cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Does the response to alcohol taxes differ across racial/ethnic groups? Some evidence from 1984-2009 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.

BACKGROUND: Excessive alcohol use remains an important lifestyle-related contributor to morbidity and mortality in the U.S. and worldwide. It is well documented that drinking patterns differ across racial/ethnic groups, but not how those different consumption patterns would respond to tax changes. Therefore, policy makers are not informed on whether the effects of tax increases on alcohol abuse are shared equally by the whole population, or policies in addition to taxation should be pursued to reach certain sociodemographic groups. AIMS OF THE STUDY: To estimate differential demand responses to alcohol excise taxes across racial/ethnic groups in the U.S. METHODS: Individual data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 1984-2009 waves (N= 3,921,943, 39.3% male; 81.3% White, 7.8% African American, 5.8% Hispanic, 1.9% Asian or Pacific Islander, 1.4% Native American, and 1.8% other race/multi-race) are merged with tax data by residential state and interview month. Dependent variables include consumption of any alcohol and number of drinks consumed per month. Demand responses to alcohol taxes are estimated for each race/ethnicity in separate regressions conditional on individual characteristics, state and time fixed effects, and state-specific secular trends. RESULTS: The null hypothesis on the identical tax effects among all races/ethnicities is strongly rejected (P Language: en
Chapter 2 – Organization of the Data

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses: (i) the blood group systems; (ii) the blood group collections; (iii) the 700 series of low incidence antigens; and (iv) the 901 series of high incidence antigens. Within each system, facts are presented for individual antigens, listed in an international society of blood transfusion (ISBT) numerical order. The format for the facts sheets displaying the data about the systems and about the antigens is explained. The commonly used name for the blood group system is used at the top of each page. Some of the components carrying blood group antigens have been detected on blood cells and tissues by use of various methods including testing with polyclonal antibodies and monoclonal antibodies or Northern blot analysis. The chromosome number, arm and band number are discussed. If the presence of a blood group antigen is detected by serological means, the gene is named by the corresponding ISBT system symbol followed by the antigen number. The organization of the gene in terms of number of exons, kilobase pairs of gDNA, and a map is provided.
The primality of subfactors of finite index in the interpolated free group factors

In this paper we prove that any IIi-subfactor of finite index in the interpolated free group factor L(Ft) is prime for any 1 < t < oo i.e., it is not isomorphic to tensor products of II1-factors.
The Role of Memory in Superiority Violation Gradience

This paper examines how grammatical and memory constraints explain gradience in superiority violation acceptability. A computational model encoding both categories of constraints is compared to experimental evidence. By formalizing memory capacity as beam-search in the parser, the model predicts gradience evident in human data. To predict attachment behavior, the parser must be sensitive to the types of nominal intervenors that occur between a wh-filler and its head. The results suggest memory is more informative for modeling violation gradience patterns than grammatical constraints.
Thermally stimulated current from water-treed XLPE

The authors report thermally stimulated current (TSC) measurements on unaged and aged water-tree retardant XLPE (cross-linked polyethylene). It is shown that the TSC spectra change with the degradation of polymeric insulation due to water treeing. The nonuniform distribution of charges in the aged specimens could be due to the penetration of ions and water molecules into the polymer during aging. >
A reformulation of the Ponzano-Regge quantum gravity model in terms of surfaces

We show that the partition function of the Ponzano-Regge quantum gravity model can be written as a sum over surfaces in a $(2+1)$ dimensional space-time. We suggest a geometrical meaning, in terms of surfaces, for the (regulated) divergences that appear in the partition function.
On the design of a circuit for phase compensation of self-adapting conformal arrays

A simple circuit capable of measuring the shape of a conformal antenna in real-time and using this information to apply phase-compensation to correct the radiation pattern is presented in this paper. More specifically, using three desired sensor output values, the necessary circuit components in the control circuit can be analytically evaluated. The accuracy of the proposed analytical technique has been validated by comparison with published literature, simulations and analytical computations of a 1X4 conformal array on a wedge-shaped surface.
Activity–composition relations of solid solutions and stabilities of end-member compounds in the system MgONiOTiO2 in contact with metallic nickel at 1400°C☆

Abstract Equilibria between metallic nickel, a gas phase of known oxygen pressures, and pairs of solid-solution phases in the system MgONiOTiO 2 are used to derive activity—composition relations for the solid solutions Mg 2 TiO 4 Ni 2 TiO 4 (spinel), MgTiO 3 NiTiO 3 (geikielite) and MgTi 2 O 5 NiTi 2 O 5 (pseudobrookite), and free energies of formation of the end-member compounds at 1400°C. The activity—composition curves for the spinel and pseudobrookite solutions are practically linear, whereas the curves for the geikielite solid solution display a slight positive deviation from linearity at 1400°C. The only stable compound in the system NiOTiO 2 at 1400°C is NiTiO 3 , whereas the spinel phase, Ni 2 TiO 4 , and the pseudobrookite phase, NiTi 2 O 5 , are unstable relative to the phase assemblages NiTiO 3 + NiO and NiTiO 3 + TiO 2 , respectively. The free energies of formation of the various end-member compounds from their oxide components were determined as follows:
The pulse-height correction technique for improving γ-ray spectra from coaxial Ge detectors

