cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Idiopathic Systemic Capillary Leak Syndrome (Clarkson's Disease): The Mayo Clinic Experience

OBJECTIVE To determine clinical features, natural history, and outcome of a well-defined cohort of 25 consecutive patients with idiopathic systemic capillary leak syndrome (SCLS) evaluated at a tertiary care center. PATIENTS AND METHODS Records of patients diagnosed as having SCLS from November 1, 1981, through April 30, 2008, were reviewed. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze patient demographics, clinical features, complications, and therapeutic interventions. RESULTS Of the 34 patients whose records were reviewed, 25 fulfilled all diagnostic criteria for SCLS. The median age at diagnosis of SCLS was 44 years. Median follow-up of surviving patients was 4.9 years, and median time to diagnosis from symptom onset was 1.1 years (interquartile range, 0.5-4.1 years). Flulike illness or myalgia was reported by 14 patients (56%) at onset of an acute attack of SCLS, and rhabdomyolysis developed in 9 patients (36%). Patients with a greater decrease in albumin level had a higher likelihood of developing rhabdomyolysis ( p =.03). Monoclonal gammopathy, predominantly of the IgG-κ type, was found in 19 patients (76%). The progression rate to multiple myeloma was 0.7% per person-year of follow-up. The overall response rate to the different therapies was 76%, and 24% of patients sustained durable (>2 years) complete remission. The estimated 5-year overall survival rate was 76% (95% confidence interval, 59%-97%). CONCLUSION Systemic capillary leak syndrome, a rare disease that occurs in those of middle age, is usually diagnosed after a considerable delay from onset of symptoms. The degree of albumin decrement during an attack correlates with development of rhabdomyolysis. A reduction in the frequency and/or the severity of attacks was seen in nearly three-fourths of patients who were offered empirical therapies. The rate of progression to multiple myeloma appears to be comparable to that of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance.
Chapter 5 - Probing Layered Systems: A Brief Guide to Experimental Techniques

Publisher Summary This chapter describes experimental techniques that are used to characterize multilayer systems. The goal is to provide some background information on the relevant experimental methods. There is discussion on the Surface Magneto-Optic Kerr Effect (SMOKE). Linearly polarized light can change its polarization (and be-come elliptically polarized) upon reflection from a magnetic surface (or in the presence of a magnetic field). Depending on the direction of magnetization, different forms of polarizations of the reflected beam can occur. There are 3 Kerr configurations that are of significance. They are: polar, longitudinal, and transverse. An important advantage in SMOKE appears to be associated with the fact that a relatively simple, in situ analysis of the polarized beam can be carried out external to the UHV chamber where the sample is located. It has become the technique of choice for basic characterization of magnetic films. Significant insights into changes in the magnetic states have been obtained from in situ SMOKE experiments conducted on thin films. The Kerr rotation is associated with some intricate details of the electronic/magnetic structure, so its magnitude is a complex function of the wavelength of the incident light used. The chapter discusses auger electron spectroscopy (AES), ferromagnetic resonance (FMR), scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Neutron diffraction, Mossbauer spectroscopy, Low Energy Electron Diffraction (LEED), reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED), angle resolved photo-emission spectroscopy (ARPES), x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), Magnetic Dichroism in XAS, x-ray photoelectron emission microscopy (X-PEEM), spin polarized low energy electron microscopy (SPLEEM), and Andreev reflection. The oscillatory behavior of the X-ray absorption coefficient carries information about the local environment of a given atom in the solid state. Even in transition metal atoms, when core levels are probed, relativistic effects can play an important role. This is exactly the case when core levels are probed by X-rays.
Self-doped conducting polymers

Abstract The sodium salts and the ‘proton salts’ (acids) of poly-3-(2-ethanesulfonate)thiophene and of poly-3-(4-butanesulfonate)thiophene are the first known examples of water-soluble conducting polymers. In these polymers the counterions are covalently bound to the polymer backbone, leading to the self-doping concept. In a self-doped conjugated polymer, charge injected into the π-electron system is compensated by proton (or Li+, Na+, etc.) ejection, leaving behind the oppositely charged counterion.
Differential retinal origins of separate anatomical channels for pattern and motion vision in rabbit

The most conspicuous feature of the rabbit retina is the visual streak that extends along the horizontal azimuth from the nasal margin to the temporal limit of the retina. We believe the streak processes movement vision and that the temporal region (area centralis) is responsible for pattern perception. Both anatomical and behavioural experiments were used to test this hypothesis. Behavioural measures of pattern vision in normal and chiasma-sectioned rabbits revealed both to have the same visual acuity. Using OKN as a measure of movement vision, normal rabbits showed both a directional and velocity-tuned response. The chiasma-sectioned rabbits, with only uncrossed fibre projections remaining, showed a total loss of movement detection. The injection of HRP into the vitreal chamber of one eye in normal rabbits revealed extensive uptake throughout the contralateral thalamus. In the ipsilateral thalamus, there was uptake solely from the ipsilateral retinal projection to a restricted wafer of the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN). The chiasma cut rabbits showed a very different distribution of HRP in the thalamus. The uptake was restricted to a thin wafer of the LGN, with no contralateral uptake. Thus, the thalamic projections from the retinal area centralis were strictly segregated from the thalamic target areas for the visual streak without any overlap. These findings provide strong evidence for separate retinal origins with anatomically separate pathways for pattern and movement vision in the rabbit.
Journal Reading Habits of Internists

