cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Layered double hydroxides (LDHs)

Abstract This paper reviews the literature concerning layered double hydroxides(LDHs). The synthesis, characterization and potential uses of such materials are discussed. Experiments in our laboratory concerning the pillaring of LDHs with hexacyanoferrate and other anion complexes of iron are reported. The synthesis of other LDH complexes containing Ga 3+ is also summarized. Characterization of the LDHs with X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, Mossbauer spectroscopy and electron paramagnetic resonance has been done to study the chemical and physical properties of these materials.
Concurrent programming in the shared dataspace paradigm

This research is concerned with the study of concurrent programming languages which employ the shared dataspace model [4], i.e., languages in which the primary means for communication among the concurrent components is a common, content-addressable data structure called a shared dataspace. Such languages can bring together a variety of programming styles (e.g., synchronous and asynchronous, static and dynamic) within a unified computational framework. We are investigating appropriate language constructs, programming techniques, formal models, programming logics, and proof techniques. The main vehicle for this investigation is a language called Swarm [3].
Brand Europe: European Integration and Tourism Development

Excerpt] A lot of water has flowed under the Pont Neuf since we first exhorted European trade-policy makers not to ignore the tourism opportunity afforded by European integration. Since then, tourism flows to Europe have continued to grow despite political and economic upheaval. Our research on this subject indicates that, while some organizational progress has been made by the European Union (EU) on this subject, much remains to be done if there is to be an integrated community-wide policy on tourism. Reflecting on our original 1990 paper, we offer this commentary on the state of European tourism.’
Beyond Substance Abuse: Stress, Burnout, and Depression as Causes of Physician Impairment and Disruptive Behavior

Disruptive physician behavior may diminish productivity, lead to medical errors, and compromise patient safety. The purpose of this paper is to review how common psychological conditions such as depression, stress, and burnout may drive disruptive behavior in the workplace and result in impaired patterns of professional conduct similar to what is seen with substance abuse. Problems related to these psychological morbidities may be more effectively managed with improved understanding of the conditions and behaviors, their associated risk factors, and the barriers that exist to reporting them. Further research and educational programs are warranted to address how these conditions might affect radiology.
Mastering space in Eurasia: Russia’s geopolitical thinking after the Soviet break-up

This essay assumes the significance of spatial imagination in shaping the political and cultural boundaries of the post-Soviet Eurasia and reviews the newly emerged geopolitical arguments in Russia. Rather than perceiving Eurasianist views in Russia as relatively homogeneous, I argue that such thinking is highly diverse and varies from West-friendly versions to those that are openly isolationist and expansionist. To support my argument, I select six recently published Russian volumes and group them into five distinct schools of Russia’s geopolitical thinking, each with their own intellectual assumptions, worldviews, and bases of support in the society. While writing on the same subject of the Eurasian geopolitics, each author proposes principally different solutions to the problems that emerged over the 10 years of Russia’s post-communist experience. The argument invites us to rethink the nature of Russia’s spatial thinking and activities in Eurasia and to seriously consider engaging Russia as an equal participant in a larger collective security-based arrangement in the region. Geography may ‘matter’ … only as the moment in which abstract universal social processes, such as social stratification, state-building, and ideological hegemony, are revealed in space. John Agnew and Stuart Corbridge, Mastering Space (1995, 13)
Residual stresses and birefringences in large, quenched samples

As large polymer samples are quenched rapidly, residual stresses (and birefringence) are frozen into the final part due to the different thermal/contraction histories of the surface and center portions. The present work on polystyrene, a continuation of earlier studies, deals with the effects of sample size and initial temperature; these results are treated with the genral theory of Lee, Rogers, and Woo. Finally, data for two other amorphous polymers, poly(methyl methacrylate) and polycarbonate, are presented; in these cases the simpler theory of Aggarwala and Saibel is used. The theories help explain the relative behavior of the three materials and are qualitatively useful. However, the compexity of the rheooptical response precludes doing a completely rigorous treatment.
Labor pains at subduction's birth

The largest earthquake in 12 years has drawn attention to a remote part of the world where the established rules of plate tectonics break down along a jumble of ridges and troughs running from New Zealand almost to Antarctica. The submarine earthquake occurred May 23 near uninhabited Macquarie Island, about 2000 km southwest of Auckland, New Zealand, in the South Pacific Ocean. It was felt several hundred kilometers away on Campbell Island but caused little damage, despite a surface wave magnitude of 8.3, larger than that of the earthquakes that hit Mexico City in 1985. No identifiable tsunami resulted.
A technique for sequentially reproducing intraoral film

Abstract A procedure whereby sequential radiographs can be taken of a particular area has been demonstrated. The source-object distance, object-film distance, vertical and horizontal inclination of the cone, and positioning of the film are duplicated, as are the exposure and processing factors. Radiographs are presented to show the results of this procedure.
Ratings of subjective mental fatigue relate to cognitive performance in patients with myasthenia gravis

