cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A tree-based topology synthesis for on-chip network

The Network-on-Chip (NoC) interconnect network of future multi-processor system-on-a-chip (MPSoC) needs to be efficient in terms of energy and delay. In this paper, we propose a topology synthesis algorithm based on shortest path Steiner arborescence (hereafter we call it ATree). The concept of temporal merging is applied to allow communication flows that are not temporal overlapping to share the same network resource. For scalability and power minimization, we build a hybrid network which consists of routers and buses. We evaluate our ATree-based topology synthesis methodology by applying it to several benchmarks and comparing the results with some existing NoC synthesis algorithms [1], [2]. The experimental results show a significant reduction in the power-latency product. The power-latency product of the synthesized topology using our ATree-based algorithm is 47% and 51% lower than [1], and 10% and 17% lower than [2] for the case without considering bus and the case with bus, respectively.
Heavy alcoholization and prenatal mortality in mice.

Brief reference is made to the more important earlier studies on the action of a utero-stimulating substance in mammals. In a small group of tests of the utero-stimulating action of a placental extract, and of a substance prepared from the liquor folliculi of the sow by the Allen-Doisy method, we have obtained a few positive results-enlargement and hyperemia of the oviduct of virgin doves. This supplies the last necessary fact in proof of the lack of specificity, as between birds and mammals, of this substance. Heavy dosage failed to affect a response in the virgin oviduct in some cases. Responses in the ovary and on sex behavior in virgin and mature doves have not been observed. An insufficient number of cases was studied but our results indicate a less ready, and a less varied, response of the bird to this substance than has been found for mammals.
Adult attachment, work cohesion, coping, and psychological well-being of firefighters

Little research has investigated factors and mechanisms that contribute to firefighters’ psychological well-being. Because of the high-stress nature and team work format of this profession, firefighters are uniquely well-suited for studying the effects of adult attachment on their well-being. This study tested a conceptual model depicting the relationships of five psychosocial latent variables: (a) attachment anxiety, (b) attachment avoidance, (c) work cohesion, (d) coping, and (e) psychological well-being of firefighters. The sample included 173 professional firefighters recruited from two Midwestern cities. Results suggested that both attachment avoidance and attachment anxiety had significant direct associations with psychological well-being and that coping partially mediated the link between attachment avoidance (but not attachment anxiety) and psychological well-being. Work cohesion did not mediate the relationships between attachment and psychological well-being. However, coping fully mediated the r...
Shortening reaction in patients with cerebellar ataxia

During passive extension of the elbow, the triceps muscle normally shows a burst of electromyographic activity. This shortening reaction (SR) is known to be exaggerated in extrapyramidal disease states, but the effects of cerebellar disease are unknown. The SR was measured in both arms of a patient with hemiataxia, the unaffected arm serving as a matched control. In the ataxic arm, the SR was significantly larger and did not show the normal increase during "reinforcement." In a patient with bilateral ataxia, the SR was grossly exaggerated as compared with the SRs in a group of normal subjects. The present findings indicate an unexpected point of similarity between cerebellar and extrapyramidal disease states, which is discussed in terms of the anatomical connections of the cerebellum and basal ganglia. The techniques used in this work provide a quantitative approach to disorders of movement and muscle tone.
Structural and spectroscopic investigations of CdS/HgS/CdS quantum-dot quantum wells.

Epitaxial growth in a CdS/HgS heterostructure of nanometer dimensions, prepared by methods of wet chemistry, is demonstrated. High-resolution transmission-electron microscopy is used to determine the shape and crystallinity of this system consisting of a quantum well in a quantum dot. The homogeneous absorption and fluorescence spectra are investigated by transient hole burning and fluorescence line-narrowing spectroscopy. The photophysical measurements provide evidence for charge-carrier localization within the HgS well. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Physical Society.}
Phase control of CuxTe film and its effects on CdS/CdTe solar cell

Abstract Phase control is critical for achieving high-performance CdTe cells when Cu x Te is used as a back-contact for CdTe cells. Cu x Te phases are mainly controlled by the Cu/Te ratio, and they can also be affected by post-heat-treatment temperature. Although Cu 2 Te has the highest conductivity, it is unstable and provides more Cu diffusion into the CdS and CdTe films. Cu diffusion into the CdS causes “cross-over”, and Cu diffusion into the CdTe film creates Cu-related defects that lower photogenerated carrier lifetime and result in voltage-dependent collection. A “recontact” experiment clearly indicated that the mechanism giving rise to “roll-over” is the formation of Cu-related oxides, rather than the loss of Cu on the back-contact.
Cardiac Operations in Patients 90 Years of Age and Older

