cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Short-term outcomes of pediatric emergency department febrile illnesses.

Objective To describe short-term outcomes relevant to children and their caregivers after evaluation in the emergency department (ED) for febrile illnesses. Methods This was a prospective cohort study of children aged 28 days to 18 years presenting with fever (> or =38 degrees C), or chief complaint of fever, who were evaluated and discharged to home from tertiary care pediatric ED. Enrollment occurred on randomly selected study days over 1 year. Caregivers were then contacted via telephone after 7 to 10 days to assess outcomes, including days of fever, child and family activity impairments, as well as return to health care. Results Follow-up was complete for 322 (72%) of 451 enrolled subjects. Mean age of subjects was 31.5 months. The most common discharge diagnosis was undifferentiated febrile illness (20.5%). Mean total duration of fever was 4.41 days (95% confidence interval [CI], 4.14-4.81); 38.9% remained febrile for 5 days or longer. For children, impairments in each outcome (activity, oral intake, sleep, behavior) persisted longer than 2.5 days; over 14% of them remained impaired at follow-up in each outcome. Children missed a mean of 2.63 days of day care or school (95% CI, 2.21-3.06); 37.4% missed 3 days or longer. Primary caregivers missed 1.47 days of work or school (95% CI, 1.19-1.75); 10.5% missed 5 days or longer. After ED evaluation, 23.7% made a nonscheduled revisit to the primary medical doctor or ED. Conclusions Children, and their caregivers, experience prolonged fever and impairments in activities, and frequently relapse to health care as a result of febrile illnesses. Often considered minor in nature, febrile illnesses have considerable effects on the child, caregivers, and families after ED evaluation.
Contamination of the air by radioactivity from the 1958 nuclear tests in the Pacific.

By the use of bomb-produced tungsten-185 tracer, debris from the 1958 nuclear tests (Hardtack) held at the U.S. Pacific Proving Ground have been identified as they appeared in the ground-level air along the 80th meridian. A large amount of radioactivity from these tests appeared in South America, particularly at the high-altitude collecting stations.
Structure/function relationships of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors

The regions of muscarinic receptors that specify G-protein-coupling and ligand-binding have been defined in several recent studies. Overall, these studies have shown that amino acids within the third cytoplasmic loop of the receptors define their selectivity for different G-proteins, and that multiple, discontinuous epitopes contribute to their selectivities for different ligands. In fact, several competitive and allosteric antagonists can be classified into groups based on which of these epitopes contribute to their subtype selectivity. Site-directed mutagenesis, combined with covalent-labeling studies have suggested that ligands bind to a hydrophobic core of the receptors that is formed by multiple transmembrane (TM) domains. An aspartic acid located in TM3 is likely to bind to the ammonium headgroup of muscarinic ligands, and multiple hydroxyl-containing amino acids contribute to agonist but not antagonist binding. These data are discussed in the context of a computational model of a muscarinic receptor. Our model is based on a sequence alignment with bacteriorhodopsin, a seven TM protein for which a higher resolution structure is available. Most of the mutagenic data can be rationalized in the context of this model, and predict testable hypotheses concerning the mechanism by which ligands control the activity of muscarinic receptors.
UNRAVELING THE FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN: STRATEGIC INSIGHTS FROM CHINA AND THE 2007 RECALLS*

The March 2007 pet food recall and a rapid progression of comparable incidents have exposed the real potential for food supply chain contamination and disruptions. When organizations source via multilayered supply chains with poor visibility they are particularly vulnerable. In this paper, we develop a conceptual framework called the “Six Ts” of supply chain quality management — traceability, transparency, testability, time, trust and training — which are relevant for any product but are especially critical to the preservation of public welfare through a safe food supply. We describe the globalization of food supply chains and present data on the trends of U.S. food import volumes, both in aggregate and specifically from China. We also highlight the inherent difficulties and risks posed by global food supply chains, using those originating in China as an example. Finally, we provide a research agenda and questions to be addressed regarding the application of the six Ts in global food supply chain management.
Boiling heat transfer phenomena from microporous and porous surfaces in saturated FC-72

Abstract Particle size effects on boiling performances of micro-porous enhanced surfaces are studied using five different sizes of diamond particles. By comparing the coating thicknesses with the superheated liquid layer thickness, the coatings are classified into two groups: ‘micro-porous’ and ‘porous’ coatings. The superheated liquid layer thickness is calculated using one-dimensional transient thermal conduction. Micro-porous coating shows different characteristics of boiling performances compared to porous coating in incipient superheat, nucleate boiling and CHF.
Gender and Mainline Protestant Pastors’ Allocation of Time to Work Tasks