We examined ratings of fatigue and cognitive performance in myasthenia gravis (MG) patients and healthy subjects. All participants were administered self-report measures of mental and physical fatigue before and after completing a demanding cognitive work battery. Change in fatigue indices was recorded and examined in relation to cognitive function. Results of the study revealed that baseline ratings of fatigue did not relate to cognitive performances for either group. By contrast, increased mental fatigue from the baseline to the post-test assessment correlated with cognitive measures for patients but not control subjects. MG patients reported that physical fatigue also increased following the work battery, but only ratings of mental fatigue correlated with cognitive performances. The results indicate that cognitive impairments may be associated with perceived fatigue in MG.
Gay men in early midlife: Intergenerational accommodation for approval, reclaimed status, and distinctiveness

Abstract This study draws upon interview data and a communication accommodation theory framework to explore how early midlife gay men manage their age identities vis-a-vis younger gay men. Face-to-face interviews with forty gay men (aged 40–53) in four U.S. cities, followed by open and axial coding of the data, revealed a new grounded theory of gay midlife intergenerational accommodation. The model includes various forms of communicative convergence and divergence that are enacted in the interest of gaining approval from younger outgroup members, reclaiming lost social status, and achieving positive group distinctiveness. Similarities and extensions to communication accommodation theory are discussed, as are the theory's implications for understanding gay midlife.
Comparison of a Few Fault Diagnosis Methods on Sparse Variable Length Time Series Sequences

Accurate gas turbine engine Fault Detection and Diagnosis (FDD) is essential to improving aircraft safety as well as in reducing airline costs associated with delays and cancellations. This paper compares broadly three methods of fault detection and diagnosis (FDD) dealing with variable length time sequences. Chosen methods are based on Dynamic Time Warping (DTW), k-Nearest Neighbor method, Hidden Markov Model (HMM) and a Support Vector Machine (SVM) which makes use of DTW ingeniously as its kernel. The time sequences are obtained from Turbo Propulsion Engines in their nominal conditions and two faulty conditions. Typically there is paucity of faulty exemplars and the challenge is to come up with algorithms which work reasonably well under such circumstances. Also, normalization of data plays a significant role in determining the performance of the classifiers used for FDD in terms of their detection rate and false positives. In particular spherical normalization has been explored considering the advantage of its superior normalization properties. Given sparse training data how well each of these algorithms performs is shown by means of tests performed on time series data collected at normal and faulty modes from a turbofan gas turbine propulsion engine and the results are presented.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Ostwald ripening during liquid phase sintering—Effect of volume fraction on coarsening kinetics

Phase coarsening, also termed Ostwald ripening, is generally thought to be a slow, diffusion-controlled process which occurs subsequent to phase separation under extremely small under- or over-saturation levels. The theory due to Lifshitz, Slyozov, and Wagner (LSW), which predicts the coarsening kinetics and the particle distribution function, are applicable todilute systems only, in which particle-particle interactions are unimportant. Most liquid phase sintered systems, however, have large enough volume fractions of the dispersed phase to violate the essential assumptions of LSW theory. Recent progress will be described on simulating Ostwald ripening in randomly dispersed, high volume fraction systems. A fast algorithm for solving the multiparticle diffusion problem (MDP) will be described, permitting simulation of coarsening dynamics by cyclic time-stepping and updating the diffusion solution for large random particle arrays. The rate constants, controlling the growth of the average particle, and the particle distribution functions were obtained by numerical simulations up to a volume fraction of 0.55. A new statistical mean field theory has now been developed which reproduces the MDP simulation data accurately, and finally makes clear how the linear mean-field approximations employed by LSW theory must be modified to describe real systems. The predictions of the mean field are found to compare favorably with experimental measurements made over a wide range of volume fraction solid of the kinetics of Ostwald ripening in liquid phase sintered Fe-Cu alloys. The new theory provides a comprehensive approach to understanding microstructural coarsening in liquid phase sintered systems.
Reflections on the π‐complex theory of benzidine rearrangements

The ups and downs, and reasons therein, of the π-complex theory of the mechanism of the benzidine rearrangements, and the possible role of π-complexes in a newer understanding of the rearrangements, are described.
A knowledge-based design aid for superheaters employing pseudo-random search

This paper describes a knowledge-based design aid for creating low-cost superheaters in fossil-fuel boilers. Design problems in general are notably ill-structured. The superheater design problem, in particular, is made difficult by the presence of special pricing functions and discounts to the boiler-maker. The approach used in the design aid combines a frame-based representation structure for the knowledge used to create superheaters with a pseudo-random search technique for improving the cost of the design. The emphasis in this paper is on the use of the search technique. An application is presented which is typical of the results observed during testing of the design aid. The average savings in material costs by using this aid are 10% of total material costs per superheater.
Response of Lilium longiflorum to ancymidol bulb-dips

