cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cohort profile: a national, community-based prospective cohort study of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic outcomes in the USA-the CHASING COVID Cohort study.

Purpose The Communities, Households and SARS-CoV-2 Epidemiology (CHASING) COVID Cohort Study is a community-based prospective cohort study launched during the upswing of the USA COVID-19 epidemic. The objectives of the cohort study are to: (1) estimate and evaluate determinants of the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection, disease and deaths; (2) assess the impact of the pandemic on psychosocial and economic outcomes and (3) assess the uptake of pandemic mitigation strategies. Participants We began enrolling participants from 28 March 2020 using internet-based strategies. Adults≥18 years residing anywhere in the USA or US territories were eligible. 6740 people are enrolled in the cohort, including participants from all 50 US states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam. Participants are contacted regularly to complete study assessments, including interviews and dried blood spot specimen collection for serologic testing. Findings to date Participants are geographically and sociodemographically diverse and include essential workers (19%). 84.2% remain engaged in cohort follow-up activities after enrolment. Data have been used to assess SARS-CoV-2 cumulative incidence, seroincidence and related risk factors at different phases of the US pandemic; the role of household crowding and the presence of children in the household as potential risk factors for severe COVID-19 early in the US pandemic; to describe the prevalence of anxiety symptoms and its relationship to COVID-19 outcomes and other potential stressors; to identify preferences for SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic testing when community transmission is on the rise via a discrete choice experiment and to assess vaccine hesitancy over time and its relationship to vaccine uptake. Future plans The CHASING COVID Cohort Study has outlined a research agenda that involves ongoing monitoring of the incidence and determinants of SARS-CoV-2 outcomes, mental health outcomes and economic outcomes. Additional priorities include assessing the incidence, prevalence and correlates of long-haul COVID-19.
Modeling Interaction of a Tropical Cyclone with Its Cold Wake

AbstractThis study first examines the tropical cyclone (TC) intensity response to its cold wake with time-invariant, stationary cold wakes and an uncoupled version of COAMPS-TC, and second with simulated cold wakes from the fully coupled version. The objective of the uncoupled simulations with the time-invariant cold wake is to fix the thermodynamic response and to isolate the dynamic response of the TC to the cold wake. While the stationary TC over a cold wake has an immediate intensity decrease, the intensity decrease with a long trailing wake from the moving TC was delayed. This time delay is attributed to a “wake jet” that leads to an enhanced inward transport of moist air that tends to offset the effect of decreasing enthalpy flux from the ocean. In the fully coupled version, the TC translating at 2 m s−1 generated a long trailing cold wake, and again the intensity decrease was delayed. Lagrangian trajectories released behind the TC center at four times illustrate the inward deflection and ascent and...
What do they know about me? Contents and Concerns of Online Behavioral Profiles

Data aggregators collect large amount of information about individual users and create detailed online behavioral profiles of individuals. Behavioral profiles benefit users by improving products and services. However, they have also raised concerns regarding user privacy, transparency of collection practices and accuracy of data in the profiles. To improve transparency, some companies are allowing users to access their behavioral profiles. In this work, we investigated behavioral profiles of users by utilizing these access mechanisms. Using in-person interviews (n=8), we analyzed the data shown in the profiles, elicited user concerns, and estimated accuracy of profiles. We confirmed our interview findings via an online survey (n=100). To assess the claim of improving transparency, we compared data shown in profiles with the data that companies have about users. More than 70% of the participants expressed concerns about collection of sensitive data such as credit and health information, level of detail and how their data may be used. We found a large gap between the data shown in profiles and the data possessed by companies. A large number of profiles were inaccurate with as much as 80% inaccuracy. We discuss implications for public policy management.
Neuropathological Basis of Alzheimer’s Disease and Alzheimer’s Disease Diagnosis

Great strides in the understanding of the neuropathologic basis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) have been achieved over the past century. An overview of the history, current understanding and recent advances in the neuropathologic basis of AD are highlighted in this chapter. Recent advances include the conceptualization and study of the preclinical phase of AD, mild cognitive impairment, mixed pathologies, and the specific roles of β-amyloid and hyperphosphorylated tau protein, as well as other protein accumulations such as soluble amyloid and TDP-43. Furthermore, cerebrospinal fluid and imaging biomarkers in symptomatic and presymptomatic disease are emerging as exciting new tools for both clinical practice and research. These and other advances have led to the formation of new clinical criteria followed by new pathologic criteria for the diagnosis of AD. These advances are likely to have a profound impact on the direction of future research on the prevention and treatment of AD.
Organizational Guidelines for the Prosecutor's Office