Abstract Background . Growth of the elderly population worldwide, and specifically in the United States, will continue to accelerate and will have a profound impact on the cost and delivery of health care resources in the future. A medical strategy that allows the elderly to live independently is essential to most cost-effective use of our resources. The question remains as to what will be the future of surgical therapy for this increasing population. Methods . We retrospectively studied the cases of 30 consecutive nonagenarians (mean age, 92.3 ± 1.8 years) who underwent a cardiac operation within a 9-year period. All patients were in New York Heart Association class III or IV and underwent operation urgently or emergently. Results . The 30-day mortality rate was 10%, and the actuarial survival rates were 81% ± 8% and 75% ± 9% at 1 year and 2 years, respectively. Seventy-eight percent of survivors were in New York Heart Association class I or II within 2 years after operation and had an improved quality of life. The cost of providing care in this age group was 24% higher than in octogenarians. Conclusions . Advanced age in and of itself (>90 years) should not be a contraindication to an open-heart operation, although morbidity, mortality, and cost may be higher. However, selective criteria identifying risks and benefits for individual patients should be applied. The aging of our population will have a profound impact on the cost and delivery of health care resources in the future. This issue must be addressed in the current debate on the provision of expensive procedures under a realigned national health-care system. (Ann Thorac Surg 1997;63:1685–90)
Analysis of unstructured video based on camera motion

Although considerable work has been done in management of "structured" video such as movies, sports, and television programs that has known scene structures, "unstructured" video analysis is still a challenging problem due to its unrestricted nature. The purpose of this paper is to address issues in the analysis of unstructured video and in particular video shot by a typical unprofessional user (i.e home video). We describe how one can make use of camera motion information for unstructured video analysis. A new concept, "camera viewing direction," is introduced as the building block of home video analysis. Motion displacement vectors are employed to temporally segment the video based on this concept. We then find the correspondence between the camera behavior with respect to the subjective importance of the information in each segment and describe how different patterns in the camera motion can indicate levels of interest in a particular object or scene. By extracting these patterns, the most representative frames, keyframes, for the scenes are determined and aggregated to summarize the video sequence.
Is there a trade-off between supervision and wages? An empirical test of efficiency wage theory

Abstract The logic of efficiency wage theory suggests a trade-off between wages and supervision. This paper reports evidence that high levels of supervision are indeed associated with lower wage levels. The empirical investigation centers on the effect that safety supervision by host employers has on the wages of contract maintenance workers in the petrochemical industry. This narrow focus is important. Special institutional features of the contract employment relationship in petrochemicals make it possible to ameliorate econometric problems that may have influenced earlier studies.
Effect of tamoxifen on serum cholesterol and lipoproteins during chemohormonal therapy

The effect of tamoxifen on serum cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-cholesterol), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-cholesterol) and the ratio of LDL-cholesterol to HDL-cholesterol (LDL-C/HDL-C) was investigated in breast cancer patients undergoing therapy for advanced disease. Longitudinal studies in 24 patients treated with tamoxifen (10 mg, twice daily) indicated average decreases in total serum cholesterol (17%) and LDL-cholesterol (27%), whereas the effect of tamoxifen on HDL-cholesterol varied with the individual patient. There was a significant decrease in the LDL-C/HDL-C ratio (33%) consistent with a decreased risk for coronary artery disease. This beneficial influence of tamoxifen on risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease was evident in both premenopausal and postmenopausal patients whether tamoxifen was administered alone or in combination with cytotoxic chemotherapy.
Beryllium-filtered neutron beam quality improvement at a pool reactor through core element rearrangements

Abstract Neutron spectra in the region of 4 to 7.5 A from a radial beam tube have been obtained for various fuel and BeO reflector arrangements in the Army Materials Research Reactor. Intensity and signal-to-noise ratio variations in the range of 15% to 20% have been obtained through rearrangement of core elements immediately adjacent to the beam tube termination. In general, the results indicate that the experiment external to the reactor should view reflector element material only at the core face, and this reflector material should be surrounded by fuel for the most favorable intensity and signal-to-noise ratio combination.
Solar wind proton velocity distributions: Comparison of the bi-Maxwellian based 16-moment expansion with observations

The purpose of this paper is to study the possible types of velocity distributions that can be obtained from the bi-Maxwellian based 16-moment expansion of the distribution function, assuming macroscopic parameter values characteristic of the range of solar wind conditions. While previous studies also took heat flow into account, the theoretical expansions for f and the definitions of the physical moments adopted in these studies were different from those used in this paper. The choice of the 16-moment expansion and corresponding moment definitions was motivated by the fact that this is the correct generalization of the widely-used Maxwellian-based 13-moment expansion to the case where the zeroth-order distribution is a bi-Maxwellian. It is found that most of the features characteristic of solar wind proton distributions can be reproduced with the 16-moment distribution, including the appearance of secondary peaks. It is also shown how each of the physically significant velocity moments affects the shape of the distribution function.
Synthesis of Methyl 2,6-Dideoxy-3-C-Methyl-α-D-ribo- hexopyranoside (Methyl α-D-Mycaroside), a Component of the Antitomor Agent Mithramycin

