cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Conformational studies of cyclopropylmethyl isocyanate from temperature dependent FT-IR spectra of xenon solutions and ab initio calculations

Abstract Variable temperature (−55 to −100 °C) studies of the infrared spectra (3200 to 100 cm −1 ) of cyclopropylmethyl isocyanate, c -C 3 H 5 CH 2 NCO, dissolved in liquefied xenon, have been carried out. The infrared spectra (gas and solid) as well as the Raman spectrum of the liquid have been recorded from 3200 to 100 cm −1 . By analyzing six conformer pairs in xenon solutions, an enthalpy difference of 193 ± 19 cm −1 (2.31 ± 0.23 kJ/mol) was obtained with the gauche–cis rotamer (the first designation indicates the orientation of the CNCO group with respect to the three-membered ring, the second designation indicates the relative orientation of the NCO group with respect to the bridging C C bond) the more stable form and the only form present in polycrystalline solid. The abundance of the cis–trans conformer present at ambient temperature is 16 ± 1%. The potential function governing the conformational interchange has been obtained from B3LYP/6-31G(d) calculations and the two-dimensional potential has been obtained. From MP2 ab initio calculations utilizing various basis sets with diffuse functions, the gauche–cis conformer is predicted to be more stable by 223 to 269 cm −1 , which is consistent with the experimental results. However, without diffuse functions the predicted conformational energy differences are much smaller (77–166 cm −1 ). Similar diffuse function dependency affects density functional theory calculations by the B3LYP method to a lesser extent. A complete vibrational assignment for the gauche–cis conformer is proposed and several fundamentals for the cis–trans conformer have been identified. The structural parameters, dipole moments, conformational stability, vibrational frequencies, infrared intensities and Raman activities have been predicted from ab initio calculations and r 0 structural parameters are estimated. These experimental and theoretical results are compared to the corresponding quantities of some similar molecules.
Hybrid multitarget tracking system

A common function for human being is to detect the movement of an object against a stationary background and then to lock on to and trace its motion. This natural process becomes very tedious in industrial or military environments where the database of images to be searched is huge or where the function is to be repeated continuously. Thus automation can assist people carrying out such tasks. This is the case in security systems, military reconnaissance, military targeting, aircraft tracking, assembly line manufacturing systems, and quality control. We present a hybrid system to do such tasks. The technique is simulated on computer using numerical algorithms and is successful under many situations. For implementation an ideal system using optical components is presented. This hybrid system employs three main subsystems which are combined in such a way as to compensate for each other's drawbacks yet enhance each other's virtues. The first system is a velocity correlation system which correlates two adjacent frames in a sequence of image frames. The resultant velocity correlations are searched to find the potential velocity profiles at which an object may be moving. These velocity profiles are then processed by the multi-frame mean subsystem which performs a geometric (or arithmetic mean) operation on the image frames. These frames are displaced by the selected velocity profiles and thereby aligning the object in the given frames for detection. Algorithms have been developed and tested to perform this technique on selected databases. Also algorithms to synthesize test images have been developed and the results are presented.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Elephants in the room

L'A. propose ici une introduction au dialogue entre l'article de Mary Bucholtz et celui de Nikolas Coupland reunis dans ce numero autour du theme de l'authenticite en soiolinguistique. La question de l'authenticite du locuteur est, selon l'A., cruciale en sociolinguistique, notamment dans les recherches sur la variabilite des langues. Le locuteur authentique fournit un discours spontane en langue vernaculaire qui est ensuite apprehende par le sociolinguiste. Cette authenticite est un concept ideologique qui tient une place centrale dans la pratique de l'analyse du discours, faisant de la langue un objet naturel a explorer
Radio frequency patch antenna reconfiguration with Ni–Ti shape memory alloy switches

Nickel–titanium shape memory alloys are employed to develop a multiband radio frequency antenna. Switches made from Ni–Ti electronically connect together a planar patch antenna arrangement, creating several electrical signal pathways that enable reconfiguration via resonance shifting. The changes in the antenna geometry, induced by the switches, create different working frequencies. The switches open and close due to an induced phase change from martensite to austenite via resistive heating from a separate electric circuit. A patch antenna was fabricated and then measured for S11 reflection coefficient, antenna gain, and radiation pattern at different configurations. The results show that the working frequency of the patch antenna arrangement is tunable from 2.25 to 2.43 GHz depending on the antenna geometry, while the antenna always maintains a high gain. The experimental results match well with simulations, indicating the potential for simulated design of future applications and geometries through shape...
Reflex vocal fold adduction in the porcine model: the effects of stimuli delivered to various sensory nerves.