The modern era of corporate criminal law enforcement is dominated by an entity-based approach of compliance. There is broad agreement among prosecutors that this is the right way to deter misconduct within a company. Indeed, it is the official policy of the Department of Justice, and one of the key principles behind the United States Sentencing Commission’s Organizational Guidelines. Prosecutors should be equally enthusiastic for using this framework to address wrongs that place within a similar organization: the prosecutor’s office itself. Prosecutorial misconduct, whether intentional or negligent, is not an infrequent occurrence. Although most prosecutors follow the law and behave ethically - just as most corporate employees do - that is not true of all prosecutors. A host of studies have documented prosecutorial misconduct, and one of - if not the - most common type of prosecutorial misconduct in these cases involved the suppression of exculpatory evidence in violation of Brady v. Maryland. The existing framework for addressing prosecutorial misconduct is entirely backward-looking - and ineffective. Judges and state bars are supposed to police violations when they occur. But just as a model that focuses solely on individual liability and addressing particular violations after-the-fact proved inadequate in deterring corporate crime, so, too has it failed in addressing misconduct within the larger entity of the prosecutor’s office. Most violations never come to light, and when they do, individual actors responsible for the misconduct rarely face any consequences. Prosecutors recognized these failings when the entity at issue was a corporation. They have aggressively targeted the entity itself to address these shortcomings and to encourage forward-looking reforms. Specifically, they have used the entity as a partner in stopping wrongdoing before it happens by insisting on strong compliance programs that rely on training, supervision, transparency, and monitoring. This Article argues that it is time for prosecutors to recognize that their own offices should be held to the same standards.
Recognizing and reducing the risks of Chagas disease in travelers.

To the Editor in Chief: We are writing to correct misconceptions in the above‐mentioned article of Dr James H. Diaz. 1 Some are minor: for example, current estimated Trypanosoma cruzi infection prevalence is 8 to 10 million, not 20 million. The Southern Cone is not the only part of South America with endemic T cruzi transmission, as implied on page 185, and there are control initiatives in the Andean, Amazon, and Central American regions in addition to INCOSUR. 2Despite the statement …
Interprofessional Providers’ Perspectives on the Effectiveness of Anger Management Programs with Court-Mandated Clients

AbstractThe efficacy of court-mandated anger management treatment has varied reviews in the literature. This study asked counselors their perceptions, and results indicated that anger management treatment was perceived as highly effective. In addition, counselors reported having a moderate level of training preparedness to provide anger management services.
Reconsidering the Southern Black Belt

The portion of the South known as the “Black Belt” lies at the heart of what was once the cotton-and-tobacco plantation region and retains a large black population. Despite the Black Belt’s high poverty rates and relatively slow economic growth, its large net loss of blacks to urban areas over the course of the twentieth century has effectively ended and more are now returning. Rural southern blacks still face a low-wage economy and their prospects are conditioned by a legacy of both southern agricultural paternalism and, due to interregional migration, inner-city decline. A number of writers have noted the importance of familial and community ties for returnees and express cautious optimism about their abilities to further erode the region’s old social and economic barriers. More generally, anti-poverty strategies in the Black Belt, public and private, will be successful only insofar as they are sensitive to the social exclusion that continues to restrict the full participation of blacks in rural southern labor markets and civil society.
I/O-Space Trade-Offs

We define external memory (or I/O) models which capture space complexity and develop a general technique for deriving I/O-space trade-offs in these models from internal memory model time-space tradeoffs. Using this technique we show strong I/O-space product lower bounds for Sorting and Element Distinctness. We also develop new space efficient external memory Sorting algorithms.
Summer mesospheric warmings and the quasi 2 day wave

High-altitude meteorological analyses are used to study the interannual variability of mesospheric weather in the Southern extratropics over five recent January's (2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, and 2010). Two features are apparent. First, there is significant variability in the quasi 2 day wave (Q2DW) with the largest amplitudes in January 2006 and also the last half of January 2005. Second, these periods coincide with high-latitude temperature enhancements of 8–12 K. Previous studies have linked summer mesospheric warmings to interhemispheric coupling (IHC); however, the observed temperature and zonal wind anomalies do not agree with the predictions of IHC. Rather it appears that the westward momentum forcing from these Q2DW enhancements counteracts the gravity wave drag forcing which normally produces the cold summer mesopause. Since these temperature increases have been linked to Polar Mesospheric Cloud (PMC) disappearance, the present study supports the suggestion that the Q2DW may be an important factor governing PMC variability.
Distribution of hydrogen peroxide in the northwest Pacific Ocean

[1] Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a reactive oxygen intermediate involved in the cycling of metals and dissolved organic matter. Because little is known of its distribution in the North Pacific Ocean, we determined H2O2 in surface waters continuously and obtained vertical profiles at nine stations during a cruise from Japan to Hawaii. Surface water H2O2 varied from less than 10 to more than 250 nmol dm−3. A diel cycle in surface water H2O2 (∼25 nmol dm−3) was observed only on one day during the monthlong cruise. This is contrary to expectations based on the usual assumption of photo-production as the dominant input of H2O2. Experiments were also conducted during the cruise to examine both photo-production and dark decay. The net rate of photo-production at a station near Hawaii was determined to be 8 nmol dm−3 h−1, similar to rates reported for the central Atlantic Ocean and Antarctic. However, this maximum estimate of photo-production is also similar to probable rates of H2O2 input by other mechanisms (biological production and rain). The pseudo-first-order rate constant for dark decay varied from 0.1 to 0.2 d−1, which is toward the low end of previous reports of H2O2 decay rates, and was observed to increase proportionately to the dissolved organic carbon concentration. Taken together, these results suggest that photo-production of H2O2 in open ocean waters may be less important than previously thought and therefore H2O2 is likely less of an indicator of the photo-chemical reactivity of surface waters than hoped for. Furthermore, we observed that the H2O2 inventory for the upper 200 m of the water column has a maximum at midlatitudes. We suggest that this results from diminished inputs at high latitude as well as increased decay rates at low latitudes.
Modeling Cache Effects at the Transaction Level

