cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Primary odynophonia: When pain is out of proportion to dysphonia.

Objectives/hypothesis Odynophonia is generally regarded as a symptom of a voice disorder. However, a subset of patients with odynophonia have debilitating pain out of proportion to the relatively mild degree of dysphonia and are not responsive to voice therapy. The goals of this study were to 1) describe the symptomatology of this subset of patients and differentiate it from typical odynophonia, 2) propose alternate models to explain this phenomenon of primary odynophonia, and 3) present a new treatment paradigm based on the proposed models. Study design Case series. Methods Inclusion criteria were complaint of persistent pain associated with voicing, normal vocal fold mobility, complete glottic closure, and limited or lack of response of pain to voice therapy. Presenting symptoms, voice evaluation, and treatment outcomes were reviewed. Results Eleven patients fit the inclusion criteria. The degree of pain did not follow the trajectory of vocal improvement with therapy. The pain was stagnant or worsened with voice exercises. The most dramatic improvement came about in one patient who received false vocal fold Botox injections, and another who received thyrohyoid lidocaine/triamcinolone injection. We propose that these patients had developed primary odynophonia, in which the pain had become self-sustaining and no longer responded to correction of hyperfunctional vocal behavior. The mechanism of pain persistence may involve superior laryngeal neuralgia, cartilaginous or ligamentous inflammation, and/or central sensitization. Conclusions A minority of patients have primary odynophonia distinct from typical odynophonia. Direct treatment of pain may be advisable prior to or in conjunction with voice therapy. Level of evidence 4 Laryngoscope, 130:E183-E189, 2020.
Dynamic Modeling of Sequential Service Restoration in Islanded Single Master Microgrids

This paper presents a methodology for generating restoration sequences in distribution systems and microgrids with emphasis on deriving optimal switching times for remote control switches. Microgrid architecture considered are assumed to be operating in islanded single master mode. Control methods for handling the unbalance inherent in distribution systems using single-phase controlled PQ inverters were developed and incorporated in the proposed method. The problem of considering simultaneously both energy optimization and dynamic stability of the system, which is lacking in existing methods, was addressed by studying the transient behavior of microgrids based on extended electromagnetic transients program (EMTP) simulations and then approximate and incorporate these behaviors into the optimization formulation for restoration. The approach is based on multi-objective optimization of final restored load and total restoration time. The methodology was studied on a modified IEEE 123 node test feeder. An EMTP simulation in PSCAD of the formed microgrids was used to validate the accuracy of the dynamic and steady-state characteristics of the resulting systems. By considering the transient behavior of distributed generators (DGs) during restoration, a better restoration sequence that does not trigger protection relays could be realized.
(Un)Common White Sense: the Whiteness Behind Digital Media