Some scholars argue that male and female members of the Protestant clergy have differing ministerial styles. They argue that women are more person-oriented and interested in direct interaction with their parishioners and that men are more focused on job status and interested in administration. Using data on 1,688 clergy in eight mainline denominations, this research note compares the proportion of time that male and female pastors spend on 10 work tasks. Women devote less time than men to staff administration and supervision, a difference that is empirically attributable to their underrepresentation as senior pastors. The expectation of differing ministerial styles is most strongly supported in women’s greater allocation of time to pastoral counseling—a “personalized,” one-on-one ministry. However, they also spend proportionately less time than men on home and hospital visitation. This seemingly anomalous difference can be explained empirically as a factor of differential childcare responsibilities, which appear to limit women’s but not men’s movement away from home and church.
Developing Culturally Competent Faculty: A Cognitive, Affective, and Spiritual Model

The past decade has evidenced significant dialogue on faith-based campuses about the persistent gap between the increasing ethnic diversity of the student population and that of the faculty. While campus administrators and leaders acknowledge the need to address this concern through faculty development, there is a disturbing lack of successful models for developing a culturally competent faculty. When coupled with the motivation of faith-based institutions to integrate a biblical foundation and spiritual approach to these topics, it can feel like an overwhelming task. In this article, the authors describe a faculty development pilot program that serves as a “best practices” model designed to blend the cognitive, affective, and spiritual dimensions and required faculty to engage with the complexities of diversity from multiple perspectives. The model includes several foundational elements, yet the authors believe it could be adapted to fit a variety of university contexts where cultural competency is both ...
Tri-layer PEALD ZnO thin film transistors and circuits

In oxide semiconductors, defect chemistry and hydrogen can influence free carrier concentration and these materials can have strong interactions with the atmosphere and contaminents.[1,2] An inverted staggered structure is commonly used for oxide TFTs and a high-quality passivation layer is needed to provide protection and minimize back channel surface charge changes.[2,3] Negative shifts in turn-on and threshold voltage after passivation with inorganic thin films have been reported by several groups.[4,5] We have previously reported weak oxidant plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) ZnO TFTs with an ALD-based Al2O3 passivation layer [6]. Before passivation the TFT has a turn-on voltage near 0 V, but significant hysteresis (often > 0.5 V). A 32 nm thick Al2O3 layer deposited by ALD eliminates the hysteresis, but causes a negative shift in turn-on and threshold voltage (~3 V). A 32 nm thick Al2O3 layer deposited by PEALD also removes the hysteresis, but shifts the device turn-on and threshold voltage negative by more than 10 V [6]. We have developed a tri-layer process for bottom-gate, top contact TFTs. An Al2O3-ZnO-Al2O3 tri-layer is deposited sequentially at 200°C and provides effective passivation and reduced turn-on voltage shift.
Smoking status and dietary fats

Abstract Background. There have been several recent reports of differences in the diet of smokers versus that of nonsmokers. This has broad implications for assessment of disease risk associated with diet or smoking. Methods. We examined dietary fats for several categories of smoking status in a large cross-sectional data set. The annual risk factor survey of a cardiovascular disease prevention trial in three pairs of upper Midwest communities includes 3,495 subjects ranging in age from 24 to 75. Smoking was assessed by self-report and thiocyanate, and diet by the Willett questionnaire. Dietary comparisons of smokers, recent quitters, long-term (over 1 year) quitters, and never-smokers were conducted. Results. Previous findings of lower polyunsaturated fat intake in smokers were confirmed and extended by finding significantly elevated polyunsaturate intake among those who had quit smoking within the last year. The source of these differences is unclear, but the differences are large enough to constitute a significant contribution to disease risk for smokers or a protective effect for recent quitters. Conclusions. Future research examining risks associated with smoking or diet should control for the interaction of the two factors. The dietary differences in recent quitters, whether caused by a conscious decision to improve diet, a change in taste perception as a result of quitting, or simply the habits of those smokers who are able to quit, need further exploration.
Magnetite rods in plagioclase as the primary carrier of stable NRM in ocean floor gabbros

Abstract The ubiquitous occurrence of magnetite rods in plagioclase may account for the stable, intense magnetization of ocean floor gabbros. These single-domain grains are formed by the subsolidus exsolution of Fe 2+ and Fe 3+ incorporated into the plagioclase at higher temperatures. We expect that this process will be particularly important in the upper portions of the oceanic gabbro unit because of the relative paucity of femic minerals at these levels. The geometry of accretion prohibits a constructive contribution to marine magnetic anomalies by the lower olivine-rich gabbros. As a result of the presence of these rods, ocean floor gabbros may constitute an important source for marine magnetic anomalies.
Performance enhancement of a dual-loop FSS-based absorber

In this paper, we investigate an approach to designing FSS-based absorbers with the objective of extending the bandwidth performance and absorption level. Numerical results are presented to illustrate the application of the procedure.
A molecular orbital study of bonding in sulfate molecules: Implications for sulfate crystal structures