Abstract We demonstrate that the pulse-height correction technique can be used for coaxial as well as planar Ge γ-ray detectors. Pulses from the detectors are analyzed according to their rise-times, and an improved spectrum is obtained by correcting the incompleteness of charge collection, using the relation between rise-time and pulse-height defect. Geometrical effects in coaxial detectors require at least a three-parameter correlation, in which the rise-times of the pulses are analyzed for two time segments. We have been able to improve the energy resolution of neutron-damaged Ge detectors by more than 50% and their peak-to-Compton ratios by almost as much, all without significant loss in detector efficiency.
The role of adsorption in heterogeneous vapor-solid nucleation

Abstract The role of adsorption on a substrate in heterogeneous nucleation of crystals from vapor is considered in detail. It is found that there are two major classifications of adsorption kinetics: (1) steady-state concentration, and (2) time-dependent concentration, which significantly alter the definition of supersaturation in an adsorbed layer on the substrate. The resultant characterization provides two general descriptions common to all three available theories of heterogeneous vaporsolid nucleation. The key assumption of adsorbed molecule-critical nucleus equilibrium made in these theories is experimentally found to be the case for nucleation of silver on tungsten, a system where vapor-substrate equilibrium is not achieved. In this case a temperature independent critical concentration for nucleation is found and it is suggested that this may be the most important aspect of heterogeneous nucleation. A simple relationship is derived that permits making an estimate of the critical size nucleus without detailed experimentation, thereby permitting a choice to be made among available nucleation theories prior to seeking detailed agreement.
New Beginnings: Evidence That the Meditational Regimen Can Lead to Optimization of Perception, Attention, Cognition, and Other Functions

A "framework" is presented for understanding empirically confirmed and unconfirmed phenomena in the Indo-Tibetan meditation system, from an integrative perspective, and providing evidence that certain meditative practices enable meditators to realize the innate human potential to perceive light "at the limits imposed by quantum mechanics," on the level of individual photons. This is part of a larger Buddhist agenda to meditatitively develop perceptual/attentional capacities to achieve penetrating insight into the nature of phenomena. Such capacities may also allow advanced meditators to perceive changes in natural scenes that are "hidden" from persons with "normal" attentional capacities, according to research on "change blindness," and to enhance their visual system functioning akin to high-speed and time-lapse photography, in toto allowing for the perception, as well as sophisticated understanding, of the "moment to moment change or impermanence" universally characteristic of the phenomenal world but normally outside untrained attention and perception according to Buddhist doctrine.
Effects of electrical stimulation within the hypothalamus on gastric acid secretion and food intake in cats.

Abstract The effect of electrical stimulation within the hypothalamus on gastric acid secretion was studied in 43 cats under both acute and chronic conditions. In a study on 36 cats anesthetized with sodium pentobarbital, gastric acid secretion induced by the iv infusion of pentagastrin was increased during and/or 15 to 75 min after stimulation in the anterior hypothalamus in 13 of 31 cats tested, and in the midlateral hypothalamus in 2 of 11 cats tested; no changes in acid secretion were found during or after stimulation in the medial hypothalamus in 11 cats tested. Seven cats in which stimulation in the anterior hypothalamus increased acid secretion were allowed to recover and were later tested under chronic conditions. In three of these cats stimulation of the previously effective sites repeatedly produced an increase in basal acid secretion. Similar stimulation in four other cats was effective in some sessions and ineffective in others. During a behavioral test all these cats showed the following effects of stimulation: restlessness, meowing, and and attempting to escape. None ate during stimulation, although occasional licking was observed. Another experiment was carried out on seven cats with electrodes implanted in the midlateral hypothalamus (six cats) or in the anterior hypothalamus (one cat). In these cats electrical stimulation produced approaches toward food and eating in the satiated state, without meowing or attempting to escape during a behavioral test. Basal gastric secretion was not increased during stimulation of the “feeding” sites, applied when the animals were hungry. In one of these cats electrical stimulation of another site, located in the anterior hypothalamus, produced an increase in acid secretion; cating was not evoked by stimulation of this site during the behavioral test. The present results seem to suggest that the hypothalamic regions related to gastric acid secretion are not identical to those related to eating.
A Review and Unifying Analysis of Defect Decoration and Surface Polishing by Chemical Etching in Silicon Processing

