cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nanoparticles functionalised with reversible molecular and supramolecular switches

Nanoparticles (NPs) and molecular/supramolecular switches have attracted considerable interest during the past decade on account of their unique properties and prominent roles in the fields of organic chemistry and materials science. Materials derived from the combination of these two components are now emerging in the literature. This critical review evaluates materials which comprise NPs functionalised with well-defined self-assembled monolayers of molecular and supramolecular switches. We draw attention to the fact that immobilisation of switches on NPs does not, in general, hamper their switching ability, although it can impart new properties on the supporting particles. This premise leads us to the discussion of systems in which switching on the surfaces of NPs can be used to modulate reversibly a range of NP properties—optical, fluorescent, electrical, magnetic—as well as the controlled release of small molecules. Finally, we discuss examples in which molecular switches direct reversible self-assembly of NPs (308 references).
Variations in Risk Management Models: A Comparative Study of the Space Shuttle Challenger Disasters

Managers seeking to assess risk within complex systems face enormous challenges. They must identify a seemingly endless number of risks and develop contingency plans accordingly. This study explore...
FPGA---DSP co-processing for feature tracking in smart video sensors

Motion estimation in videos is a computationally intensive process. A popular strategy for dealing with such a high processing load is to accelerate algorithms with dedicated hardware such as graphic processor units (GPU), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), and digital signal processors (DSP). Previous approaches addressed the problem using accelerators together with a general purpose processor, such as acorn RISC machines (ARM). In this work, we present a co-processing architecture using FPGA and DSP. A portable platform for motion estimation based on sparse feature point detection and tracking is developed for real-time embedded systems and smart video sensors applications. A Harris corner detection IP core is designed with a customized fine grain pipeline on a Virtex-4 FPGA. The detected feature points are then tracked using the Lucas---Kanade algorithm in a DSP that acts as a co-processor for the FPGA. The hybrid system offers a throughput of 160 frames per second (fps) for VGA image resolution. We have also tested the benefits of our proposed solution (FPGA + DSP) in comparison with two other traditional architectures and co-processing strategies: hybrid ARM + DSP and DSP only. The proposed FPGA + DSP system offers a speedup of about 20 times and 3 times over ARM + DSP and DSP only configurations, respectively. A comparison of the Harris feature detection algorithm performance between different embedded processors (DSP, ARM, and FPGA) reveals that the DSP offers the best performance when scaling up from QVGA to VGA resolutions.
Locating microearthquakes induced by hydraulic fracturing in crystalline rock

Microearthquakes induced by hydraulic fracturing in crystalline rock at a depth of 3.5 km were located with a precision of better than 30 m to obtain information about the geometry and dimensions of the fracture system produced. The induced microseismicity was monitored by a network of five vorehole seismic stations; a total of about 800 induced events were reliably located from arrival times. Event locations show a tabular distribution that strikes 350/sup 0/ and dips 65/sup 0/ east, subparallel to the injection well. The injection was intended to produce a fracture system that would hydraulically connect two subparallel wells. A lack of fluid communication between them is consistent with a lack of induced microearthquakes near the target wellbore. The 150 m thickness of the zone of seismicity far exceeds the relative locational uncertainties. The injected fluid appears to have stimulated a zone of rock, rather than simply a single fracture. The distribution of microseismic events presumably envelopes the zone of fluid paths created by the fracture experiment.
High level ab initio and density functional theory study of bond selective dissociation of CH3SH and CH3CH2SH radical cations

Selective bond dissociation energies for CH3SH and CH3CH2SH radical cations were evaluated with G1, G2, G2MP2, B3LYP, BLYP, and SVWN computational methods. It was determined that both G2 and CBSQ evaluate very accurate bond dissociation energies for thiol radical cations, while gradient-corrected BLYP computes the best energies of three employed DFT methods. For the CH3CH2SH radical cation, new, higher than previously estimated selective bond dissociation energies were suggested.
The half-lives of 84Zr and 85Zr

Abstract The half-lives of 84 Zr and 85 Zr were determined by periodic chemical isolation and yield determination of the respective yttrium daughters from chemically purified zirconium isolated from zirconium targets irradiated with 400 MeV protons. The half-life of 84 Zr was found to be 5·0±0·5 min, in serious disagreement with the value previously reported. The half-life of 85 Zr was found to be 6·0±1·0 min in good agreement with the literature value.
Contemporary seismicity, faulting, and the state of stress in the Colorado Plateau