Molecular orbital calculations have been completed on sulfate monomers and a dimer in a determination of minimum-energy geometries and electron density distributions. SO bond lengths calculated for the monomer and dimer correlate linearly with the fractional s-characters of the bonds, as observed for sulfate groups in crystals. With increasing coordination number of S, the bonded radii of S and O, as determined from electron density maps, increase at the same rate. This is at variance with the assumption that the radius of the oxide ion is nearly constant and that bond length variations arise primarily from changes in cation radii. The dimer shows a relatively large change in energy as its SOS angle is deformed from its minimum-energy value (125.6°) to 180°, in conformity with the small variation among observed angles. This is in contrast to the wide variation of bridging angles observed for silicate and phosphate dimers in crystals and molecules, and may imply that significant differences should be expected in the behavior of sulfates with respect to polymorphism and glass formation. The reaction energy of SO3 + H2O → H2SO4, calculated with second-order Moller-Plesset perturbation theory, agrees with the experimental value. Other properties of H2SO4 are also calculated and compared with experimental observations and previous calculations.
Multiple Presentations of “the Same” Paper: A Skeptical View

An increase in the number of political science papers that are presented at multiple academic conferences does not, as Nelson Dometrius recognizes, constitute one of the major existential crises of the twenty-first century. Indeed, I doubt that it would even make it onto anyone's list of the top hundred issues currently confronting the discipline of political science. Nonetheless, it does warrant more attention than it has received in the past (which, insofar as I am aware, is approximately none at all).
An objective approach to quantifying pain behavior and gait patterns in low back pain patients

Abstract Patterns of walking and concomitant pain behavior were compared in a group of chronic low back patients ( n = 18) and normal controls ( n = 18). Subjects were asked to walk a 5 m course. A transducer placed in the subjects' shoes produced a force proportional signal that permitted measurement of walking parameters. Subjects were videotaped in order to record the occurrence of 5 specific pain behaviors: guarding, bracing, rubbing the painful area, grimacing and sighing. Data analysis revealed significant differences in walking patterns of the patients and controls. Patients walked more slowly, took shorter steps and did not show the symmetrical gait patterns evident in normal controls. Patients also exhibited much higher levels of pain behavior. The gait of patients receiving disability payments or taking narcotics differed significantly from those who were not. Patients receiving disability payments had significantly longer stride lengths and swing time than patients not receiving disability/financial compensation payments. Patients taking narcotics showed longer single limb support time for the left leg than those who were not. By combining objective measures of gait and motor pain behaviors, clinicians and researchers may be able to more objectively evaluate factors that may affect patient behavior and measure the effects of interventions designed to modify behavior.
Recovery of sodium dodecyl sulfate-proteins from gel electrophoretic bands in a single electroelution step for mass spectrometric analysis.

Abstract Mass spectrometric analysis of proteins derived from bands in gel electrophoresis is incompatible with the covalent fluorescent labeling of the protein. Thus, if one wishes to take advantage of the capacity for computer-directed electroelution of electrophoresis apparatus with intermittent fluorescent scanning of the migration path, the protein must be labeled fluorescently in a noncovalent, reversible fashion. This was recently achieved by staining of SDS–proteins with Cascade blue and electrophoresis in barbital buffer. However, the method was not a practical one for the purpose of isolating proteins from gel electrophoretic bands and their transfer into the mass spectrometer for three reasons: (i) Ten consecutive electroelution steps were required to obviate pH changes in the electroelution chamber; (ii) electroeluates from six gel electrophoretic lanes needed to be pooled; (iii) excessive protein loads ranging from 7 to 33 μg/pool were required. The present study reports the solution to those three problems. Mass spectrometric (MALDI-TOF) characterization of five proteins was demonstrated (i) after a single electroelution step; (ii) using electroelution from a single gel of 0.3-cm 2 cross-sectional area; and (iii) using a protein load of 2 (in one case 4) μg. However, the migration rates of the Cascade blue–SDS–protein–barbital complexes derived from proteins with widely varying molecular weights proved to be the same. Thus, despite the three advances made, the method to date remains restricted to samples of single proteins.
Population growth and the development of a central place system

This paper describes the spatial and functional evolution of a central place system as market conditions change with population growth. Utilizing a partial equilibrium optimization model, we examine the spatial response of two economic sectors to increases in market populations resulting from natural increase and migration. Response in both sectors is conditioned by threshold demand, with factor prices also affecting one of the sectors. As the central place system evolves it exhibits spatial and functional characteristics that are initially consistent with a Loschian landscape, then a Christallerian landscape at higher populations, while at even larger populations Krugman’s landscape emerges.
Sonographic duplication artifact of the spinal cord in infants and children.