A comprehensive review of dynamics of etching and its various applications in silicon wafer processing is accomplished, and new developments are discussed. A previously proposed pseudo two-phase phenomenological model to describe the dynamics of three-phase etching is revisited and novel augmentations are proposed. Interplay between the liquid-phase transport of reagents, the silicon surface kinetics, and the formation and the transport of gaseous bubbles is quantified. Both the model and the reported data explain effects of etching on silicon-surface polishing. Recent attempts to extend the pseudo two-phase model to describe the defect decoration by acid-based etching are discussed and new modifications are proposed. Microdefect (agglomerated defect) distribution in a monocrystalline silicon wafer is identified by growing copper precipitates on the microdefects followed by surface polishing and subsequent microdefect-decorating etching, which forms the pits on the wafer known as etch-pits by a relatively...
The determination of zeolite crystal diffusivity by gas chromatography—II. Experimental

Abstract Experimental results are reported for the adsorption of propane and n -butane in a column packed with Linde 5A zeolite crystals, and methane, propan n - and iso -butane in a column packed with silicalite crystals. The adsorption equilibrium constant K and crystal diffusivity D c , we obtained at different temperatures in the range 100–300°C, for each sorbate and packing and the heat of adsorption and diffusional activation energ were determined. The results show that in order to separate the effects of K and the pressure drop, the latter must be independently estimated by a suitable correla
Biology of immature sandflies (Diptera : Psychodidae) at the bases of trees in Panama.

Breeding sites of phlebotomine sandflies at the bases of trees in Panama were studied by systematic soil sampling and analysis, rain-gauge experiments, topographic mapping, and rearing of field-collected larvae in the laboratory. It was found that the sandfly species complement of this breeding habitat is specialized, dominated by Brumptomyia hamata (Fairchild & Hertig). The species complement is of potential medical importance because of inclusion of Lutzomyia ovallesi (Ortiz). The principal environmental factor affecting sandfly populations and species compositions in the tree-base habitat is that of protection from flooding from rainfall or soil run-off.
Intimate Partner Violence and the Rural–Urban–Suburban Divide: Myth or Reality? A Critical Review of the Literature

The author of this article presents a review of the published empirical and theoretical literature to date on similarities and differences in intimate partner violence (IPV) in rural locales compared to urban and suburban locales. A review of 63 studies indicates that (1) the rates of IPV are generally similar across rural, urban, and suburban locales, although some groups of rural women (e.g., multiracial and separated/divorced) may be at increased risk for IPV compared to similar groups of urban women, and rates of intimate partner homicide may be higher in rural locales than urban and suburban locales; (2) IPV perpetrator and victim characteristics in rural locales are generally similar to IPV perpetrator and victim characteristics in other locales with the exception of some demographic characteristics that can generally be accounted for by broader rural–urban–suburban demographic differences; (3) IPV perpetrators in rural locales, compared with perpetrators in urban locales, may perpetrate more chroni...
MULTI-USER ASSESSMENT OF A HOSPITAL COOK-FREEZE FOODSERVICE SYSTEM

A multi-user assessment approach was applied to the evaluation and comparison of a cook-freeze hospital foodservice system and a conventional cook-serve system. The approach included: (1) patient and staff evaluations of menu items served on the wards and in the hospital cafeteria, (2) patient and staff opinion surveys on various aspects of the foodservice system, (3) structured interviews of foodservice personnel concerning work load, schedules, etc., and (4) written surveys and interviews of nursing staff concerning foodservice operations on the wards. Results of the patient and staff evaluations of menu items showed that the cook-freeze system provided better perceived serving temperatures on the wards than did the conventional cook-serve system, with only slight losses in sensory acceptance. No significant differences were found in the patient and staff general opinion surveys. Interviews with foodservice workers revealed few problems that were directly attributable to the new cook-freeze system, although problems encountered during implementation of the new system exacerbated existing problems of manpower shortages and supervisory control. The nursing staff rated the cook-freeze system as more convenient and attractive, but questioned the quality of the meals served. It was proposed that the latter problem could be corrected by a concerted effort to better inform patients and staff about the cook-freeze system, so as to dispel negative preconceptions. Overall, the data revealed contrasting advantages and disadvantages of the cook-freeze system. It is proposed that the multi-user assessment approach be used more widely in the evaluation of hospital foodservice systems in order to ensure that systems adequately meet user criteria and established objective criteria.
Exploiting multichannel diversity for cooperative multicast in cognitive radio mesh networks