The contemporary seismicity of the Colorado Plateau based on seismic monitoring in the past 30 yr can be characterized as being of small to moderate magnitude, and contrary to earlier views, of a low to moderate rate of occurrence with earthquakes widely distributed. Concentrations of earthquakes have been observed in a few areas of the plateau. The most seismically active area of the Colorado Plateau is the eastern Wasatch Plateau-Book Cliffs, where abundant small-magnitude seismicity is induced by coal mining. The largest earthquakes observed to date, of estimated Richter magnitude (M L ) 5-6, have generally occurred in northern Arizona. Although very few earthquakes can be associated with known geologic structures or tectonic features in the Colorado Plateau, seismicity appears to be the result of the reactivation of pre-existing faults lacking surficial expression but favorably oriented to the tectonic stress field. The small to moderate size of the earthquakes and their widespread distribution are consistent with a highly faulted Precambrian basement and upper crust, and a moderate level of differential tectonic stress. Earthquakes in the plateau generally occur in the upper crust from the near-surface to a depth of 15-20 km, although events have been observed in both the lower crust and uppermost mantle in areas of low to normal heat flow. The latter suggests that temperatures are sufficiently low at these depths that brittle failure and hence earthquakes are still possible. The predominant mode of tectonic deformation within the plateau appears to be normal faulting on northwest- to north-northwest-striking faults with some localized occurrences of strike-slip faulting on north-west- or northeast-striking planes at shallow depths. The contemporary state of stress within the plateau is characterized by approximate northeast-trending extension in contrast to the previous belief that the plateau was being subjected to east-west tectonic compression. One area of the plateau, the eastern Wasatch Plateau and Book Cliffs, may still be characterized by compressive stresses; however, the nature of these stresses is not well understood.
The role of emotion in cognitive therapy, cognitive therapists, and supervision

It is a myth that cognitive therapy does not address emotions. In fact, emotion is a primary variable in the cognitive model. The cognitive therapist facilitates identification of troubling emotions, helps the patient explore the origins of the emotion (automatic thoughts), and collaboratively generates alternative perspectives. Cognitive therapy supervisors help trainees learn to identify their own automatic thoughts and emotions and teach them how to use this information productively in therapy. This manuscript addresses these issues and includes some supervisory strategies for addressing therapists' emotions when these emotions interfere with the delivery of cognitive therapy.
Validity of the grass species digitaria adscendens

The common crabgrass, Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop., a native of Europe, has been introduced widely in many parts of the world and is often a troublesome weed. In the United States it is a serious pest of lawns, and according to Hitchcock (1950) is to be found throughout the country at low and medium altitudes. This species, as treated by most recent American botanists, is quite variable, and it has been noted that plants from the southern part of the United States and from tropical America differ somewhat from those from the northern part of the range. Nash (1912) considered the southern plant to represent a distinct species, Syntherisrna marginatum (Link) Nash ( _ Digitartia marginata Link) and they were also treated as specifically distinct by Small (1913) under the binomial Syntherisma fimbriatunm? (Link) Nash ( = Digitaria fimbriata Link). In recent years all American botanists have considered D. marginata and D. fimbriata to be only minor variants and have listed these as synonyms of D. sanguinalis. European botanists, on the other hand, have tended to recognize two species in this complex. Stapf (1919) accepted Digitaria marginata as a valid species; he provided an excellent description, and discussed the characters by which D. marginata may be differentiated from D. sanguinalis. Henrard (1934, 1950) also recognized both species, pointing out, however, that the correct name for the southern plant is P. adscendens (HBK.) Henrard, based upon Panicum adscendens HBK. which antedates D. marginata by six years. Because of the lack of agreement among agrostologists as to whether one or two species are involved in this complex, a careful study of the problem seemed indicated. Inasmuch as these plants are abundant in the Western Hemisphere, the study reported here is confined to plants from this region. The basis of the present studies was largely herbarium material; more than 300 collections from the Western Hemisphere were examined. In addition, plants were grown in the greenhouse from seeds procured from 25 localities representing 10 states as well as Canada and Mexico. These plants were studied to determine whether differences in growth habit could be detected. In general growth habit Digitaria sanguinalis and D. adscemdens are strikingly similar. Plants of the two species, grown in the greenhouse, were practically indistinguishable upon superficial examination. In both the culms are decumbent, rooting at the nodes, and the leaf sheaths, at least the lower ones, are papillose-pilose. The inflorescence consists of a number of racemes which are digitate at the summit of the culm; often 1-3 additional racemes are borne below. Those botanists who have recognized Digitarica adscendens as being specifically distinct have noted that in this species the spikelets are somewhat longer, the second glumes are usually two-thirds as long as the spikelets, and the nerves of
Practical Considerations of Real-Ear-to-Coupler Difference Measures in Infants

The purpose of this study was to investigate some of the practical issues surrounding the use of the real-ear-to-coupler difference (RECD) measure in infants in clinical settings. Twenty-two newbor...
TEMPERATURE EFFECTS ON QUASI-STATIC FRACTURE OF PMMA

The effect of temperature on the quasi-static fracture behaviour of PMMA is examined. It is found that the critical stress intensity factor, K 10, at crack growth initiation decreases with temperature up to a certain critical temperature, T c. Above T c, K 10 increases rapidly. The speeds with which slow crack growth could be maintained without transition to brittle fracture were found to be significantly higher at high temperatures.
Arrhythmias in Complex Congenital Heart Disease

Late after surgical repair of complex congenital heart disease, atrial arrhythmias are a major cause of morbidity, and ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death are a major cause of mortality. The six cases in this article highlight common challenges in the management of arrhythmias in the adult congenital heart disease population.
Quark-antiquark resonances in the TeV region and their signature at the Superconducting Super Collider.