Abstract Plant height at flowering was reduced in Easter lily ( Lilium longiflorum Thunb. cultivar ‘Nellie White’) by momentarily dipping the bulbs in 100 or 264 mg l −1 solutions of ancymidol [α-cyclopropyl-α-(p-methoxyphenyl)-5-pyrimidinemethanol] prior to planting. The number of flowers was unaffected, and days to flower increased slightly at the highest concentration. This method of application is more effective than soil drench and foliarspray applications.
The social media genome: modeling individual topic-specific behavior in social media

Information propagation in social media depends not only on the static follower structure but also on the topic-specific user behavior. Hence novel models incorporating dynamic user behavior are needed. To this end, we propose a model for individual social media users, termed a genotype. The genotype is a per-topic summary of a user's interest, activity and susceptibility to adopt new information. We demonstrate that user genotypes remain invariant within a topic by adopting them for classification of new information spread in large-scale real networks. Furthermore, we extract topic-specific influence backbone structures based on information adoption and show that they differ significantly from the static follower network. When employed for influence prediction of new content spread, our genotype model and influence backbones enable more than 20% improvement, compared to purely structural features. We also demonstrate that knowledge of user genotypes and influence backbones allow for the design of effective strategies for latency minimization of topic-specific information spread.
Intermolecular C-F...H-C contacts in the molecular packing of three isostructural N-(fluorophenyl)mannopyranosylamines.

Among the three compounds reported here, namely N-(4-fluoro­phenyl)-β-d-mannopyran­osyl­amine, (I), N-(3-fluoro­phenyl)-β-d-mannopyran­osyl­amine, (II), and N-(2-fluoro­phenyl)-β-d-mannopyran­osyl­amine, (III), all with chemical formula C12H16FNO5, (I) and (II) are isostructural, whereas (III) assumes the same packing arrangement as the unfluorin­ated analogue N-phenyl-β-d-mannopyran­osyl­amine, (IV), which has been reported previously. Similarities with respect to the inter­molecular hydrogen-bonding patterns exist across the series (I)–(III). A packing motif that distinguishes the shared packing arrangement of (I) and (II) from that of (III) is a C—F⋯H—C chain of graph set C(4) that is preserved in the formal exchange of F and H atoms at the 4- and 3-positions on the aromatic ring of (I) and (II), but is replaced by a different chain of graph set C(5) when the F atom is located at the 2-position of the aromatic ring in (III). The steric role of the F atom in (I)–(III) is ambiguous but is examined here in detail.
Product differentiation and efficiencies in the retail banking industry

Abstract We empirically quantify the welfare implications of bank entry in the United States between 2000 and 2008. We use a fully structural framework that combines a differentiated demand model with an endogenous product model to investigate the market outcomes. We find no evidence for under- or over-entry. Compared with the socially efficient outcome, there is a mild welfare loss resulting from banks entering wrong locations in product space. Compared with the observed outcome, consumer surplus drops by 20–38% and bank profits decline by 48–59% when banks are homogeneous. Therefore product differentiation significantly improves welfare under free entry.
γδ T-lymphocyte cytotoxic activity against Mycobacterium bovis analyzed by flow cytometry

Gamma Delta (gammadelta) T lymphocytes contain the unique capability of responding to pathogens in both an innate and acquired immune response. Previously, gammadelta lymphocytes have been reported to respond to Mycobacteria tuberculosis determined by proliferation and IFN-gamma production. Unlike alpha beta (alphabeta) lymphocytes, gammadelta lymphocytes constitutively express a natural killer receptor providing gammadelta lymphocytes the capability for innate cytolytic functions. A new cytolytic assay by flow cytometry was reported capable of determining natural killer activity using K562 cells as targets without the need for radioactive materials. The objectives of this study were to first apply the flow cytometer-based assay to assess gammadelta lymphocytes natural killer activity following animal vaccination with Mycobacterium bovis Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG). Secondly, to optimize the flow cytometer assay in order to detect antigen specific cytolytic activity to mycobacterium and to compare the cytolytic activity of gammadelta lymphocytes to CD-8 lymphocytes. gammadelta lymphocytes increased in NK activity (P=0.012) following animal vaccination with M. bovis BCG. Both innate (P=0.02) and acquired antigen-specific cytolytic activity (P=0.04) increased following incubation with M. bovis-infected monocytes. In conclusion, flow cytometric-based assay is a sensitive and reliable tool to determine cytolytic activity of gammadelta T-lymphocytes against mycobacterium.
Potentiation of nitrogen mustard cytotoxicity to leukemia cells by sulfur-containing compounds administered in vivo.