Embedded system design complexities are growing exponentially. Demand has increased for modeling techniques that can provide both accurate measurements of delay and fast simulation speed for use in design space exploration. Previous efforts have enabled designers to estimate performance with Transaction Level Modeling (TLM) of software processors but this technique typically does not account for the effect of memory latencies. Modeling latency effects of a cache can greatly increase accuracy of the simulation and assist designers in choosing appropriate algorithms. In this article, we show the implementation of a cache model and its integration into a processor TLM. We demonstrate a method for extracting information about memory accesses from the final binary and abstracting them into cache model accesses. Our methodology is tested on a common embedded processor application with two algorithms exhibiting different cache behaviors. Our experiments show that the cache model can achieve results comparable to a cycle-accurate ISS, but with very little overhead compared to native, host-compiled code execution.
A training program for the use of the Cyberlink control system for young children with cerebral palsy

This exploratory study investigated the use of the Cyberlink with two 4- and 5-year-old non-verbal children with severe cerebral palsy. The Cyberlink is a computer interface which reads voltage at the user's forehead from brain waves, minute facial muscle movements, and eye movements. It has been studied with adults diagnosed with severe neuromotor disorders but has not been investigated with young children. For this study, a training program was developed to teach "clicking" of a mouse cursor and cursor control for play, preliteracy, and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Results indicated that both subjects learned to control the cursor for "clicking." The child with higher cognitive-linguistic skills also achieved horizontal control of the cursor. Individualization of the stimuli presented and flexibility of the Cyberlink software appear to be key elements in the success of the training program.
Strontium isotopes in otoliths of a non-migratory fish (slimy sculpin): Implications for provenance studies

Abstract Heterogeneity in 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios of river-dissolved strontium (Sr) across geologically diverse environments provides a useful tool for investigating provenance, connectivity and movement patterns of various organisms and materials. Evaluation of site-specific 87 Sr/ 86 Sr temporal variability throughout study regions is a prerequisite for provenance research, but the dynamics driving temporal variability are generally system-dependent and not accurately predictable. We used the time-keeping properties of otoliths from non-migratory slimy sculpin ( Cottus cognatus ) to evaluate multi-scale 87 Sr/ 86 Sr temporal variability of river waters throughout the Nushagak River, a large (34,700 km 2 ) remote watershed in Alaska, USA. Slimy sculpin otoliths incorporated site-specific temporal variation at sub-annual resolution and were able to record on the order of 0.0001 changes in the 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratio. 87 Sr/ 86 Sr profiles of slimy sculpin collected in tributaries and main-stem channels of the upper watershed indicated that these regions were temporally stable, whereas the Lower Nushagak River exhibited some spatio-temporal variability. This study illustrates how the behavioral ecology of a non-migratory organism can be used to evaluate sub-annual 87 Sr/ 86 Sr temporal variability and has broad implications for provenance studies employing this tracer.
The vibrational spectra and structure of organogermanes—IX: CH2CHGeCl3 and CH2CHGeBr3

The Raman spectra of liquid vinyltrichlorogermane and vinyltribromogermane have been recorded with laser excitation and qualitative depolarization values were measured for all lines of reasonable intensity. The infrared spectra of the liquids were recorded from 33 to 4000 cm−1. The spectra have been interpreted in detail and all twenty-one normal vibrations have been assigned for the CH2CHGeCl3 and twenty for CH2CHGeBr3. The vibrational spectra are consistent with the molecules having Cs symmetry. The torsional mode of the vinyltrichlorogermane was observed at 73 cm−1 and the three-fold barrier restricting rotation was calculated to be 1.7 kcalmole. The assignments are tabulated and discussed in detail.
The effect of the forearm support band on forces at the origin of the extensor carpi radialis brevis: A cadaveric study and review of literature

Abstract The forearm support band is hypothesized to reduce force, and thus inflammation, at the extensor carpi radialis brevis (ECRB) origin. Very little published evidence supports an actual effect on the forces at the ECRB origin, however. The authors describe a cadaveric study in which forces at the ECRB origin were measured while various pressures were applied to the forearm support band and the ECRB tendon was loaded distally. The results reveal an increased effect with increased band pressure and a decreased relative effect with increased force applied distally. For clinical correlation, application pressure was also measured in nine patients using a counterforce brace. While further clinical evaluation is necessary to determine the most appropriate clinical indications for use of a forearm support band, these results suggest that the forearm support band may be most effective when applied at a force of 40 to 50 mmHg and used during light-duty activities. J HAND THER. 2002;15:179-184.
Cerebrovascular response to continuous cold perfusion and hypothermic circulatory arrest