Cognitive radio networks (CRNs) have emerged as a promising, yet challenging, solution to enhance spectrum utilization, thanks to the technology of cognitive radios. A well-known property of CRNs is the potential heterogeneity in channel availability among secondary users. Therefore, multicast throughput in CRNs may suffer from significant degradation because of this property since a link-level broadcast of a frame may only reach a small subset of destinations that are able to receive on the same channel. This may necessitate multiple sequential transmissions of the same frame by the source on different channels to guarantee delivery to all receivers in the destination set. In case of high data generation rate, delivery delay will be high due to the repeated transmissions by the source. In this paper, we propose an assistance strategy to reduce the effect of the channel heterogeneity property on the multicast throughput in cognitive radio wireless mesh networks (CR-WMNs). This assistance strategy is composed of two main activities: first, allowing multicast receivers to assist the source in delivering the data, and second, allowing the transmission of coded packets so that multicast receivers belonging to different multicast groups can decode and extract their data concurrently. Results show that the proposed assistance paradigm reduces multicast time and increases throughput significantly.
Sinusitis : overcoming bacterial resistance

Sinusitis is a major cause of illness in the USA, and represents a substantial economic burden. Treatment of this condition usually involves antibiotics and, where there is a strong suspicion of bacterial etiology, has a high rate of success. Accurate diagnosis depends upon clinical assessment, but only four specific symptoms have been shown to be independent predictors of sinusitis. Other diagnostic approaches such as analysis of a microbiological sample must be considered in cases failing initial treatment. The main factors in choosing antibiotic therapy are the likely infecting pathogens, bacterial antibiotic resistance and antibiotics' pharmacological profiles. Accurate diagnosis and careful consideration when choosing therapy for sinusitis will optimise the chances of achieving an early cure.
Intraoperative echocardiography in infants and children with congenital cardiac shunt lesions: Transesophageal versus epicardial echocardiography

To determine the utility and limitations of intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography in infants and children with congenital intracardiac shunts, intraoperative transesophageal (n = 50) and epicardial (n = 49) echocardiograms were performed before and after cardiopulmonary bypass in children from 4 days to 16 years old and 3 to 45 kg in body weight. A miniaturized transesophageal probe (6.9 mm maximal diameter) was used in 36 patients weighting less than or equal to 20 kg. Epicardial imaging was performed with a 5 MHz precordial probe. The intraoperative transesophageal echocardiographic findings before and after cardiopulmonary bypass were correct and complete in 94% of patients. Transesophageal echocardiography correctly identified atrial septal defects, most types of ventricular septal defects, anomalous pulmonary veins, atrioventricular septal defects, tetralogy of Fallot, truncus arteriosus and double inlet ventricles. It failed to provide a correct diagnosis in only three patients, all of whom had doubly committed subarterial ventricular septal defects. Epicardial echocardiography identified all cases that had a doubly committed subarterial ventricular septal defect. A correct and complete intraoperative diagnosis was obtained with the use of epicardial imaging in 92% before and after cardiopulmonary bypass, but this technique required interruption of surgery and could not be completed in three patients because of induced arrhythmias and hypotension. These results demonstrated that intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography consistently defined important morphologic, color and pulsed Doppler ultrasound features of most congenital shunt lesions. Lesions that involved the right ventricular outflow tract are sometimes difficult to image with uniplane transesophageal echocardiography. There were no complications in any of the 50 subjects.
Photoproduction of Neutral Pions in Hydrogen: Magnetic Analysis of Recoil Protons

The photoproduction of neutral pions from hydrogen has been studied by counting the recoil protons with a magnetic spectrometer and scintillation counters. The process has been studied between photon energies of 260 and 450 Mev and between center-of-momentum pion angles of 70\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} and 153\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}. The excitation functions show a resonance type shape with maxima at about 320 Mev. Angular distributions are analyzed in the form $A+Bcos\ensuremath{\theta}+C{cos}^{2}\ensuremath{\theta}$ in the center-of-momentum system. The coefficient $B$, which gives the front-back asymmetry, is small at all energies; and the ratio $\ensuremath{-}\frac{A}{C}$ is 1.22\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.10 at all energies between 295 and 450 Mev. The maximum cross section at 90\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} in the c.m. system is 26\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\ensuremath{-}30}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$/steradian for 320-Mev photons. The total cross section divided by the square of the c.m. photon wavelength has a maximum near 340 Mev, and drops by nearly a factor of two at 450 Mev. These results are consistent with magnetic dipole and electric quadrupole absorption leading to a resonant state of the pion-nucleon system of angular momentum $\frac{3}{2}$ and isotopic spin $\frac{3}{2}$.
Protein Kinase Cι Promotes Nicotine-induced Migration and Invasion of Cancer Cells via Phosphorylation of μ- and m-Calpains