Abstract Methyl α-D-mannopyranoside (4) was converted into methyl 2,6-dideoxy-3-C-methyl-ct-D-ribo-hexopyranoside (20) (methyl α-D-mycaroside) by an efficient sequence of reactions (Schemes 1 and 3). A similar set of reactions also was used to convert L-rhamnose (2) into methyl α-L-mycaroside (21). Attempted synthesis of methyl 2,6-diseoxy-3-C-methyl-a-D-arabino-hexopyranoside (22) (methyl α-D-olivomycosidej from methyl 6-deoxy-3-C-methyl-4-O-(2,2-dimethylpropanoyl)∼2-O-trif lyl-α-D-arabino-hexopyranoside (18), a compound generated during∼synthesis of 20, was thwarted by a methyl migration which produced methyl 2,6-dideoxy-2-C-methyl-α-D-ribo-hexopyranoside (23).
Taxing the Internet: leveling the playing field or milking the cash cow?

Examines the current status of Internet tax both in the USA and Europe to ascertain, if, indeed, leveling the playing field is required or if milking the cash cow is in order. It also examines legislation and court rulings from the USA and Europe and examines some of the possibilities for the future.
Abatement of craving in recovering alcoholics: A descriptive analysis

Craving is an important concept in addiction but it has been somewhat mired down in controversies about definition and measurement. This article attempts to clarify the relationship between drinking and craving in recovering alcoholics.Data from two randomized clinical psychopharmacology trials were separately analyzed, a 12-week study of Nalmefene versus placebo (N = 105), and a 52-week maintenance study of Naltrexone versus placebo (N = 155).No evidence of a drug versus placebo difference in overall drinking or craving outcome was found. A simple visual analog craving score was highly correlated (p<0.001) at multiple time points both with a multi-item craving instrument and with drinking. Alcohol dependent individuals who quit drinking had greater reduction in craving than did individuals who moderate their drinking (p ≤ 0.001). For abstinent alcoholics who continued in the trial, craving decreased by 50% in the first few weeks, 75% after two months, and 95% after one year. Knowledge of the potential de...
Pulsed laser deposition of ferroelectric thin films

It has been shown that in bulk ceramic form, the barium to strontium ratio in barium strontium titanium oxide (Ba1- xSrxTiO3, BSTO) affects the voltage tunability and electronic dissipation factor in an inverse fashion; increasing the strontium content reduces the dissipation factor at the expense of lower voltage tunability. However, the oxide composites of BSTO developed at the Army Research Laboratory still maintain low electronic loss factors for all compositions examined. The intent of this study is to determine whether such effects can be observed in the thin film form of the oxide composites. The pulsed laser deposition (PLD) method has been used to deposit the thin films. The different compositions of the compound (with 1 wt% of the oxide additive) chosen were: Ba0.3Sr0.7TiO3, Ba0.4Sr0.6TiO3, Ba0.5Sr0.5TiO3, Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3, and Ba0.7Sr0.3TiO3. The electronic properties investigated in this study were the dielectric constant and the voltage tunability. The morphology of the thin films were examined using the atomic force microscopy. Fourier transform Raman spectroscopy was also utilized for optical characterization of the thin films. The electronic and optical properties of the thin films and the bulk ceramics were compared. The results of these investigations are discussed.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Studies of glycine oxidation in rat tissues

Abstract Using labeled substrates in vitro the oxidation of glycine α- and β-carbons was observed in rat liver and kidney but not in other organs. Glyoxylate α-carbon and formate were identified as intermediates of the oxidation of the glycine α-carbon. The interconversion of glyoxylate and glycolate occurs readily in liver and is catalyzed by DPN-specific lactic dehydrogenase. Glyoxylate was found to be oxidized by xanthine dehydrogenase to oxalate, and to formate and CO 2 by an as yet uncharacterized enzyme in rat liver. Formate is oxidized readily by a variety of rat tissues, and evidence has been presented to indicate this occurs via a peroxidative activity of catalase.
The efficacy and limitations of sirolimus conversion in liver transplant patients who develop renal dysfunction on calcineurin inhibitors.

This study evaluates sirolimus in preserving renal function in 28 patients who developed renal insufficiency after liver transplantation. Patients with a creatinine level higher than 1.8 mg/ml were eligible for conversion. Of the 28 patients, 7 (25%) did not tolerate sirolimus, 6 (21%) progressed to end-stage renal disease (ESRD), and 14 (50%) have been maintained on sirolimus with stable renal function. The 28 patients overall had a decline in creatinine of 0.38 mg/dl (P D 0:029) at week 4, with a small increase by week 24. However, the subset of 14 patients who did not develop ESRD had a decline in creatinine that persisted to week 48. While the differences between those who developed ESRD and those with stable renal function were not statistically significant, the patients who developed ESRD had a higher creatinine at conversion (2.8 vs 2.3) and a lower creatinine clearance (36 vs 53 ml/min). Patients receiving sirolimus had a persistent rise in cholesterol (P < 0:05). The use of sirolimus to preserve renal function was limited by patients unable to tolerate drug (25%) and patients who developed ESRD (21%). A subgroup of patients (50%) had an improvementin creatinine that persisted for 48 weeks.
Comparison of several molecular docking programs: pose prediction and virtual screening accuracy.