Objective Clinical and laboratory studies have documented changes in cerebrovascular resistance after hypothermic circulatory arrest, both with and without adjunctive cerebral perfusion modalities. This study was designed to clarify whether these changes are due to cerebral edema, resistance vessel abnormalities, or alterations in the cerebral microcirculation. Methods Four mature swine underwent hypothermic circulatory arrest for 60 minutes, and 7 mature swine underwent cold cerebral perfusion for 60 minutes to simulate antegrade selective perfusion. All were rewarmed and weaned from cardiopulmonary bypass. Pial vascular diameter and reactivity were measured in vivo through a cranial window and ex vivo in an organ chamber; cerebral microvascular endothelium was studied in culture for release of vasoactive mediators. Cerebral water content was recorded. Results Cold perfusion caused pial arteriole and venule constriction, whereas hypothermic circulatory arrest alone caused pial arteriole and venule dilatation. Cold perfusion caused a temporal loss of endothelium-dependent vasodilatation, most notably to bradykinin. Hypothermic circulatory arrest caused a loss of nitric oxide-mediated endothelium-dependent vasodilatation. Endothelium-independent vasoreactivity remained intact in both groups. Endothelial cells from the cold group had a vasoconstrictive secretory phenotype, whereas endothelial cells from the hypothermic circulatory arrest group had a vasodilatory phenotype. Cerebral water content was the same in both groups. Conclusion The increase in cerebrovascular resistance observed after cold cerebral perfusion is caused by resistance vessel constriction and may be promoted by an altered microcirculation. Hypothermic circulatory arrest alone is associated with endothelium-dependent vasoparesis. Both could contribute to cerebral injury in the early hours after operation.
Searching short-term memory for linear-positioning movements.

Summary.-To determine whether memory search for movements was serial or parallel, the search processes involved in a short-term motor-memory paradigm were investigated. A linear-positioning task was used to present a series of 1, 2, or 3 movements in a memory set. Upon completion of a memory set, subjects were presented with a search movement. The search movement was either the same length as one of the memory-set movements ("yes" response) or a different length ("no" response). Four subjects completed three consecutive days of testing. On Day 1 RT and movement length were practiced. On Day 2 the subjects were required to search a memory set of movements and respond in the yes condition by lifting the index finger of the left hand. This movement terminated a RT search clock. The same pcocedures were followed on Day 3, except that a no response was indicated by lifting the index finger. A 2 X 3 X 3 (response X memory set X RT trials) within-subjects analysis yielded nonsignificant main effects and interactions. The results were discussed in relation to verbal memory.
Toxicity and bioconcentration of BHC and lindane in selected estuarine animals

Flow-through, 96-hr bioassays were conducted to determine the acute toxicity of technical BHC and lindane to several estuarine animals. Test animals and their respective 96-hr lindane LC50 values were: mysid(Mysidopsis bahia), 6.3 µg/L; pink shrimp(Penaeus duorarum), 0.17 µg/L; grass shrimp(Palaemonetes pugio), 4.4 µg/L; sheepshead minnow(Cyprinodon variegatus), 104 µg/L; and pinfish(Lagodon rhomboides), 30.6 µg/L. The 96-hr LC50 values for pink shrimp and pinfish exposed to BHC were 0.34 and 86.4 µg/L, respectively.
A novel palladium-catalyzed synthesis of β-carbolines: application in total synthesis of naturally occurring alkaloids

Two naturally occurring β-carbolines, 6-methoxy-2-methyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-β-carboline and bauerine A, have been prepared using a Stille-type coupling, followed by a palladium-phosphine catalyzed N-heteroannulation as the key steps.
The development of national guidelines for pain control: synopsis and commentary

This synopsis outlines factors that prompted development of national clinical practice guidelines for the management of pain and presents the essential content of major pain control guidelines. Also described is the concurrent growth of the evidence-based pain management movement worldwide in the decade since initial US federal guidelines on acute and cancer pain were developed, and products of this global movement. The latter include systematic reviews and meta-analyses about treatments for pain, their assemblage in resources such as the Cochrane Collaboration, and (in the US) the embedding of pain assessment and management within quality assurance requirements for hospital accreditation. This survey will highlight recent research that evidence-based guidelines alone are insufficient to overcome established attitudes, practices and myths that hinder pain assessment and management. Hypotheses for the inadequacy of scientific evidence per se to overcome clinicians' attitudes and practices will be advanced, along with suggestions as to how those in the ‘pain treatment community’ may help to tip the balance.
The evolving role of computerized tomography in radiation oncology