We assessed the reading habits of internists with and without epidemiological training because such information may help guide medical journals as they make changes in how articles are edited and formatted. In a 1998 national self-administered mailed survey of 143 internists with fellowship training in epidemiology and study design and a random sample of 121 internists from the American Medical Association physician master file, we asked about the number of hours spent reading medical journals per week and the percentage of articles for which only the abstract is read. Respondents also were asked which of nine medical journals they subscribe to and read regularly. Of the 399 eligible participants, 264 returned surveys (response rate 66%). Respondents reported spending 4.4 hours per week reading medical journal articles and reported reading only the abstract for 63% of the articles; these findings were similar for internists with and without epidemiology training. Respondents admitted to a reliance on journal editors to provide rigorous and useful information, given the limited time available for critical reading. We conclude that internists, regardless of training in epidemiology, rely heavily on abstracts and prescreening of articles by editors.
After praise and encouragement: Emotional support strategies used by birth doulas in the USA and Canada

Objective: to describe in detail the emotional support techniques employed by birth doulas during labour. Design: grounded theory methodology was utilised in collecting and analysing interviews given by doulas and mothers who had doula care. By using both informants, a clearer picture of what constitutes emotional support by doulas emerged. Participants: 10 mothers from three different states in the Midwestern USA and 30 doulas from 10 different states and two Canadian provinces were interviewed. Two doulas worked in hospital-based programmes whereas the others had independent practices. Doulas usually attended births in hospitals where medical attendants spent little focused time with the mother. Findings: nine different strategies were distinguished. Four strategies (reassurance, encouragement, praise, explaining) were similar to those attributed to nurses in published research. Five were original and described as only being used by doulas (mirroring, acceptance, reinforcing, reframing, debriefing). Conclusions: emotional support by professional birth doulas is more complex and sophisticated than previously surmised. Mothers experienced these strategies as extremely meaningful and significant with their ability to cope and influencing the course of their labour. Implications for practice: the doula’s role in providing emotional support is distinct from the obstetric nurse and midwife. Professional doulas utilise intricate and complex emotional support skills when providing continuous support for women in labour. Application of these skills may provide an explanation for the positive ‘doula effect’ on obstetric and neonatal outcomes in certain settings.
Integrating robustness into multiobjective space vehicle design process

The NASA Johnson Space Center employs Monte Carlo analysis incorporated within the Simulation and Optimization of Rocket Trajectories program to analyze trajectories of space vehicles. A basic function of this analysis is to assess the dispersion of a trajectory from a prescribed one due to dispersions of various vehicle and environmental parameters. The satellite design performance is evaluated using a large number of Monte Carlo simulations. Since this method is computationally very expensive, only a few design alternatives can be evaluated. In a previous paper, we argued that the computational efficiency of the design performance evaluation could be substantially improved by replacing the Monte Carlo simulations with a simulation technique based on orthogonal arrays. In this paper we have integrated this simulation technique into a multiobjective decision support environment using a compromise decision support problem formulation. This allows us to minimize the system variation while concurrently maximizing the achievement of other design goals, thus improving design quality by enabling a rational trade-off between nominal design performance and robustness.
Study of Vaccinal Immunity by Means of Complement Fixation.

Specific complement fixation by vaccinal immune serum in the presence of vaccinal antigen was demonstrated as early as 1906 by Jobling,1 who worked with calves. Since then most investigators have confirmed this observation; some have failed. Recently the question has been restudied by several authors, who by means of certain alterations of technic have been uniformly successful in demonstrating the reaction. This work was reviewed in a previous communication.2 Important points in the technic are the use of a prolonged period of fixation and serum of high titer. It has also been shown that the specificity of the reaction may be increased by extracting the dried antigen with ether. That the serum of animals immune to vaccinia contains antibodies capable of neutralizing the virus has been known since the observation of Sternberg in 1892.3 Prolonged contact between serum and virus before cutaneous inoculation is not essential, as was shown by Beclere, Chambon and Menard 4 in 1899, although incubation is necessary if the inoculation is to be intracerebral.5 Beclere, Chambon and Menard demonstrated that passive immunity may be conferred on an animal if sufficient quantities of immune serum are given. They observed the development of antibodies during the first week following infection, the serum exhibiting a "feeble and uncertain" neutralizing capacity from the sixth to the eighth day and attaining full strength on the twelfth. Immunity to reinfection was usually established at about the same time, reinfection not usually being possible after the seventh day. In recent work Smith 6 has found traces of neutralizing antibody in the serum of rabbits as early as the second day of infection, with a gradual elevation of the titer after the fourth day. The exact evaluation of the neutralizing capacity of a given serum js difficult, and most workers have found that titrations carried out
Cement based cross-ply laminates