Objectives:The aim of this study was to identify a panel of sensory nerves capable of eliciting an evoked glottic closure reflex (GCR) and to quantify the glottic closing force (GCF) of these responses in a porcine model.Methods:In 5 pigs, the internal branch of the superior laryngeal nerve (iSLN) and the trigeminal, pharyngeal plexus, glossopharyngeal, radial, and intercostal nerves were surgically isolated and electrically stimulated. During stimulation of each nerve, the GCR was detected by laryngeal electromyography and the GCF was measured with a pressure transducer.Results:The only nerve that elicited the GCR in the 5 pigs was the iSLN. The average GCF was 288.9 mm Hg.Conclusions:This study demonstrates that the only afferent nerve that elicits the GCR in pigs is the iSLN, and that it should remain the focus of research for the rehabilitation of patients with absent or defective reflex vocal fold adduction.
Scientific dissent and public policy: Is targeting dissent a reasonable way to protect sound policy decisions?

The temptation to silence dissenters whose non-mainstream views negatively affect public policies is powerful. However, silencing dissent, no matter how scientifically unsound it might be, can cause the public to mistrust science in general.
Improvement of monocyte chemotaxis with BCG immunotherapy in acute lymphoblastic leukemia: Comparison of chemotherapy versus chemotherapy plus immunotherapy as therapeutic regimens

Thirty-six patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) were divided into a group receiving chemotherapy and a group receiving identical chemotherapy plus BCG immunotherapy. Monocyte cellular chemotaxis in both groups was initially significantly depressed compared with that in a group of age-matched controls (P<0.001). Chemotaxis in both patient groups improved with therapy. The mean improvement in chemotaxis per day of the group treated with chemotherapy plus BCG was over 3 times that of the group receiving chemotherapy alone (P<0.01). This change was not due solely to quantitative increases in monocyte numbers. The T-cell subset of ALL patients showed the same response in chemotaxis to chemotherapy plus immunotherapy as the null-cell ALL patients. In vitro monocyte chemotaxis in ALL patients was significantly increased by the addition of BCG immunotherapy to a standard chemotherapy regimen.
Spindle checkpoint proteins and chromosome–microtubule attachment in budding yeast

Accurate chromosome segregation depends on precise regulation of mitosis by the spindle checkpoint. This checkpoint monitors the status of kinetochore-microtubule attachment and delays the metaphase to anaphase transition until all kinetochores have formed stable bipolar connections to the mitotic spindle. Components of the spindle checkpoint include the mitotic arrest defective (MAD) genes MAD1-3, and the budding uninhibited by benzimidazole (BUB) genes BUB1 and BUB3. In animal cells, all known spindle checkpoint proteins are recruited to kinetochores during normal mitoses. In contrast, we show that whereas Saccharomyces cerevisiae Bub1p and Bub3p are bound to kinetochores early in mitosis as part of the normal cell cycle, Mad1p and Mad2p are kinetochore bound only in the presence of spindle damage or kinetochore lesions that interfere with chromosome-microtubule attachment. Moreover, although Mad1p and Mad2p perform essential mitotic functions during every division cycle in mammalian cells, they are required in budding yeast only when mitosis goes awry. We propose that differences in the behavior of spindle checkpoint proteins in animal cells and budding yeast result primarily from evolutionary divergence in spindle assembly pathways.
Wolter optics for neutron focusing

Focusing optics based on Wolter optical geometries developed for x-ray grazing incidence beams can be designed for neutron beams. Wolter optics are formed by grazing incidence reflections from two concentric conic sections (for example, a paraboloid and a hyperboloid). This has transformed observational X-ray astronomy by increasing the sensitivity by many orders of magnitude for research in astrophysics and cosmology. To increase the collection area, many reflecting mirrors of different diameters are nested with a common focal plane. These mirrors are fabricated using nickel-electroformed replication techniques. We apply these ideas to neutron focusing using nickel mirrors. We show an initial test of a conical mirror using a beam of cold neutrons. key words: electroformed nickel replication, focusing optics, grazing angle incidence, mirror reflection, neutron focusing, Wolter optics
Severely insect-damaged forest: A temporary trap for red squirrels?

Recent insect infestations in the spruce-fir forest in the Pinaleno Mountains of southeastern Arizona provided an opportunity to document response to severe forest disturbance and existence of an ecological trap for an endemic montane isolate, the endangered Mt. Graham red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus grahamensis). From September 2003 to December 2005 we assessed habitat selection and home range dynamics, and monitored potential correlates of fitness (body mass, reproduction, survivorship) in red squirrels living in insect-damaged forest, while drawing comparisons to squirrels inhabiting undamaged mixed-conifer forest. Although Mt. Graham red squirrels demonstrate equal-preference for habitat within insect-damaged forests and reproduce as well as individuals in undamaged forest, poor survivorship and reduced potential to reproduce suggest insect-damaged forest may function as an ecological trap. In addition, areas selected within insect-damaged forest had <69% dead trees, suggesting an upper limit to the extent of tree mortality tolerated by red squirrels. Habitat selection and sensitivity to disturbance will influence use of insect-damaged areas by forest-dwelling species. Although insect-damaged forest may retain habitat patches for a few individuals, low survivorship may generate an ecological trap.
Performance analysis of denoising with low-rank and sparsity constraints