The development and application of computerized tomography of the body have important implications in the diagnosis of tumors and in the planning of the radiotherapy treatment of malignancies because the modality provedes: a) an exact contour of transverse sections of the body; b) distinct representation of anatomic internal structures; c) ability to diagnose the presence and extent of tumor involvement of internal organs; d) opportunity to obtain, quantitatively, the "density" (x-ray absorption) of the anatomical structures in the sections; e) capability to develop isodose curves with inhomogeneity corrections; and f) ability to follow the response of a tumor to treatment, non-invasively. Although the diagnostic efficacy of computerized tomography of tumors, relative to other diagnostic modalities, is still to be defined accurately and the exact role of this new method in radiotherapy treatment planning is still to be determined, computerized tomography appears to provide oncologists with a valuable adjunct in their management of tumor patients.
Kinect-based system for automated control of terrestrial insect biobots

Centimeter scale mobile biobots offer unique advantages in uncertain environments. Our previous experimentation has demonstrated neural stimulation techniques in order to control the motion of Madagascar hissing cockroaches. These trials relied on stimulation by a human operator using a remote control. We have developed a Kinect-based system for computer operated automatic control of cockroaches. Using image processing techniques and a radio transmitter, this platform both detects the position of the roach biobot and sends stimulation commands to an implanted microcontroller-based receiver. The work presented here enables repeatable experimentation and allows precise quantification of the line following capabilities of the roach biobot. This system will help refine our model for the stimulation response of the insect and improve our ability to direct them in increasingly dynamic situations.
Fraunhofer line profiles

It is shown that comparing an observed Fraunhofer profile to a fitted gaussian yields more information on shape and asymmetry of the solar line than the simple bisector method.
Coronary artery calcification identified by CT in patients over forty years of age

In a study of 100 unselected patients forty years of age or older, routine CT of the thorax demonstrated coronary artery calcification in 41%. Calcification of the left anterior descending was most common, occurring in 34%. For patients 60 years of age and over, clinical evidence of coronary artery disease was 1.7 times more common in those with calcification compared to those without; however, for patients under 60, coronary artery disease was 5.5 times more common in those with calcification than those without. Because of the strong relationship that is known to exist between coronary artery calcification and coronary arteriosclerosis, we believe that the incidental discovery of coronary artery calcification on routine CT of the thorax has significance. All patients under 60 with coronary artery calcification discovered on CT should be investigated for hyperlipidemia if this has not been done, and, if they are not known to have a history of coronary artery disease, they should have a stress test and, if positive, arteriography may be warranted.
The illusion of knowledge: When more information reduces accuracy and increases confidence

Intuition suggests that having more information can increase prediction accuracy of uncertain outcomes. In four experiments, we show that more knowledge can decrease accuracy and simultaneously increase prediction confidence. Participants were asked to predict basketball games sampled from a National Basketball Association season. All participants were provided with statistics (win record, halftime score), while half were additionally given the team names. Knowledge of names increased the confidence of basketball fans consistent with their belief that this knowledge improved their predictions. Contrary to this belief, it decreased the participants’ accuracy by reducing their reliance on statistical cues. One of the factors contributing to this underweighting of statistical cues was a bias to bet on more familiar teams against the statistical odds. Finally, in a real betting experiment, fans earned less money if they knew the team names while persisting in their belief that this knowledge improved their predictions.
Atomic Force Microscopy of Connexin40 Gap Junction Hemichannels Reveals Calcium-dependent Three-dimensional Molecular Topography and Open-Closed Conformations of Both the Extracellular and Cytoplasmic Faces

Abstract Atomic force microscopy was used to study the three-dimensional molecular topography and calcium-sensitive conformational changes of Connexin40 hemichannels (connexons) reconstituted in 1,2-dioeloyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine lipid bilayers. Two classes of objects were observed that differed in their protrusion heights above the bilayer (2.6 versus 4.2 nm). Comparison to reconstituted connexons containing Connexin40 truncated to eliminate most of its C-terminal cytoplasmic domain showed that the two height classes corresponded to the shorter extracellular and taller cytoplasmic aspects of the hemichannels and that the C-terminal tail of Connexin40 contributes ∼1.6 nm in thickness. Hemichannels imaged in solutions containing 75% of the connexons in either orientation adopted closed conformations. In contrast, hemichannels imaged in the presence of 0.1 mm EDTA showed large (5.6- to 5.8-nm diameter) openings in nearly all hemichannels regardless of orientation, and detailed topography was visible in many connexons. Real-time imaging following the addition of 3.6 mm Ca2+ showed transitions of both extracellular and cytoplasmic orientations from “open” into “closed” conformations within several minutes. These studies provide the first high-resolution topographic information regarding a connexin with a large cytoplasmic domain and suggest that the extramembranous portions of Connexin40 contribute to a channel entrance that is relaxed by chelation of residual divalent cations.
The polysilane high polymers

Synthese des polymeres de polysilane; proprietes electroniques; reactions des polymeres de polysilane; photochimie et scission; reticulation des polysilanes; applications technologiques des poly(diorganosilylenes)
Editorial for Special Issue