Abstract A filament winding system was developed for manufacturing cross-ply cement based composites using continuous fibers. The computer-controlled system is used for manufacturing composite laminates, pipes, and pultruded sections. The electrical and mechanical components of the system are discussed in detail. Composite laminates are manufactured using continuous glass and polypropylene fibers. Their mechanical response is measured using closed loop uniaxial tensile and flexural tests. Results indicate that tensile strength of composites can exceed 50 MPa using 5% alkali-resistant glass fibers. By varying the stacking sequences, the ultimate strain capacity can be increased to more than 2% for glass fiber composites and 8% using polypropylene composites. The software/hardware system may be easily adapted for design and manufacturing of full-scale cement based composite laminate systems.
Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in post-Whipple patients.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is an established modality for evaluation and treatment of pancreaticobiliary disorders. However, it is technically more challenging in patients with post-surgical anatomy. The success rate of ERCP in patients with prior pancreaticoduodenectomy (Whipple resection) is unknown. We assessed the technical success and safety of ERCP in this patient population. PATIENTS AND METHODS Post pancreaticoduodenectomy patients who had undergone ERCP between January 2002 and May 2005 were identified through a computerized medical index system. ERCP was considered successful if the duct of clinical interest had been cannulated and endoscopic therapy had been performed when indicated. RESULTS ERCP was attempted 88 times in 51 patients with prior pancreaticoduodenectomy, including 37 procedures for pancreatic indications, 44 for biliary obstruction, and 7 for both biliary and pancreatic indications. The overall technical success rate of ERCP based on the intention behind the procedure was 51 % (45 of the 88 procedures). Success was significantly more likely for biliary indications (37/44, 84 %) than for pancreatic indications (3/37, 8 %) ( P < or = .001). Complications occurred in 2 % of the procedures and included one self- contained perforation treated medically and one Mallory-Weiss tear. CONCLUSIONS When performed by experienced endoscopists, ERCP in patients with prior pancreaticoduodenectomy is safe, with a high success rate for biliary indications and a low success rate for pancreatic duct indications. Better methods of achieving pancreatic duct cannulation after pancreaticoduodenectomy are needed.
EFFECT OF ER:YAG LASER HOLES ON OSTEOINDUCTION IN DEMINERALIZED RAT CALVARIAL ALLOGRAFTS

Massive cortical autografts and allografts have been found to incorporate into host bone very slowly and thus are subject to complications such as fatigue fracture and infection. In order to understand and improve the process of osteogenesis in these types of bone grafts, a new experimental model was developed using bone discs from rat calvaria prepared by demineralization and drilling of 0.5 mm diameter holes with a pulsed, 2.94 microns wavelength Erbium:Yttrium-Aluminum-Garnet laser. Four types of bone discs were analyzed: untreated (Type I), demineralized (Type II), laser-ablated (Type III), and laser-ablated then demineralized (Type IV). The discs were transplanted into a subcutaneous site in adult Sprague-Dawley rats and followed for as long as 6 weeks. Histologic analysis of the discs at weekly intervals with use of hematoxylin and eosin staining confirmed the presence of new bone growth in Type-II and Type-IV discs. The amount of new bone growth in each disc was estimated by determining the mineral x-ray attenuation coefficient, which is proportional to mineral density, from digitized radiographs of the discs. The results showed that the processes of demineralization (P < 0.001) and laser ablation with demineralization (p < 0.05) were both significant in enhancing new bone growth in this model. This study demonstrated that osteoinduction can be fostered in cortical bone through the processes of demineralization and laser ablation. To the extent that laser ablation may allow maintenance of structural integrity while altering the surface geometry in such a way as to promote ingrowth of new bone, this experimental model represents an advance in understanding how osteogenesis in cortical bone grafts might be improved.
Multimodal near infrared spectral imaging as an exploratory tool for dysplastic esophageal lesion identification.