Recent denoising methods that exploit the low-rank property and sparsity of the underlying signals have produced impressive empirical results in various imaging applications. However, the fundamental limits of their denoising capability have not been systematically analyzed. This paper presents an analysis of the denoising effects of imposing low-rank and sparsity constraints. Specifically, we use the constrained Cramer-Rao lower bound to derive upper bounds on the maximum noise reduction when applying these two constraints, individually or simultaneously. We also perform numerical simulations to compare the theoretical bounds with noise reductions from practical denoising methods. These results should provide useful insights into the utility of low-rank and sparsity constraints for denoising.
Peak-to-peak measurement of P300 recorded at 0.3 Hz high pass filter settings in intraindividual diagnosis: Complex vs. simple paradigms

We compared effects of 0.3 Hz with 0.01 Hz settings of the high pass amplifier filter, and baseline-to-peak with peak-to-peak measurements of the P300 event-related potential. The key dependent variable of interest was intraindividual rate of accuracy in discrimination of oddball vs. frequent evoked P300 responses, in various paradigms. In Experiment 1 (a lab deception paradigm), we found that the combination of the 0.3 Hz filter setting and the peak-peak measurement of P300 correctly diagnosed oddball vs. frequent in 26 of 26 (100%) cases. This parameter combination outperformed all others. In a second, more field-like experiment (in that the participant knew that the experimenter was blind to ground truth), the peak-peak index again outperformed the base-peak index. It was also observed that the pre-stimulus EEG baseline variability exceeded that of the negative peak (NEG) following P300, i.e. the peak to which the peak-peak index refers P300 for computation. We also observed that the base-peak measurement of P300 is uncorrelated with NEG, and that NEG, seen only in 0.3 Hz channels, correlates highly (-0.67) with the duration of recovery of P300 to the pre-stimulus baseline EEG level as seen in the 0.01-Hz channel. However, in a final experiment using two simple visual and auditory oddball tasks, the base-peak measurement was as diagnostic as the peak-peak measurement.
Effects of model resolution on optimal design of subsurface flow and transport problems

Abstract Mathematical modeling of water resources problems is regularly undertaken to aid the management or design of a system. These optimal design problems can require a large number of model simulations with different sets of design variables. In an effort to reduce the computational expense of such design problems, various sources of error are typically introduced into the numerical model simulations, often without explicit consideration of subsequent effects on solution quality. We investigate several sources of such errors, including model formulation, grid resolution, and solver error for a set of community test problems, which have received attention in the literature as a vehicle to evaluate and evolve optimization methods. Results show that common shortcuts used to reduce computational effort can lead to inaccurate solutions that differ quantitatively and qualitatively from optimal solutions found using highly resolved methods. In addition to highlighting what we believe is a common issue, we present improved solutions to the problems considered, identify alternative model and optimization formulations that give equivalent accuracy with reduced computational effort, and provide guidance for improving generally the reliability of optimal design solutions to water resources problems.
Conditions for accurate split injection of samples with wide boiling point range

The effect of injection temperature, carrier gas flow rate, geometry of the glass insert, and column temperature program on the precision and accuracy of split injections was measured. Three types of injection techniques were compared: injection into a hot isothermal injector, isothermal injection with the injector at the solvent boiling point temperature, and programmed injection temperature. The last of these techniques produced the best accuracy and precision of analysis. Conditions for complete sample trapping at the beginning of programmed temperature analysis are described.
Deficient expression of bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein in immunocompromised hosts: translational potential of replacement therapy.

BPI (bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein) is a 55 kDa anti-infective molecule expressed in neutrophil and eosinophil granules and on some epithelial cells. BPI9s high affinity for the lipid A region of endotoxin targets its opsonizing, microbicidal and endotoxin-neutralizing activities towards Gram-negative bacteria. Several immunocompromised patient populations demonstrate BPI deficiency, including newborns, those with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (as in cystic fibrosis and HIV infection) and those exposed to radiochemotherapy. BPI may be replenished by administering agents that induce its expression or by administration of recombinant BPI congeners, potentially shielding BPI-deficient individuals against Gram-negative bacterial infection, endotoxemia and its toxic sequelae.
Pharmacology and significance of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the treatment of skin diseases