A “structure” is here understood to include anything constructed by man—underground space, buildings, transmission towers, pipelines, distribution grids, economic systems, air frames, measuring, data acquisition and manipulation systems, etc. The design and control of these infrastructure elements can all fit within the purview of Civil Engineering. They all affect the public wellbeing; they all involve aspects of what traditionalists define as civil engineering. Some elements demand expansion of expectations and imagination, but provide the profession with new opportunities in growing application spaces, provide powerful tools, more interesting and cutting edge problems to solve. This growth could also attract the attention of many students who currently choose other fields of engineering, science, public policy, business, and economics, and minimize reliance on other disciplines. The civil engineering profession has much to offer society, and everyone would benefit by our addressing more of the world. An example of the empowerment of civil engineers through integration of new technologies is enlightening. Integrated health monitoring of structures, made possible by advances in sensor technology, is improving structural reliability, longevity, system performance, and safety against natural hazards and intentional attack. Current technology is moving beyond the embryonic stage and is becoming able to meet the challenges associated with structural health interpretation. Perhaps the most important enabling technology for structural health monitoring has been the introduction of comprehensive miniature sensing platforms that colocate transduction sensing or actuation , signal processing, computational power, and wireless communication all in one miniaturized package. Such wireless sensors are commonly called motes, or “smart” sensors. In turn, motes are combined into large, organic networks that allow dense, detailed sensing, thereby opening a new sensing paradigm in which the network is effectively the sensor. The paradigm of sensor networking allows engineers and scientists to move beyond the idea of a sensor as a single instrument that only measures one thing, to a comprehensive system consisting of many small nodes working cooperatively. Motes are now ubiquitous enough that several companies, large and small, are selling them commercially. Today, civil engineers are in a good position to refine existing measurement archetypes by utilizing emerging sensor design archetypes; in particular, transducers and micro-circuitry made possible by micro electro-mechanical systems MEMS technology. MEMS are micron-scale mechanical devices that are “machined” out of silicon using the same processes commonly used to fabricate integrated circuits. These are often the same mechanical subassemblies that are part of their traditional macro-scale counterpart. Another attractive feature of MEMS is the ability to seamlessly integrate electrical and electro-mechanical components
Design of bilayer lengthened LDPC codes for Rayleigh fading relay channels

Recently, two classes of high rate bilayer low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes have been proposed for Gaussian relay channels using bilayer density evolution technique. These two classes include bilayer lengthened LDPC codes and bilayer expurgated LDPC codes that have been used in a decode-and-forward relaying strategy. In this paper, we first study the decode-and-forward achievable rates for a Rayleigh fading relay channel. Then, we design bilayer lengthened LDPC codes for this channel model in different SNR regimes, namely, when the link between the source and the relay is much stronger than the link between the source and the destination and when the SNRs of these links are comparable.
Bone mineral and stiffness loss at the distal femur and proximal tibia in acute spinal cord injury

Computed tomography and finite element modeling were used to assess bone mineral and stiffness loss at the knee following acute spinal cord injury (SCI). Marked bone mineral loss was observed from a combination of trabecular and endocortical resorption. Reductions in stiffness were 2-fold greater than reductions in integral bone mineral. SCI is associated with a rapid loss of bone mineral and an increased rate of fragility fracture. The large majority of these fractures occur around regions of the knee. Our purpose was to quantify changes to bone mineral, geometry, strength indices, and stiffness at the distal femur and proximal tibia in acute SCI. Quantitative computed tomography (QCT) and patient-specific finite element analysis were performed on 13 subjects with acute SCI at serial time points separated by a mean of 3.5 months (range 2.6–4.8 months). Changes in bone mineral content (BMC) and volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD) were quantified for integral, trabecular, and cortical bone at epiphyseal, metaphyseal, and diaphyseal regions of the distal femur and proximal tibia. Changes in bone volumes, cross-sectional areas, strength indices and stiffness were also determined. Bone mineral loss was similar in magnitude at the distal femur and proximal tibia. Reductions were most pronounced at epiphyseal regions, ranging from 3.0 % to 3.6 % per month for integral BMC (p < 0.001) and from 2.8 % to 3.4 % per month (p < 0.001) for integral vBMC. Trabecular BMC decreased by 3.1–4.4 %/month (p < 0.001) and trabecular vBMD by 2.7–4.7 %/month (p < 0.001). A 3.8–5.4 %/month reduction was observed for cortical BMC (p < 0.001); the reduction in cortical vBMD was noticeably lower (0.6–0.8 %/month; p ≤ 0.01). The cortical bone loss occurred primarily through endosteal resorption, and reductions in strength indices and stiffness were some 2-fold greater than reductions in integral bone mineral. These findings highlight the need for therapeutic interventions targeting both trabecular and endocortical bone mineral preservation in acute SCI.
Strength estimation for silicon nitride specimens with a spherical void