The effective action for quark-antiquark resonances is derived in the scenario in which the U{sub {ital Y}}(1) interaction is responsible for the large {ital t}-{ital b} splitting. It is shown that there is a clear signature for the resonances to be seen at the Superconducting Super Collider. It is also shown that while flavor-changing neutral currents (FCNCs) in {ital K} meson physics are naturally suppressed in the scenario, there can be interesting enhancements of FCNCs (due to these resonances) in {ital B} meson physics.
Metal (M) dopant centred local structures, high-pressure synthesis and bulk superconductivity in : M = Fe, Co, Ni

Depression of by the dopants Fe or Co, but not Ni, is spectacularly reversed by synthesis of the titled cuprates at high P instead of ambient P of oxygen with enhanced from 32 to 82 K for M = Fe at x = 0.10. With Fe dopant, Mossbauer spectroscopy reveals a conversion of a tetrahedral (A) into a trigonal bipyramidal coordinated (C) Fe chain site by oxygen addition in the chains upon high-P processing. The A C site transformation is elucidated and extended to the case of Co dopant, and its consequences for superconducting behaviour discussed.
Propagation losses in metal-film-substrate optical waveguides

The propagation losses in metal-film-substrate two-dimensional optical waveguides are calculated. Losses for confined modes may become large and are at least an order of magnitude larger for TM than for TE modes. Higher order modes suffer more loss than the fundamental mode. Such mode-dependent loss can make efficient mode analyzers, useful for integrated optics modulation schemes.
Integration of risk factors to allow patient selection for adjuvant systemic therapy in lymph node-negative breast cancer patients

The selection of patients with axillary lymph node-negative breast cancer who should receive adjuvant therapy today is confused by an expanding arsenal of putative prognostic factors. The size of the primary tumor remains the dominant factor in sorting among this group of patients, with general agreement that tumors 1 cm or less should be spared adjuvant systemic therapy outside of a clinical trial. There are a few favorable histologic subgroups that may be added to this excluded group: ductal carcinoma in situ and pure tubular, papillary, and typical medullary tumors. For the larger tumor (generally >2 cm in diameter, but always >3 cm), there is little disagreement that adjuvant therapy is indicated. The host of additional prognostic factors are directed mainly toward the group of tumors that fall between these two categories. Nuclear grade, S-phase, and perhaps p53 mutations influence decisions for treatment by their elevation. Although the decision remains with the patient and the recommendation with the mature judgment of the clinician, the prognostic indicators available continue to multiply. That an indicator can retrospectively sort prognosis is of limited interest. It requires prospective validation in another patient population, reproducibility in other laboratories, and multivariate analysis among factors measured on the same population of patients to integrate a factor into clinical decision-making. It is only beginning to be accomplished. The next generation of factors being sought are those that predict for response or lack or response to specific therapies, rather than merely indicating natural history. Estrogen and progesterone receptors are the prototypes of this class of indicators.
Cost and effectiveness of the California triple marker prenatal screening program.

Purpose: To report the utilization of services offered and pregnancy outcomes for a unique statewide prenatal triple marker screening program and to present a cost-benefit analysis. A state population of 32 million with consider-able ethnic and age distribution and with a wide variety of delivery systems providing prenatal care was considered. The entire pregnant population who appeared for care before 20 weeks gestation, approximately one-half million per year during the years of 1995 to 1997, was included in the study. Methods: Mandatory offering of serum testing, using alpha-fetoprotein from 1986 to 1995, and the addition of human chorionic gonadotropin and unconjugated estriol in 1995, with systematic follow-up of serum screen positives with ultrasound and amniocentesis. This study collected and analyzed the program data and reports of outcomes and collected similar information from the birth defects registry. Results: Triple marker serum screening was accepted by 67.4% of the women eligible and yielded an initial positive rate of 7.3%. More than 90% of the initially screen positive pregnancies were seen at a prenatal diagnostic center. After correction of gestational age, 71.3% had amniocentesis. The overall amniocentesis rate among women screened was 2.6%. The Program's detection rate was predicted to be 85% for neural tube defects, and, based on Monte Carlo modeling, was theoretically calculated to be 62% for Down syndrome. In practice, detection rates were 75% for neural tube defects and 41% for Down syndrome due to lower than expected amniocentesis acceptance rate. Nevertheless, at a 5% discount rate, the screening program was cost beneficial at a ratio of 2.69:1. The cost per case detected was 35,365 and per case prevented was 110,741. Conclusion: It is possible to implement a cost-effective population-based screening in compliance with quality standards in a diverse ethnic population with a variety of health-care providers. Triple marker screening in the second trimester is a cost beneficial program even if utilization of all services is less than ideal.
The Physics of Designing an Integrated Physics Information Literacy Program