Intensive studies of the molecular pathways involved in common inflammatory skin disorders, coupled with detailed pharmacologic evaluation of the responses of skin to the end products of these pathways, have resulted in a much clearer understanding of the mode of action of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. In particular the development of lipoxygenase inhibitors is prompting intense interest in their possible role as anti-inflammatory agents in psoriasis and other dermatoses. Because of the potency of these and other classes of new anti-inflammatory drugs, careful monitoring of their pharmacokinetics in individual patients, especially those at risk for adverse reactions, will prove necessary, especially in the early stages of treatment. Meanwhile, currently available nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have a limited but significant place in the treatment of certain dermatoses. Current experience of the high incidence of adverse reactions to existing nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs suggests that this will be no less a problem with new agents under development. The skin is frequently involved in adverse reactions to this class of drug, and past experience suggests that cutaneous reactions are among the earliest unwanted side effects reported in a new drug of this type. The dermatologist, therefore, has an important responsibility to observe, document, and report such "early warning signs" to the appropriate licensing authority and the manufacturer.
Microbiology of otorrhea in children with tympanostomy tubes: implications for therapy

Abstract Objective: Based on the prevalence of children with tympanostomy tubes who develop otorrhea, an analysis was performed to identify specific prognostic indicators in this population to enable clinicians to determine the likelihood of specific pathogens and select the best empiric therapy. Methods: Data from two multicenter clinical trials of ofloxacin otic solution 0.3% (OFLX) trials in pediatric patients 1–12 years of age were used to develop a statistical model to predict the likelihood of external auditory canal (EAC) or nasopharyngeal (NPG) pathogens. Data were available for 283 microbiologically evaluable patients. Potential indicators included subject age, season of enrollment, ear aspiration, cleaning, otorrhea, and granulation tissue. The model used a stepwise logistic regression analysis relating the occurrence of NPG or EAC pathogens to the potential prognostic indicators. Results: Among the total study population, 42.8 and 61.5% had NPG and EAC pathogens, respectively; 10.6% had both. The most frequently isolated valid pathogens were Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae. Significant prognostic indicators for NPG pathogens were subject age, season of enrollment, and presence of ear odor. Although these indicators were similar for EAC and NPG pathogens, the correlation was reversed, i.e. older subjects had EAC pathogens, and younger ones (
Functional polymers. IX. Polycarbonates and alternating copolycarbonates of bithionol

A number of polycarbonates, alternating copolycarbonates, polyurethanes, and terpolymers with carbonate and/or urethane linkages utilizing bithionol [2,2'-thiobis(4,6-dichlorophenol)] as the bisphenol component of the polymers have been synthesized. Bithionol has been demonstrated to give a polycarbonate with an inherent viscosity of about 0.5 dl/g. The polycarbonate is amorphous and has a glass transition temperature Tg of about 105°C. Alternating copolycarbonates and polyurethanes involving bithionol are most conveniently prepared from the bischloroformate of bithionol. An alternating copolycarbonate of bithionol and poly(ethylene glycol) of molecular weight 4000 has an inherent viscosity of more than 1.2 dl/g, is water soluble, and has characteristics similar to those of low-density polyethylene. Alternating copolymers of bithionol and other hindered bisphenols have been synthesized and can be visualized as having an antibacterial agent and an antioxidant in the same polymer chain. These polymers have the potential to act as very useful materials for the controlled release of drugs while only forming carbon dioxide as the additional small molecule fragment on hydrolysis.
Listening to Mozart Does Not Enhance Backwards Digit Span Performance

Rauscher, Shaw, and Ky recently reported that exposure to brief periods of music by Mozart produced a temporary increase in performance on tasks taken from the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale-IV. The present study examined whether this effect occurred in performance on a backwards digit span task. In a within-subjects design 36 undergraduates were exposed to 10-min. periods of Mozart music, a recording of rain, or silence. After each stimulus period, undergraduates had three attempts to hear and recall different 9-digit strings in reverse order. No significant differences among treatment conditions were found. There was a significant effect of practice. Results are discussed in terms of the need to isolate the conditions responsible for production of the Mozart effect.
Enzymes that recognize dolichols participate in three glycosylation pathways and are required for protein secretion.