Molecular docking programs are widely used modeling tools for predicting ligand binding modes and structure based virtual screening. In this study, six molecular docking programs (DOCK, FlexX, GLIDE, ICM, PhDOCK, and Surflex) were evaluated using metrics intended to assess docking pose and virtual screening accuracy. Cognate ligand docking to 68 diverse, high-resolution X-ray complexes revealed that ICM, GLIDE, and Surflex generated ligand poses close to the X-ray conformation more often than the other docking programs. GLIDE and Surflex also outperformed the other docking programs when used for virtual screening, based on mean ROC AUC and ROC enrichment values obtained for the 40 protein targets in the Directory of Useful Decoys (DUD). Further analysis uncovered general trends in accuracy that are specific for particular protein families. Modifying basic parameters in the software was shown to have a significant effect on docking and virtual screening results, suggesting that expert knowledge is critical...
Bacillus cereus Certhrax ADP-ribosylates Vinculin to Disrupt Focal Adhesion Complexes and Cell Adhesion

Bacillus cereus is often associated with mild to moderate gastroenteritis; however, some recent isolates cause inhalational anthrax-like diseases and death. These potential emerging human pathogens express multiple virulence factors. B. cereus strain G9241 expresses anthrax toxin, several polysaccharide capsules, and the novel ADP-ribosyltransferase, Certhrax. In this study, we show that Certhrax ADP-ribosylates Arg-433 of vinculin, a protein that coordinates actin cytoskeleton and extracellular matrix interactions. ADP-ribosylation of vinculin disrupted focal adhesion complexes and redistributed vinculin to the cytoplasm. Exogenous vinculin rescued these phenotypes. This provides a mechanism for strain G9241 to breach host barrier defenses and promote bacterial growth and spread. Certhrax is the first bacterial toxin to add a post-translational modification to vinculin to disrupt the actin cytoskeleton.
Imaging in severe sepsis and septic shock: is early radiological identification of occult sources of infection needed?

The importance of imaging in establishing the focus of infection is recognised in current guidelines for the management of severe sepsis [1], with decisions regarding timing and modality of imaging left to the physicians' clinical judgement. In the emergency department (ED), clinical assessment combined with bedside investigations of chest X-ray (CXR) and urine dip can be used to confirm the two most common sources [2]. However, they may fail to identify occult sources of infection, such as intraabdominal collections and abscesses, the treatment of which may require alteration of empirical treatment or be refractory to antibiotic therapy alone. Further imaging is necessary to confirm the focus so that optimal treatment can be achieved.
Wave Decay in Magnetohydrodynamic Turbulence

We present a model for nonlinear decay of the weak wave in three-dimensional incompressible magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence. We show that the decay rate is different for parallel and perpendicular waves. We provide a general formula for arbitrarily directed waves and discuss particular limiting cases known in the literature. We test our predictions with direct numerical simulations of wave decay in three-dimensional MHD turbulence, and discuss the influence of turbulent damping on the development of linear instabilities in the interstellar medium and on other important astrophysical processes.
Composite programs: hierarchical construction, circularity, and deadlocks

A graph-oriented, nonprocedural development environment in which composite programs are constructed by coupling a collection of existing component programs, the interfaces of which are defined by a fixed number of input ports and output ports, is discussed. It is shown that when the coupling graph is cyclic there is the possibility of a deadlock. A system that permits hierarchical construction of programs while testing, using a simple algebraic procedure, the resulting composite programs for communication deadlocks is presented. A decomposition-based approach to cycle enumeration is described. A formal graph-theoretic model of communication behavior for a class of atomic programs is presented. The model is then used to derive necessary and sufficient conditions for a deadlock to arise in a cycle. Techniques for dealing with deadly cycles (once identified) and improving the efficiency of their execution, once the cycles have been resolved, are described. >
A 9.4-bit, 50-MS/s, 1.44-mW pipelined ADC using dynamic residue amplification

An ultra-low power pipelined ADC is realized by replacing conventional op-amp circuits with dynamic source-follower gain stages. The presented 90-nm CMOS converter operates at 50 MS/s and achieves an SNDR of 49.4 dB while dissipating 1.44 mW from a 1.2-V supply.
GB Virus Type C: A Virus in Search of a Disease or a Role in HIV Therapy?