Wielding its power through operations of invisibility and normalcy, whiteness, as a racially hegemonic ideology, acts as if white racial domination is the normal, natural order of the world, as if it is common sense. But this ‘common’ sense has another operating mechanism; it allows whiteness to go undetected, thereby masking racial inequities. That is, as folks blindly accept what is ‘common’ sense as rationale to justify their actions, they inadvertently ignore how whiteness, and thus white supremacy, is inextricably bound into that white sense making. As such, we opt for another term, (un)common white sense which deliberately makes the ‘common’ uncommon by revealing the hidden tendencies of whiteness. Take, for example, historically white (In solidarity with Critical Race Theory (CRT) scholarship, this article strategically capitalizes Black and lowercases white) institutions of higher education where curating a diverse public image of racial magnanimity generates a positive public reputation so needed by the university. Yet in this branding and imaging, whiteness is still ever-present. Though the university brochures are glittered with diverse Black and Brown faces, the university is pimping Black and Brown bodies for its own agenda, perpetuating the oft inequitable racial experiences of people of colour. In the end, those glittering, diverse university brochures are just another attempt to present a fictitious racial utopia. By exposing how universities apply (un)common white sense in their postdigital media, the maintenance and manifestations of white supremacy are revealed. Using Critical Race Theory’s method of counterstorytelling, this article illuminates how (un)common white sense embeds itself in university postdigital media. We, the authors, first explore how this face-value diversity has been used in the past, how it is presently being enforced on a historically white university (HWU) campus, and how the present problem of white ‘common’ sense can perhaps be made (un)common.
Variation in the Cost of Care for Different Types of Joint Arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND Lower-extremity arthroplasty constitutes the largest burden on health-care spending of any Medicare diagnosis group. Demand for upper extremity arthroplasty also continues to rise. It is necessary to better understand costs as health care shifts toward a bundled-payment accounting approach. We aimed (1) to identify whether variation exists in total cost for different types of joint arthroplasty, and, if so, (2) to determine which cost parameters drive this variation. METHODS The cost of the episode of inpatient care for 22,215 total joint arthroplasties was calculated by implementing time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC) at a single orthopaedic specialty hospital from 2015 to 2018. Implant price, supply costs, personnel costs, and length of stay for total knee, total hip, anatomic total shoulder, reverse total shoulder, total elbow, and total ankle arthroplasty were analyzed. Individual cost parameters were compared with total cost and volume. RESULTS Higher implant cost appeared to correlate with higher total costs and represented 53.8% of the total cost for an inpatient care cycle. Total knee arthroplasty was the least-expensive and highest-volume procedure, whereas total elbow arthroplasty had the lowest volume and highest cost (1.65 times more than that of total knee arthroplasty). Length of stay was correlated with increased personnel cost but did not have a significant effect on total cost. CONCLUSIONS Total inpatient cost at our orthopaedic specialty hospital varied by up to a factor of 1.65 between different fields of arthroplasty. The highest-volume procedures-total knee and hip arthroplasty-were the least expensive, driven predominantly by lower implant purchase prices. CLINICAL RELEVANCE We are not aware of any previous studies that have accurately compared cost structures across upper and lower-extremity arthroplasty with a uniform methodology. The present study, because of its uniform accounting process, provides reliable data that will allow clinicians to better understand cost relationships between different procedures.
Interplay Between Patient Colonization and Environmental Contamination With Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci and Their Association With Patient Health Outcomes in Postacute Care

Background The clinical utility of patient and environmental surveillance screening for vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) in the postacute care setting has not been definitively clarified. We assessed the longitudinal relationship between patient colonization and room contamination, and we established their association with unfavorable health outcomes. Methods Four hundred sixty-three postacute care patients were followed longitudinally from enrollment to discharge for up to 6 months. Multiple body and environmental sites were sampled at regular intervals to establish correlation between environmental contamination and patient colonization and with longer than expected stay, unplanned hospitalization, and infections adjusting for sex, age, race, Charlson's comorbidity index, and physical self-maintenance score. Results New VRE acquisition was more likely in patients residing in contaminated rooms (multivariable odds ratio [OR] = 3.75; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.98-7.11) and vice versa (OR = 3.99; 95% CI, 2.16-7.51). New acquisition and new contamination were associated with increased length of stay (OR = 4.36, 95% CI = 1.86-10.2 and OR = 4.61, 95% CI = 1.92-11.0, respectively) and hospitalization (OR = 2.42, 95% CI = 1.39-4.22 and OR = 2.80, 95% CI = 1.52-5.12). New-onset infections were more common with higher VRE burdens (15% in the absence of VRE, 20% when after VRE isolation only on the patient or only in the room, and 29% after VRE isolation in both the patient and the room). Conclusions Room contamination with VRE is a risk factor for patient colonization, and both are associated with future adverse health outcomes in our postacute care patients. Further research is warranted to establish whether VRE screening may contribute to better understanding of risk assessment and adverse outcome prevention in postacute care.
24.4 A Watt-Level Multimode Multi-Efficiency-Peak Digital Polar Power Amplifier with Linear Single-Supply Class-G Technique

Signals for next-generation communication systems typically have high peak-to-average power ratios (PAPR) (e.g., 10 to 13dB), forcing operation at deep output power backoff (PBO). A good efficiency at PBO is required to maintain high average efficiency. Typical power amplifiers (PAs) demonstrate degraded efficiency at high PBO levels, which causes a significant degradation in efficiency, particularly for signals with high PAPR. Efficiency-enhancement techniques using digital PAs (DPAs) have been extensively introduced (e.g., Class-G, Doherty, etc.). DPAs have been shown to be great choices for efficiency enhancement at PBO, because each DPA cell can change the operating mode while switched OFF during the mode transitions, resulting in better linearity and seamless efficiency enhancement at PBO.
The Impact and Perception of Cell Phone Usage in a Teaching Hospital Setting.