Abstract Fifteen sulfur-containing compounds were examined for their ability to both protect normal hematopoietic stem cells (NCFU) from the cytotoxic effect of nitrogen mustard (HN2), and potentiate the cytotoxicity of HN2 to AKR leukemia cells (LCFU). All except four agents demonstrated some protection of NCFU with WR-2721 being most active. Five of the agents were also protective for LCFU with cysteine and glutathione being most active. However, a number of agents potentiated the cytotoxicity of HN2 to LCFU, the most active being disulfiram and AET followed by cysteamine, DMSO, WR-638, and WR-3689. The dose-response relationship for the potentiation was defined for DMSO. A second leukemia model, L1210, was also studied for potentiation of HN2 cytotoxicity by four of the most active agents—WR-2721, AFT, DMSO, and disulfiram. The first two agents showed no effect (either protection or potentiation) when given either 15 min or 6 hr before HN2 administration. The last two agents, however, potentiated the cytotoxicity to a level similar to that found with the AKR leukemia.
Neural and humoral control of regional vascular beds via A1 adenosine receptors located in the nucleus tractus solitarii

Our previous studies showed that stimulation of adenosine A1 receptors located in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) exerts counteracting effects on the iliac vascular bed: activation of the a...
Synthesis of Fullerenes (C60 AND C70) by Combustion of Hydrocarbons in A Flat Flame Burner

Fullerene (C60 and C70) synthesis by combustion of ethylene and benzene in a flat flame burner was investigated. This method of fullerene synthesis is particularly attractive because of its potential of scale up. Also the ability to change the flame conditions andcontrol the yield of C60 and C70 makes this method versatile. No fullerenes were found in soot samples collected from the ethylene flame. However, fullerenes were formed in a benzene flame with C/O = 0.88 and operated at 40 torr, with cold gas velocity of 25.3 cm/s (273 K) and containing 10% argon. The concentration of fullerenes in this flame was found to depend strongly on the height above the burner surface. It exhibited a strong maxima at about 1.0 cm above the burner height suggesting the presence of both growth and destruction mechanisms.
Effect of pH, Certain Chemicals and Holding Time-Temperature on the Color of Lowbush Blueberry Puree

Main effects of pH, several chemicals, and holding time at 50°C and −20°C on the color of lowbush blueberry puree were evaluated. As pH shifted from low to high, the puree became darker and more bluish-purple. Chemicals such as EDTA and AlCl3 tended to produce a redder and yellower puree whereas SnCl2 and SnCl4 would make the color bluish-purple. The combining effect of pH and chemicals showed a stabilizing effect on puree color which was independent of holding time of 24 hr at 50°C or 4 wk at −20°C. Hue values were recommended to be used rather than absorbance ratios A510A410 to judge color of blueberry puree.
Case-Based and Collaborative-Learning Techniques to Teach Delivery of Sustainable Buildings

AbstractProject delivery of sustainable buildings is more complex than that for traditional buildings. It requires early interdisciplinary collaboration with full commitment of team members to the project’s green goals—ensured by delivery methods, contractual conditions, team procurement, and project management practices. As the need for sustainable built environment grows, the demand for professionals who can manage delivery of sustainable buildings efficiently will also increase in the (architecture, engineering, and construction) industry. Teaching delivery of sustainable building characteristics to students through traditional methods is challenging, however. This paper presents a case study in which a multidisciplinary graduate class of 14 students was exposed to case-based collaborative-learning methods, examining whether these methods could improve student understanding of sustainable building delivery. The results of pre- and post case study assignment surveys and evaluation of role play and open ...
Cerebellar infarction--clinical and computed tomographic correlations.

Abstract Fifteen patients with CT evidence of cerebellar infarction were analyzed. In 10 patients, there were premonitory symptoms. In all cases, development to maximal neurological deficit occurred within 4 hr. All patients presented with gait disorder, and they had cerebellar abnormalities on examination. Eight of the 15 had accompanying findings consistent with brain stem dysfunction. CT showed a hypodensc lesion which was either wedge, rectangular or ovoid shaped. Only 3 had evidence of fourth ventricular compression with accompanying third and lateral ventricular enlargement. No patient required surgery and all patients survived with good functional recovery.
Sliding Toward the Free Market: Shifting Political Coalitions and U.S. Agricultural Policy, 1945–1975*

Between 1945 and 1975, the twin pillars of U.S. agricultural policy-price supports and production controls-were weakened significantly. Price supports levels were reduced and made flexible in 1954, and the concept of parity was removed in 1973. Production controls were softened in 1964 and 1973. How can we explain these policy shifts? While many scholars focus on the rise of urban and consumer interests, I look at changes within agriculture and focus on the economic interests and political power of three segments of agriculture: producers of cotton, corn, and wheat. These segments anchored the political coalition that forged and expanded the New Deal agricultural policies. Yet, these policies eventually reshaped market conditions, thereby changing the interests of these segments. Changes in the economic interests and political power of these segments influenced the timing and substance of shifts in U.S. agricultural policy.
Suppression of Ras-induced transformation of NIH 3T3 cells by activated G alpha s.

