with at least one farm work-related injury. Fractures were the most common injury, especially among girls. Girls were more likely to suffer animal-related injury and boys injury from motor vehicles, machinery, or tool use. Prospective injury risk was strongly associated with prior-year farm injury (OR 8.53; 95% CI 4.02, 18.1) and farm work hours. After adjustment for farm work hours, grade level, and sex, risk was significantly associated with machinery operation, applying chemicals, number of hazardous tasks performed, riding motorcycles or mopeds, riding in back of an uncovered pick-up truck, and smoking. Risky attitude toward farm safety was associated prospectively with injury in stepwise fashion. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents are at risk for serious farm-work injuries. Although limitations on hazardous tasks and farm work hours are likely to be the most efficacious means for reducing injury, education will play an important role. Education should include inculcating safety-related attitudes and habits and focus on hazardous tasks, such as those involving animals (for girls) and motor vehicles and machinery (for boys), especially among youth with prior farm injury. Am. J. Ind. Med. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Language: en
Microparticles as biomarkers in autoimmunity: from dust bin to center stage

Microparticles are small membrane-bound vesicles released from activated and dying cells. As shown in a study of primary Sjogren's syndrome, systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis, levels of microparticles in the blood, as measured by a solid-phase prothrombinase assay or flow cytometry, are increased with autoimmunity. Among patients with these conditions, however, particle numbers were inversely related to disease activity and levels of the enzyme secretory phospholipase A2 that can digest membrane lipids and perhaps cause particle loss. These findings suggest microparticles as novel biomarkers for autoimmunity, with levels reflecting events leading to their loss as well as production.
The Capsular Bag after Short- and Long-term Fixation of Intraocular Lenses

Purpose: To investigate the effect of posterior chamber intraocular lens (PC 10L) size and construction on the capsular bag in human cadaver eyes. Methods: Studies were done at two timeframes: (1) short term (prospective)—the effect of 12 different IOLs on the capsular bag configuration after experimental implantation; and (2) long term—(retrospective) analysis of eyes with PC IOLs obtained postmortem. Results: The short-term study showed the maximal diameter of the capsular bag to be 11.0 mm for IOLs with total diameter of 12.0 mm and 11.5 mm for 13.5- to 14.0mm IOLs. Longer IOLs caused more ovaling of the bag with stress lines (striae) on the posterior capsule. Secondary processes such as proliferation of epithelial cells (Soemmering ring) and capsular fibrosis caused the capsular bag to resume a more circular shape with irregular contour. The area of contact between the IOL loops and the capsular equator was significantly lower in eyes with radial tears and IOLs with the J-loop design compared with the C-loop design. In both the short- and long-term groups, maximal capsular diameter did not exceed 12.0 mm. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that using the capsulorrhexis technique, a 12.0-mm total diameter IOL is sufficient to provide stable capsular fixation.
Continuous in situ monitoring of ambient particulate sulfur using flame photometry and thermal analysis

Abstract The sulfur component of the St. Louis ambient aerosol has been continuously monitored using a flame photometric detector (FPD) to measure particulate sulfur concentration, and in situ thermal analysis to chemically analyze the aerosol for H 2 SO 4 and its ammonium salts, NH 4 SO 4 , (NH 4 ) 3 H(SO 4 ) 2 , and (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 . During the sixteen day monitoring period, the sulfate aerosol varied with respect to chemical composition, but tended to be in the form of the ammonium salts rather than in the form of sulfuric acid. Comparison of particulate sulfur levels with the light scattering coefficient during the monitoring period indicates that particulate sulfur was a significant constituent of the light scattering aerosol, but its mass accounted for less than half of the mass of the light scattering aerosol.
Antigen structural requirements for activation of a T-cell-mediated antibenzenearsonate immune response☆

Abstract An investigation was made into the antigenic specificity of the cellular immune response to low molecular weight compounds containing benzenearsonic acid and into the immunogenicity of these compounds. The most significant finding was that the free benzenoid hapten, p-aminobenzenearsonic acid (arsanilic acid), underivatized and with no side chain, triggered a cellular immune response in guinea pigs. The specificity of this response was entirely directed at the aromatic ring and its arsonate substituent, as indicated by the failure of cells from animals primed with this antigen to distinguish between the immunogen and its diazo derivatives with acetyltyrosine, acetylhistidine or e-aminocaproic acid. The analogue p-nitrobenzenearsonic acid was not immunogenic. Benzenearsonic acid was diazo-bonded to free amino acid and synthetic copolymer carriers. The specificity of the immune response to these types of conjugates included contributions from the side chains. T-lymphocytes from guinea pigs immunized against ABA-acetyltyrosine or ABA-acetylhistidine responded preferentially to the immunogen. This result confirmed the aromatic side chain contribution to specificity which has been demonstrated by other authors. In further concord with the role of a proximal aromatic amino acid in the structure of an ABA-containing hapten was the response pattern of cells from animals immunized with ABA on the copolymer GT. These responded to the immunogen and to ABA-Actyr as well as to various ABA-proteins, but not to ABA-GL. Cells from ABA-GL-primed animals responded to ABA-proteins, but their responsiveness to ABA on the copolymers varied according to their capacity to respond to GL. Responders to GL did not respond to ABA-GT, while a GL non-responder recognized ABA-GT but not ABA-GL.
Experimental bladder tumor induction, propagation, and therapy