Objective:To evaluate perceptions regarding cell phone use in a teaching hospital setting among health care providers, residents, medical students, and patients.Methods:Fifty-three medical students...
X2T: Training an X-to-Text Typing Interface with Online Learning from User Feedback

We aim to help users communicate their intent to machines using flexible, adaptive interfaces that translate arbitrary user input into desired actions. In this work, we focus on assistive typing applications in which a user cannot operate a keyboard, but can instead supply other inputs, such as webcam images that capture eye gaze. Standard methods train a model on a fixed dataset of user inputs, then deploy a static interface that does not learn from its mistakes; in part, because extracting an error signal from user behavior can be challenging. We investigate a simple idea that would enable such interfaces to improve over time, with minimal additional effort from the user: online learning from user feedback on the accuracy of the interface's actions. In the typing domain, we leverage backspaces as feedback that the interface did not perform the desired action. We propose an algorithm called x-to-text (X2T) that trains a predictive model of this feedback signal, and uses this model to fine-tune any existing, default interface for translating user input into actions that select words or characters. We evaluate X2T through a small-scale online user study with 12 participants who type sentences by gazing at their desired words, and a large-scale observational study on handwriting samples from 60 users. The results show that X2T learns to outperform a non-adaptive default interface, stimulates user co-adaptation to the interface, personalizes the interface to individual users, and can leverage offline data collected from the default interface to improve its initial performance and accelerate online learning.
Free Space Optical Communication for Low Earth Orbit Data Relay Networks

Commercial high-rate LEO data relay networks with lasercom crosslink technology are nearing fruition. Physical layer connections are demonstrated, but higher layer challenges remain: topology control, data Doppler shifts, and disruption management.
Historic Assessment and Analysis of the Mass Production of Laricobius spp. (Coleoptera: Derodontidae), Biological Control Agents for the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, at Virginia Tech

Laricobius nigrinus (Coleoptera: Derodontidae) Fender and Laricobius osakensis (Coleoptera: Derodontidae) Montgomery and Shiyake have been mass produced by Virginia Tech as biological control agents for the hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA), Adelges tsugae (Hemiptera: Adelgidae) Annand, for the past 15 and 9 yr, respectively. Herein, we describe modifications of our rearing procedures, trends and analyses in the overall production of these agents, and the redistribution of these agents for release to local and federal land managers. Based on these data, we have highlighted three major challenges to the rearing program: 1) high mortality during the subterranean portion of its life cycle (averaging 37% annually) reducing beetle production, 2) asynchrony in estivation emergence relative to the availability of their host HWA minimizing food availability, and 3) unintended field collections of Laricobius spp. larvae on HWA provided to lab-reared larvae complicating rearing procedures. We further highlight corresponding avenues of research aimed at addressing each of these challenges to further improve Laricobius spp. production.
Isolation and Purification of Prothrombin from Dicumarolized Steers