We explore nine different combinations of fluorescence, light scattering, and polarization spectral imaging approaches in the near-infrared spectral region toward the diagnosis of pathologic and normal esophageal lesions. The combinations of all the imaging techniques were evaluated for maximal sensitivity and specificity. The results suggest that this multimodal approach is capable of highly accurate detection of the presence of pathologic tissue.
Error estimation in non-linear least squares analysis of data

Abstract An incorrect procedure is frequently used, particularly in the analysis of angular correlation data, for estimating errors in quantities extracted from non-linear least squares analysis. The correct procedure is presented.
Vacuum polarization in a strong Coulomb field. I. Induced point charge

This is the first of a series of three papers concerned with the short-distance behavior of the vacuum polarization potential. It is this region that gives the principal energy level shift in heavy muonic atoms. In this paper we compute the induced vacuum polarization point charge that appears in the limit of a point nuclear charge source. Our result, computed analytically to all orders of $Z\ensuremath{\alpha}$, agrees with an earlier calculation of Wichmann and Kroll. We have been able to simplify the calculation considerably by taking advantage of a zero-electron-mass limit and by using formal operator and determinantal techniques.
Japan's technology trade

Abstract Japan's heavy importation of technology is placed within a historical context and found to be highly efficient in terms of the country's economic development goals. The Asian nation's comprehensive approach in securing and importing the appropriate know-how together with the necessary investments in human resources and capital all aided the transfer and employment of the acquired technology. Statistics on education and study and the use of foreign expertise and schools are cited to illustrate the various efforts at keeping abreast of the West during the turmoil of the last century. Over the long term, these efforts have proved consistent and in the end, usually rewarding. Currently, the trade picture appears poised for a fundamental change as Japan becomes a net exporter of advanced technology. Such a shift will have worldwide consequences for science and commerce.
Exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and serum inflammatory markers of cardiovascular disease

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are environmental and occupational carcinogens produced by the incomplete combustion of organic materials, such as coal and petroleum product combustion, tobacco smoking, and food cooking, that may be significant contributors to the burden of cardiovascular disease in human populations. The purpose of this study was to investigate associations between ten monohydroxy urinary metabolites of four PAHs and three serum biomarkers of cardiovascular disease (fibrinogen, homocysteine, and white blood cell count). Using data on 3219 participants aged 20 years and older from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2001–2004 dataset, the associations between PAH metabolites and serum inflammatory markers were analyzed using the Spearman correlations and multiple linear regression modeling. The PAH metabolites of naphthalene, fluorene, phenanthrene, and pyrene each showed both positive and negative correlations with homocysteine, fibrinogen, and white blood cell count (correlation coefficient range: −0.077–0.143) in nonsmoking participants. Using multiple linear regression models adjusted for age, gender, race/ethnicity, and body mass index, estimates of weighted geometric means of inflammatory marker levels were not significantly different between high and low levels (75th vs. 25th percentiles) for all PAH metabolites in nonsmoking subjects. The results of this study do not provide evidence for a relationship between PAH exposure (as measured by urinary levels of PAH metabolites) and serum biomarkers of cardiovascular disease after controlling for tobacco use.
Children's Attitudes and Classroom Interaction in an Intergenerational Education Program.

This research reports findings from an intergenerational science program, Project Serve, which placed senior volunteers in elementary and junior high science classrooms to assist teachers and augment instruction. Items from the Children's View of Aging survey (Newman, 1997; Newman & Faux, 1997) were administered before and after the project with two goals. The first goal was to determine the effect of the project on children's attitudes toward aging and the elderly. We found that even though the program was not specifically designed for attitude change, there was a significant difference in positive attitudes toward aging in the experimental group. The second goal was to see how those attitudes were related to intention to seek out older volunteers for help. We found that the most important predictors of students' intentions to ask for help from senior volunteers were specific attitudes about the adults in the classroom rather than more general attitudes toward the aged. Implications for future programs i...
Reactions of oxygen with VCrTi alloys

Abstract Fusion reactors have been proposed with a vanadium alloy as the structural/containment material. However, vanadium has a significant affinity for interstitial contamination that could deleteriously affect its mechanical properties. The effects of oxygen pick-up in air and low pressure oxygen environments were investigated at 400–500°C for two VCrTi alloys. As expected the studies showed that the room temperature tensile ductility is reduced by exposure to air or low pressure oxygen environments. However, the magnitude depends upon processing history and subsequent heat treatment. Possible embrittling mechanisms such as grain boundary weakening or weakening of near-boundary regions are discussed.
The connection between experimental observables and the potential energy surface in the He-HT system

The effect of infinitesimal functional variations in a rigid rotor He-HT potential surface on several different types of observables - inelastic cross sections, rate constants, and rotational energy level populations - is examined. The dynamic and kinetic observables studied were found to be most sensitive to the V1 (r) component of the potential with the region of highest sensitivity dependent upon the energy or temperature as well as the states related by the individual observable. Sensitivity to the entire surface tends to show more structure due to interference among sensitivities to the individual potential components. While a reasonable amount of information on the underlying potential is retained, significant information loss has been observed in the transition from the microscopic observables to the macroscopic ones.
Prospective relations between children's responses to peer victimization and their socioemotional adjustment