Conversion of external signals into proliferative responses may be mediated by interactions between signaling pathways that control cell proliferation. Interactions between G alpha s, the alpha subunit of the heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide binding protein that stimulates adenylyl cyclase, and Ras, an important element in growth factor signaling, were studied. Expression of activated G alpha s in NIH 3T3 cells increased intracellular concentrations of adenosine 39,59-monophosphate (cAMP) and inhibited H-Ras-stimulated DNA synthesis and mitogen-activated protein kinase activity. Activated G alpha s and 8-Br-cAMP suppressed H-Ras-induced transformation of NIH 3T3 cells. Apparently, G alpha s inhibits proliferative signals from Ras by stimulating cAMP production and activating protein kinase A.
Ethnic conflict in the Soviet Union

If Heaven forbid! the Nobel Academy awarded a prize in political science, surely it would give high priority to anyone who provided a convincing answer to a simple question: under what conditions do ethnically identified populations make sustained, effective claims to control their own separate states? Thirty or forty years ago, the question seemed almost antiquarian, a reflection on primordial identities that political development would dissolve, a reminder of outmoded nineteenth-century nationalism. In that optimistic postwar mood, observers conveniently forgot that the hazards of lineage and conquest had usually formed Western states as linguistic and cultural mosaics. They forgot that Spain, Czechoslovakia, Turkey, and many other European states contained multiple ethnicities capable of mounting serious collective action. They forgot how hard European rulers had once worked to impose national languages, national educational systems, and even national religions. Decolonization reinforced that mood, as the vast majority of new states conformed to boundaries laid down by European conquests, therefore containing patchworks of language, religion, kinship, and mythified origin. Africanists spoke of "Europeanization" (more or less confidently) or "detribalization" (with trepidation).' In Africa and elsewhere, specialists hoped that parochialism would decline in favor of moder differentiation that Durkheim's dream of
Conditions for a massless plasma analysis to predict stabilization of the tokamak plasma vertical instability

This paper describes the problem of feedback control for stabilization of the plasma vertical instability in a tokamak. Such controllers are typically designed based on a model that assumes the plasma mass m is identically zero. However, the assumption of m = 0 can lead to a controller C that appears to be stabilizing according to the massless analysis but in fact will increase the instability of the physical system. In this work, we consider the most commonly used type of controller, a proportional-derivative controller. Suppose C is a PD controller which stabilizes the vertical instability with plasma mass assumed to be zero. We give easy-to-check necessary and sufficient conditions for C to also stabilize the physical system, in which the plasma actually has a small mass.
Optimizing oxide charge balanced devices for Unclamped Inductive Switching (UIS)

Power MOSFET designs have been moving to higher performance particularly in the medium voltage area. (60V to 300V) New designs require lower Specific On-resistance while not sacrificing Unclamped Inductive Switching (UIS) capability or increasing turn-off losses. Two charge balance technologies currently address these needs, the PN junction and the Shielded Gate Charge Balance device topologies. This paper will study the impact of drift region as well as other design parameters that influence the shielded gate class of charge balance devices. The optimum design for maximizing UIS capability and minimizing the impact on other design parameters such as R DSON and switching performance are addressed. It will be shown through TCAD simulation one can design devices to have a stable avalanche point that is not influenced by small variations within a die or die-to-die that result from normal processing. Finally, measured and simulated data will be presented showing a fabricated device with near theoretical UIS capability.
Pluralistic Ignorance—A Replication and Extension

This paper presents the results of a replication and extension of a previous study showing that white Americans seriously misperceive the racial values of other whites around them. Based on a 1970 national sample survey, the new data confirm the earlier findings that whites tended to overestimate white support for racial segregation and that this tendency was related to their own racial values. The second study also shows that many whites tended to underestimate white support for desegregation, that the tendency to attribute their own racial values to other whites varied with those values, and that, in general, white racial opinion was perceived to be more conservative than it actually was. Hubert J. O'Gorman is Professor of Sociology, Wesleyan University. Stephen L. Garry is a Research Associate with the Committee on Criminal Justice, Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The data reported in this paper were originally collected in the 1970 American National Election Study conducted by the Center for Political Studies at the University of Michigan and were made available by the Inter-University Consortium for Political Research. The authors wish to thank John Colombotos, Philip H. Ennis, Herbert H. Hyman, Allan G. Johnson, Robert K. Merton, Daniel Rossides, and John W. Sweeney, Jr. for their comments on an earlier draft of this paper. The authors also gratefully acknowledge the support provided by Wesleyan University Faculty Research Grants and the assistance of Carol C. Forman and Theresa L. Furman. POQ 40 (1976) 449-458 This content downloaded from 207.46.13.76 on Sat, 10 Sep 2016 05:30:40 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
Ensemble of trees approaches to risk adjustment for evaluating a hospital’s performance

A commonly used method for evaluating a hospital's performance on an outcome is to compare the hospital's observed outcome rate to the hospital's expected outcome rate given its patient (case) mix and service. The process of calculating the hospital's expected outcome rate given its patient mix and service is called risk adjustment (Iezzoni 1997). Risk adjustment is critical for accurately evaluating and comparing hospitals' performances since we would not want to unfairly penalize a hospital just because it treats sicker patients. The key to risk adjustment is accurately estimating the probability of an Outcome given patient characteristics. For cases with binary outcomes, the method that is commonly used in risk adjustment is logistic regression. In this paper, we consider ensemble of trees methods as alternatives for risk adjustment, including random forests and Bayesian additive regression trees (BART). Both random forests and BART are modern machine learning methods that have been shown recently to have excellent performance for prediction of outcomes in many settings. We apply these methods to carry out risk adjustment for the performance of neonatal intensive care units (NICU). We show that these ensemble of trees methods outperform logistic regression in predicting mortality among babies treated in NICU, and provide a superior method of risk adjustment compared to logistic regression.
Management of the questionable carious fissure: invasive vs noninvasive techniques