Abstract Prothrombin was isolated and highly purified from the plasma of steers treated with Dicumarol when their plasma prothrombin concentration approximated 12% of normal. The preparations showed a single component by ultracentrifugation, immunodiffusion, immunoelectrophoresis, polyacrylamide (disc) gel electrophoresis using different separatory gel concentrations with running gel at pH 7.5 and 8.9, and also by moving boundary electrophoresis at pH 7.0 and 8.6. Preparations did not undergo dissociation or inactivation during moving boundary electrophoresis. The specific activity of the preparations was 1800 ± 300 units per mg of protein, approximately half that of normal prothrombin (3200 ± 200 units per mg of protein). Prothrombin purified from plasma at a concentration of 50% of normal had normal specific activity, however. Prothrombin prepared from normal plasma diluted to a prothrombin concentration of 12.5% of normal had specific activity similar to those preparations from normal undiluted plasma, but greater than that from Dicumarolized plasma. The low specific activity of the Dicumarolized prothrombin is considered indicative of the biosynthesis of altered prothrombin molecules.
Complexity regularized video watermarking via quantization of pseudo-random semi-global linear statistics

In this paper, we propose a semi-blind video watermarking scheme for the verification problem, where mark embedding is carried out by designing a complexity-adaptive watermark signal via solving a constrained optimization problem. By adding the resulting watermark to the unmarked host, we effectively quantize pseudorandom linear statistics of the host in the wavelet domain using a secret codebook. We introduce a stochastic video model and exploit it during the design. In particular, we use the proposed model to generate a “complexity map”, which is then employed in solving the underlying optimization problem to “regularize” the watermark. Consequently, the resulting watermark is locally adapted to the statistical complexity of the signal at a coefficient level. Regularization is achieved by solving the underlying optimization problem using an iterative algorithm. We experimentally validate the complexity-adaptive structure of the resulting scheme, while maintaining robustness against numerous attacks, such as low bit rate video compression, mild geometric modifications, etc. This paper can be viewed as a continuation of our previous work [1].
Transparent Network Connectivity in Dynamic Cluster Environments

Improvements in microprocessor and networking performance have made networks of workstations a very attractive platform for high-end parallel and distributed computing. However, the effective deployment of such environments requires addressing two problems not associated with dedicated parallel machines: heterogeneous resource capabilities and dynamic availability. Achieving good performance requires that application components be able to migrate between cluster resources and efficiently adapt to the underlying resource capabilities. An important component of the required support is maintaining network connectivity, which directly impacts on the transparency of migration to the application and its performance after migration. Unfortunately, existing approaches rely on either extensive operating system modifications or new APIs to maintain network connectivity, both of which limits their wider applicability. This paper presents the design, implementation, and performance of a transparent network connectivity layer for dynamic cluster environments. Our design uses the techniques of API interception and virtualization to construct a transparent layer in user space; use of the layer requires no modification either to the application or the underlying operating system and messaging layers. Our layer enables the migration of application components without breaking network connections, and additionally permits adaptation to the characteristics of the underlying networking substrate. Experiments with supporting a persistent socket interface in two environments---an Ethernet LAN on top of TCP/IP, and a Myrinet LAN on top of Fast Messages---show that our approach incurs minimal overheads and can effectively select the best substrate for implementing application communication requirements.
Evolution: Tempo and Mode

‘Tempo’ refers to the rate of evolution, the rate of phenotypic change either within lineages or expressed as averages within major taxonomic groups. ‘Mode’ refers to the pattern of evolution – whether it is continuous or episodic; whether it is primarily phyletic (within-lineage) or proceeds mostly by lineage-splitting; whether it shows directional trends or not; and whether it proceeds by small steps or sudden jumps. Keywords: evolutionary rates; punctuated equilibrium; gradualism; speciation; stasis
N-terminal deletions of a mitochondrial signal sequence in yeast. Targeting information of delta-aminolevulinate synthase is encoded in non-overlapping regions.

Abstract A series of N-terminal deletions of the mitochondrial targeting sequence of the HEM1 product, delta-aminolevulinate synthase, was constructed. Targeting ability of mutant signals was assayed in vivo by fusion to beta-galactosidase or to the mature delta-aminolevulinate synthase. In the former case, the subcellular location of the fusion proteins provided a measure of import efficiency. In the later case, constructs were tested for complementation of delta hem 1 strains. We found this complementation assay to be particularly sensitive if the delta hem 1 strain is rho-. The results of these experiments, together with experiments deleting the signal from the carboxyl end, indicate that the targeting information is encoded in non-overlapping regions of the HEM1 signal.
Tools and Behavioral Abstraction: A Direction for Software Engineering

As in other engineering professions, software engineers rely on tools. Such tools can analyze program texts and design specifications more automatically and in more detail than ever before. While many tools today are applied to find new defects in old code, I predict that more software-engineering tools of the future will be available to software authors at the time of authoring. If such analysis tools can be made to be fast enough and easy enough to use, they can help software engineers better produce and evolve programs.
Spiritually Oriented Interventions for Counseling and Psychotherapy, edited by J. D. Aten, M. R. McMinn, and E. L. Worthington, Jr.