GB virus type C first isolated in 1995 is a single-stranded RNA flavivirus that is genetically similar to hepatitis C virus (HCV). GBV-C is a relatively common infection worldwide with up to 2% of blood donors and up to 40% of injection drug users (IDUs) in the United States demonstrating presence of GBV-C RNA in their plasma. Up to 16% of healthy US blood donors and up to 70% of US IDUs have antibody to the E2 envelope protein (anti-E2) which is evidence of a prior infection with GBV-C. Among infected individuals there is a large range of levels of GBV-C viremia. Although the level of viremia remains relatively constant in an individual and can persist for up to 16 years. Viremia eventually resolves in the majority of individuals with the development of anti-E2 antibody which persists for life in most individuals. Current data suggest that the routes of transmission of HIV-1 and GBV-C are similar. In addition to the very high rate of transmission among IDUs GBV-C transmission by blood product transfusion and organ transplantation have been well documented. GBV-C is also more efficiently transmitted through sexual exposure than is HCV. GBV-C transmission from infected mother to her child has also been well documented previously. (excerpt)
Effect of aeration of sediment on cadmium binding

Acid-volatile sulfide (AVS) has been shown to be the dominant phase reacting with metals in anoxic sediments. The AVS in sediment decreases upon resuspension due to storm and dredging, and in winter when the rate of aeration processes exceeds that of the formation of sulfide. The authors conducted a series of lab aeration experiments in batch reactors to investigate the effects of aeration of sediment on the sulfide content of sediment and on the partitioning of cadmium, a model toxic metal, to the sediment. Aeration of sediment results in rapid decrease of the AVS. The authors studied the sediment characteristics for aeration periods of approximately a month. During this time, the concentrations of dissolved metals increased by 200 to 400% or more, relative to the concentrations present at the beginning of the test. The concentration of metal associated with AVS and with pyrite decreased. During the aeration, there are increases in the concentrations of hydrous iron and manganese oxides, and these materials become increasingly more important in the binding of cadmium. Following the aeration, > 50% of the cadmium was associated with the extractable iron and manganese components of the sediment. Overall, the binding capacity of the sediments for cadmiummore » decreased after aeration.« less
Economic Impact of Public Pest Information: Soybean Insect Forecasts in Illinois

Previous agricultural pest management information studies have focused on the consequences of providing pest information to farmers without access to other sources of pest information. In view of the proliferation of commercial scouting services, this paper uses a preposterior decision model of pest management to examine the outcomes likely to follow from introduction of public pest information into an area with an existing commercial pest information market. Empirical estimates of the impact of a soybean insect forecast system in Illinois demonstrate that although farmers can benefit from public pest information, the implications for pesticide use depend on the reliability of public forecasts.
The Mediating Effects of Lifestyle Factors on the Relationship between Socioeconomic Status and Self-Rated Health among Middle-Aged and Older Adults in Korea:

Little is known about how different lifestyle factors mediate the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and health among middle-aged and older adults in Korea. Using data from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging, this study examined the direct effects of SES on self-rated health and how lifestyle factors mediate the relationships between SES and self-rated health. This study further tested whether the effects of SES and lifestyle factors differ as people age. The findings indicate that higher levels of income and education as well as not being in poverty predicted better self-rated health. Meanwhile, engaging in regular exercise and being underweight significantly mediated the relationship between education and self-rated health as well as between poverty and self-rated health. Finally, poverty and regular exercise had a greater impact on self-rated health in old age than in middle age. Implications for enhancing antipoverty policies and exercise programs are discussed.
Joseph W. St. Geme, Jr address 2001: can one have a successful academic career in 2001?

One of the attributes of Dr Joseph W. St. Geme, Jr, was his ability to mentor and motivate his house officers and junior faculty to engage in successful pediatric career paths.1 His presence was a huge one, both in person and in terms of his interactions with members of his pediatric family at Harbor UCLA and Colorado. He also was generous in giving credit to all who did the work that resulted in their success. It is fitting that the recipient of the Howland Award today, Dr Delbert Fisher, was a member of the Harbor UCLA faculty, and while there, his career tangent was distinguished. Joe St. Geme remains an admirable role model whose disciples and their trainees are in the audience today. It is truly humbling to receive this award. In 1910, Abraham Flexner explicitly recommended that medical schools should be formally affiliated with public or private universities. Progressively, this association has resulted in a powerful recognition of the importance of biomedical research in the community of scholarship that exists at a University.2 Ninety-one years later, in a new century, this link has become pivotal because of the impact that biological concepts will have in the 21st century. The February 15, 2001 issue of Nature 3 and the February 16, 2001 issue of Science 4 were devoted to the announcement of the completion of the Human Genome Project by 2 separate approaches (National Institutes of Health [NIH] and Celera). Several huge surprises have emerged.3,4 The human genome has approximately 30 000 genes, far fewer than the 100 000 predicted. These are only 30% more genes than the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans . There are 85 000 to 100 000 different mRNA sequences (as inferred from expressed sequence tags) or roughly 3 sequences per gene, indicating the …
Integrating Caching and Prefetching Mechanisms in a Distributed Transactional Memory