A review and comparison of the various approaches to treatment for the questionable carious fissure are discussed in the context of bacterial infection and the structural integrity of the tooth. Of the various methods to treat a questionable carious fissure, which is best for the integrity of the tooth?
A benign motor neuron disorder: Delayed cramps and fasciculation after poliomyelitis or myelitis

Two patients had a delayed syndrome of benign fasciculation after complete recovery from paralytic poliomyelitis and a third had the syndrome after an attack of purely motor myelitis. Myalgia was prominent in all three, and two had frequent cramps. Denervation hypertrophy occurred in two. The patients were observed for at least three years, and no new weakness was seen. These cases suggest that some chronic diseases of motor neurons may be benign.
A Comparison of the Structural Polypeptides of Five Strains of Mumps Virus

Summary The polypeptide patterns of five strains of mumps virus have been compared under uniform electrophoresis conditions. These strains included the MJ and RW strains, recently isolated from human cerebrospinal fluid, the neuro-adapted Kilham strain and the chick embryo-adapted Enders and Jeryl Lynn strains. A similar pattern of polypeptides, featuring six common and virus-specific species, was obtained with purified virus grown in ovo, in chick embryo fibroblasts (CEF) or in Vero cells. These polypeptides have been designated VP1 (mol. wt. 200000), VP2 (mol. wt. 80000 or 75000), VP3 (mol. wt. 68000), VP4 (mol. wt. 58000), VP5 (mol. wt. 45000), VP6 (mol. wt. 39000). The virus glycoproteins were identified as VP2 and VP4; the nucleocapsid-associated proteins as VP1, VP3 and VP5. Additional polypeptides occurring both in uninfected Vero cells and in uninfected CEFs appeared in polypeptide profiles of purified mumps virus preparations, and could not be designated virus-specific polypeptides. Although strain differences were minimal, we did observe (1) an extra protein, nucleocapsid-associated, in patterns from the chick-adapted Enders strain of mumps virus and (2) strain-dependent variability in the size of VP2.
Control Design and Implementation for the Self-Separation of In-Trail Aircraft

With growing air traffic demands, one proposal to reduce overall controller workload is to delegate responsibility for maintaining separation to the cockpit. One suggested implementation of this concept is a control law that can automatically maintain separation in a string of in-trail aircraft, with, or without pilot intervention or oversight. In this paper we explore the development of control laws that can aid in the maintenance of separation in strings of aircraft. A string of aircraft is assumed to consist of a lead aircraft which is following a nominal route and flight profile. The nominal route includes descent, speed changes and turns. Following aircraft are required to maintain separation from aircraft ahead in the string. Each following aircraft in the string has identical control law. The controller used is based on Proportional-Derivative (PD) action. The effect of feedback from different aircraft is studied to determine the requirements to maintain safe separation. A simulation of an Automatic Dependence Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B) signal is used to communicate state vectors between aircraft in the string. The numerical approach was to simulate the dynamics of aircraft within MATLAB using linearized aircraft equations of motion. Using these dynamics, the control law aimed at maintaining the aircraft on their course while maintaining a fixed separation distance. Additional nonlinear logic is added to maintain speed and thrust commands within acceptable limits. The program was then run to test strings of aircraft in descending and turning flight trajectories using several feedback schemes. The results show that the control algorithm and ADS-B transmission to determine state information are sufficient to allow following aircraft to maintain separation in a descending, variable speed string of aircraft. Generally, in a long string of aircraft, feedback of separation from only the immediately preceding aircraft may be insufficient to maintain separation. Further tests are required in a total nonlinear simulation are required to validate these conclusions, to investigate other simulation scenarios, and to optimize the control schemes chosen.
Therapeutic plasma exchange reveals a color-coordinated response to cyclosporine-induced microangiopathic hemolytic anemia and rifampin after stem cell transplant.