Research shows that undergraduate physics majors do not receive adequate information literacy instruction. At Miami University we have a very strong undergraduate physics program, especially for schools without a corresponding PhD program. Despite its strengths, the information literacy instruction for the program's undergraduates is not on par with the quality of the rest of the program. This article discusses the steps that are being taken to design and implement an integrated four-year information literacy program to solve the problem. This program will better prepare physics undergraduate students for continued success in their current and future studies.
Cocaine Attenuates Neonatal Withdrawal in Methadone-Maintained Mothers† 1226

There is conflicting data about the effect of cocaine on the withdrawal of newborns from methadone. We reviewed 85 consecutive cases of newborns born at Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center from January 1993 till February 1996 to mothers in methadone maintenance programs. The age range of the mothers was 18-41 years (mean 30.4± 5.1) with 75% Latino and 22% African-American. Sixty-four women (91%) had prenatal care during the pregnancy and 7% had extramural deliveries. The overall prevalence of illicit drug use within one month prior to delivery was 55%. This was determined by history or a positive infant urine toxicology screen. The mothers were divided into 4 groups: 1. methadone alone (methadone) 38 mothers (45%), 2. cocaine + methadone (cocaine) 13 (15%), 3. opiates + methadone (opiates) 13 (15%), 4. methadone +cocaine+opiates (poly-drug) 21 (25%). There were no significant differences between the groups in birth weight, gestational age, length, head circumference, neonatal morbidity, blood pressure, and exposure to smoking or alcohol. There were several important differences between the groups. The daily dose of methadone was significantly higher in the cocaine group than in the methadone group (76 vs 56 mg, p=0.0036) or the opiate group (55mg, p=0.0050). In addition, mothers using cocaine were enrolled in a methadone program significantly longer than the methadone users (60 vs 25 months, p=0.0015) or opiate users (13 months, p=0.0011). However, the peak total withdrawal score(modified Finnegan 1975) was significantly lower in the cocaine-exposed group than the methadone-exposed group (12 vs 16, p=0.0111) or the opiate-exposed group (16, p=0.0220). The number of hospital days spent withdrawing was also significantly lower with cocaine than methadone (22 vs 34, p=0.0235) or opiate(39, p=0.042). Despite the use of illicit drugs, 44% (20/45) of these newborns were discharged home to their mothers. We conclude that while methadone maintenance programs are hailed as an effective method of preventing illicit drug use, concomitant drug use is still very high and continues to place the newborn at risk both in the immediate neonatal period as well upon discharge home. Cocaine use attenuates the neonatal withdrawal syndrome from methadone, whereas opiate use does not.
HCI remixed: At the intersection of graphics, vision, cool hardware, and mixed reality

Summary form only given. The Interreg IV project “Smart Resource-Aware Multi-Sensor Network (SRSnet)”1 is coordinated, managed and disseminated by Lakeside Labs GmbH. The project is planned for three years and focuses on the design of a smart resource-aware multi-sensor network capable of autonomously detecting and localizing various events such as screams animal noise, tracks of persons and more complex human behaviours. The project's research areas include (i) collaborative audio and video analysis, (ii) complex event detection and (iii) network reconfiguration. The SRSnet will be demonstrated in a biologically sensitive environmental, namely in the Nationalpark Hohe Tauern.
Matrix equivalence and isomorphism of modules

Abstract It is well known that if A and B are n × m matrices over a ring R , then coker A ≅ coker B does not imply A and B are equivalent. An elementary proof is given that the implication does hold if 1 is in the stable range of R . Furthermore, for certain R (including commutative rings), if A is block diagonal and B is block upper triangular with the same diagonal blocks as A , then coker A ≅ coker B implies A and B are equivalent under a special equivalence. This extends results of Roth and Gustafson. As a corollary, a theorem on decomposition of modules is obtained.
Specific activities and half-lives of common radionucleotides

A complilation is presented of the half-lives, decay constants, and specific activities of 354 well-known radionuclides with half-lives greater than one day.
Stochastic prediction of fatigue loading using real-time monitoring data

Accurate characterization and prediction of loading, while properly accounting for uncertainty, are essential for probabilistic fatigue damage prognosis. Three different techniques – rainflow counting, the Markov chain method, and autoregressive moving average (ARMA) modeling – are investigated for stochastic characterization and reconstruction of the fatigue load history. The ARMA method is extended in this paper by introducing random coefficients and probabilistic weights, to account for the uncertainty in the selection of the model, inherent variability in loading, and uncertainty due to sparse data. A continuous model updating approach based on real-time monitoring data is developed and applied to all the three techniques mentioned above. The relation between prediction accuracy and updating interval is evaluated quantitatively. A quantitative model validation approach using Bayesian hypothesis testing is proposed to assess the confidence in load prediction from all the three methods.
Sensitivity of electronic band structure to changes in phase shifts