We present a distributed transactional memory system that exploits a new opportunity to automatically hide network latency by speculatively prefetching and caching objects. The system includes an object caching framework, language extensions to support our approach, and symbolic prefetches. To our knowledge, this is the first prefetching approach that can prefetch objects whose addresses have not been computed or predicted. Our approach makes aggressive use of both prefetching and caching of remote objects to hide network latency while relying on the transaction commit mechanism to preserve the simple transactional consistency model that we present to the developer. We have evaluated this approach on three distributed benchmarks, five scientific benchmarks, and several microbenchmarks. We have found that our approach enables our benchmark applications to effectively utilize multiple machines and benefit from prefetching and caching. We have observed a speedup of up to 7.26× for distributed applications on our system using prefetching and caching and a speedup of up to 5.55× for parallel applications on our system.
HIV/AIDS information needs of sexually transmitted infection clinic patients: content analysis of questions asked during prevention counseling

Basic factual information about disease is the cornerstone of health promotion and disease prevention interventions. Previous studies have shown that content analysis of the questions asked of service providers can elucidate the information needs of service consumers. Questions asked by individuals at known high risk for HIV infection have not previously been examined. The current study analyzed 944 questions asked by 634 patients receiving HIV‐risk‐reduction counseling services at an urban sexually transmitted infections clinic. Questions were captured from audiotape recordings of risk‐reduction counseling sessions that were subsequently transcribed and content‐analyzed. A total of 49% of clients asked at least one question in their counseling session. Asking counselors questions was not associated with demographic characteristics or AIDS‐related knowledge. Questions were found to fit the AIDS information content structure identified in past research. The most common questions asked by sexually transmitt...
Evaluation of Medication Knowledge in Elderly Patients

OBJECTIVE:To identify problems with medication knowledge, self-estimated compliance, and recall of medication education in a group of elderly patients.DESIGN:Survey.SETTING:Medicine and geriatric clinics at a county hospital.PATIENTS:Patients ≥60 years old and taking at least one prescription medication.MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS:Medication knowledge, self-estimated compliance, and recall of medication education.RESULTS:The percent of geriatric patients correctly stating 76–100 percent of their medication doses, uses, and frequencies was 30, 64, and 66 percent, respectively. Fifteen patients (34 percent) stated they never missed a medication dose and 27 (61 percent) remembered to take their medications by memory alone. Sixteen and 86 percent, respectively, of the patients from the medicine and geriatric clinics could not recall receiving verbal or written educational material. Only 27 percent of patients recalled having been told about possible adverse reactions. The most frequently cited providers of medi...
Immunology and skin disorders

Concepts of the function of skin have changed in the last decade from that of a barrier against microbiologic and chemical invasion to include its important role in immunity. This transition began with the recognition that skin could serve as a sensitive target of immunologic injury, typified by diseases such as lupus erythematosus and cutaneous vasculitis. Recently, a more complicated picture has emerged as investigators have established a role for skin in the initiation and regulation of immune responsiveness. Considerable effort in this area has focused on Langerhans cells and Thy-1+ dendritic epidermal cells, both of which reside as bone marrow-derived immigrants in normal epidermis. Not only do these cells contribute to immune processes in skin, but their function, in turn, is modified by the keratinocytes that surround them. More importantly, pharmacologic and physical manipulation of one cell or one structure in skin often has impact on its neighbors. This phenomenon may be documented by the wide-reaching cutaneous effects of ultraviolet radiation, bone marrow transplantation, and drugs such as cyclosporine. Our changing concepts of the function of skin also create for us a model for the current evolution in science; our problem and our fortune lie in the mutual interdependence of cells, tissues, systems, and disciplines.
The effects of trust‐ and leadership‐based practices in virtual alliance outcomes

Outsourcing increases supported by technology have led to the formation of virtual strategic partnerships. Historically, 70% to 75% of alliance partnerships fail because members are often competitors outside the alliance network. To address alliance failure, a Delphi study was conducted to identify the role of trust and alliance performance outcomes in the areas of contractual and management control, resource sharing, and network flexibility for the successful development of partnerships within the meeting and events industry. A three-round Delphi study provided robust data that support the importance of trust in creating a platform of respect, increased partner cooperation, and understanding among stakeholders. The central finding of this Delphi study is that, in general, leadership-based practices have a greater influence on virtual strategic-alliance performance than trust-based practices. Findings support a contingency approach to create a platform of respect, alliance vision, clear roles, and partner expectations to build trust. A majority of the expert panel included trust as a contributor to the collective performance of the alliance when alliance members work as a team to meet or exceed individual member's goals and net profit objectives. All expert panel responses to the six themes proposed on how trust among virtual strategic-alliance members influences business operations and the performance of individual alliance members are presented in the study.
Moderate Epistemic Relativism and Our Epistemic Goals