Nicotine is a major component in cigarette smoke that activates the growth-promoting pathways to facilitate the development of lung cancer. However, it is not clear whether nicotine affects cell motility to facilitate tumor metastasis. Here we discovered that nicotine potently induces phosphorylation of both μ- and m-calpains via activation of protein kinase Cι (PKCι), which is associated with accelerated migration and invasion of human lung cancer cells. Purified PKCι directly phosphorylates μ- and m-calpains in vitro. Overexpression of PKCι results in increased phosphorylation of both μ- and m-calpains in vivo. Nicotine also induces activation of c-Src, which is a known PKCι upstream kinase. Treatment of cells with the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor inhibitor α-bungarotoxin can block nicotine-induced calpain phosphorylation with suppression of calpain activity, wound healing, cell migration, and invasion, indicating that nicotine-induced calpain phosphorylation occurs, at least in part, through a signaling pathway involving the upstream α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. Intriguingly, depletion of PKCι by RNA interference suppresses nicotine-induced calpain phosphorylation, calpain activity, cell migration, and invasion, indicating that PKCι is a necessary component in nicotine-mediated cell motility signaling. Importantly, nicotine potently induces secretion of μ- and m-calpains from lung cancer cells into culture medium, which may have potential to cleave substrates in the extracellular matrix. These findings reveal a novel role for PKCι as a nicotine-activated, physiological calpain kinase that directly phosphorylates and activates calpains, leading to enhanced migration and invasion of human lung cancer cells.
Hermes and Apollo.

That most tireless of post-Elizabethan poetic voices, John Ciardi, has been overtaken in the poignant observation that "a university is what a college becomes when the faculty no longer cares about the students." And the Vice President Emeritus of the nation, upon his gracious, some would say belated, return to a campus more lively and more densely populated than that he had left twenty-five years before, has lately declared, "We must care about these students." Is it possible, as we read, that at one of the most distinguished universities in the country, at the time of the notorious gymnasium exercises, there was no senate or single body in which the undergraduate faculty met regularly to consider policy of any kind? And is it true that at this same university the president of the student government association tried in vain for one and one-half years to secure an audience with the president of the university? Is it also true that a graduate student at the University of Michigan appeared one day in one of the graduate-level courses, ceremoniously laid out a piece of aluminum foil on the instructor's desk, took the textbook, poured kerosene on it, and burned it, and then handed out and read a prepared statement to the class to the effect that the class was illegal because the students had not chosen the textbook, the students had not developed the syllabus, and the students had not controlled the course?
Antiretroviral therapy in combination with interferon for AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma.

Abstract In vitro studies have shown that 3′-azido-3′deoxythymidine (zidovudine, AZT) and interferon synergistically inhibit the replication of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells at concentrations achievable in patients. Interferon alfa can cause lesions to regress in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-related Kaposi's sarcoma (KS). Although zidovudine has no significant effect on the regression of these lesions, it does have antiviral activity in these patients as manifested by a decline in serum HIV antigen. However, when used separately, the two drugs can have serious side effects in some patients. In addition, the development of zidovudineresistant strains has been noted in patients with advanced HIV disease receiving zidovudine for nine months or longer. Three in vivo trials have been initiated to assess possible advantages of combination therapy with zidovudine and interferon alfa in patients with AIDS-related KS. The incidence of serious adverse reactions, therapeutic efficacy, and the rate of emergence of zidovudine-resistant strains of HIV were evaluated. Preliminary results indicate that combination therapy with interferon alfa and zidovudine can safely be administered to patients with AIDS-related KS in doses that elicit antitumor and antiviral responses and discourage the potential emergence of zidovudine-resistant HIV strains.
Male-Mediated Venereal Transmission of Endogenous Avian Leukosis Virus

Abstract Congenital transmission of avian leukosis viruses (ALV) occurs readily through the egg, but transmission of ALV through male seminal fluid is considered to be nonexistent or rare. Progeny from mating endogenous late-feathering (LF), K/k+ males carrying an endogenous virus gene (ev 21) with virgin early-feathering (EF) k+/w females were examined for the presence of infectious endogenous virus EV21 using an enzyme-labeled immunoassay for viral capsid antigen p27. All 177 LF chicks expressed EV21, p27, and 171 of 175 EF chicks did not express p27. Blood from the four p27-positive EF chicks revealed only infectious Subgroup E ALV as determined by subgroup-specific virus assays. Southern blot DNA hybridizations, however, ruled out germline integration of EV21 among the four infected EF progeny. Virus EV21 was not shed in albumens of the dams. Moreover, antibodies against ALV Subgroups A and E were not detected in dams 17 wk after the first insemination. Chicks infected with EV21 were found only in the first two of six hatches. Data suggested direct infection of the embryos from viremic semen rather than congenital infection through infected hens. Direct male transmission of EV21 to progeny may be the basis for persistence of refractory lines noted in some ALV eradication programs. Based on the absence of recombinants among 352 progeny, ev 21 and K appear to be less than .3 cM apart.
The density of β-adrenoreceptors in cardiac muscle membranes of muskrats and guinea pigs

Abstract 1. 1. Cardiac membranes were prepared and then incubated with a range of concentrations of the β-adrenergic ligand, dihydroalprenolol. Specific binding to the receptor was measured and receptor density and binding affinities were determined. 2. 2. The receptor density was about 40% greater in the guinea pig heart than in the muskrat heart. The reduced β-receptor density in the muskrat heart helps explain the previous findings of a lesser pumping ability and decreased responsiveness to isoproterenol in the muskrat compared with guinea pig hearts. 3. 3. The decreased β-receptor density may aid the muskrat in diving by reducing the oxygen consumption of the heart and thus prolonging diving time.
Transforming US police surveillance in a new privacy paradigm