Spiritually Oriented Interventions for Counseling and Psychotherapy offers a unique overview of the issues that arise when using spirituality in holistic interventions with clients. This textbook o...
Progress in adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer: an overview

Breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer and cancer death worldwide. Although most patients present with localized breast cancer and may be rendered disease-free with local therapy, distant recurrence is common and is the primary cause of death from the disease. Adjuvant systemic therapies are effective in reducing the risk of distant and local recurrence, including endocrine therapy, anti-HER2 therapy, and chemotherapy, even in patients at low risk of recurrence. The widespread use of adjuvant systemic therapy has contributed to reduced breast cancer mortality rates. Adjuvant cytotoxic chemotherapy regimens have evolved from single alkylating agents to polychemotherapy regimens incorporating anthracyclines and/or taxanes. This review summarizes key milestones in the evolution of adjuvant systemic therapy in general, and adjuvant chemotherapy in particular. Although adjuvant treatments are routinely guided by predictive factors for endocrine therapy (hormone receptor expression) and anti-HER2 therapy (HER2 overexpression), predicting benefit from chemotherapy has been more challenging. Randomized studies are now in progress utilizing multiparameter gene expression assays that may more accurately select patients most likely to benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy.
Pharmacogenetics : From Bench Science to the Bedside

Pharmacogenetics has received considerable attention in recent medical news. Extensive research has been conducted to better understand how an individual patient may respond to and benefit from a particular drug. The clinical application of pharmacogenetics, like other medical advances, requires scientific validation and established clinical utility for widespread use among patients, prescribers, and payers. This activity reviews factors that contribute to the successful integration of pharmacogenetics in clinical practice, from the drug development process all the way to the patient.
Antigen-induced proliferative response to murine thymus cells in vitro.

Abstract Thymus cells from 5- to 6-week-old normal (unimmunized) BALB/c mice showed an increased incorporation of [3H]thymidine in the presence of 2,4-dinitrophenyl-bovine serum albumin, fluorescein-bovine serum albumin, and bovine serum albumin (BSA) in tissue culture. The concentrations of antigen (BSA and haptenated proteins) required for stimulation were approximately 25- to 50-fold higher than those of the nonspecific mitogen, concanavalin A. In contrast to the stimulation by concanavalin A, which was maximal at 24 to 72 h, the stimulation by antigen was most marked earlier in the culture period (6 to 24 h). The BSA response was diminished to a statistically significant degree (especially at low BSA concentrations) in thymocytes from animals injected 72 h previously with BSA, indicating that the stimulation is immunologically specific.
Reaction of a copper-dioxygen complex with nitrogen monoxide (*NO) leads to a copper(II)-peroxynitrite species.

A discrete peroxynitrite−copper(II) complex, [(TMG3tren)CuII(−OON═O)]+ (3), has been generated in solution (ESI-MS, m/z = 565.15; tetragonal EPR) by reacting •NO(g) with superoxo complex [(TMG3tren)CuII(O2•−)]+ (2). Complex 3 undergoes a thermal transformation to give CuII−nitrite complex [(TMG3tren)CuII(−ONO)]+ (4) (X-ray) along with ca. 0.5 molar equiv dioxygen. A DFT calculation derived structure with cyclic bidentate k2-O,O′-OONO bound peroxynitrite moiety and dx2−y2 ground state is proposed. Experiments using 18O2 suggest that the adjacent peroxo oxygen atoms in 3 are derived from molecular oxygen. Further, 18O2 containing 3 undergoes O−O bond cleavage to form singly 18-O-labeled 4. The results suggest the viability of biological CuI/O2/(•NO) peroxynitrite formation and chemistry, that is, not coming from free superoxide plus •NO reaction.
SWELLING OF FISH MITOCHONDRIA