Abstract The development of animal bladder tumor models as a research tool for different modes of therapy has been widely evaluated. Recently these tumors have either spontaneously grown or have been propagated in inbred strains. Bladder tumors have also been chemically produced by N-[4-(5nitro-2furyl)-2-thiazolyl] formamide (FANFT) when orally administered over a long period of time. It has been further reported that these tumors have been inhibited by various chemotherapy regimens. The availability of an experimental bladder tumor model offers an opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of a prescribed treatment. I n our studies FANFT was noted to produce only from 33 to 40 per cent bladder tumors in several experiments in an inbred strain of rats conducted over several years. Reproducible transplantability of these tumors was not demonstrable in the same inbred strain. In addition, treatment with mitomycin C as an effective chemotherapeutic agent was not detectable in part, since comparably the percentage of control bladder tumor growth was low. These findings of a three-year study should be carefully considered when evaluating recommendations for clinical adjuvant chemotherapy based on results obtained with FANFT.
Neuroelectric Signal Analysis Using Nuclear Instrumentation Techniques

A real-time system for nerve spike recognition and separation has been developed. The system is based on the techniques, commonly used in nuclear instrumentation, which have been adapted here for biological signal measuring and processing. Techniques used are signal shaping and optimum noise filtering; pulse peak stretching; peak sampling; pulse shape discrimination and multichannel pulse height analysis. Spectra for nerve pulse heights of the cockroach are shown, for the case of spontaneous activity as well as for evoked activity (e. g. for a living object exposed to radiation wind or light). Similarities and contrasts between nuclear and biomedical signal analysis are discussed.
Making People Feel Good: Workers' Constructions of Meaning in Interactive Service Jobs

This paper analyses the experiences of women who work in residential real estate sales, to identify the factors that lead women to choose and keep this occupation. In-depth interviews provide the data for a case study of the importance of various job traits in determining job satisfaction for a specific category of workers. The more general question concerns workers' constructions of the emotional labor involved in interactive service work. Within a general queueing model, this paper focuses on job queues. Specifically, I examine workers' preferences for jobs and the factors that contribute to positive ranking of the job after workers' initial experiences with it. Findings show that although the women's experiences on the job have disappointed their expectations, most remain satisfied with their work and plan to stay in the field. The reasons for this high level of satisfaction are related to characteristics of the workers—the women's educational and skill levels, and the limited alternatives that they perceive for themselves, and characteristics of the job—its autonomous nature and the emotional labor it entails.
Processes of memory loss, recovery, and distortion

The author proposes that many forms of memory distortion, including the progressive changes in recollection of a learning experience often observed over successive tests, are due to the same processes that yield veridical recollection in some circumstances and memory loss and recovery in others. In a framework for interpreting all of these aspects of memory, the author assumes that the objects and events of a learning experience are encoded in parallel in traces of their perceptual attributes, which are basic to recognition, and in traces of reactions made to the events during or following learning, which are basic to recall. Random perturbation of remembered attribute values in both types of traces over retention intervals is a pervasive cause of both loss and distortions of memory.
On the Use of a Quasi-Experimental Design in the Study of International Organization and War:

This research explores the usefulness of viewing the two major wars of this century as 'quasiexperimental variables' in an over-time system of international organization, alliances, and trade. The aim is essentially twofold: First, to demonstrate that non-random changes in the system have occurred, and that these changes can be distinguished from error due to serial dependencies in the observations. Second, we assess in a general and preliminary way the relative plausibility of several hypotheses related to the occurrence of war that could account for this change. The vehicle for this research may be called 'interrupted time-series analysis', a design explicated in Campbell & Stanley (1963), and used in previous political research by Campbell (1968), Glass (1968), and Caporaso & Pelowski (1970).
Becoming a High School Coach: From Playing Sports to Coaching