Due to increasing emphasis on counter‐terrorism and transnational crime threats, US lawmakers and courts have changed the scope of police surveillance authority. As a result, a new privacy paradigm has emerged where police power to gather information in criminal investigations has expanded. This paper examines the factors, legal doctrines, federal statutes, and operational practices that have enabled the police to widen their surveillance activities. As police utilize more technology and surveillance in crime control, their escalating search authority has led to a diminution in personal privacy safeguards.
Kidney Injury, Electrolyte and Acid-Base Abnormalities Associated With Use of Alternative Medicine Products

Alternative medicine treatment, defined broadly as the use of unproven therapies is increasingly popular in the United States. An estimated 40% of the population resorted to alternative medicine regimens in 1999 for either preventive, palliative, or therapeutic purposes. Alternative medicine products are characterized as untested remedies, containing unverified ingredients whose side effect profile is not defined. Their sale to the public is not regulated. The kidneys, as excretory organs for drugs and toxins are susceptible to injury from toxicity imparted by untested and unregulated products. This reality is particularly pertinent to patients with compromised kidney function from prevalent disorders such as diabetes or hypertension. Chronic kidney disease (CKD), as defined by The National Kidney Foundation is a major public health problem in the United States, affecting over 20 million people. Because, in the early stages, no symptoms attributable to CKD may be evident, the majority of those with CKD are unaware of their renal disorders. This lack of awareness of renal injury predisposes persons with early CKD to the potential harmful consequences of alternative medicine products. We describe a patient requiring hospitalization for severe symptomatic electrolyte abnormalities after ingesting alternative medicine products, detailing literature reports of kidney injury, acid-base, and electrolyte abnormalities associated with use of alternative medicine products.
High-resolution OCT balloon imaging catheter with astigmatism correction.

We report new optics designs for an optical coherence tomography (OCT) balloon imaging catheter to achieve diffraction-limited high resolution at a large working distance and enable the correction of severe astigmatism in the catheter. The designs employed a 1 mm diameter gradient-index lens of a properly chosen pitch number and a glass rod spacer to fully utilize the available NA of the miniature optics. Astigmatism caused by the balloon tubing was analyzed, and a method based on a cylindrical reflector was proposed and demonstrated to compensate the astigmatism. A catheter based on the new designs was successfully developed with a measured diffraction-limited lateral resolution of ~21 μm, a working distance of ~11-12 mm, and a round-shape beam profile. The performance of the OCT balloon catheter was demonstrated by 3D full-circumferential imaging of a swine esophagus in vivo along with a high-speed, Fourier-domain, mode-locked swept-source OCT system.
Solid-Phase Syntheses of Furopyridine and Furoquinoline Systems

Syntheses of 2-substituted furo[3,2-b]pyridines and furo[3,2-h]quinolines have been achieved for the first time in the solid-phase mode. The central enabling steps involved concomitant deprotection...
Patent sharing by US universities: an examination of university joint patenting

This paper examines the quantity and quality of patents assigned jointly to US universities. The proportion of US university patents with assignment shared with other entities has grown rapidly. The data show the practice of universities sharing patent assignment spans technology classes, universities, and types of co-assignees. Our findings reveal that the quality of university joint patents differs across types of co-assignees when compared to patents assigned solely to a single university or to a single non-university entity. University–corporate joint patents appear to be particularly important, while patents co-assigned to universities and non-profit research institutes and hospitals appear particularly basic in nature. Patents jointly assigned to universities and US government agencies are of lower quality than similar patents assigned to a university or a US government agency alone.
Variability of the Kuroshio Extension Jet, Recirculation Gyre, and Mesoscale Eddies on Decadal Time Scales

Abstract Twelve years of sea surface height (SSH) data from multiple satellite altimeters are used to investigate the low-frequency changes and the interconnections of the Kuroshio Extension (KE) jet, its southern recirculation gyre, and their mesoscale eddy field. The dominant signal is characterized by the steady weakening of the KE jet/recirculation gyre from 1993 to 1996, followed by a gradual strengthening after 1997. During the weakening period of 1993–96, the KE path migrated southward in general, and this path migration reversed in direction during the strengthening period of the KE jet and recirculation gyre after 1997. By hindcasting the SSH signals using linear vorticity dynamics, it was found that weakening (strengthening) in the KE jet and recirculation gyre is consistent with westward propagation of negative (positive) SSH anomalies generating in the eastern North Pacific and strengthening during their westward propagation. When the KE jet and recirculation gyre were in a weak mode during 19...
Microwave combination heating: Coupled electromagnetics‐ multiphase porous media modeling and MRI experimentation