We have explored the structure, function, and membrane topography of enzymes that recognize dolichols and participate in glycosylation pathways in the endoplasmic reticulum. Enzymes that interact w...
Statistical timing analysis with correlated non-gaussian parameters using independent component analysis

We propose a scalable and efficient parameterized block-based statistical static timing analysis algorithm incorporating both Gaussian and non-Gaussian parameter distributions, capturing spatial correlations using a grid-based model. As a preprocessing step, we employ independent component analysis to transform the set of correlated non-Gaussian parameters to a basis set of parameters that are statistically independent, and principal components analysis to orthogonalize the Gaussian parameters. The procedure requires minimal input information: given the moments of the variational parameters, we use a Pade approximation-based moment matching scheme to generate the distributions of the random variables representing the signal arrival times, and preserve correlation information by propagating arrival times in a canonical form. For the ISCAS89 benchmark circuits, as compared to Monte Carlo simulations, we obtain average errors of 0.99% and 2.05%, respectively, in the mean and standard deviation of the circuit delay. For a circuit with |G| gates and a layout with g spatial correlation grids, the complexity of our approach is O(g|G|).
Cerebral blood flow determination within the first 8 hours of cerebral infarction using stable xenon-enhanced computed tomography

Cerebral blood flow mapping with stable xenon-enhanced computed tomography (Xe/CT) was performed in conjunction with conventional computed tomography (CT) within the first 8 hours after the onset of symptoms in seven patients with cerebral infarction. Six patients had hemispheric infarctions, and one had a progressive brainstem infarction. Three patients with very low (less than 10 ml/100 g/min) blood flow in an anatomic area appropriate for the neurologic deficit had no clinical improvement by the time of discharge from the hospital; follow-up CT scans of these three patients confirmed infarction in the area of very low blood flow. Three patients with moderate blood flow reductions (15-45 ml/100 g/min) in the appropriate anatomic area had significant clinical improvement from their initial deficits and had normal follow-up CT scans. One patient studied 8 hours after stroke had increased blood flow (hyperemia) in the appropriate anatomic area and made no clinical recovery.
Practical Truths: Black Feminist Agency and Public Memory in Biographies for Children

Biographies are an influential, though understudied, aspect of Western educational culture and American public memory. This essay examines how juvenile biographies about Sojourner Truth portray her as a model of human agency for young readers. Specifically, the essay argues that biographies published in the United States between 1967 and 2009 rhetorically construct versions of Truth's life guided by the agential tropes of consciousness, self-determination, and resistance. These tropes reflect values espoused by African American feminist traditions while also rendering Truth's story accessible to a wide variety of young American readers.
Planarization techniques for multilevel HTS integrated circuit process

Various approaches to achieve planarization for a multilevel Y/sub 1/Ba/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-x/ (YBCO) circuit process are discussed and compared. Results on ion beam planarization (IBP) and etch-back planarization (EBP) techniques are reported, and their application to a potential high-temperature superconductive (HTS) circuit process is demonstrated. Since IBP is based on the mechanical action of etching, its advantage is that, in principle, it can be used to planarize any dielectric film. But it does not have much selectivity; hence, it is very difficult to control etching in a multilayer process. The success of this technique also depends, to some extent, on the pattern to be planarized. As seen from the experimental results, the degree of planarization (DOP) varies inversely, with the linewidth of the pattern. The DOP for 1- mu m line was found to be more than 70% after 45 min of ion milling. In the EBP technique using dry etching, a DOP of around 60% was obtained. This can be improved with thicker resist layers. In wet etching selectivity can be put to an advantage so that etching can be stopped at a desired point. >
On moment-discretization and least-squares solutions of linear integral equations of the first kind

Abstract Let K(s, t) be a continuous function on [0, 1] × [0, 1], and let K be the linear integral operator induced by the kernel K(s, t) on the space L 2[0, 1]. This note is concerned with moment-discretization of the problem of minimizing ‖Kx−y‖ in the L 2-norm, where y is a given continuous function. This is contrasted with the problem of least-squares solutions of the moment-discretized equation: ∝01 K(si, t) x(t) dt = y(si), i = 1, 2,h., n. A simple commutativity result between the operations of “moment-discretization” and “least-squares” is established. This suggests a procedure for approximating K†y (where K † is the generalized inverse of K ), without recourse to the normal equation K∗Kx = K∗y , that may be used in conjunction with simple numerical quadrature formulas plus collocation, or related numerical and regularization methods for least-squares solutions of linear integral equations of the first kind.
E-textile microstrip patch antennas for GPS

Body-worn microstrip patch antennas made from e-textile (Electro-Textile) materials were designed, built, and tested for the 1575 MHz (L1) and 1227 MHz (L2) Global Positioning System (GPS) frequencies. E-textiles, including fabrics and foam sheets, are flexible, lightweight, wearable, conformal, and the materials are low cost compared to conventional antenna materials. A variety of materials were tested to determine suitability for e-textile antennas. Gain was measured and found to be a few dB lower than for patch antennas built with conventional copper-clad materials, largely due to higher ohmic losses in the conductive fabrics. Gain was also measured on a human body “phantom” which is a plastic shell filled with fluids formulated to replicate the electromagnetic properties of the body. Use of wearable antennas removes the antenna from the receiver which reduces the size and weight of the receiver, and also allows larger antennas to be used. This effort also helps prepare for possible future applications of multiple wearable antennas such as interference mitigation, anti-spoof, indoor position detection, multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) communications, and body-worn antennas for health monitoring or covert communications.
Participative strategies for China's growing market