Abstract This paper focuses on the processes by which people become high school coaches. Occupational choice, professional socialization, and organizational socialization are examined, using qualitative data drawn from naturally occurring observations of coaches and informal discussions and in-depth interviews with them. Over 50% of the coaches had decided that they wanted to become a coach before entrance into college. The decision to become a coach was subjectively warranted by personal characteristics and experiences in sports, a devotion to sport, and a desire to work with young people. Youth sport coaching and student teaching which involved coaching constituted the only formal professional socialization that most of the coaches received. However, because almost all of the coaches participated in organized youth and/or high school athletics, they had a first-hand opportunity to observe their own coaches and acquire some informal images and impressions about the coaching occupation from them. Regardle...
Outcome of moderate carotid artery stenosis in patients who are asymptomatic

Abstract Purpose: The incidence rate of disease progression and stroke after the diagnosis of a moderate (50% to 79%) carotid stenosis was determined by means of color-flow duplex scanning. Methods: During a 4-year period, 344 male veterans with moderate internal carotid artery stenoses, on one or both sides, were examined at regular intervals for a mean period of 25 months. Carotid color-flow scans were obtained semiannually. Clinical follow-up was performed to determine the incidence rate of amaurosis fugax, transient ischemic attacks, nonhemispheric symptoms, and strokes. Results: New neurologic symptoms developed in 75 patients (21.8%). Fifty-one (14.8%) had ipsilateral symptoms during follow-up: 18 amaurosis fugax (5.2%), 14 transient ischemic attacks (4%), 5 nonhemispheric symptoms (1.4%), and 14 strokes (4%). Twenty-four patients (6.9%) had contralateral symptoms: 20 strokes (5.8%) and 4 transient ischemic attacks (1.2%). Life-table analysis showed that the annual rate of ipsilateral neurologic events was 8.1%, and the annual rate of stroke was 2.1%. Seventy-five patients (22%) died in the follow-up period. Disease progression to 80% to 99% stenosis or occlusion occurred in 71 of 458 vessels (15.5%). The internal carotid arteries that showed evidence of disease progression had a significantly higher initial peak systolic velocity (251 vs 190 cm/s; P P Conclusion: Patients who are asymptomatic and who have moderate carotid stenoses are at significant risk for neurologic symptoms and death, but have a relatively low incidence rate of ipsilateral events. The initial flow characteristics in the stenotic vessel are predictive of future disease progression, but they are not helpful in identifying patients in whom symptoms will develop. (J Vasc Surg 1999;29:217-27.)
An Analysis of Managers' Resource Allocation Dilemma in a Fixed Capacity Situation

Managers of museums, repertory theaters, sports leagues, and symphony orchestras invest resources in order to optimize attendance over a season. They must choose between investing resources evenly across a balanced portfolio of offerings or disproportionately concentrating resources on a few more desirable offerings at the expense of the rest of the portfolio. The better strategy is not always apparent. The authors investigate this research question in non-major league sports leagues using the Gini coefficient, a measure of equality/balance adapted from the field of economics. The spread of team success in a league, based on winning percentages and represented by the Gini coefficient, is used as an indicator of resource investment concentration. The findings indicate that availability, that is, season length, influences whether consumers value more a balanced or unbalanced investment strategy.
Adventitious regeneration of Juglans nigra L. (eastern black walnut).

Somatic embryos and adventitious shoots were initiated from immature cotyledons 10–14 weeks after anthesis. Maximum embryogenesis occurred 12 weeks after anthesis and maximum shoot organogenesis occurred 14 weeks after anthesis. The best treatment for induction of somatic embryos and adventitious shoots from immature cotyledon explants was on agar-solidified WPM supplemented with 0.1 μM 2,4-D and 5.0 μM TDZ and incubated in light for the first four weeks. Rooting of adventitious shoots was best if they were quickdipped in 2.5 mM IBA and 1.25 mM NAA in 1% dimethyl formamide and 3.9% ethanol (1∶20 Wood's Rooting Compound: water, by volume). Plantlets from rooted adventitious shoots were acclimatized to the greenhouse.
Imaging of hip arthroplasty.

Imaging studies are central to the evaluation of persistent or recurrent symptoms after hip arthroplasty. The evaluation starts with radiographs and may be followed by arthrography, aspiration, scintigraphy, sonography, computed tomography, and MR imaging. Common etiologies of a painful or dysfunctional hip arthroplasty are mechanical loosening, polyethylene wear–induced osteolysis, adverse local tissue reaction to metal wear products, infection, fractures, heterotopic ossification, tendinopathy, and nerve injury. MR imaging with optimized protocols and dedicated techniques for metal artifact reduction is the most comprehensive imaging modality. In this article, we discuss and illustrate the imaging appearances of these conditions with a focus on the MR imaging evaluation.
The Adsorption of the Adhesive Protein of the Blue Mussel Mytilus edulis L onto Type 304L Stainless Steel