The work includes development of a multiphase porous media model and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) experiments to study microwave combination heating. Combination of electromagnetic, convective and radiant heating was considered. The material being heated was modeled as a hygroscopic porous medium with different phases: solid matrix, water and gas, and included pressure driven flow, binary diffusion and phase change. The three-dimensional transport model was fully coupled with electromagnetics to include the effect of variable properties. MRI was used to obtain spatial temperature and moisture distributions to validate the model. The model demonstrated that high and low moisture materials behave differently under different combinations of heating and general guidelines for combining heating modes were obtained. Low moisture materials can be heated effectively using higher microwave power which is not possible in high moisture material. Cycling of microwave was found to be useful in distribution of excessive volumetric heat generated by microwaves. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2012
Infrared Coatings For High Energy Laser Reflectors And Windows

This paper reviews infrared coating materials for reflectors and windows for use in high energy laser systems operating in the 2 μm to 10.6 μm spectral regions. The work discussed is the result of research performed at our laboratories during the last several years. The primary emphasis in the discussion is on coatings that have low optical absorption. A long-term objective of our work has been to reduce optical absorption in infrared coatings to less than 0.1%.
Health psychology and late life. The differentiation of health and illness for the study of health-related behaviors.

Literature pertinent to understanding the health psychology and health behaviors of older adults is reviewed. It is proposed that judgments of health and illness status be viewed as separate domains of personal health psychology rather than as endpoints of a single continuum. A process is described in which individuals collect and evaluate information about their "healthiness" and "unhealthiness," that in turn influences health behavior decision making. Emphasis is placed on the process of health behavior, on the need to view health behaviors from a noncrisis perspective, and on the importance of recognizing that ambiguity and uncertainty can legitimately reflect one's situation.
Calmodulin and a cyclic nucleotide-dependent protein kinase facilitate the prolactin-induced increase in tyrosine hydroxylase activity in tuberoinfundibular dopaminergic neurons.

Many aspects of tuberoinfundibular dopaminergic neuronal function are increased by elevated prolactin (PRL) levels, including the activity of tyrosine hydroxylase, the rate-limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of dopamine. This study evaluated the roles of calmodulin, cyclic nucleotide-dependent protein kinase, and calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II in the PRL-induced increase in tyrosine hydroxylase activity. Ovariectomizerd rats were treated with haloperidol or ovine PRL (oPRL) for 20–30 h before the experiment, respectively. Treatment with haloperidol increased circulating PRL levels 8-fold and tyrosine hydroxylase activity in the stalk-median eminence 1.8-fold. Treatment with oPRL increased tyrosine hydroxylase activity 1.9-fold. W-7, a calmodulin antagonist, reversed both the haloperidol- and oPRL-induced increase in tyrosine hydroxylase activity to control levels. H-8, a cyclic nucleotide-dependent protein kinase inhibitor, also reversed the haloperidol induced increase in tyrosine hydroxylase activity. KN62, a selective calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II inhibitor, attenuated the haloperidol-induced increase in tyrosine hydroxylase activity, but KNO4, a structurally related control compound, had no effect. By contrast, the oPRL- and haloperidol-induced increases in tyrosine hydroxylase activity were not altered by KN93, a selective calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II inhibitor. These data indicate that calmodulin and a cyclic nucleotide-dependent protein kinase contribute to the PRL-induced increase in tyrosine hydroxylase activity, but the role of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II is still unclear.
Multifactor prediction of hospital service workload.

Prediction of workload for hospital departments is a forecasting problem. Most forecasting techniques use time series methods. However, the unpredictability of hospital utilization which occurs because of environmental turbulence requires that predictions be based on strategic plans. Regression models developed from cross-sectional data can provide a methodology for linking predictions of service workload to strategic plans. The methodology is illustrated and evaluated in a pilot study, which produced models predicting measures of workload such as laboratory tests (R2 = .85), doses of medication given to inpatients (R2 = .43), outpatient prescriptions (R2 = .79), and x-rays (R2 = .86).
Autologous Fat Transfer as a Facial Filler: Current and Future Applications

Over the past few decades, there have been tremendous advancements in the field of facial rejuvenation, especially with regards to injectable fillers. Injectable fillers have become a safe, efficacious solution to the soft tissue volume loss that plays a critical role in the aging face. The ideal filler is highly debated amongst physicians, and one must take into consideration the biocompatibility, cost, longevity, toxicity, carcinogenicity, and availability of the filler. In this article, we review the role of autologous fat as a facial filler, looking back at its inception, refinements through the years, and future direction, which have made it such a popular choice for soft tissue augmentation.
Deposition of Aliphatic Suberin Monomers and Associated Alkanes during Aging of Solanum tuberosum L. Tuber Tissue at Different Temperatures.