Although radical forms of relativism are perhaps beyond the epistemological pale, I argue here that a more moderate form may be plausible, and articulate the conditions under which moderate epistemic relativism could well serve our epistemic goals. In particular, as a result of our limitations as human cognizers, we find ourselves needing to investigate the dappled and difficult world by means of competing communities of highly specialized researchers. We would do well, I argue, to admit of the existence of unresolvable disputes between such communities, but only so long as there is a sufficient amount of fruitful exchange between them as well. I close with some speculation about when it is or is not legitimate to make an “appeal to discipline”: responding to another’s argument by saying something like, “we should do it this way, because we are philosophers (/linguists/psychologists/…), and that’s just what we do”.
A Nomadic Information System for Adaptive Exhibition Guidance

The paper describes the electronic guide HIPS that can be used duringthe process of a visit in a museum, i.e., for preparation, execution andevaluation. Users can access the system via the Web to prepare a visitby receiving information about the content and organization of anexhibition and practical issues like location and opening hours. Thevisitor can also prepare a tour for the actual visit or define hotspotswith important exhibits. The system should remind the user when on site.Once the user is in the museum he or she has two specific options to usethe system: the visitor can walk around in the museum and remainstanding where he or she finds an item of interest. The current locationin the room identified by infrared emitters at all exhibits triggers anindicator for the information presentation. Or, the visitor can select atour prepared by a curator, prepared by the user in advance (at home) orgenerated by the user ad hoc. In the museum, the information access isprovided via wireless technologies. This allows the user to accessinformation by moving in the physical space and navigating in theinformation space concurrently. The Web-based server approach allows foradaptive information selection and presentation based on a user modelevaluating the history of the usage of the system. The user canaccelerate the adaptation by specifying interests and preferences in theuser model. Before the visit the user can define tours and hotspots andenter annotations that will be presented or activated by the system inthe appropriate physical environment. After a visit in the museum theuser can evaluate the experience at home for further own inquiries orfor communication with other interested people. Thebefore-during-after-the-visit-support of visitors via nomadicinformation system has been designed based on evidence from ourquestionnaire pre-study, which showed that visitors actually useinformation available in or about museums before and also after avisit.
Notes: Microsatellite DNA Markers Reveal New Levels of Genetic Variation in Northern Pike

Abstract Using single-locus microsatellite markers, we have resolved higher levels of genetic variation than previously reported for northern pike Esox lucius. We isolated 14 (AC) n ·(TG) n microsatellite loci from a genomic library of northern pike. Primer pairs for the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were developed for nine of these loci. With PCR, a DNA-amplifying technique, we were able to assess genetic variability using fish scales as our source of DNA. In four populations, we found four polymorphic loci with three or four alleles at each locus. Average heterozygosity at all loci was 0.075. Although this level of genetic variability is the highest reported for this species, it is much lower than that found for many other fish species by using microsatellite markers. Small numbers of founder fish, combined with loss of variation due to genetic drift in the small populations typical of northern pike, may explain the relatively low levels of genetic variation we found.
Corrigendum to “Relation of motor, linguistic and temperament factorsin epidemiologic subtypes of persistent and recovered stuttering: Initialfindings” [J. Fluen. Disord. 45 (2015) 12–26]

Our article contains an unfortunate misleading error in citing Olander, Smith, and Zelaznik (2010). This error occurs on page 14, first paragraph. We wrote that their study provided evidence that hand clapping coordination variability scores in early childhood predicted ultimate persistence or recovery from stuttering and that the recovered children were “back to normal” with the passage of time. Not so. Whereas Olander, Smith, and Zelaznik (2010), reported indications of subgroups among their children who stutter in terms of hand clapping coordination, and offered the possibility that such coordination might ultimately be predictive of persistence or recovery, no data were reported on this question in the above reference. Furthermore, the said study was cross-sectional in design, conducted at a single point in time, and no further data pertaining to the question have been published by these authors. We suspect that the confusion resulted from unintentional mixing by one of us (Yairi) of notes taken from the 2010 article with those taken from Professor Anne Smith’s conference presentations on speech coordination data from simple sentences. She reported that high variability in speech coordination is predictive of persistence and that, as we wrote “…the recovered children were back to normal.” We sincerely regret our erroneous text.
Management of suspected adrenal metastases at 2 academic medical centers.