Adsorption measurements of the adhesive protein isolated from the blue mussel Mytilus edulis L onto type 304L stainless steel were performed. The adhesive protein is a high-molecular-weight biopolymer (100 kDa) that contains catecholic functionalities, which in principle are excellent iron chelators. From these measurements, adsorption isotherms were determined, and the maximum number of binding sites/m2 and the affinity constant were calculated. These values were compared to those measured for three other adsorbates onto type 304L stainless steel, namely, bovine serum albumin (BSA), L-3,4 dihydroxybenzoic acid (DHBA), and poly-L-lysine. Studies indicate that the mussel protein exhibits the highest affinity constant for the stainless steel of all the adsorbates and multilayer adsorption occurs at the mussel protein:metal interface; the other adsorbates exhibit Langmuir-type monolayer adsorption. The mussel protein significantly inhibits dissolution of iron and chromium metal from the stainless steel at pH 7.8, whereas the other adsorbates enhance it. These results indicate that the mussel protein forms a stable metal-protein complex at the surface of the metal that does not desorb into solution.
Light Sources and Color Rendering

Light sources for many problems in agriculture and industry require good color rendering; standards are needed for both special and general purpose lamps. Target standards are discussed, and color, relative spectral distributions, and lumen efficiency data are provided for typical incandescent and fluorescent lamps. Data for color samples calculated for triads of light sources studied by an I.E.S. Subcommittee on Color Rendition of Light Sources are used to demonstrate the comparative size and direction of color differences involved in common situations. Problems raised by chromatic adaptation are discussed, as are specifications and standards for sources used for color work in various specialized industries, and the progress being made by I.E.S. and CIE committees on color rendering.
A thorn by any other name: sexist discourse as hate speech

Scholarship on hate speech usually addresses racist and ethnicist discourses and less often homophobic discourses. This article opens a conversation about sexist discourse as hate speech. In arguing that sexist discourse should be considered hate speech I review several definitions of hate speech one of which I use in analyzing the texts of neoconservative author William D. Gairdner. I argue that although Gairdners sexist discourse does not meet the legal definitions of hate speech it is consistent with linguistic criteria for hate speech and that since Gairdners discourse is representative of mainstream sexist discourse all such sexist discourse counts as hate speech. I conclude by asking why amid all the published works on hate speech the question of sexist discourse as hate speech is rarely even addressed. Since society still operates as if male and female were simple self-evident categories we as feminists must still respond to and challenge the sexist discourses that perpetuate and reproduce such dichotomies. One way to do that is to recognize sexist discourse as a form of hate speech and to challenge it on that basis. (authors)
Aeropollen of herbaceous plants at Corpus Christi, Texas.

Three major herbaceous groups, the Asteraceae, Amaranthaceael Chenopodiaceae, and Poaceae, shed abundant pollen in coastal southern Texas during late summer to fall. The grasses, and to a lesser extentParthenium (Asteraceae), also release pollen in the spring, giving marked bimodal distributions. These aeropollen patterns were consistent between 1987 and 1989. Although environmental conditions and palynological features are important in understanding aeropollen variabilities, differing inherent photoperiodic response of wind pollinated taxa in the spring and fall, and to a more limited extent during summer and winter, are of primary relevance at Corpus Christi, and indeed elsewhere, in the initiation and cessation of flowering, and thus of the release of ambient pollen. To comprehend photoperiodicity is to understand the fundamental patterns of aeropollen occurrences year after year.
Methyl-branched hydrocarbons, major components of the waxy material coating the embryos of the viviparous cockroach Diploptera punctata

Abstract The viviparous cockroach Diploptera punctata carries a wax-coated batch of embryos in a brood sac. When the embryos are expelled into saline, flakes of wax from the surface of the embryos float to the surface. In contrast, embryos of the ovoviviparous species such as Rhyparobia maderae are not nourished by the mother during embryogenesis and do not have a copious waxy coating. As a first step in determining the function of this copious wax layer on the batch of embryos of D. punctata , its composition was compared to that of the waxy material on the outer cuticular surface of the mother (female cuticle) by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The major lipid class on the embryos was hydrocarbons with lesser amounts of wax esters and long-chain alcohols. Hydrocarbons from both sources had similar elution times and chemical composition, but were markedly different in the amounts of the major methyl-branched hydrocarbon components. A mixture of 3, X -dimethyl alkanes were 44% of the hydrocarbons on the embryos and were only 29% on the female cuticle. However, trimethylalkanes were only 22% of the hydrocarbons on the embryos and were 34% of the hydrocarbons on the female cuticle. The major hydrocarbons from both sources were mixtures of methyl-branched alkanes with backbones of 33 and 35 carbon atoms. Methyl-branched tritriacontanes were 59% of embryo and 35% of female cuticular hydrocarbons; methyl-branched pentatriacontanes were 19% of embryo and 42% of female hydrocarbons. The difference in proportions of the similar hydrocarbons on the outer cuticular surface of the female and those covering the embryos may suggest that the evolution of copious nutrient secretion for the embryos was accompanied by selection for a mixture of hydrocarbons that prevents water loss by the embryos and protects them against invasion by microorganisms without preventing the movement of nutrient fluid into the embryos.
Entanglement distillation for continuous variables in a thermal environment: Effectiveness of a non-Gaussian operation