The effect of temperature on suberization of potato tuber tissue was measured by diffusive resistance and quantitative chemical procedures. The optimum temperature for formation of aliphatic suberin monomers and development of resistance to water vapor conduction was 26.4°C whereas alkane synthesis was optimal at 18.6°C. Low temperatures (
Software Prototyping: Designing Systems For Users

The prototype model (the implementation of a skeletal system that is enhanced during interaction with users) represents a major change in the software development process. This change is in direct response to higher costs, greater expectations of online systems users, new technologies for development, and the more challenging problems posed by online, interactive systems. The “traditional systems development methodologies tend to evolve toward increasing control and specificity, especially when confronted by higher uncertainty.” In contrast, new methodologies, such as prototyping, exploit the dynamic process of change and variability in both the user and system environments.
LEARNING DISABILITIES: EDUCATIONAL AND ASSESSMENT CONSIDERATIONS

Although not every learning disabled child is hyperactive, nor is every hyperactive child necessarily learning disabled, a significant percentage of learning disabled children display the behavioral characteristics of either sensory or motor hyperactivity. Having concomitant learning and management problems, such children provide teachers and school administrators with a most intricate and bewildering problem. Although no one can question the sincere dedication of most teachers, one finds from talking with them that they often find it difficult to deal with a child when he or she fails to respond to instruction or when the child continually disrupts classmates. Such unfortunate interactions between the teacher and the child, and between the child and other children, present a challenge to the teacher. This educational and behavioral stalemate will be analyzed through examining the issue of hyperactivity, considering the essential needs of hyperactive children, and indicating the appropriate educational setting and curriculum considerations that must be kept in mind for hyperactive children. Assessment and management reco~m~endations will be made throughout the analyses. In my opinion learning disability consists of two major aspects, both of which are intimately interrelated and organically based. Admittedly, the concept of hyperactivity as organically based is somewhat theoretical at our present state of knowledge. Although education has done little in this area, the brain-injured child as a clinical entity has been acknowledged by medicine, psychology and to a lesser extent by education for some three to four decades. It should be mentioned that the term 'brain-injured" does not refer here to the grossly involved cerebral palsy child, although many of these children also come within its scope. Nor does it refer to children with epilepsy, although these children too have neurological abnormalities and many of them fall within this group. The term refers to children who have suffered prenatal, perinatal, or postnatal brain-injury and consequently display a particular syndrome of psychological characteristics. As a result they often fail to respond in particular learning situations. Two aspects of the problem will be examined in some detail; then assesment problems aimed at illustrating the perceptual processing problems so typical of these children will be considered.
DEVELOPMENT OF BEST PRACTICE GUIDELINES FOR CFD IN NUCLEAR REACTOR SAFETY

In 2007 the Nuclear Energy Agency’s Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations published Best Practice Guidelines for the use of CFD in Nuclear Reactor Safety. This paper provides an overview of the document’s contents and highlights a few of its recommendations. The document covers the full extent of a CFD analysis from initial problem definition and selection of an appropriate tool for the analysis, through final documentation of results. It provides advice on selection of appropriate simulation software, mesh construction, and selection of physical models. In addition it contains extensive discussion of the verification and validation process that should accompany any high-quality CFD analysis.
The effects of continuous glucose infusion on blood, plasma, and brain glucose in anesthetized rats.

In models of cerebral ischemia, it is important to rigidly control brain glucose in the peri-ischemic period because alterations in brain glucose can affect the severity of the postischemic injury. The following study evaluated the effect of a continuous glucose infusion as a means of producing stable increases in brain glucose that could be monitored by measuring either blood or plasma glucose. Fifty-four halothane-anesthetized rats were studied. Rats received either no treatment (control group; N = 6), saline 2 ml/h (N = 24), or glucose 1 g/kg per h in saline 2 ml/h (N = 24). In the latter two groups, samples of blood, plasma, and brain glucose were obtained at either 30, 60, 120, or 180 min of the infusion (N = 6 per group per sample period). Saline infusion had no effect on either blood, plasma, or brain glucose. In contrast, glucose infusion produced a significant increase in all three variables, achieving plateau increases during the 60-180 min measurement periods [blood glucose = 197 +/- 20 mg/dl (mean +/- S.D.) at 60 min, 220 +/- 34 mg/dl at 120 min, and 217 +/- 22 mg/dl at 180 min versus control blood glucose = 89 +/- 10 mg/dl]. Regardless of the treatment group, there was excellent correlation between blood and plasma glucose (r = 0.99; P much less than 0.001), blood and brain glucose (r = 0.96; P much less than 0.001), and plasma and brain glucose (r = 0.97; P much less than 0.001). The authors conclude that continuous glucose infusions are an effective method to produce stable increases in brain glucose in experimental models; and, in contrast to other methods for achieving brain glucose increases, the brain glucose increases can be accurately assessed by measuring blood or plasma glucose.