Silicon nitride specimens embedded with a single spherical void were prepared for a flexural strength test. The measured flexural strengths of the specimens were compared with theoretically estimated strengths. Estimation of the strengths was done using a Gibbs free-energy criterion. The energy was calculated by Eshelby's equivalent inclusion method for a specimen with an embedded void. Good correspondence was obtained between the experimental and the estimated fracture loads. A deviation of the estimated strength from the experimental value was observed for voids whose diameters were comparable with intrinsic defects.
Multipole amplitudes in parity-changing one-photon transitions of charmonium

We calculate the normalized helicity and multipole amplitudes in the one-photon transitions ${\ensuremath{\psi}}^{\ensuremath{'}\ensuremath{'}}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\ensuremath{\chi}}_{J}+\ensuremath{\gamma}$, ${\ensuremath{\psi}}^{\ensuremath{'}}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\ensuremath{\chi}}_{J}+\ensuremath{\gamma}$, and ${\ensuremath{\chi}}_{J}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\psi}+\ensuremath{\gamma}$ in any potential model. In the ${\ensuremath{\chi}}_{2}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\psi}+\ensuremath{\gamma}$ and ${\ensuremath{\chi}}_{1}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\psi}+\ensuremath{\gamma}$ decays the normalized $M2$ amplitude is independent of the potential to order $\frac{k}{m}$ (where $k$ is the photon energy and $m$ the $c$-quark mass) so long as $\ensuremath{\psi}$ has no $D$-state mixing and ${\ensuremath{\chi}}_{J}$ has no $F$-state mixing. They are a multiple of $\frac{k}{m}$ and can be quite appreciable. Also the $E3$ amplitude in ${\ensuremath{\chi}}_{2}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\psi}+\ensuremath{\gamma}$ is zero with the same approximations. The same statement can be made about the ${\ensuremath{\psi}}^{\ensuremath{'}\ensuremath{'}}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\ensuremath{\chi}}_{J}+\ensuremath{\gamma}$ and ${\ensuremath{\psi}}^{\ensuremath{'}}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\ensuremath{\chi}}_{J}+\ensuremath{\gamma}$ decays, so long as ${\ensuremath{\psi}}^{\ensuremath{'}\ensuremath{'}}$ has no $D$-state mixing or ${\ensuremath{\psi}}^{\ensuremath{'}\ensuremath{'}}$ has no $S$-state mixing. But if ${\ensuremath{\psi}}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ has a significant $D$-state mixing or ${\ensuremath{\psi}}^{\ensuremath{'}\ensuremath{'}}$ has an $S$-state mixing, which is quite probable, the result will be a function of certain overlap integrals which may depend on the potential. The $M2$ amplitude depends sensitively on any possible anomalous magnetic moment of the $c$ quark. We also calculate the numerical values of the multipole amplitudes in ${\ensuremath{\psi}}^{\ensuremath{'}}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\ensuremath{\chi}}_{J}+\ensuremath{\gamma}$, ${\ensuremath{\psi}}^{\ensuremath{'}\ensuremath{'}}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\ensuremath{\chi}}_{J}+\ensuremath{\gamma}$, and ${\ensuremath{\chi}}_{J}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\psi}+\ensuremath{\gamma}$ ($J=1,2$) in two different potential models.
Interaction between silica and dentin during enlargement of a root canal with Nd:YAG laser beam during a fiber optic: an SEM evaluation

Lasers are certainly a major expectation to improve the quality of endodontic preparation. Very little research has been published in the field of interaction between a laser beam and the dentin walls of a root canal. CO2 lasers have been used to sterilize the periapical areas during apical surgeries. Dederich has demonstrated that the exposure of the dentin wall with a Nd-YAG laser beam gives a closure of the dentinal tubules and leads to a reduction in the permeability of the dentin walls to fluids or bacteria. The latest study has demonstrated that it was possible to enlarge a root canal with a Nd-YAG laser beam driven through a fiber optic. This technique improved the cleanliness of the canal after laser cleaning and shaping. This research demonstrated the interest in using a fiber optic during the canal preparation. Another interesting finding was the fact that the silica fiber was shortening itself during the endodontic procedure. The purpose of this study was to determine through an electron microscopic examination the interaction between the components of the fiber optic and canal walls during canal preparation.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Reductions in interhemispheric motor cortex functional connectivity after muscle fatigue.