The objective of this investigation was to examine whether children's responses to peer victimization predict subsequent changes in their social and emotional well-being. Also investigated was whether these associations vary as a function of children's sex and level of victimization. Participants included 420 4th- and 5th-grade students (197 boys). Data included children's self-reports of their responses to peer victimization in the Fall and measures of their socioemotional adjustment obtained in the Fall and Spring. Results indicated that there are a number of tradeoffs associated with children's responses to peer victimization. Seeking other's support was predictive of decreased aggression among children infrequently victimized, but was also predictive of increased internalizing difficulties. Avoidant coping predicted improved social adjustment for boys, but declines in social adjustment for girls. Retaliation was associated with increased social maladjustment, but for highly victimized children, predicted decreases in anxiety. Implications for intervention efforts are discussed.
Estimation of scattering object characteristics for image reconstruction using a nonzero background

Two methods are described to estimate the boundary of a 2-D penetrable object and the average sound speed in the object. One method is for circular objects centered in the coordinate system of the scattering observation. This method uses an orthogonal function expansion for the scattering. The other method is for noncircular, essentially convex objects. This method uses cross correlation to obtain time differences that determine a family of parabolas whose envelope is the boundary of the object. A curve-fitting method and a phase-based method are described to estimate and correct the offset of an uncentered radial or elliptical object. A method based on the extinction theorem is described to estimate absorption in the object. The methods are applied to calculated scattering from a circular object with an offset and to measured scattering from an offset noncircular object. The results show that the estimated boundaries, sound speeds, and absorption slopes agree very well with independently measured or true values when the assumptions of the methods are reasonably satisfied.
The role of ideas in Weber's theory of interests

Abstract Max Weber's understanding of the role of people's interests in determining their behavior has been widely misunderstood, because of a misinterpretation of a famous passage in which he analogizes interests to railway “switchmen.” Contrary to this widespread view, Weber does not see material self‐interest as the driving force behind human action. Rather, he distinguishes between material and “ideal” interests; emphasizes the latter; and, arguably, suggests that even the former are, to a great extent, culturally constructed, not least because they rely on ideas about the way the world is. It is almost fair to say, then, that the notion that Weber reduces ideas to interests has things completely backwards.
The elimination of a boy's high-building phobia by in vivo desensitization and game playing

Abstract A 7-yr-old boy with a phobia for high buildings was treated for his avoidance behavior by in vivo desensitization combined with game playing. Game playing in the presence of the phobic object proved to be an effective counter conditioning agent. After six sessions, rapid change was effected, with little apparent fear of tall buildings. The mother reported no apparent fear 3 months later when the boy visited a large metropolitan area. One year later, the phobias's demise was still apparent.
Oral assembly in left-handed Tetrahymena thermophila.

We have investigated oral development in a non-genically derived left-handed (LH) form of Tetrahymena thermophila, in which the large-scale asymmetry of arrangement of cortical structures is reversed whereas the local asymmetry of ciliary architecture remains normal. Approximately 1/2 of the oral apparatuses (OAs) of LH cells develop in the form of superficial mirror-images of OAs of RH cells. In most of these OAs, membranelles are assembled from the cells’anterior to posterior. Nonetheless, the posterior ends of these membranelles undergo the basal body displacements that lead to a “sculptured” appearance, so that the membranelles of LH OAs become organized as rotational permutations of membranelles of normal RH OAs. Many of these membranelles re-orient to a normal orientation near the end of oral development. Membranelles and undulating membranes (UMs) may develop independently of each other, and formation of postciliary microtubules of UMs is separate from that of ribbed wall microtubules. In some cases, the entire OA develops and remains as a 180° rotational permutation of the normal, resembling the inverted OAs of mirror-image doublets and LH cells of Glaucoma scintillans described by Suhama [36, 37]. We present a model (Fig. 37) for these complex developmental outcomes. These developmental patterns resemble those described previously and less completely for “secondary” OAs of cells with mirror-image global patterns, including janus cells. The present study demonstrates that such alterations in oral development are not a direct outcome of genotypic changes.
STM and ECSTM Study of the Formation and Structure of Self-Assembling Osmium Complexes on Pt(111)

The formation and structure of the self-assembling transition metal complex [Os(bpy)2(dipy)Cl](PF6) (bpy is 2,2‘-bipyridine, dipy is trimethylene-4,4‘-bipyridine) adsorbed onto a Pt(111) substrate was studied using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy (ECSTM). The growth of a spread submonolayer was observed in real time while simultaneously measuring the adsorbate coverage using cyclic voltammetry. Molecularly resolved images of the monolayer crystallized onto the Pt(111) surface, taken in air and showing a rectangular close-packed structure, were compared with images of the monolayer obtained in-situ in electrolyte solution and under potential control.
The world is not a desktop