Objective. To describe the features of sonographic duplication artifacts that we have occasionally seen when imaging the spinal cord of infants and children, mostly with postrepair myelomeningocele. Methods. Sonography of the spine was performed for the evaluation of neonates with suspected spinal cord abnormalities and of older children in the follow-up of postrepair open-spine defects. Results. Each of our patients had a single spinal cord, but the duplication artifact was seen with 2 brands of scanners and with both linear array and vector array transducers. Conclusions. The finding of duplication artifacts when imaging the spinal cord of infants and children should be recognized as such and should not be misinterpreted as representing diastematomyelia or diplomyelia.
Deformation structures and an alteration zone linked to deposition of volcanogenic sulphate in an ancient playa (Oligocene of Nebraska, USA)

Historic, sulphur-rich volcanic eruptions have altered global climate for as much as five years, and much larger events are known from the geologic record. At Scotts Bluff, Nebraska, Early Oligocene strata of the lower Arikaree Group contain a tephra bed with abundant calcite pseudomorphs after gypsum. Previous work has shown sulphate from the pseudomorphs in this tephra bears a high 17 O anomaly indicative of oxidation of sulphur gases by ozone or hydrogen peroxide in the atmosphere. Possible sources of the tephra were caldera eruptions at about 28 Ma in the San Juan volcanic field of southwestern Colorado (� 500 km SW of the study site) and the eastern Great Basin (� 1000 km WSW). The present sedimentological study shows that tephra and volcanogenic sulphate were deposited and preserved within a small, surfacedischarging playa that developed on the irregular upper surface of aeolian siltstones of the subjacent White River Group. Sulphate solutions (including perhaps sulphuric acid) percolated downward within the vadose zone, dissolving early formed smectite cement within underlying volcaniclastic sandstones, reddening these rocks along an irregular alteration front. Preserved fine-scale stratification within the sandstones precludes the possibility that reddening took place during pedogenesis. Displacive growth of gypsum at the playa centre folded tephra beds and forced tephra into underlying sandstones, forming elongate cones. The large mass fraction of gypsum (now replaced by calcite) in the playa sediments suggests a huge, long-distance delivery of sulphate aerosols. Some of the sulphate and tephra may have come from the same eruption, or the fine-grained tephra may simply have aided preservation of dry-fog sulphate derived from an unrelated, effusive eruption of lava.
Resource Allocation for Autonomic Data Centers using Analytic Performance Models

Large data centers host several application environments (AEs) that are subject to workloads whose intensity varies widely and unpredictably. Therefore, the servers of the data center may need to be dynamically redeployed among the various AEs in order to optimize some global utility function. Previous approaches to solving this problem suffer from scalability limitations and cannot easily address the fact that there may be multiple classes of workloads executing on the same AE. This paper presents a solution that addresses these limitations. This solution is based on the use of analytic queuing network models combined with combinatorial search techniques. The paper demonstrates the effectiveness of the approach through simulation experiments. Both online and batch workloads are considered
The neuromuscular basis of lobster swimmeret beating

The anatomy and innervation of the swimmeret muscles of the lobster Homarus americanus were studied using histological and intracellular recording techniques. Each swimmeret is controlled by 12 muscles, each of which comprises from one to five anatomically-distinguishable bundles of muscle fibers. The bundles which make up each muscle are usually merged along part of their lengths. Sometimes, however, bundles which share efferent innervation and which are therefore part of a single functional muscle are separate along their entire lengths. Thus, the concept of a muscle as a discrete anatomical unit is of limited use in the swimmeret system. The pattern of neuromuscular activity underlying swimmeret beating was determined by recording the rhythmic movements of a swimmeret simultaneously with the electrical activity of its muscles. Each muscle is active for a fixed fraction of every movement cycle, during which it discharges several muscle potentials. The 12 muscles of each swimmeret are recruited in the same temporal sequence during each cycle of swimmeret beating.
Nonlinear discrete Sturm–Liouville problems with global boundary conditions

This paper is devoted to the study of nonlinear difference equations subject to global nonlinear boundary conditions. We provide sufficient conditions for the existence of solutions based on properties of the nonlinearities and the eigenvalues of an associated linear Sturm–Liouville problem.
The Political Economy of Publication Marketing, Commodification, and Qualitative Scholarly Work

The globalized economy, fueled by late capitalism, has pressed forward its necessity for accumulation and expanding growth into the information and knowledge economy. One result has been the privatization of essentially public knowledge, knowledge produced at public universities, often with public, federal dollars. Both the “mania for ranking academic institutions,” where universities compete for students, tuition dollars, and external funding, and the incessant creep of the managerial “audit culture” contribute to this situation. Although there is little individual scholars can do to resist globalization and capitalist forces, understanding the context into which their research is circulated can suggest opportunities for sharing research results between the “center” and “periphery” that counter some of the privatization trends.
Impurity stabilized near-surface phase on ion bombarded α-Fe 2O3(0 0 0 1)