Abstract Background The optimal management of suspected adrenal metastases remains controversial. Methods This is a retrospective bi-institutional review of 37 patients who underwent adrenalectomy for suspected adrenal metastasis between 2001 and 2014. Results Three (8%) patients had benign adenomas on final pathology. At a median follow-up of 21 months, 7 (32%) patients were alive with no evidence of disease and 7 (32%) were alive with recurrent disease. Recurrence-free survival (RFS) was 8 months; decreased RFS was associated with positive margins and size ≥6 cm. Overall survival (OS) was 29 months; decreased OS was associated with capsular disruption. There were no differences in RFS or OS by surgical approach. Conclusions The favorable OS supports adrenalectomy in select patients with suspected adrenal metastases. Minimally invasive adrenalectomy is safe and effective, but the surgical approach should be based on the ability to achieve a margin-negative resection with avoidance of capsular disruption.
Antagonism of Cocaine Highs by Lithium

According to Jefferson and Greist (1977), the interest on the beneficial effects of lithium for amphetamine abuse was aroused by a report by Flemenbaum (1974) on two patients who spontaneously stopped abusing amphetamines because they no longer experienced the expected high while taking lithium. A third patient receiving lithium for weight reduction did not experience appetite suppression or highs of the subjective effects until lithium was discontinued. Flemenbaum’s concept was further supported by a placebo-control double blind study of nine severely depressed patients in whom lithium treatment resulted in a 60% reduction in the activation and euphoria responses to d-amphetamine and almost complete abolition of response to l-amphetamine (Van Kamen and Murphy, 1975).
The Global Water and Food Supply Problem

This technical note, which presents an overview of the global water and food supply problem at the turn of the 21st century, is a good starting point for a discussion of the environmental and agricultural crises that exist throughout the world, and covers some of the potential solutions to these crises.
State and Local Government: The Contribution of Judge Domenick L. Gabrielli

Judge Gabrielli’s opinions have covered the areas of zoning, equal protection, and due process. All of these have had an enormous impact on state and local governments.This article considers Judge Gabrielli’s contributions to the body of law in these areas and the unique style which has characterized his opinions and made them so understandable. An attempt is made to provide a glimpse of the man himself through an examination of the product of his ten years of service as a member of the New York Court of Appeals.
Stress and Dopant Activation in Solid Phase Crystalized Si Films

Defect creation mechanisms during solid phase crystallization (SPC) of Si thin films were investigated with PECVD amorphous precursor samples produced with various deposition temperatures and thicknesses. These precursor films were implanted with dopant and then crystallized to obtain both SPC and dopant activation. The doping efficiency was found to decrease with the tensile stress level as measured by Raman shift. The stress shows a decrease as the precursor deposition temperature and thickness are lowered. Furthermore, a lower level of stress is induced by rapid thermal annealing when the annealing temperature is high enough to soften the glass substrate on which the films were deposited. We show that by control of stress during the SPC step, intragrain defect density can be lowered and electronic quality of the resulting polycrystalline Si films can be improved. Based on these observations, we propose the following tentative model to explain the defect creation: during SPC, tensile stress evolution is considered to result from the volumetric contraction of Si film when it transforms from the amorphous to crystalline phase. This contraction is retarded by the substrate, which imposes a tensile stress on the film. A high level of stress leads to formation of structural defects inside the grains of the resulting polycrystalline material. These defects trap carriers or complex with the dopant reducing doping efficiency.
Camouflage by Disruptive Illumination in Leiognathids, a Family of Shallow-Water, Bioluminescent Fishes

Leiognathids are shallow-water, Indo-West Pacific fishes that have a circumesophageal, bacterial light organ. Visual observations of living fishes revealed a mottled ventral luminescence pattern, which was analyzed both behaviorally and morphologically. In behavioral experiments, these fishes responded to increases in intensity of downwelling light with increases in the intensity of ventral luminescence. However, while the absolute luminescence levels tracked the ambient light levels, they did not increase in direct proportion to those of increasing downwelling light; luminescence levels were closer to the intensity of downwelling light at low light levels. The tissues that intervene between the internal light organ and the external environment are responsible for the observed mottled pattern of the ventral luminescence. Furthermore, these tissues, which have been incorporated into the light organ system, are involved in the control of the intensity, spectral quality and angular distribution of the fish9s luminescence. The spectral peak of the bacterial luminescence from whole fish (500 nm) was shifted about 10 nm towards the green relative to the spectral peak of cultured light organ symbionts (485–490 nm). The luminescence had the greatest intensity of outward expression at an angle of 20–25° from the ventral midline and was undetectable dorsally. The ventral illumination behavior of leiognathids, with their associated morphology, is compared and contrasted with the counterillumination systems that have been described in a number of mesopelagic fishes, shrimps and squids. Note: To whom reprint requests should be addressed at the Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089–0371, USA.
The Role of Stem Cell in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine

Latest research shows that stem cell has an irreplaceable role in tissue regenerating,repairing and replacing diseased tissues. This article reviews recent abroad research progresses in the use of stem cell for the treatment of Parkinson's disease,myocardial infraction and diabetes mellitus. Stem cell-based tissue engineering and regenerative medicine has been a hot research area of life science in twenty-first century.