The linear response of an electronic energy level in crystal to small changes in the potential quantities for the $l\mathrm{th}$ partial wave (e.g., phase shifts or logarithmic derivatives) is studied within the framework of the Green's-function method (GFM). The expression obtained for the response function, which is called the sensitivity factor, is exact-within the GFM and is convenient to evaluate. A simple relationship between the sensitivity factors and the contribution of the $l\mathrm{th}$ partial wave to the normalization integral within the muffintin sphere is derived; and, as a corollary, it is shown that the first-order shift in the energy has the same sign as the change in $cot{\ensuremath{\eta}}_{l}$. It is also shown that the deformation potential for isotropic strains can be conveniently expressed in terms of the sensitivity factors. Numerical values of the sensitivities for some states of Al, Cu, and Ag at the symmetry points are presented and applications of these quantities, particularly in connection with the parametrization of band structures, are discussed.
Logistic map as a block encryption algorithm

Abstract We discuss the relationship between cryptography and chaos theory, and similarities of their crucial concepts such as mixing property and sensitivity to changes in initial conditions and parameters. A systematic procedure for design of encryption algorithms based on chaotic maps is suggested. We present an example based on logistic map.
Analysis of a Heavy Rainfall Event during TAMEX

Abstract A heavy rainfall event during the Taiwan Area Mesoscale Experiment intensive observing period 13 has been studied using upper-air, surface mesonet, and dual-Doppler radar data. The heavy rainfall (≥231 mm day−1) occurred over northwestern Taiwan with the maximum rainfall along the northwestern coast and was caused by a long-lived, convective rainband in the prefrontal atmosphere. It occurred in an upper-level divergence region and along the axis of the maximum equivalent potential temperature at the 850-hPa level. As a Mei-Yu front advanced southeastward, the postfrontal cold air in the lowest levels was retarded by the hilly terrain along the southeastern China coast. As a result, a low-level wind-shift line associated with a pressure trough at the 850-hPa level moved over the Taiwan Strait before the arrival of the surface front. The westerly flow behind the trough interacted with a barrier jet along the northwestern coast of Taiwan. The barrier jet is caused by the interaction between the pref...
Calculation of the Coulomb electrostatic potential created by a uniformly charged square on its plane: Exact mathematical formulas

Abstract We calculate exactly the Coulomb electrostatic potential created by a uniformly charged square on its plane. The chosen solution method leads to certain types of integral expressions which involve combinations of products of error functions and power functions. These type of integrals that should be solved are not standard ones, therefore, the integration formulas we derive in the process may be deemed of mathematical interest on their own right. Use of these formulas enables us to derive an exact analytic expression for the Coulomb electrostatic potential created by a uniformly charged square at an arbitrary point on its plane.
A nationwide assessment of asthma-mental health nexus among veterans.

AbstractObjective: In this study, we evaluated the association between both current and lifetime asthma to that of mental illness among veterans in the USA. Methods: We utilized the 2005–2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health data, a national population-based survey in the USA. Mental illness was defined as past year major depressive episode and doctor diagnosis of depression. Survey-weighted univariate and multivariable regression analyses were utilized. A total of 20 581 veterans were included in the study. Results: A 4.00% and 7.50% prevalence of current and lifetime asthma were noted among veterans, respectively. A significantly higher prevalence of major depressive episode was noted among veterans with current asthma (8.23%), as compared to those without (4.68%), with a similar trend noted among those with lifetime asthma versus those without (7.84% vs. 4.58%). Doctor diagnosis of depression among veterans was higher among those with current asthma (11.83% vs. 5.86%) and lifetime asthma (10.32% ...
Pulmonary hypertension complicated by pericardial effusion: a single center experience

Background:Pericardial effusion is an independent predictor of mortality in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). However, the management and outcomes of patients with pulmonary hype...
Role of Endovascular Closure of the Left Atrial Appendage in Stroke Prevention for Atrial Fibrillation

The pathophysiologic mechanism of thromboembolic stroke in the setting of non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF) resides in the left atrial appendage (LAA). In this setting, approximately 90 % of all strokes originate from this structure. Percutaneous left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) therapy has recently emerged as an important strategy for prevention of stroke and systemic embolism in patients with non-valvular AF. Systemic anticoagulation therapy in this AF population, while effective, is associated with a significant bleeding risk, drug compliance issues, and limited reversal strategies. In this manuscript, we will review the percutaneous devices and techniques that allow endovascular closure of the LAA, including their efficacy in stroke prevention, the safety profile of these local site-specific therapies, comparison of the multiple approaches being studied, the index patient populations involved, and long-term follow-up in comparison with systemic anticoagulation therapy. The percutaneous LAAO approach indeed represents an exciting and revolutionary advance in the field of stroke prevention in AF.
Societies Coming Together in Support of Life Sciences Education