A 39 year old woman with T/NK-cell lymphoma developed microangiopathic hemolytic anemia (MAHA) associated with cyclosporine A (CSA) toxicity 15 days after allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation. Her serum creatinine level increased from 0.4 mg/dL pre-transplant to 1.0 and 2.9 mg/dL on days 9 and 15 post-transplant, respectively, leading to cessation of CSA therapy. Peripheral blood smears revealed a dramatic increase in schistocytes (4 per high-power field) on day 14. LDH levels rose from 708 to 4103 U/L on post-transplant days 1 and 15, respectively. Declining hemoglobin concentration and platelet count were attributed initially to the transplant rather than to evolving MAHA. Because of her critical condition, a 5-day course of daily therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) was initiated as an extreme measure. Plasma removed during the 1st TPE (Figure 1) illustrates the classic tea-color associated with MAHA. During the first 3 days of TPE, CSA levels were 113, 95, and 106 mcg/L. Rifampin, a potent inducer of cytochrome 450 3A4, was administered on days 18 and 19 to promote clearance of CSA. Rifampin stains body fluids a characteristic orange-red color, noted in the plasma removed during the 4th TPE (Figure 2). Plasma color returned to clear yellow by the final day of TPE (Figure 3). Creatinine levels peaked at 4.6 mg/dL on day 19. CSA and creatinine levels declined to 48 mcg/L and 3.4 mg/dL, respectively, the day following completion of TPE and rifampin administration, and further decreased to 34 mcg/L and 1.6 mg/dL 2 days later. Figure 1 Plasma removed during first TPE demonstrating classic tea-colored plasma associated with MAHA. Figure 2 Orange-red plasma removed during fourth TPE after administration of rifampin to promote clearance of CSA. Figure 3 Clear yellow plasma removed during fifth and final TPE procedure.
The US Federal Radionavigation Plan

The author presents an overview of the 1990 Federal Radionavigation Plan policy and a discussion of the status of GPS (Global Positioning System), Loran-C, Omega, VOR/DME (VHF omnidirectional range/distance measuring equipment), VORTAC (combined VOR and TACAN stations), TACAN, (tactical air navigation), MLS (microwave landing system), ILS (instrument landing systems), Transit, and radiobeacons. The 1990 FRP contains significant changes regarding several of the radionavigation systems. It is concluded that it is difficult at best to ascertain the post-GPS final systems mix of federally provided radionavigation systems. The phase-out dates of other systems in favor of GPS still remain soft. Many uncertainties remain until the capabilities of GPS are verified for all classes of users. The federal radionavigation planning process accommodates such uncertainties, keeping pace with the constantly changing radionavigation user profile and rapid advancements in system technology. >
The Clinical Effects of a Mouthrinse Containing 0.1% Octenidine

The purpose of this three-month clinical trial was to evaluate the effects of a 0.1% octenidine mouthrinse on plaque, gingivitis, extrinsic dental stain, and the oral soft tissues. A total of 451 adult volunteer subjects was initiated into the study and given baseline dental examinations. The subjects were stratified into two balanced groups according to gender, plaque, and gingivitis scores. The subjects then received a dental prophylaxis and were provided with dentifrice, toothbrushes, and either a mouthrinse containing 0.1% octenidine dihydrochloride as the active ingredient or a similar placebo mouthrinse. Subjects were instructed to rinse with their assigned product for 30 s twice each day. Examinations were repeated at six weeks (soft-tissue assessment, gingivitis) and three months (soft tissues, plaque, gingivitis, dental stain). The results showed that the group rinsing with 0.1% octenidine had significantly less plaque (39%), gingivitis (50%), and bleeding sites (60%) than the group using the control product, but had significantly higher stain formation and experienced longer prophylaxis times to remove the stain. The oral soft-tissue examinations revealed no differences in the groups in either the numbers or types of lesions noted.
BCL::Conf: small molecule conformational sampling using a knowledge based rotamer library

The interaction of a small molecule with a protein target depends on its ability to adopt a three-dimensional structure that is complementary. Therefore, complete and rapid prediction of the conformational space a small molecule can sample is critical for both structure- and ligand-based drug discovery algorithms such as small molecule docking or three-dimensional quantitative structure–activity relationships. Here we have derived a database of small molecule fragments frequently sampled in experimental structures within the Cambridge Structure Database and the Protein Data Bank. Likely conformations of these fragments are stored as ‘rotamers’ in analogy to amino acid side chain rotamer libraries used for rapid sampling of protein conformational space. Explicit fragments take into account correlations between multiple torsion bonds and effect of substituents on torsional profiles. A conformational ensemble for small molecules can then be generated by recombining fragment rotamers with a Monte Carlo search strategy. BCL::Conf was benchmarked against other conformer generator methods including Confgen, Moe, Omega and RDKit in its ability to recover experimentally determined protein bound conformations of small molecules, diversity of conformational ensembles, and sampling rate. BCL::Conf recovers at least one conformation with a root mean square deviation of 2 A or better to the experimental structure for 99 % of the small molecules in the Vernalis benchmark dataset. The ‘rotamer’ approach will allow integration of BCL::Conf into respective computational biology programs such as Rosetta.
A computer model of the human arm to study the control of FES-assisted reaching

A biomechanical model of a partially paralyzed human arm has been developed to aid in analysis of FES controllers for reaching in quadriplegia. The model represents an average adult arm and is based on data from cadaver measurements reported in the literature. Particular emphasis has been placed on the accuracy of parameters that are important for control, including the moment arms for muscles that act on multiple degrees of freedom and the range of sarcomere lengths over which each muscle operates. Sharing and upgrading the model are facilitated by the use of popular modeling and simulation environments.
Short Conduction Delays Cause Inhibition Rather than Excitation to Favor Synchrony in Hybrid Neuronal Networks of the Entorhinal Cortex