The physical properties of fish liver and rat liver mitochondria were compared as a function of temperature and osmotic pressure. The data indicate that fish mitochondria are more flexible and swell at a more rapid rate over a 0 to 30°C temperature range, whereas the rates of swelling at 30 to 40°C are comparable. The swelling rates of both fish and rat mitochondria vary with temperature and approximate the Arrhenius relationship. Apparent energies of activation for swelling averaged 26.5 kcal and 12.9 kcal for rat and fish, respectively. Fish mitochondria were less stable than rat mitochondria to osmotic variation, and the disparity in initial swelling rates became increasingly greater with lower osmotic pressure. The hypotonic swelling of both fish and rat mitochondria was readily reversed osmotically; however, there was a very rapid decay of reversal in fish mitochondria and only a very slow decay in the case of rat. All the data indicate that under comparable conditions the fish mitochondrial membranes are more flexible and presumably more permeable and labile than rat mitochondrial membranes. The findings are discussed in relation to the general metabolic implications and the possible contributions of the membrane constituents to membrane behavior.
Photoelastic assessment of finite-element analysis of a pipe tee

A three-dimensional photoelastic analysis and a finite-element analysis of a pressurized pipe tee are compared. The pipe tee is a 152-mm typical commercial straight buttwelding tee, having a nominal wall thickness of 11.0 mm. The finite-element program employs a doubly curved shell element in which stresses vary linearly through the thickness. The three-dimensional photoelastic model was cast from the pattern of an actual pipe tee. The model was pressurized and stress-frozen. Its principal planes were analyzed for in-plane surface stresses, then subsliced and analyzed for transverse stresses. The photoelastic stresses are graphically compared to those from finite elements. For large regions of the tee there is substantial agreement in the stresses from the two methods. Considerable disagreement is revealed in the sharply curved corners between the main pipe and the stem.
Thermal and reproductive biology of high and low elevation populations of the lizard Sceloporus scalaris: implications for the evolution of viviparity.

Viviparity in squamate reptiles is presumed to evolve in cold climates by selection for increasingly longer periods of egg retention. Longer periods of egg retention may require modifications to other reproductive features associated with the evolution of viviparity, including a reduction in eggshell thickness and clutch size. Field studies on the thermal and reproductive biology of high (HE) and low (LE) elevation populations of the oviparous lizard, Sceloporus scalaris, support these expectations. Both day and night-time temperatures at the HE site were considerably cooler than at the LE site, and the activity period was 2 h shorter at the HE than at the LE site. The median body temperature of active HE females was 2°C lower than that of LE females. HE females initiated reproduction earlier in the spring than LE females, apparently in order to compensate for relatively low temperatures during gestation. HE females retained eggs for about 20 days longer than LE females, which was reflected by differences in the degree of embryonic development at the time of oviposition (stages 35.5–37.0 versus stages 31.0–33.5, respectively). These results support the hypotheses that evolution of viviparity is a gradual process, and is favored in cold climates. Females in the HE population exhibited other traits consistent with presumed intermediate stages in the evolution of viviparity; mean eggshell thickness of HE eggs (19.3 μm) was significantly thinner than that of LE eggs (26.6 μm) and the size-adjusted clutch sizes of HE females (9.4) were smaller than those of LE females (11.2).
Revascularisation d’une présentation retardée d’ischémie distale induite par irradiation du membre supérieur