We study the task of distilling entanglement by a coherent superposition operation $t\stackrel{\ifmmode \hat{}\else \^{}\fi{}}{a}+r{\stackrel{\ifmmode \hat{}\else \^{}\fi{}}{a}}^{\ifmmode\dagger\else\textdagger\fi{}}$ applied to a continuous-variable state under a thermal noise. In particular, we compare the performances of two different strategies; i.e., the non-Gaussian operation $t\stackrel{\ifmmode \hat{}\else \^{}\fi{}}{a}+r{\stackrel{\ifmmode \hat{}\else \^{}\fi{}}{a}}^{\ifmmode\dagger\else\textdagger\fi{}}$ is applied before or after the noisy Gaussian channel. This is closely related to a fundamental problem of whether Gaussian or non-Gaussian entanglement can be more robust under a noisy channel and also provides a useful insight into the practical implementation of entanglement distribution for a long-distance quantum communication. We specifically look into two entanglement characteristics, the logarithmic negativity as a measure of entanglement and the teleportation fidelity as a usefulness of entanglement, for each distilled state. We find that the non-Gaussian operation after (before) the thermal noise becomes more effective in the low- (high-) temperature regime.
Making Graphene Holey. Gold-Nanoparticle-Mediated Hydroxyl Radical Attack on Reduced Graphene Oxide

Graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) have important applications in the development of new electrode and photocatalyst architectures. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have now been employed as catalyst to generate OH• and oxidize RGO via hydroxyl radical attack. The oxidation of RGO is marked by pores and wrinkles within the 2-D network. Nanosecond laser flash photolysis was used in conjunction with competition kinetics to elucidate the oxidative mechanism and calculate rate constants for the AuNP-catalyzed and direct reaction between RGO and OH•. The results highlight the use of the AuNP-mediated oxidation reaction to tune the properties of RGO through the degree of oxidation and/or functional group selectivity in addition to the nanoporous and wrinkle facets. The ability of AuNPs to catalyze the photolytic decomposition of H2O2 as well as the hydroxyl radical-induced oxidation of RGO raises new issues concerning graphene stability in energy conversion and storage (photocatalysis, fuel cells, L...
Annual Reports: A Literature Review (1989–2001)

Since the collapse of Enron Corporation in November 2001, annual reports and corporate financial disclosures have been the focus of government, corporate, and public attention. This article examine...
Direct 400 V to 1 V converter for data center power supplies using GaN FETs

Energy efficiency of typical data centers is less than 50% where more than half of the power is consumed during power conversion, distribution, cooling, etc. In this paper, a single power stage architecture that converts 400 V to 1 V directly targeting high system efficiency is proposed. A phase shift full bridge (PSFB) DC/DC converter based input series and output parallel structure (ISOP) is selected due to the high input voltage and large output current operation condition. The latest Gallium Nitride (GaN) FETs are implemented in the prototype circuit because of their low output junction capacitance and zero reverse recovery charge. The high frequency planar transformer is designed correspondingly with consideration of GaN FETs on the primary side. A prototype of the PSFB converter is designed, built, and tested. Preliminary experimental results are provided to verify the design.
An experimental comparison of evaporation and condensation heat transfer coefficients for HFC-134a and CFC-12

Experimental heat transfer coefficients are reported for HFC-134a and CFC-12 during in-tube single-phase flow, evaporation and condensation. These heat transfer coefficients were measured in a horizontal, smooth tube with an inner diameter of 8.0 mm and a length of 3.67 m. The refrigerant in the test-tube was heated or cooled by using water flowing through an annulus surrounding the tube. Evaporation tests were performed for a refrigerant temperature range of 5–15°C with inlet and exit qualities of 10 and 90%, respectively. For condensation tests, the refrigerant temperature ranged from 30 to 50°C, with et and exit qualities of 90 and 10%, respectively. The mass flux was varied from 125 to 400 kg m−2 s−1 for all tests. For similar mass fluxes, the evaporation and condensation heat transfer coefficients for HFC-134a were significantly higher than those of CFC-12. Specifically, HFC-134a showed a 35–45% increase over CFC-12 for evaporation and a 25–35% increase over CFC-12 for condensation.
“Honorable piracy” and Chile’s digital transition