Since its founding, CBE–Life Sciences Education has become the go-to place for biology education research and scholarship. Although the journal has always cultivated a broad range of authors, reviewers, and editors, we are pleased to announce that the Genetics Society of America will be joining ASCB as an editorial partner.
The Pediatrician's Role in Infant Feeding Decision-Making

Mothers from all walks of life know that mother9s milk is best for infants, and they know why. If that is so, why do so many women choose to bottle feed? Because they do not hear any encouragement for breast feeding from their doctors, many physicians never mention the value of breast feeding, and many never discuss the process with their patients. Every woman deserves the opportunity to make an informed choice, and the process of gaining information to make the choice includes discussion with the physician. Open discussion of the facts does not cause guilt—not knowing and lack of support from the physician for breast feeding cause guilt. Mothers of the 1960s and 1970s now are saying, "If only my doctor had told me how important it is to breast feed." The pediatrician can educate parents prenatally when meeting them before delivery as well as by participating in childbirth education programs and other community education opportunities. The pediatric office environment, the printed parents9 guide, and the attitude of the staff convey a message to parents about the pediatrician9s priorities. The office that has formula everywhere and formula company trinkets, pads, pencils, and posters promotes formula and often a particular brand.
Fast Computation of a Restricted Subset of Eigenpairs of a Varying Hermitian Matrix

Standard algorithms require an order of dm 2 flops to compute d eigenpairs of a m × m semi-definite positive hermitian matrix, R. A larger amount of computations (of same order) is required to find d left singular pairs of a square matrix, D, such that R = DD H ; this is known to be numerically more stable. Note that D is not unique, the best choice in the sequel turns out not to be the Cholesky factor of R. The algorithm proposed in this contribution will compute d left singular pairs of D in a faster way, such that it requires an order of αmd 2 flops. This algorithm takes advantage of the fact that the matrix considered is nothing else but a matrix whose d eigenpairs are known, perturbed by a rank-one modification. It is pointed out in the sequel why the technique of Bunch et al [1] is not relevant for O(md 2) algorithms, neither for square-root implementations.
Efficient image segmentation by mean shift clustering and MDL-guided region merging

We present an efficient color and texture segmentation algorithm by combining two statistical techniques: mean shift clustering and minimum description length (MDL) principle. Mean shift clustering is proven in generating robust and accurate segmentation results for color images, but the selection of the two scale parameters remains a challenging problem for images with texture. Optimization based on MDL principle requires little parameter tuning, but the initial input has a strong impact on its efficiency and effectiveness. Our approach is to apply mean shift clustering to generate an initial over-segmentation and then merge regions based on MDL principle. Objects with texture can be extracted with reasonable accuracy by merging regions under the guidance of MDL principle, without the need of convolving the image with a bank of filters. Experimental results on a variety of natural scene images are reported and compared with the JSEG algorithm. It takes about 1 second for our algorithm to process a 320/spl times/240 color image on a conventional PC.
Hospitality Students' Perceptions of Facilitators and Constraints Affecting Women's Career Advancement in the Hospitality Industry

The increased number of women in the hospitality industry and their underrepresentation in top management positions makes women's status in the industry a great concern. The purposes of the study were to examine hospitality students' perceptions of factors that contribute to and constrain women's career advancement and determine whether there were significant differences in the perceptions of men and women. Data were collected from a sample of 128 hospitality students in a large state university. The findings revealed that male and female students agreed on the most important facilitators, such as communication skills and hard work. Female students viewed equity-related factors as the biggest constraints to women's advancement, whereas male students rated family issues highest. The results showed significant effects for gender and ethnicity. Suggestions are provided for ways in which hospitality education programs could address gender issues and contribute to the creation of a more supportive industry environment for women.
Measurements of particle dispersion obtained from direct numerical simulations of isotropic turbulence

Measurements of heavy particle dispersion have been made using direct numerical simulations of isotropic turbulence. The parameters affecting the dispersion of solid particles, namely particle inertia and drift due to body forces were investigated separately. In agreement with the theoretical studies of Reeks, and Pismen & Nir, the effect of particle inertia is to increase the eddy diffusivity over that of the fluid (in the absence of particle drift). The increase in the eddy diffusivity of particles over that of the fluid was between 2 and 16%, in reasonable agreement with the increases reported in Reeks, and Pismen & Nir. The effect of a deterministic particle drift is shown to decrease unequally the dispersion in directions normal and parallel to the particle drift direction. Eddy diffusivities normal and parallel to particle drift are shown to be in good agreement with the predictions of Csanady and the experimental measurements of Wells & Stock.
Nonlinear Operator Equations And Applications To Modelling