Over the next ten years, China is predicted to become the second-largest economy in the world. China offers foreign companies many wonderful business opportunities. Although a number of these foreign companies have successfully broken into the Chinese marketplace and reaped immense benefits, others have encountered unexpected obstacles, and some have experienced outright failure. Drawing on our international business experience as well as our knowledge of China's business environment derived from consulting and conducting research in China, we offer guidelines for foreigners considering conducting business in China. Specifically, we examine what major changes are having the most impact on how business is conducted in China and suggest strategies for effectively managing these changes. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
An efficient file structure for document retrieval in the automated office environment

A file system tailored to the general needs of the office environment is proposed. This system supports large numbers of a wide variety of documents and inexact fuzzy queries on the documents. The file system is based on a multilevel file structure that combines and extends multikey extendible hashing and signature files to create a document-retrieval system that is more time efficient than other previously proposed systems and is also space efficient. >
Body Mass Index, Safety Hazards, and Neighborhood Attractiveness

BACKGROUND: Neighborhood attractiveness and safety may encourage physical activity and help individuals maintain a healthy weight. However, these neighborhood characteristics may not be equally relevant to health across all settings and population subgroups. PURPOSE: To evaluate whether potentially attractive neighborhood features are associated with lower BMI, whether safety hazards are associated with higher BMI, and whether environment-environment interactions are present such that associations for a particular characteristic are stronger in an otherwise supportive environment. METHODS: Survey data and measured height and weight were collected from a convenience sample of 13,102 adult New York City (NYC) residents in 2000-2002; data analyses were completed 2008-2012. Built-environment measures based on municipal GIS data sources were constructed within 1-km network buffers to assess walkable urban form (density, land-use mix, transit access); attractiveness (sidewalk cafes, landmark buildings, street trees, street cleanliness); and safety (homicide rate, pedestrian-auto collision and fatality rate). Generalized linear models with cluster-robust SEs controlled for individual and area-based sociodemographic characteristics. RESULTS: The presence of sidewalk cafes, density of landmark buildings, and density of street trees were associated with lower BMI, whereas the proportion of streets rated as clean was associated with higher BMI. Interactions were observed for sidewalk cafes with neighborhood poverty, for street-tree density with walkability, and for street cleanliness with safety. Safety hazard indicators were not independently associated with BMI. CONCLUSIONS: Potentially attractive community and natural features were associated with lower BMI among adults in NYC, and there was some evidence of effect modification. Language: en
Major depressive disorder in older adolescents: prevalence, risk factors, and clinical implications

In this article we summarize our current understanding of depression in older (14-18 years old) adolescents based on our program of research (the Oregon Adolescent Depression Project). Specifically, we address the following factors regarding adolescent depression: (a) phenomenology (e.g., occurrence of specific symptoms, gender and age effects, community versus clinic samples); (b) epidemiology (e.g., prevalence, incidence, duration, onset age); (c) comorbidity with other mental and physical disorders; (d) psychosocial characteristics associated with being, becoming, and having been depressed; (e) recommended methods of assessment and screening; and (f) the efficacy of a treatment intervention developed for adolescent depression, the Adolescent Coping With Depression course. We conclude by providing a set of summary statements and recommendations for clinicians.
Uses of Technology for Mathematics Assessment and Instruction: Reflection on a Decade of Innovations.

Innovations in special education technology throughout the 1980s have been most pronounced in the area of mathematics. Largely because of federal funding, development and research has been conducte...
Evolution of Corporate Governance, Externalities and Multiple Equilibria

This paper provides a broad discussion of positive externalities from high corporate governance standards. It emphasizes the idea that improvements in governance standards at one company make its information flow more reliable as a benchmark and thereby alter the cost-benefit analysis of improvements in governance at other companies. The result is the existence of multiple Pareto ranked equilibria. This provides a role for coordinating institutions in the evolution of corporate governance standards to avoid that companies get stuck in an equilibrium with low standards. These considerations are demonstrated by the introduction of the choice of board independence into the model of costly, but unobservable managerial effort provision with two firms facing a common shock.
Dynamic Separation Thresholds for a Small Airborne Sense and Avoid System

The replacement of distance-based thresholds with time-based thresholds that account for intruder performance is a necessary step in developing a useful sense-and-avoid system to be integrated into the national airspace system. The current conservative distance-based thresholds used in many sense-and-avoid systems on board UAS aircraft will either not adequately account for reduced maneuvering time when encountering high-speed aircraft or require such large thresholds to accommodate them that mission capability will be compromised. Using certain worst case assumptions regarding an intruder, the University of North Dakota’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Engineering team (UASE) used turning flight geometry to implement a computationally inexpensive solution to the time-based question. The methodology and software in the loop results are presented illustrating the effectiveness of the time based avoidance threshold proposed.
Suppression of Heliothis Populations with Glabrous Cotton Strains

During 5 consecutive years of evaluating glabrous cotton strains in replicated field tests, oviposition of Heliothis spp. was reduced from 36% in 1966 to 80% in 1969. This reduced oviposition resulted in significantly fewer larvae and damaged fruiting forms. Glabrous cottons might therefore be used in conjunction with other methods of control.
Predictors of quality of life following cardiac transplantation.