How stable synchrony in neuronal networks is sustained in the presence of conduction delays is an open question. The Dynamic Clamp was used to measure phase resetting curves (PRCs) for entorhinal cortical cells, and then to construct networks of two such neurons. PRCs were in general Type I (all advances or all delays) or weakly type II with a small region at early phases with the opposite type of resetting. We used previously developed theoretical methods based on PRCs under the assumption of pulsatile coupling to predict the delays that synchronize these hybrid circuits. For excitatory coupling, synchrony was predicted and observed only with no delay and for delays greater than half a network period that cause each neuron to receive an input late in its firing cycle and almost immediately fire an action potential. Synchronization for these long delays was surprisingly tight and robust to the noise and heterogeneity inherent in a biological system. In contrast to excitatory coupling, inhibitory coupling led to antiphase for no delay, very short delays and delays close to a network period, but to near-synchrony for a wide range of relatively short delays. PRC-based methods show that conduction delays can stabilize synchrony in several ways, including neutralizing a discontinuity introduced by strong inhibition, favoring synchrony in the case of noisy bistability, and avoiding an initial destabilizing region of a weakly type II PRC. PRCs can identify optimal conduction delays favoring synchronization at a given frequency, and also predict robustness to noise and heterogeneity.
History-taking and preventive medicine skills among primary care physicians: an assessment using standardized patients.

Abstract Background: The ability of primary care physicians to obtain important clinical information in initial encounters with new patients is a core competency that has received little attention in previous studies. This paper describes the history-taking and preventive screening skills of practicing primary care physicians in initial interactions with ambulatory patients, as determined by a large panel of standardized patients. Methods: Standardized patient cases with diverse presentations were developed and used to assess the clinical skills of 134 primary care physicians from five Northwest states. Scoring categories for each case identified the percentage and content of essential history items and preventive screening items performed. Physicians' scores were compared by training and practice characteristics. Results: Physicians asked 59% of essential history items. They frequently obtained appropriate information about presenting symptoms and medications, but they often missed important information about related symptoms and medical history. Physicians frequently screened for smoking and alcohol use, but rarely asked about recreational drug use. Although board-certified general internists performed more comprehensive histories than board-certified family practitioners in the same amount of time, both groups of providers missed a large number of items that should have been influential in developing diagnostic and treatment plans. Conclusions: Primary care physicians may miss important patient information in their initial interactions with patients. Medical intake questionnaires or other approaches should be considered to ensure that more complete and accurate information is available to guide diagnostic and treatment plans.
The Influence of Race in the Association Between Weight Status and Risk Behaviors Among Adolescents

Background: Overweight adolescents engage in risk behaviors at different rates than healthy-weight peers. Most extant research has focused on white or regional samples. Purpose: This article examined associations between weight and risk behaviors and determined whether associations differ by race/ethnicity. Methods: Youth Risk Behavior Survey data (N = 12 301) were used to compare substance use, sexual, and violent behaviors across weight status. Chi-square tests and logistic regression were used to investigate associations between weight and risk behaviors among white, black, and Hispanic adolescents. Results: Overweight and obese adolescents reported a higher prevalence of early cigarette, alcohol, and marijuana use. Compared with healthy-weight peers, obese males reported greater odds of weapon (odds ratio [OR] = 1.54; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.28–1.87) and gun (OR = 1.51; 95% CI, 1.11–2.04) carrying, and obese females had elevated odds of weapon carrying (OR = 1.75; 95% CI, 1.22–2.51) and fighti...
Multiagent planning for agents with internal execution resource constraints

We study how agents can cooperate to revise their plans as they attempt to ensure that they do not over--utilize their local resource capacities. An agent in a multiagent environment should in principle be prepared for all environmental events as well as all events that could conceivably be caused by other agents' actions. The resource requirements to execute such omnipotent plans are usually overwhelming, however. Thus, an agent must decide which tasks to perform and which to ignore in the multiagent context. Our strategy is to have agents selectively communicate relevant details of their plans so that each gets a sufficiently accurate view of the events others might cause. Reducing uncertainties about the world trajectory improves the agents' resource allocation decisions and decreases their resource consumptions. In fact, our experiments over a sample domain show that, on average, 50% of an agent's initial actions are planned for states it can discover it will never reach. The protocol we develop in this paper thus discovers futile actions and reclaims resources that would otherwise be wasted.
The VNR Concise Guide to Industrial Management

The article reviews the book "The VNR Concise Guide to Industrial Management," edited by Carl Heyel.
Long-term training modifies the modular structure and organization of walking balance control

How does long-term training affect the neural control of movements? Here we tested the hypothesis that long-term training leading to skilled motor performance alters muscle coordination during chal...