Abstract Following Ar + ion bombardment, an epitaxial spinel phase forms on the near-surface of hematite specimens that contain impurity species. This near-surface spinel phase can readily be distinguished in a transmission electron diffraction pattern, and is stable under a much broader range of oxygen partial pressures than has been previously observed in the literature. Conversely, hematite samples which are impurity free show no evidence of an epitaxial spinel phase. Regardless of the impurity concentration, samples annealed at high temperature in oxygen-rich environments show (1 × 1) diffraction patterns indicative of a bulk hematite termination.
A dual-loop delay locked loop with multi digital delay lines for GHz DRAMs

In this paper, a new low-jitter dual-loop delay locked loop (DLL) with multi digitally controlled delay lines (DCDLs) is proposed. With this proposal, a limitation on unit delay amount is drastically reduced; hence the maximum frequency that a dual-loop DLL supports can be easily expanded into GHz range. Also, the invalidation system employed in the reference delay loop helps reduce the jitter in the final output clock of the DLL.
Continuous-wave double-resonance ionization mass spectrometry of barium

The use of two low-power, single-mode cw dye lasers and a high-power cw Nd+3:YAG laser is shown to provide high sensitivity and high selectivity as an ionization source for mass spectrometry. The sensitivity for half of the upper states investigated is greater than with electron-impact ionization, and isotopic selectivities of 800 are observed.
Field Trapping the Little Fire Ant, Wasmannia auropunctata

Two detection methods for the little fire ant, Wasmannia auropunctata (Roger) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), both employing the pheromone attractant 2,5-dimethyl-3-(2-methylbutyl)pyrazine (2-MeBu-diMePy), were compared with peanut butter based detection, in order to evaluate differences in species specificity and detection reliability. Trapping was conducted using a transect through a macadamia orchard on the island of Hawaii. The transect consisted of a series of three-tree plots, each plot contained a peanut butter coated stick (the most common detection method used for W. auropunctata in Hawaii), a one—way trap treated with 2-MeBu-diMePy, and a piece of double-sided tape treated with 2-MeBu-diMePy. While there were no differences in the number of W. auropunctata counted with each detection method, and no differences in detection reliability (detecting the known presence of W. auropunctata in a plot), the pheromone—incorporating methods showed greater species specificity, retaining W. auropunctata almost exclusively. These results demonstrate the potential of pheromone—detection methods to selectively capture target ant species even when other ants are present and abundant. Combined data from all three detection methods and a previous visual survey along the transect showed a marked difference in the frequency of cohabitation among ant species. Of the 10 ant species collected, W. auropunctata was found as the sole ant species on a given tree at a significantly higher frequency than all other ant species except Pheidole fervens. 94% percent of the trees with W. auropunctata had only W. auropunctata, supporting previous observations that this species tends to displace other ant species. In addition, W. auropunctata microhabitat preferences were investigated using one—way traps containing 2-MeBu-diMePy, which were placed in three arboreal and three non—arboreal locations. While the number of ants captured did not differ by trap placement, when grouped, captures were significantly higher in arboreal than non-arboreal microhabitats.
A Model of the U.S. Presidential Primary Campaign

A game theoretic model of the decision by candidates for the U.S. Presidential nominations concerning which set of presidential primaries to contest is developed. Using the two candidate contest for the 1976 Republican nomination as a prototype, interest centers on the effects of variations in the institutional context in affecting candidate strategy. Variables studied include the dates of the primaries, their size, the rules translating votes into delegate allocations, and variations in each primary’s electorate. Dynamic elements, e.g., “momentum,” are included, a number of propositions produced, and these propositions are tested successfully against the choices made by Reagan and Ford in the 1976 Republican campaign.
Power Efficient IP Lookup with Supernode Caching

In this paper, we propose a novel supernode caching scheme to reduce IP lookup latencies and energy consumption in network processors. In stead of using an expensive TCAM based scheme, we implement a set associative SRAM based cache. We organize the IP routing table as a supernode tree (a tree bitmap structure) [5]. We add a small supernode cache in-between the processor and the low level memory containing the IP routing table in a tree structure. The supernode cache stores recently visited supernodes of the longest matched prefixes in the IP routing tree. A supernode hitting in the cache reduces the number of accesses to the low level memory, leading to a fast IP lookup. According to our simulations, up to 72% memory accesses can be avoided by a 128KB supernode cache for the selected three trace files. Average supernode cache miss ratio is as low as 4%. Compared to a TCAM with the same size, 77% of energy consumption can be reduced.
Toward a Middle-Range Theory of Adaptation to Chronic Pain:

Merton postulated that to significantly advance disciplinary knowledge, scholarship must include the development of middle-range theories that derive hypotheses, can be empirically investigated, and are linked to extant theories. The purpose of this paper is to present the strategies used to develop a middle-range nursing theory of adaptation to chronic pain based on Merton's description. Analysis and synthesis of the theoretical and research literature provided the foundational, theory-building strategies used to develop the adaptation to chronic pain model. Theoretical substruction was then used to deduce the adaptation to chronic pain model from Roy's adaptation model.
Screening Sensitivity and Sojourn Time From Breast Cancer Early Detection Clinical Trials: Mammograms and Physical Examinations

PURPOSE: To estimate sensitivities of breast cancer screening modalities and preclinical duration of the disease from eight breast cancer screening clinical trials. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Screening programs invariably lead to diagnosis of disease before signs or symptoms are present. Two key quantities of screening programs are the sensitivity of the disease detection modality and the mean sojourn time (MST). The observed screening histories in a periodically screened cohort make it possible to estimate these quantities of interest. We applied recently developed statistical methods to data from eight randomized breast cancer screening trials to estimate the sensitivities of early detection modalities and MST. Moreover, when a screening trial involved two screening modalities, our methods enabled the estimation of the individual sensitivity of each screening modality. RESULTS: We analyzed breast cancer data from several screening trials and have relatively complete data from the Health Insurance Plan (HIP),...
Extending Proxy Caching Capability: Issues and Performance

Proxy caching is an effective approach to reduce the response latency to client requests, web server load, and network traffic. Recently there has been a major shift in the usage of the Web. Emerging web applications require increasing amount of server-side processing. Current proxy protocols do not support caching and execution of web processing units. In this paper, we present a weblet environment, in which, processing units on web servers are implemented as weblets. These weblets can migrate from web servers to proxy servers to perform required computation and provide faster responses. Weblet engine is developed to provide the execution environment on proxy servers as well as web servers to facilitate uniform weblet execution. We have conducted thorough experimental studies to investigate the performance of the weblet approach. We modify the industrial standard e-commerce benchmark TPC-W to fit the weblet model and use its workload model for performance comparisons. The experimental results show that the weblet environment significantly improves system performance in terms of client response latency, web server throughput, and workload. Our prototype weblet system also demonstrates the feasibility of integrating weblet environment with current web/proxy infrastructure.
An integrated real-time computerized hearing testing system

An overview is presented of an integrated real-time computerized control, supervisory and data acquisition system for the purpose of testing and analyzing subjects' hearing ability. This system can give objective and accurate measurements of a subject's hearing ability from different aspects such as reaction time, threshold indicator, and discrimination indicator under many different circumstances. All the testing data are automatically fed into a database for later retrieval and analysis. >
Components of Developmental Plasticity in a Michigan Population of Lucilia sericata (Diptera: Calliphoridae)

Forensic entomologists rely on laboratory growth data to estimate the time of blow fly colonization on human remains. Several data sets exist for the development of the common blow fly Lucilia sericata (Meigen) (Diptera: Calliphoridae), and although they generally describe similar rates of preadult development, all vary. Such differences could be explained by genetic variation, environmental (rearing) variation, or both. In the study presented here, flies from a single population were reared under variable conditions of food moisture, substrate type, substrate freshness, and sampling, to determine the effect each had on developmental time. Cohorts were tested in a single incubator at a single temperature and humidity, to eliminate effects of undesired environmental variation. Fly developmental times were significantly influenced by multiple laboratory rearing treatments; food moisture, transferring postfeeding larvae to fresh substrate, and destructive sampling affected different stages of development. Developmental times ranged from 329 to 505.5 h, covering the spectrum of variation observed in published data sets. Growth was then compared with larval development on rat carcasses under the same environmental conditions, establishing a link between laboratory-controlled growth and development on carrion. Cohorts raised on rats matured to adulthood between 333 and 337 h, which was best mimicked by the fastest growth treatment observed under laboratory conditions. The large environmental influence on development observed in this study could affect forensic entomology casework and accentuates the need for a standardized means of rearing flies in a laboratory setting that is relevant to decomposition on a corpse.
The cardiovascular pathophysiology of sepsis.

Septic shock is the most common cause of death in intensive care units (ICUs) in the United States. The incidence of this disease has clearly been increasing during the past 50 years, and at the present time most bouts are nosocomial. This steady increase in septic shock is being fueled by the increased use of invasive medical technology, aggressive chemotherapy and immunosuppressive drug therapy, and increased longevity of patients with known susceptibility to infection (1 , 2).
Fetal tracheal occlusion in the rat model of nitrofen-induced congenital diaphragmatic hernia.