What is the metaphor for the computer of the future? The intelligent agent? The television (multimedia)? The 3-D graphics world (virtual reality)? The StarTrek ubiquitous voice computer? The GUI desktop, honed and refined? The machine that magically grants our wishes? I think the right answer is "none of the above", because I think all of these concepts share a basic flaw: they make the computer visible.
The Impact of Daubert on the Admissibility of Forensic Anthropology Expert Testimony

Forensic anthropologists anticipated a significant impact from the 1993 Supreme Court Daubert decision, which addressed the standard of admissibility for expert testimony. In response, many forensic articles cited Daubert in the search for objective techniques or a critique of established subjective methods. This study examines challenges to forensic anthropological expert testimony to evaluate whether Daubert has actually affected the admissibility of such testimony. Thirty cases were identified that addressed the admissibility of the testimony, including 14 cases prior to Daubert and 16 after Daubert. Examination of these cases indicates that post-Daubert cases do not result in more exclusions. Yet, this lack of exclusions may instead be viewed as a manifestation of the field's overall surge toward more objective and quantifiable techniques in a self-regulating response to Daubert.
Detection of transients using discrete wavelet transform

A scheme for the detection of transient signals with unknown waveforms and arrival times is presented. The detection is performed in the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) domain, where the presence of a transient is indicated by a peak at a location that depends on the values of the dilation and translation parameters. By choosing these parameters appropriately one can control the sharpness of this peak as well as the distance between different peaks that correspond to different arrival times. As a result, transients that partially overlap in time can be resolved in the DWT domain. The DWT domain preserves the arrival time information even when the transient is corrupted by additive zero-mean noise at a very low signal-to-noise ratio. >
Development and testing of vanadium alloys for fusion applications

V base alloys have advantages for fusion reactor first-wall and blanket structure. To screen candidate alloys and optimize a V-base alloy, physical and mechanical properties of V-Ti, V-Cr-Ti, and V-Ti- Si alloys were studied before and after irradiation in Li environment in fast fission reactors. V-4Cr-4Ti containing 500-1000 wppM Si and <1000 wppM O+N+C was investigated as the most promising alloy, and more testing is being done. Major results of the work are presented in this paper. The reference V-4Cr-4Ti had the most attractive combination of the mechanical and physical properties that are prerequisite for first-wall and blanket structures: good thermal creep, good tensile strength/ductility, high impact energy, excellent resistance to swelling, and very low ductile-brittle transition temperature before and after irradiation. The alloy was highly resistant to irradiation-induced embrittlement in Li at 420-600 C, and the effects of dynamically charged He on swelling and mechanical properties were insignificant. However, several important issues remain unresolved: welding, low-temperature irradiation, He effect at high dose and high He concentration, irradiation creep, and irradiation performance in air or He. Initial results of investigation of some of these issues are also given.
Turbulent mixing in stratified fluids: layer formation and energetics

Water with constant initial salt stratification was mixed with a horizontally moving vertical rod. The initially linear density profile turned into a series of steps when mixing was weak, in agreement with instability theory by Phillips (1972) and Posmentier (1977). For stronger mixing no steps formed. However, in all cases mixed layers formed next to the top and bottom boundaries and expanded into the interior due to the no-flux condition at the horizontal boundaries. The critical Richardson number Rie, dividing experiments with steps and ones without, increases with Reynolds number Re as Rie ≈ exp(Re/900). Steps evolved over time, with small ones forming first and larger ones appearing later. The interior seemed to reach an equilibrium state with a collection of stationary steps. The boundary mixed layers continued to penetrate into the interior. They finally formed two mixed layers separated by a step, and ultimately acquired the same densities so the fluid became homogeneous. The length scale of the equilibrium steps, ls, is a linear function of U/Ni, where U is the speed of the stirring rod and Ni is the buoyancy frequency of the initial stratification. The mixing efficiency Rf also evolved in relation to the evolution of the density structure. During the initiation of the steps, Rf showed two completely different modes of evolution depending on the overall Richardson number of the initial state, Rio. For Rio [Gt ] Rie, Rf increased initially. However for Rio near Rie, Rf decreased. Then the steps reached an equilibrium state where Rf was constant at a value that depended on the initial stratification. The density flux was measured to be uniform in the layered interior irrespective of the interior density gradient during the equilibrium state. Thus, the density (salt) was transported from the bottom boundary mixed layer through the layered interior to the top boundary mixed layer without changing the interior density structure. The relationship between Ril and Rf was found for Ril > 1, where Ril is the Richardson number based on the thickness of the interface between the mixed layers. Rf decreases as Ril increases, consistent with the most crucial assumption of the instability theory of Phillips/Posmentier.
Meeting the “Godfather”: Fieldwork and Ethnographic Seduction in a Chinese Nightclub