Abstract Eleven heart transplant patients were evaluated psychiatrically before the operation, with possible mental disorder diagnosed according to DSM-III. Data were recorded for the medical course until 12 months after the operation, and the patients completed a scored quality of life questionnaire at nine to 15 months after the surgery. The results showed that the presence of a personality disorder before the operation and a poorer medical course after surgery predicted a poorer quality of life. The results were interpreted within a framework suggesting a significant role for noncompliance with the medical regimen by patients with personality disorders.
A CASE OF TRAUMATIC PSEUDOCYST OF THE PANCREAS WITH A UNIQUE CLINICAL COURSE

特異な臨床経過を呈した外傷性膵仮性嚢胞の1例を経験したので報告する.症例は4歳,女児. 2002年10月5日腹腔内出血で緊急手術を行ったが腹部打撲による膵嚢胞破裂であった. 1カ月後,腹痛出現し腹部CT検査で膵仮性嚢胞の再発を認め保存的加療を行い消失した.その後も腹部打撲を頻回に認めたが再発はなかった. 9カ月後,持続する腹痛,嘔吐を主訴に受診した.腹部X線写真で胃大彎側の圧排像を認め精査加療目的で入院した.入院時WBC 6,790/μl, CRP 6.32mg/dl,血清AMY 84IU/l,腹部CT検査で左上腹部に大きさ5×5×7cm, 4×3×4cm大の境界明瞭な嚢胞を2個認めた.膵仮性嚢胞再々発の診断で4週間保存的加療を行ったが嚢胞は同大で,初回手術後10カ月して膵嚢胞空腸内瘻化術を施行した.術後8日目の腹部CT検査で嚢胞の消褪を確認した.以後11カ月を経過するが,再発を認めていない.
Complex Number Algebra as a Simple Case of Heaviside Operational Calculus

In [1] the author offered the following postulational basis for an algebraic structure called a heaviside operational calculus. Let G be an additive Abelian group of operands. Let E be a set of endomorphisms on G. If a nonnull element, U, of G has the property that every element of G is the map of U under some endomorphism in E, we call U a unit element of G relative to E. Suppose G and E satisfy the following postulates: 1. The endomnorphisms in E are permutable. 2. G contains at least one unit element, U, relative to E. 3. Any endomorphisin in E that sends a unit element U into a nonnull operand sends every nonnull operand in G into a nonnull operand. It follows, as shown in [1], that E is an integral domain under the usual definitions of equality, sums, and products for endomorphisms. For some choices of G and E, E will also be a field. G and E (or G and a class of operators associated with E) determine a heaviside operational calculus. For example, let G be the class of entering, sectionally continuous functions of t. The unit step function, {u(t) }, will serve as a unit operand for postulate 2. Given a member, f, of G we find the following endomorphism on G that sends u intof:
Proliferation, differentiation, and cytogenetics of chronic leukemic B lymphocytes cultured with mitomycin-treated normal cells

Lymphocytes from 6 patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia of the B-cell variety (B-CLL) were cultured with equal numbers of mitomycin-treated mononuclear cells from normal blood. When stimulated with pokeweed mitogen (PWM), phytohemagglutinin (PHA), or the tumor-promoting agent, phorbol tetradecanoyl-acetate (TPA), the CLL cells proliferated actively by day 3 or 4 of culture, and in four cases, differentiated to significant numbers of immunoglobulin-containing cells. Chromosome studies on the proliferating lymphocytes demonstrated a cytogenetically abnormal clone in three patients, including two with a 14q+ marker chromosome and two with a translocation involving the short arm of chromosome 9. One patient had a translocation from 22q to 14q, producing a Philadelphia chromosome as well as the 14q+ marker. The results indicate that the neoplastic lymphocytes of B-CLL may proliferate and differentiate when appropriately stimulated in vitro, and that chromosomally abnormal clones are not uncommon. With several techniques now available for successful short-term culture of B-CLL lymphocytes, there is opportunity for better understanding of the cellular alterations in this disease.
218 LAPAROSCOPIC SCISSOR SHARPNESS: A SUBJECTIVE AND OBJECTIVE COMPARISON.