This article examines debates around Chile’s digital television transition in order to trace the socio-historical relation between piracy and social change. During the military dictatorship (1973–1990), media activists used what they called “honorable piracy” for counter-communication efforts aimed at restoring democracy. Following the return to democracy, community television participants have rationalized their unauthorized transmission of alternative programming to low-income sectors using a similar logic of honorable piracy. For these community television participants, the digital transition represented the possibility of redefining democratic access to the public sphere and attaining legal recognition. Through an analysis of citizen activism around the move from analog to digital television, this article argues that discussion of piracy emerges as an expression of conflicting notions of the definition, use, and distribution of public resources.
Behavioral sensitization to quinpirole is not associated with increased nucleus accumbens dopamine overflow.

This study assessed the relationship between extracellular nucleus accumbens (NAc) dopamine (DA) concentrations and sensitized locomotor activation following repeated administration of the DA D2-like receptor agonist quinpirole. Locomotor activity measures and nucleus accumbens microdialysis samples were collected concurrently in response to the first (acute) and tenth (repeated) quinpirole injection (0.5 mg/kg s.c., every other day). Results indicate that acute quinpirole produced locomotor activation and that repeated quinpirole resulted in locomotor sensitization. Acute quinpirole significantly decreased the detection of extracellular concentrations of DA and the DA metabolites dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) and homovanillic acid (HVA) in the NAc. Following repeated quinpirole, basal NAc DA levels were decreased, whereas basal DOPAC levels were increased. Nevertheless, quinpirole challenge elicited a significant decrease in DA, DOPAC and HVA following repeated treatment. In addition, although acute quinpirole did not affect NAc levels of the serotonin metabolite 5-hydroxyindolacetic acid (5-HIAA), quinpirole challenge produced a significant increase in 5-HIAA levels following repeated treatment. Taken together, these data indicate that functional DA autoreceptor subsensitivity is not a necessary condition for the expression of behavioral sensitization to quinpirole. Instead, it appears that behavioral sensitization to quinpirole occurs predominantly as a consequence of neuroadaptations that are post-synaptic to DA release.
Development of the Obstetric Nursing Self-Efficacy Scale Instrument

Abstract Background The objective of this study is the development of the Obstetric Nursing Self-Efficacy (ONSE) Scale instrument and the reporting of psychometric data gathered from a pilot completed in fall 2009 at 2 major universities. Method The ONSE is an 18-item instrument designed with the use of Bandura's social-cognitive theory. Instrument development consisted of 2 rounds of expert review. The average content validity index of the scale was .91. Results For preliminary reliability testing, students ( N = 20) completed the ONSE survey after participating in a 45-hour clinical rotation in obstetric nursing. A range of split-half reliability scores was calculated at .85 to .96. For preliminary validity testing, students ( N = 46) completed the ONSE pre- and postsimulation. Paired t tests revealed a statistically significant improvement in self-efficacy scores for both pre- and posttest scores. Conclusion The findings were encouraging for initial validity and reliability testing of the ONSE as an instrument to measure self-efficacy of students caring for obstetric patients.
Determination of the vapor pressure of rubidium by optical absorption

The vapor pressure of rubidium was determined in the neighborhood of 330 K from measurements of optical absorption of the resonance lines. A narrow-line source was used and a full analysis of the line profiles was done. Measurements of resonance-broadening depolarization give another check on the Rb vapor pressure in the 430-K range, assuming that theoretical cross section is correct. The results are very close to the analytic compromise previously suggested by Nesemeyanov.
Electrostatic Model for Infrared Intensities in a Spectroscopically Determined Molecular Mechanics Force Field

A new electrostatic model for the calculation of infrared intensities in molecular mechanics and molecular dynamics is presented. The model is based on atomic charges, atomic charge fluxes, and internal coordinate dipoles and their fluxes. The internal coordinate dipoles are used instead of atomic dipoles, thus simplifying the derivation of parameters. The model is designed to reproduce ab initio dipole derivatives, and the parameters can be obtained by .iterative transformations from these, or by linear least squares fitting to them. A first application to linear alkanes has been made. For these molecules, the intensities can be predicted with an average accuracy of 30)40%. Q 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Comput Chem 19: 754)768, 1998
Electromechanical modeling and characterization of the electrical breakdown for the capacitive microarrayed ultrasonic transducers