Prenatal tracheal occlusion (TO) consistently accelerates lung growth in the sheep model of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). However, significant variability in lung growth has been observed ...
Building Capacity in Nonprofit Human Service Agencies Through Organizational Assessment During the Accreditation Process

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of organizational self-assessment as a tool to enhance organizational capacity in nonprofit human service agencies when it is performed as part of an accreditation process. Eighty-eight organizations completed a self-assessment pretest designed to measure capacity at the beginning of an accreditation process and then the same self-assessment posttest at the end of the accreditation process. The findings reveal that 59% of these organizations demonstrated an increase in capacity. Organizations identified their greatest capacity challenges. The findings mostly support the premise that organizational self-assessment is a beneficial process in building capacity.
Simulation of Subcritical Primary Atomization in a Rule-Based CFD Framework Using Stochastic Modeling

or liquid rocket engines, operating in subcritical pressure situations, multiphase models are required which employ one or more sub-models such as volume-of-fluid models, droplet atomization models, droplet secondary breakup models or droplet evaporation models, along with Eulerian/Lagrangian particle tracking, to simulate the interaction of the liquid droplets and the gas phase. There is a critical need for a multiscale strategy which can robustly simulate the entire spray combustion process in rocket injectors. The objective of the work is to perform accurate modeling of subcritical atomization – which is an essential component of spray combustion modeling – in liquid rocket engines. It is important to accurately model the unsteady liquid core (i.e, its shape, size, surface location, and unsteadiness) which not only provides the liquid droplets to the Lagrangian particle solver but also is a source of primary (large) eddies which affect the gaseous phase in the combustor. Stochastic (randomized) algorithms are being developed to mitigate the computational burden associated with small time and length scales. A key objective of the proposed work is to integrate the developed models into advanced CFD solvers. Owing to the computational complexity of the primary atomization process, a stochastic modeling framework has been developed. The shape of the liquid core is modeled as a stochastic process defined within the domain of the combustion chamber. The dynamics of the liquid-core is modeled using a Fokker-Planck equation and the corresponding Langevin equations. Both steady and unsteady atomization are considered.
Seismic processing of numerical EM data

The traditional methods for acquiring and processing CSEM data are very different from those for seismic data. But Thomsen et al (2007, 09), Strack, et al (2008), and Thomsen (2014) argue that the deep connection between electromagnetics and seismics suggests that many seismic processing methods of acquisition and processing could be useful for EM data. As examples of this principle, we present here results of semblance analysis, f-k filtering, and modified Radon transformation of a commonly-used 1-D numerical EM model, with an impulsive source. Using these seismic methods, we both detect and quantitatively characterize the reservoir, without mathematical inversion.
[Analysis on death causes of residents in Anhui province, 2013].

Objective To analyze the demographic characteristics and the death causes of the residents in Anhui province, and provide evidence for the disease prevention and control. Methods Using descriptive epidemiological analysis, the demographic characteristics and death data of the national disease surveillance points (DSPs) in Anhui province in 2013 were analyed by areas. Results The aging of the population was observed in all the areas in Anhui, which was most obvious in Jianghuai, followed by Wannan and Huaibei. The overall mortality was 627.10/100 000. The mortalities of diseases varied with sex, area and age. Among the 3 areas, the overall mortality, chronic disease mortality and injury mortality were highest in Huaibei and lowest in Wannan. The area specific difference in mortality of infectious diseases was small. Regardless of areas or the types of diseases, the mortality was higher in males than in females. Deaths caused by diseases with unknown origins were common in residents aged >65 years. The mortality of chronic diseases was higher in residents aged >45 years, especially in those aged 65-84 years. The mortality of injuries was higher in age groups >15 years and >45 years. The mortality of infectious diseases peaked at both young age group and old age group. The top five death causes were cerebrovascular diseases, malignant tumors, heart diseases, respiratory diseases and injuries. Regardless of sex or area, the major death causes were similar, but the ranks were slightly different. The major death causes varied in different age groups, but they were similar in same age group in different areas. The major death causes were diseases originated in perinatal period, and congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities in children aged <1 year. The major death causes in children aged 1-14 years were injuries, diseases originated in perinatal period, congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities. Injuries and malignant tumors were the first and second death causes in residents aged 15-44 years. Malignant tumors, injuries, cerebrovascular diseases and heart diseases were the major death causes in residents aged 45-64 years. The major death causes were cerebrovascular diseases, malignant tumors, heart diseases and respiratory diseases in residents aged 65-84 years and heart diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, respiratory diseases and malign tumors in residents aged≥85 years. Conclusion The major death causes in residents in Anhui province were cerebrovascular diseases, malignant tumors and injuries. Close attention should be paid to the prevention and control of cerebrovascular diseases, malignant tumors and heart diseases in age group≥45 years. It is necessary to strengthen the prevention and control of injuries in age group 15-44 years. Huaibei is a key area of disease prevention and control in Anhui, especially chronic disease and injury preventions. Key words: Causes of death; Surveillance
Sarcoma in a Hamster Inoculated With BK Virus, a Human Papovavirus