Abstract Muscle fatigue has been known to differentially affect the activation level of the primary motor cortices (MIs) of the brain's two hemispheres. Whether this fatigue-related decoupling influence on the motor cortical signals extends beyond the motor action to the after-fatigue-task resting state is unknown. This question can be addressed by analyzing functional connectivity (FC) of low-frequency oscillations of resting-state functional MRI (fMRI) signals of the MIs. Low-frequency oscillations (
The Impact of Shelter Use and Housing Placement on Mortality Hazard for Unaccompanied Adults and Adults in Family Households Entering New York City Shelters: 1990–2002

This study examines mortality among New York City (NYC) homeless shelter users, assessing the relationships between mortality hazard and time in shelter, patterns of homelessness, and subsequent housing exits for both adults in families and single adults. Administrative records from the NYC shelter system were matched with death records from the Social Security Administration for 160,525 persons. Crude mortality rates and life tables were calculated, and survival analyses were undertaken using these data. Life expectancy was 64.2 and 68.6 years for single adult males and single adult females, respectively, and among adults in families, life expectancy was 67.2 and 70.1 years for males and females, respectively. For both groups, exits to stable housing (subsidized or non-subsidized) were associated with reduced mortality hazard. And while mortality hazard was substantially reduced for the time adults were in shelters, extended shelter use patterns were associated with increased mortality hazard. Differences between single homelessness and family homelessness extend to disparities in mortality rates. Although causal links cannot be established here, results suggest that, for both subgroups of the homeless population, prompt resolution of homelessness and availability of housing interventions may contribute to reduced mortality.
Separation of Sterols by Reversed Phase and Argentation Thin Layer Chromatography. Their Identification in Snail Bodies

Abstract Separation of the sterols: cholesterol, cholestanol, β‐sitosterol, stigmasterol, ergosterol, campesterol, desmosterol, and brassicasterol was compared using reversed phase, multimodal, and argentation thin layers. Layers tested include C18, C18W, NH2, CN, diol, C2, C8, and phenyl bonded layers; hydrocarbon impregnated layers; and commercially prepared silica gel layers precoated with 10% silver nitrate. It was determined that C18 layers with acetonitrile–chloroform (40∶35) or petroleum ether–acetonitrile–methanol (2∶4∶4) gave optimal sterol separations. Desmosterol, campesterol, brassicasterol, β‐sitosterol, ergosterol, and cholesterol and/or stigmasterol were identified in the bodies of the snails Biomphalaria glabrata, Helisoma trivolvis, and Pomacea bridgesii.
Fragmentation of Amino Ketones by Photoinduced Electron Transfer

Abstract Irradiation of electron acceptors such as 9,10-dicyanoanthracene (DCA) in the presence of the amino ketone 3-methyl-3-(4-morpholinyl)-2-butanone and water in nonpolar solvents leads to an oxidative cleavage of the amino ketone to form ultimately 4-acetylmorpholine and acetone together with 9,10-dihydro-9,10-dicyanoanthracene. A mechanism can be developed whereby single-electron transfer quenching of the excited DCA is followed by a nucleophilic attack on the acyl carbon of the cation radical; an intermediate acyl-DCA adduct has been detected and its thermal decomposition to the final products observed. The net result is an unprecedented ketone to amide interconversion in which a strong carbon-carbon bond in the donor is selectively cleaved. Related reactions are observed with other acceptors (thioindigo) and other amino ketones.
Obesity, islet cell autoimmunity, and cardiovascular risk factors in youth at onset of type 1 autoimmune diabetes.

Context: The current increase in childhood type 1 diabetes (T1D) and obesity has led to two conflicting hypotheses and conflicting reports regarding the effects of overweight on initiation and spreading of islet cell autoimmunity vs earlier clinical manifestation of preexisting autoimmune β-cell damage driven by excess weight. Objective: The objective of the study was to address the question of whether the degree of β-cell autoimmunity and age are related to overweight at diabetes onset in a large cohort of T1D youth. Design: This was a prospective cross-sectional study of youth with autoimmune T1D consecutively recruited at diabetes onset. Setting: The study was conducted at a regional academic pediatric diabetes center. Patients: Two hundred sixty-three consecutive children younger than 19 years at onset of T1D participated in the study. Main Outcome Measures: Relationships between body mass index and central obesity (waist circumference and waist to height ratio) and antigen spreading (islet cell autoa...
Teaching with Technology: Remediating the Teaching Philosophy Statement

Abstract Teaching philosophy statements are ubiquitous at a particular moment in our intellectual and professional lives (i.e., the job search); we might, however, resituate them as living documents to multimediate, remediate, and use as a reflective space in our teaching careers. Although this particular genre is commonplace across disciplines in the Humanities, teaching philosophy statements are undertheorized, perhaps because they are typically situated in a particular moment. Because of the ubiquity of these documents, and also because of the lack of historicizing how they are prepared, how they are produced, and how they function—professionally and intellectually—in this manuscript we first provide a bit of background and context of teaching philosophy statements. We review the limited existing work on this important genre before we argue for why and how they might be attended to and rethought, especially in light of today's digital tools and multimediated ways of representing our work—and especially in the context of larger discussions about media work and professionalization. In the second section of this manuscript, we present examples from and reflect on our processes of remediating a specific type of teaching philosophy statement; we created teaching with technology philosophy statements, then remixed and remediated these traditionally prepared statements into slideshow presentations, Web sites, digital–visual collages, and digital movies. We describe the reflective and transformative work that can occur through such an activity by addressing four “emergencies” that occurred as we engaged this work. We conclude with comments about both the value of remediation and about the future of teaching philosophy statements in a multimediated world.