Purpose of Study Surgeons performing laparoscopic surgery often use scissors to cut a variety of tissues, such as fibrotic tissue, calcified vessels, and occasionally tissue containing staples. As a result, the scissors could become dull or damaged. This study compared three laparoscopic scissors in cutting ability and ergonomics to see if true differences existed. Methods Used Three different laparoscopic scissors were compared: Ethicon Endopath (Cincinnati, OH), US Surgical Auto Suture (Norwalk, CT), and Applied Medical Direct Drive (Irvine, CA). Subjective data included surgical ratings of scissors which transected both tissue and staples. It also included 20 blinded volunteers who rated the cutting ability and ergonomics of each scissor. Objective data included an assessment of scissor blade damage via high-magnification digital photography. Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed ranks test and the Friedman test. Summary of Results All scissors performed well cutting fresh tissue; however, the Direct Drive scissor performed better in staple transection, post-staple tissue transection, and during volunteer ratings of performance and ergonomics (p Conclusions Reached All scissors functioned well on initial tissue transection. The Direct Drive scissor performed better in blade durability and ergonomics and was more cost efficient.
Measuring the Influence of Juvenile Arrest on the Odds of Four-Year College Enrollment for Black Males: An NLSY Analysis

Black youth make up just 16% of public school students in the United States, though they constitute 31% of all juvenile arrests, with Black males outnumbering females. Very little is known from research about the long-term consequences of such contact on their odds of college enrollment. Thus, the purpose of this study was to measure the relationship between Black males' early contact with the criminal justice system through arrest and their probability of enrolling in a four-year college using a nationally representative sample of approximately 1,100 Black males who participated in the National Longitudinal Study of Youth (1997). Survey data were analyzed using descriptive, chi-square, and hierarchical binomial logistic regression techniques. RESULTS expose pervasive limits on Black males' college enrollment, reveal the statistically significant influence of early arrest on college entry, and have far-reaching implications for research, policy, and outreach. Language: en
Efficacy of live combined bifidobacterium and lactobacillus tablets in the treatment of antibiotic-associated diarrhea in children

Objective To investigate the efficacy of live combined bifidobacterium and lactobacillus tablets in the treatment of antibiotic-associated diarrhea(AAD) in children.Methods Eighty-eight children with AAD were randomly divided into two groups,with 44 children in each group.The control group were treated by rehydration,maintain electrolyte balance and montmorillonite powder and other conventional treatment,while the observation group was given additionally live combined bifidobacterium and lactobacillus tablets.The clinical efficacy were compared between the two groups.Results The total effective rate in the observation group was 97.72%%,which was significantly higher than that in the control group(86.36%),P0.05.The duration of diarrhea and length of hospital stay in the observation group were significantly shorter than those in the control group,with statistically significant difference(P0.01).Conclusion Live combined bifidobacterium and lactobacillus tablets in the treatment of AAD in children can quickly restore intestinal flora,and shorten the duration of diarrhea and length of hospital stay.
Invisibility, the War Machine and Prigogine: Physics, Philosophy and the Threshold of Historical Consciousness in Pynchon's Zone

In Difference and Repetition, Gilles Deleuze forges alliances among science, philosophy and the arts in order to propose a systems theory of culture-formation based on the distinction between differen(t)iation and differen(c)iation. The first term refers to spatial and temporal difference, as might be charted graphically on a geometric grid; the second term refers to the variations possible of an organism at any particular moment in its history, enabled, for example, by cell division and specialization in an embryo, or by spontaneous genetic mutation in a species.
High Levels of Geriatric Palliative Care Needs in Hip Fracture Patients Before the Hip Fracture.

Abstract Context Most hip fracture care models are grounded in curative models where the goal is to return the patient to independent function. In many instances, however, hip fractures contribute to continued functional decline and mortality. Although the negative impact of hip fractures is appreciated once they have occurred, what is less understood is what proportion of older adults have high illness burden before experiencing hip fracture and might benefit from geriatric palliative care. Objectives Using data from the Health and Retirement Study linked to Medicare claims (January 1992 through December 2010), we sought to understand the extent of premorbid illness burden before hip fracture. Methods Characteristics were based on the interview before hip fracture. Features used to indicate need for geriatric palliative care included evidence of functional and medical vulnerability, pain, and depression. Results Eight hundred fifty-six older adults who experienced a hip fracture were compared to 851 age-, gender-, and race-matched controls. Older adults with hip fractures had significantly more premorbid functional vulnerability (activities of daily living dependent 25.7% vs. 16.1% [P Conclusions A significant proportion of older adults have evidence of functional and medical vulnerability before hip fracture. For these individuals, integration of geriatric palliative care may be particularly important for optimizing quality of life and addressing the high morbidity experienced by this population.