An undifferentiated sarcoma occurred in 1 of 52 hamsters inoculated when newborn with BK virus (BKV), A SIMIAN VIRUS 40 (SV40)-related human papovavirus. It was transplantable and grew in tissue culture. Sera of tumor-bearing hamsters were without antibodies reactive to BKV virion antigens in hemagglutination-inhibition and neutralizationtexts, but contained antibodies reactive in immunofluorescence (IF) tests to SV40 T antigen in SV40-TRANSFORMED CELLS AND TO ANTIGENS IN CELLS ACUTELY INFECTED WITH BKV or SV40. The IF reaction between tumor cells and sera of tumor-bearing hamsters was minimal in texts of tumor cells of an early passage but satisfactory in tests of cells from a later passage. Fusion of tumor cells with permissive (monkey and human) cells, induced by inactivated Sendai virus, did not lead to recovery of infectious BKV. Immunization of hamster with BKV or SV40 failed to protect against challenge with tumor cells. There was considerable cross-reactivity between the T antigens of BKV and SV40 viruses
Explanation as a guide to learning

Although prior research with adolescents and adults has demonstrated that self-explanation benefits learning (Chi et al., 1994), little is known about the effect of self-explanation on learning in young children (but see Crowley & Siegler, 1999). The objective of the present study is to investigate the relationship between explanation and learning, and most importantly, to measure learning more directly by comparing self-explanation to other potential learning mechanisms such as exploration and attention. Does constructing a causal explanation benefit learning more than exploration or simple observation?
Human infestation with rodent botfly larvae : A new route of entry?

A 3-year-old child was infested with two larvae of the rodent botfly (insect order Diptera, genus Cuterebra), one on the back and one on the neck. Both larvae produced tracklike lesions in the skin. After week 1, the back lesion did not develop further, but the neck lesion continued to enlarge and formed a boil-like lesion. Despite examination by several physicians, the case was not recognized as myiasis for more than 3 weeks. Details of the case are presented and discussed, including the possibility that infestation resulted from direct deposition of eggs or larvae on the patient.
Effect of nitric oxide on renin secretion. II: Studies in the perfused juxtaglomerular apparatus

To examine the possible role of NO in macula densa control of renin secretion, we examined the effects of varying NO availability on renin release in the isolated perfused rabbit juxtaglomerular apparatus (JGA). Gradual increments of luminal Na/Cl concentration ratio (mM/mM) from 26/7 over 46/27, 66/47, to 86/67 caused a progressive decrease in renin secretion from (as log of nano-Goldblatt hog units vs. time, i.e., log nGU/min) 1.09 +/- 0.34 to 0.46 +/- 0.24 log nGU/min, with the greatest change occurring at the first concentration step. The presence of 0.7 mM N omega-nitro-L-arginine (NNA), an NO synthase inhibitor, in the luminal fluid significantly reduced renin secretion at the lowest Na/Cl concentration ratio to 0.65 +/- 0.32 log nGU/min (P < 0.01 compared with control). Renin secretion at the higher Na/Cl concentration ratios was not significantly affected by NNA compared with control. In contrast to these results, the addition of the NO donor nitroprusside (1 mM) to the bath caused a reduction in ...
Racial disparities in birth care: Exploring the perceived role of African-American women providing midwifery care and birth support in the United States

Abstract Background Midwifery care has been linked to positive birth outcomes. Despite the broad racial disparities in maternal and infant outcomes in the United States (US), little is known about the role of minority women in either providing or receiving this type of care. A vibrant community of minority women, who self-identify as providing these services, exists online. In this exploratory study we ask how they describe their role; view their practice; and position themselves in the broader discussions of racial health disparities in the US. Methods Using an internet mediated qualitative design we analyse online narratives from self-described African-American nurse-midwives, lay midwives and birth assistants; we found 28 unique websites. We collected and analysed narrative material from each site. We used a thematic analysis approach to identify recurrent and emergent themes in relation to the study question. Results Narratives identified a strong link to the past, as providers viewed their practice in a historical perspective linking African roots, to the diaspora, and to current African-American struggles. Providers engaged both in direct clinical work, and in activist roles. Advocacy efforts sought to expand numbers of minority birth care workers and to extend the benefits of woman-centred birth care to underserved communities. Conclusion Results demonstrate the continued existence and important role of diverse types of African-American birth care providers in minority communities in the US. Recognition, support, and increasing the number of midwives of colour is important in tackling racial inequalities in health. Further research should explore minority access to woman-centred care.