Based on ethnographic research conducted with criminal underworld figures in urban China in the early 2000s, this article examines the particular set of ethical, emotional, and epistemological issues that arise when studying “illegal” actors. These actors’ positions as simultaneously marginal and powerful confound readymade ethical guidelines based on studying either “up” or “down.” Although studying “illegal” actors presents a complex power dynamic and renders anthropologists particularly vulnerable to “ethnographic seduction,” their practices and perspectives often reveal the complex interconnections and mutually constitutive relationships between “legal” and “criminal” as well as “licit” and “illicit” domains. Studying illegal or illicit worlds thus requires that we suspend the conceptual and moral binaries through which both state actors and social scientists typically perceive them.
Personalized meta-search engine design and implementation

Personalized meta-search engine is one search engine that we teach the machine to learn users' interest, so the search engine can help users to pick up the useful information for them quickly by using their interest keeping in the database. Personalized meta-search engine can sort the results according to users' interest, the results that user likes will be the top of the results. It is a good measure to use Vector Space Model to help us implement the personalization. We use Vector Space Model to model the user and the results' interest, then we use cosine angel to calculate the similarity of these interest. This paper describes the design and implementation of this system by using result and user modeling.
609: The impact of prompt diagnosis and treatment on maternal and perinatal outcome in pregnant women with influenza A (H1N1)

singleton pregnancies after exclusion of long term steroid use and anomalies. Infectious outcomes were analyzed, including endometritis, chorioamnionitis, group B streptococcus (GBS), antenatal urinary tract infections (UTI), and wound infections. Infectious neonatal data were analyzed, including neonatal fever, sepsis, and pneumonia. Relative risk (RR) analyses were performed comparing normal weight (BMI 18.50-24.49) and underweight (BMI 50.00) patients with their corresponding neonatal data. Regression analyses were performed to account for confounding factors. RESULTS: Obese patients were at increased risk for wound infections (RR 1.96, 95% CI 1.55-2.47, P 0.0001), as well as endometritis (RR 1.62, 95% CI 1.19-2.22, P 0.0021), UTIs (RR 1.33, 95% CI 1.23-1.43, P 0.0001), and GBS (RR 1.22, 95% CI 1.18-1.26, P 0.0001). Interestingly, obesity was protective against chorioamnionitis with a RR of 0.83 (95% CI .074-0.92, P 0.0003). The multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that only race, age parity, and number of vaginal exams were risk factors for chorioamnionitis. Age, parity, and diabetes were risk factors for endometritis. Maternal obesity had no correlation with infectious neonatal outcomes. CONCLUSION: In addition to the predisposition to wound infections, obesity is a risk factor for endometritis, GBS, and antenatal UTIs. After regression analysis endometritis and chorioamnionitis do not have any significant association with obesity. Maternal obesity is not a risk factor for neonatal infections.
Kinetics of Ceramic-Metal Composite Formation by Reactive Metal Penetration

The rate of composite formation via reactive metal penetration has been determined. The metal penetration depth (i.e., the reaction-layer thickness) was measured from cross sections of partially reacted samples. Samples were fabricated by immersing dense mullite preforms in a bath of molten aluminum at temperatures of 900°–1300°C and reacting the combination for up to 250 min. In general, the reaction-layer thickness increased linearly as the time increased. Penetration rates as high as 6.0 mm/h were measured; however, the aluminum penetration rate varied dramatically with time and temperature. The penetration rate increased when the reaction temperature was increased from 900°C to 1100°C, and the reaction-layer thickness increased linearly as the time increased in this temperature range. At temperatures of 1150°C and above, reaction-layer formation slowed or stopped after a relatively short period of rapid linear growth, because of an increase in silicon concentration near the reaction interface. The duration of the rapid linear growth period decreased from 25 min at 1150°C to <1 min at 1250°C. At temperatures of 1300°C and above, no reaction layer was detected by using optical microscopy. Kinetics data and transmission electron microscopy analysis suggest that the reaction was inhibited at higher reaction temperatures and longer times, because of silicon buildup and saturation at the reaction front. Calculations show that, as the reaction temperature increased, the silicon production increased faster than the silicon transport. The two rates were approximately equal at a temperature of 1100°C.
The diagnosis and treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease in a managed care environment, Suggested disease management guidelines.

A group of experts from gastroenterology, internal medicine, health economics, medical outcomes, and managed care met in San Francisco, Calif, on September 27, 1994, in an effort to develop clinically and economically effective disease management guidelines to assist physicians in their treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease in a managed care environment. This article represents a consensus opinion based on the evidence and expert interpretation at the time of that meeting. (Arch Intern Med. 1996;156:477-484)
A Data Selective Segment Proportionate Affine Projection Algorithm for Echo Cancellation