The main purpose of this paper is to treat the problem of numerical solutions of Lyapunov matrix equations and nonlinear matrix equations such as the Riccati type which occur in many areas of applications such as in control theory, robotics, mathematical modelling and computer simulation, etc. The main approach is to obtain solutions of such type equations in a more direct manner as in contrast to completely interactive methods. Parallel processing of algorithms is made use of in the computation of solutions of such nonlinear matrix equations associated with nonlinear matrix differential equations arising in the study of nonlinear dynamical control systems.
Effect of growth rate and expression level on plasmid stability in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

An auxotrophic mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, containing a recombinant 2-micro-based plasmid, was grown in selective media in continuous culture. The plasmid retained the ability to synthesize acid phosphatase as product, which was deleted from the host. Plasmid loss was followed at various dilution rates, and the level of plasmid expression was controlled by changing the beta-glycero/inorganic phosphate ratio.Some interesting trends were observed. As the level of plasmid expression was raised, the stability dropped markedly. Since acid phosphatase expression is regulated at the level of transcription, it is possible that increased transcription interfered with plasmid replication, hindered segregation, or overburdened the cell's DNA repair capability. It was also observed that plasmid stability was substantially increased at high growth rates. At dilution rates of 0.3 and 0.37 h(-1), feeding only inorganic phosphate, the plasmid was completely stable.
Pharmacological Review of Postoperative Hypertension

Postoperative hypertension is an acute, transient increase in blood pressure that develops within 30 to 90 minutes following a surgical procedure and typically lasts for 4 to 8 hours after surgery. It is defined as a systolic blood pressure greater than 160 mm Hg or a diastolic blood pressure greater than 90 mm Hg. The increase in blood pressure is primarily due to increased systemic vascular resistance brought about by reflex changes in humoral factors, including increased levels of catecholamines, renin, and serotonin as well as alterations in baroreceptor function and carotid reflexes. Potential complications of untreated postoperative hypertension include depressed left ventricular performance, increased myocardial oxygen demand resulting in ischemic episodes, cerebrovascular accidents, arrhythmias, and suture line disruption and bleeding. Despite longstanding recognition that high blood pressure is a frequent complication after surgery, formal guidelines for the treatment of postoperative hypertensio...
Small-Variance Asymptotics for Exponential Family Dirichlet Process Mixture Models

Sampling and variational inference techniques are two standard methods for inference in probabilistic models, but for many problems, neither approach scales effectively to large-scale data. An alternative is to relax the probabilistic model into a non-probabilistic formulation which has a scalable associated algorithm. This can often be fulfilled by performing small-variance asymptotics, i.e., letting the variance of particular distributions in the model go to zero. For instance, in the context of clustering, such an approach yields connections between the k-means and EM algorithms. In this paper, we explore small-variance asymptotics for exponential family Dirichlet process (DP) and hierarchical Dirichlet process (HDP) mixture models. Utilizing connections between exponential family distributions and Bregman divergences, we derive novel clustering algorithms from the asymptotic limit of the DP and HDP mixtures that features the scalability of existing hard clustering methods as well as the flexibility of Bayesian nonparametric models. We focus on special cases of our analysis for discrete-data problems, including topic modeling, and we demonstrate the utility of our results by applying variants of our algorithms to problems arising in vision and document analysis.
Incinerator-Residue-Fill Site Investigation

The study was conducted over a 3-yr period with main emphasis on chemical composition of the discharge leachate. Borings using the standard penetration test procedure were performed on the in-situ residue at the end of the chemical test period. Selected residue samples were tested for gradation, friction angle and compressibility. In addition, field in-place densities were measured. The results of the chemical study show that two years after placement 80% to 90% of the water soluble ions had been removed from the residue. The physical test results indicate that residue tended to be at its maximum density (standard compaction test) even without controlled placement procedures. The residue had a high angle of internal friction and a moderate amount of compressibility. Residue shows great potential for utilization as a fill in sites where adjustment or re-establishing of grade is desired.
Strategies for building a successful ultrasound guided FNA practice in department of pathology-Experience at a university hospital.

Introduction Although pathology services focused on fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy of superficial palpable masses with on-site cytological evaluation are available in a wide range of clinical and academic settings, the addition of ultrasound (US) guidance into FNA practice by a cytopathologist group can be challenging. An US-FNA service provided by a cytopathologist in the department of Pathology is a relatively new practice in the field of medicine. This report summarizes our experience and strategies in achieving this objective and our successful preliminary results. Materials and Methods The US-FNA service includes (1) an FNA procedure to be performed by a cytopathologist under US guidance; (2) onsite adequacy evaluation and diagnosis to be done by the same cytopathologist; and immediate patient consultation and sample triaging carried out by the same cytopathologist in an FNA suite within the department of Pathology. The FNA suite including a procedure room equipped with a portable US machine, an exam/procedure table, a mobile cabinet with FNA supplies, a counter with sink, and a reception room with waiting area is set-up. Results The establishment of the US-FNA service is successful. There is an incremental growth of the service over the first 8 months. Among the 114 cases performed during the first 8 months, the case type distribution is shown to be 50% thyroid nodules, 33% lymph nodes, 5.5% salivary gland masses, 3.5% breast masses, and 8% soft tissue masses. Conclusions The authors' initial 8 months experience and strategies in setting up a new US-FNA practice in a new institution are discussed to highlight obstacles encountered and approaches that promoted the successful establishment of a new service. A conservative approach, focusing on building partnerships with existing clinical services, can be successfully implemented in most institutions, if appropriate strategies are applied. The main strategy is to ensure that the best interests of patients remain the primary focus and that everything possible is done to improve the quality and effectiveness of patient care by providing the best possible diagnostic US-FNA service, to enable optimal clinical management.
Darwin’s Favorite Journal