This paper presents two numerical evaluation schemes to simulate the dielectric breakdown phenomena for the capacitive micro-arrayed ultrasonic transducers (CMUT). The performance of dielectric strength was investigated using a commercial finite element method (FEM) software package of ANSYS. The electro-mechanical model was established using the ANSYS parametric design language (APDL) technique. A built-in Multiphysics solver of ANSYS was employed for the simulation of the electrostatic-structural coupled-field problems. Relationships of the applied DC bias voltage versus the membrane deflection, collapse voltage, capacitance, and layer-wised electric field distribution are obtained. For a verification purpose, a simple semi-analytical approach based on the classical thin plate theory and parallel-plate capacitor principle was also proposed. Reasonable matching results and less computation efforts are obtained. The proposed approach provides another efficient numerical tool for estimating the dielectric breakdown possibility of the CMUT.
Women’s Status and Intimate Partner Violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Women's greatest risk of violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) may come from an intimate partner, but few studies have analyzed context-specific risk and protective factors for intimate partner violence (IPV) in the DRC. This study analyzed data from the most recent Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) in Congo to assess risk and protective factors for IPV and the role of women's status, a factor implicated in prior IPV research. Using a sample of 1,821 married or cohabiting women between the ages of 15 and 49, four logistic regression models tested relationships between physical, sexual, emotional, or any violence and independent variables of interest. Results indicated that 68.2% of respondents had experienced at least one of the three types of IPV. An attitude of acceptance toward spousal violence was associated with increased risk for physical and emotional IPV. Women who were the only wife of their husband were half as likely to experience IPV compared with women whose husbands had other wives or women who did not know their husbands' marital status. Partner's use of alcohol was associated with nearly doubled risk for both physical and sexual IPV. The study's results indicate that IPV occurs frequently and is justified as acceptable by many women in the DRC. Findings suggest that awareness-raising campaigns may be a helpful intervention and that partner characteristics should be considered when assessing women's risk for IPV.
Turbulent flow characteristics of viscoelastic fluids

Abstract : The turbulent flow characteristics of viscoelastic fluids are investigated quantitatively. The outstanding property of these flow fields is seen to be a very pronounced suppression of turbulence, accompanied by major reductions in the turbulent drag coefficients. Careful measurements of the rheological properties of the several fluids used suggest that the observed turbulence suppression is a function of the ratio of the elastic to the viscous forces developed in the fluid. An empirical correlation of the results, based upon this observation, is proposed; the present data, while indicative, are not sufficiently extensive to verify conclusively the existence of a quantitative correlation. In a number of respects, the observed reduction in drag is similar to that which may be obtained through promotion of 'slip' at the tube wall or by addition of particulate matter. It is shown that slip phenomena are clearly distinct from those studied in the present work but that particulate effects (albeit of much greater magnitude than observed heretofore) cannot be ruled out as contributory mechanisms. Further studies are thus required to determine the relative importance of continuum (viscoelastic) and particulate effects. (Author)
Modified simultaneous iterative reconstruction technique for faster parallel computation

Three-dimensional iterative reconstruction of high-resolution computed tomography data poses significant difficulties due to the associated computational burden. In previous work, we have shown that implementing distributed computing techniques in addition to ordered subsets is an effective approach to decreasing the total reconstruction run-time. However, we also established that interprocessor communication accounts for a considerable portion of the total run-time. In this work, we first analyze the simultaneous iterative reconstruction technique (SIRT) to establish its convergence. We then modify the SIRT algorithm in order to substantially decrease the interprocessor communication requirements, and thus the final run-time, while maintaining convergence. We include error reduction statistics and timing results gathered from a reconstruction of a mouse data set to demonstrate the advantages of the modified SIRT algorithm
Joint estimation of PN code delay and multipath using the extended Kalman filter

The problem of delay estimation in the presence of multipath is considered. It is shown that the extended Kalman filter (EKF) can be used to obtain joint estimates of time-of-arrival and multipath coefficients for deterministic signals when the channel can be modeled as a tapped-delay line. Simulation results are presented for the EKF joint estimator used for synchronization in a direct-sequence spread-spectrum system operating over a frequency-selective fading channel. A simplified model of the EKF joint estimator is considered for analysis purposes. The evolution in time of the tracking error probability density function and the nonlinear tracking error variance are examined through numerical solution of the Chapman-Kolmogorov equation. The nonlinear tracking error variance is compared to both the linear error variance estimate directly provided by the EKF and the Cramer-Rao lower bound. >
Photodynamic therapy with motexafin lutetium for rectal cancer: a preclinical model in the dog.