The segment proportionate normalized least mean-square algorithm (SPNLMS) has been proposed with the objective of improving the adaptation convergence rate when modeling high-order sparse impulse response systems as compared to their conventional counterparts.. When the excitation signal is colored, especially the speech, the convergence performance of SPNLMS algorithm demonstrates slow convergence speed. The segment proportionate affine projection (SPAP) algorithm is an useful adaptive filter to improve the convergence speed of PNLMS-type filter by updating the weight vector based on several previous input vectors, Unfortunately, the SPAP algorithm obtains a faster convergence of the SPNLMS comes at the expense of an increase in the computational complexity linked to the amount of reuses employed. For this reason, the idea of proportionate adaptation combined with the framework of set-membership filtering in an attempt to reduce computational complexity of algorithm is presented. The proposed algorithm allows the reduction of the frequency of updates of the filter coefficients, where the filter coefficients are updated such that the output estimation error is upper bounded by a pre-determined threshold. Simulations show that its overall complexity is lower compared to fully updated SPAP and its performance is close to that of the SPAP algorithm.
Effect of Trap Color, Bait, Shape, and Orientation in Attraction of Blueberry Maggot (Diptera: Tephritidae) Flies

Yellow, green, red, and blue sphere traps (9 cm diameter) were equal to or better than Pherocon AM yellow board traps in attracting blueberry maggot, Rhagoletis mendax Curran, flies. Because the sticky surface area of the Pherocon AM yellow board trap is 1.6 times greater than the sphere, sphere traps captured more flies per unit area. Both sphere and yellow board traps baited with ammonia were significantly more attractive than unbaited traps, thus ammonia may be the primary cue in attraction over trap shape or color. Ammonium carbonate dissipated within 2 wk from polycon dispensers and improvements in dispensers may allow season-long monitoring of blueberry maggot flies. More female than male flies were captured on ammonia baited traps over the season, which is consistent with findings that Rhagoletis female flies seek a protein source for egg maturation. A shift from yellow boards to spheres as the season progressed was not observed.
Directed migration of smooth muscle cells to engineer plaque-resistant vein grafts.

PURPOSE To test the hypothesis that controlled perivascular release of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) can generate cleaved extracellular matrix (ECM) chemotactic gradients to guide the migration of vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) away from the lumen, thereby limiting neointima formation. METHODS This hypothesis was tested in rabbit models in which the perivascular surface of vein bypass grafts was treated with microspheres releasing tPA (MS-tPA), microspheres containing no drug (MS-blank), or phosphate buffered saline (PBS). Vein graft segments harvested after 7 days were then evaluated for elastin content, proliferating SMCs, intima-to-media (I/M) ratio, and inflammation; late impact on neointima formation was also examined. RESULTS The 7-day results demonstrated cleaved elastin gradients and proliferating SMCs that assumed a more peripheral distribution in the MS-tPA group than MS-blank and PBS controls (p<0.05). At 28 days, vein grafts treated with MS-tPA showed a mean I/M ratio (0.35+/-0.04) that was 63.5% lower than PBS controls (0.96+/-0.07, p<0.005) and 43.5% lower than MS-blank specimens (0.62+/-0.08, p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Perivascular release of tPA modifies ECM gradients, directionally guides SMC migration away from the lumen, and limits neointima formation.
Hispanic women's perceptions of patient-centeredness during prenatal care: a mixed-method study.

: Background:Assessing the quality of prenatal care received by Hispanic women is particularly important, given the rapidly growing Hispanic population in the United States. The purpose of this study was threefold: to assess the prevalence of Hispanic mothers who perceived their prenatal care to be patient-centered, to determine whether Hispanic mothers were less likely to perceive their prenatal care to be patient-centered than non-Hispanic mothers, and to better understand Hispanic women's perceptions of the patient-centeredness of their prenatal care. Methods:Semistructured interviews were conducted with a proportionate, stratified random sample of 359 women initiating prenatal care in their first trimester and 68 women initiating prenatal care in their third trimester who delivered at 10 Palm Beach County, Florida, maternity hospitals between May and December 2003. Interviews assessed three aspects of patient-centered prenatal care using quantitative and qualitative methods. Results:Hispanic mothers were less likely than non-Hispanic mothers to perceive that doctors and nurses treated them with respect during their prenatal care appointments (adjusted OR, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.10–0.86), and to perceive that office staff treated them with respect during their prenatal care appointments (adjusted OR, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.12–0.73). Hispanic mothers were more likely to experience language or communication problems than non-Hispanic mothers (adjusted OR, 3.30; 95% CI, 1.40–7.76). Qualitative analyses found that lack of patient-centered care limited Hispanic mothers’ ability to understand information given during prenatal visits, ability to ask questions about their prenatal care, and desire to return for subsequent appointments. Conclusions:Hispanic women could benefit from prenatal care that is more culturally and linguistically competent as well as care that is responsive to the group's cultural norms. One recommendation is the use of group prenatal care, which encourages groups of women with similar gestational ages to articulate and discuss cultural norms and attitudes about pregnancy during structured prenatal care sessions. (BIRTH 32:4 December 2005)