The Gardener’s Chronicle had been Darwin’s publication of choice, but beginning with a note on “The fertilization of winter-flowering plants” in Nature’s third issue (November 18, 1869), over the next ten years 41 out of 71 of Darwin’s publications appeared in Nature. Melinda Baldwin tells the story of Nature’s origin and its rise to prominence. Hers is not a wholly chronological account, and Baldwin focuses on some major themes in Nature’s history, in particular how over almost 150 years, it has helped define the role of science in society.
Orbital Optimization in the Active Space Decomposition Model

We report the derivation and implementation of orbital optimization algorithms for the active space decomposition (ASD) model, which are extensions of complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) and its occupation-restricted variants in the conventional multiconfiguration electronic-structure theory. Orbital rotations between active subspaces are included in the optimization, which allows us to unambiguously partition the active space into subspaces, enabling application of ASD to electron and exciton dynamics in covalently linked chromophores. One- and two-particle reduced density matrices, which are required for evaluation of orbital gradient and approximate Hessian elements, are computed from the intermediate tensors in the ASD energy evaluation. Numerical results on 4-(2-naphthylmethyl)-benzaldehyde and [36]cyclophane and model Hamiltonian analyses of triplet energy transfer processes in the Closs systems are presented. Furthermore, model Hamiltonians for hole and electron transfer processes ...
Effects of hormones, brain, and endocrine glands on the ovary of Culex tarsalis in vivo and in vitro.

When female Culex tarsalis Coquillett were treated topically with β-ecdysone, 22-isoecdysone, or CRD9499 (JH analog) before a blood meal, eggs were laid in normal rafts, and 90% or more of the eggs laid were viable. If similar treatments were carried out after a blood meal, eggs laid by females treated with CRD9499 or β-ecdysone were effectively infertile. Treated females were given a 2nd blood meal after completion of the first gonotrophic cycle. They laid viable eggs in normal rafts. When the ovaries from newly emerged adults were cultured with brains and associated endocrine glands or treated with the juvenile hormone analog, ZR-515, or with Cecropia juvenile hormone, they showed deposition of yolk-like material over long periods. But after treatment with β-ecdysone, the ovaries shrank, became transparent, and failed to deposit yolk-like material.
Oncogenic effect of methyl-cholanthrene in new-born germfree mice.

SummaryMethylcholanthrene was inoculated subcutaneously into new-born germfree and conventional mice (Swiss-Webster strain). Pulmonary adenomas were thereby induced more frequently and in greater numbers in the germfree animals. Viral agents have not been detected in the adenoma tissues by electron microscopy.
Empirical Bayes MCMC estimation for modeling treatment processes, mechanisms of change, and clinical outcomes in small samples

Objective The current analysis demonstrates the use of empirical Bayes (EB) estimation methods with data-derived prior parameters for studying clinically intricate process-mechanism-outcome linkages using structural equation modeling (SEM) with small samples. Method The data were obtained from a small subsample of 23 families receiving Functional Family Therapy (FFT) for adolescent substance abuse during a completed randomized clinical trial. Two or 3 video-recorded FFT sessions were randomly selected for each family. The middle 20-min portion of each session was observed and coded. An SEM examining the influence of a select set of observed therapist behaviors on pre- to posttreatment change in mother reports of family functioning and, in turn, pre- to posttreatment change in adolescent reports of adolescent marijuana use and delinquent behavior was specified. The SEM was implemented using EB estimation with data-derived maximum likelihood (ML) prior parameters and Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) estimation of the joint posterior distribution. Results The EB SEM results indicated that a relatively high proportion of individually focused general interventions (i.e., seek information, acknowledge) as well as relationally focused meaning change interventions by therapists during sessions of FFT were predictive of pre- to posttreatment increases in levels of family functioning as reported by mothers in families of substance-abusing adolescents. In turn, increases in mother-reported family functioning were predictive of reductions in levels of adolescent-reported delinquent behavior. Conclusions EB MCMC methods produced more stable results than did ML, especially regarding the variances on the change factors in the SEM. EB MCMC estimation is a viable alternative to ML estimation of SEMs in clinical research with prohibitively small samples.