Purpose Local recurrence of rectal cancer remains a significant clinical problem despite multi-modality therapy. Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) is a cancer treatment which generates tumor kill through the production of singlet oxygen in cells containing a photosensitizing drug when exposed to laser light of a specific wavelength. PDT is a promising modality for prevention of local recurrence of rectal cancer for several reasons: tumor cells may selectively retain photosensitizer at higher levels than normal tissues, the pelvis after mesorectal excision is a fixed space amenable to intra-operative illumination, and PDT can generate toxicity in tissues up to 1 cm thick. This study evaluated the safety, tissue penetration of 730 nm light, normal tissue toxicity and surgical outcome in a dog model of rectal resection after motexafin lutetium-mediated photodynamic therapy. Methods Ten mixed breed dogs were used. Eight dogs underwent proctectomy and low rectal end to end stapled anastomosis. Six dogs received the photosensitizing agent motexafin lutetium (MLu, Pharmacyclics, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA) of 2 mg/kg preoperatively and underwent subsequent pelvic illumination of the transected distal rectum of 730 nm light with light doses ranging from 0.5 J/cm 2 to 10 J/cm 2 three hours after drug delivery. Two dogs received light, but no drug, and underwent proctectomy and low-rectal stapled anastomosis. Two dogs underwent midline laparotomy and pelvic illumination. Light penetration in tissues was determined for small bowel, rectum, pelvic sidewall, and skin. Clinical outcomes were recorded. Animals were sacrificed at 14 days and histological evaluation was performed. Results All dogs recovered uneventfully. No dog suffered an anastomotic leak. Severe tissue toxicity was not seen. Histological findings at necropsy revealed mild enteritis in all dogs. The excitation light penetration depths were 0.46 ± 0.18, 0.46 ± 0.15, and 0.69 ± 0.39 cm, respectively, for rectum, small bowel, and peritoneum in dogs that had received MLu. For control dogs without photosensitizer MLu, the optical penetration depths were longer: 0.92 ± 0.63, 0.67 ± 0.10, and 1.1 ± 0.80 cm for rectum, small bowel, and peritoneum, respectively. Conclusion Low rectal stapled anastomosis is safe when performed with MLu-mediated pelvic PDT in a dog model. Significant tissue penetration of 730 nm light into the rectum and pelvic sidewall was revealed without generation of significant toxicity or histological sequelae. Penetration depths of 730 nm light in pelvic tissue suggest that microscopic residual disease of less than 5 mm are likely to be treated adequately with MLu-mediated PDT. This approach merits further investigation as an adjuvant to total mesorectal excision and chemoradiation for rectal cancer.
Approximating the shapley value via multi-issue decompositions

The Shapley value provides a fair method for the division of value in coalitional games. Motivated by the application of crowdsourcing for the collection of suitable labels and features for regression and classification tasks, we develop a method to approximate the Shapley value by identifying a suitable decomposition into multiple issues, with the decomposition computed by applying a graph partitioning to a pairwise similarity graph induced by the coalitional value function. The method is significantly faster and more accurate than existing random-sampling based methods on both synthetic data and data representing user contributions in a real world application of crowdsourcing to elicit labels and features for classification.
Detection of Physics-Based Ultra-Wideband Signals Using Generalized RAKE in Presence of Inter-Symbol Interference

The generalized rake receiver based on physics-based channel model is proposed for UWB outdoor application to estimate and compensate for the pulse distortion. The successive channel estimation is adopted to generate the per-path waveform as the template for the generalized rake receiver. The receiver can eliminate the effect of pulse distortion appearing in a lot of UWB channels. MMSE linear equalizer is used to handle intersymbol interference (ISI) for achieving high data rate
A New Generation of Portable Coarse, Fine, and Ultrafine Particle Concentrators for use in Inhalation Toxicology

This study presents the development of prototype portable coarse, fine and ultrafine particle concentrators. A single-round nozzle virtual impactor operating at an intake flow of 120 L/min is used to concentrate coarse particles (e.g., 2.5–10 µm) by a factor up to 40 depending on the minor flow rate. Fine and ultrafine particles are concentrated by first growing to supermicrometer sizes via supersaturation. This is accomplished by first drawing these particles over a pool of warm, deionized, distilled water to achieve saturation and then through a condenser that allows the particles to grow to supermicrometer size, followed by concentration in a virtual impactor. After concentration, particles are returned back to their original size distribution and relative humidity by removing excess moisture in a diffusion drier. The performance of these concentrators was evaluated using generated monodisperse particles as well as ambient air particles. Average concentration enrichment factors were 9.5, 20, and 37 for...
The Mexican Frontier, 1821–1846: The American Southwest under Mexico

The quarter-century of Mexican sovereignty over the land that is today the American Southwest was a period of turmoil and transition. Between 1821 and 1846, Mexico City's ties to the far northern frontier were steadily weakened by domestic political and social strife as well as by foreign economic encroachment. The gradual loss of social and economic links and the eventual lapse of political allegiance is perceptively reinterpreted from the Mexican perspective by Professor Weber. The book is essential reading for all who are interested in the history of the West and the Southwest. The late Ray Allen Billington praised the book as "meticulously prepared, sparklingly written, and brilliantly interpreted. Its perspective will affect all writing on western history for a generation to come."