En depit de plusieurs observations d’ischemie proximale du bras due a la radiotherapie, il n’existe aucun cas decrit d’ischemie de main, vraisemblablement en raison de la rarete du traitement radioactif du membre superieur distal. Nous presentons le cas d’un homme de 42 ans se presentant avec une ischemie aigue de main, 36 ans apres avoir ete traite par irradiation de l’avant-bras pour un sarcome d’Ewing. L’angiographie montrait une artere brachiale permeable, des arteres radiales et ulnaires occluses a l’avant-bras, et une artere radiale permeable au niveau de la tabatiere anatomique alimentant une arcade palmaire permeable. Une angioplastie transluminale au ballon a ete d’abord tentee sans amelioration. Le patient a ete revascularise avec succes par un pontage en veine saphene inversee de l’artere brachiale distale a l’artere radiale distale. A 22 mois de suivi, la greffe demeurait permeable avec un pouls distal palpable. Le patient continuait a presenter une fonction et une mobilite acceptables du membre superieur.
The Conditional Probability of Foreclosure: An Empirical Analysis of Conventional Mortgage Loan Defaults

This paper analyzes the factors affecting the conditional probability that defaulted residential mortgage loans will foreclose. We analyze a large national sample of conventional loans, which have been in default at least once during the 1988 to 1994 period. For such loans, lenders and borrowers either individually or jointly make choices which lead to the following outcomes: (1) resumption of payments, (2) termination by prepayment, or (3) foreclosure. Our estimates of a logit model indicate that termination option values and local area economic and housing market conditions affect default resolution probabilities. Perhaps more importantly, simulations using the logit model indicate that the efficiency of the default resolution process may be substantially improved by legal and regulatory reforms.
Development of phonological, morphological, and orthographic knowledge in young spellers: The case of inflected verbs

This study was designed to simultaneously investigate the influence of phonological, morphological, and orthographic awareness skills on the ability to spell inflected verbs in structured spelling tasks. Children in grades 1, 2, and 3 (n=103) spelled inflected past and progressive tense verbs and completed awareness tasks. Developmental changes occurred in the ability to include the inflected ending, to spell the ending consistently reflecting the correct morphological unit, and to affix the ending using the correct orthographic pattern. The contributions of phonological, morphological, and orthographic awareness to spelling development varied across the three grades but were similar for each sub-component, suggesting a developmental relationship between the ability to spell inflected verbs and linguistic and orthographic awareness.
Measurement of Modulational Instability Gain of Second-Order Nonlinear Optical Eigenmodes in a One-Dimensional System

We have investigated the amplification of a spatially periodic perturbation applied to a wide fundamental beam launched near phase matching for second-harmonic generation in a lithium niobate film waveguide. We measured the gain coefficient for the modulational instability of quadratic eigenmodes as a function of periodicity, intensity, and wave-vector mismatch. Excellent agreement with theory was obtained.
Effects of loading rate on the fracture of cementitious materials

Cement paste, mortar, and concrete were studied to examine the influence of loading rate on operative toughening mechanisms. The fracture toughness of cement paste was found to be independent of crack length, while mortar and concrete exhibited strongly rising resistance curves. In the case of cement paste and mortar, the peak fracture toughness was found to be independent of the loading rate. In concrete, the peak toughness was found to decrease with increasing loading rate. Surface roughness measurements were performed to understand the effect of loading rate on the fracture mechanisms. The roughness analysis coupled with fractography were found to correlate with the toughness measurements.
A multiple trajectory ion beam analyzer

Abstract A large electromagnetic analyzer has been designed and constructed having three distinct ion trajectories within a single set of pole pieces. The first is a Mattauch—Herzog type mass spectrometer, the second is a “cascade” spectrometer consisting of two 30 cm radius, 180° sectors in tandem; the third is an 80°, 84 cm radius sector which can analyze 8 MeV alpha particles or heavy ions with high kinetic energy. This instrument has possibilities as a research tool in general mass spectrometric analysis, the study of ion impact phenomena, and in applications where time dependent data relating to ion charge state, mass, and energy is desired. The facility can also be employed for the controlled “doping” of semiconductors by ion implantation.
System of Least Prompts: A Literature Review of Procedural Parameters

This manuscript describes an instructional strategy, system of least prompts, and reviews the use of the procedure in the applied research literature. The literature is analyzed in terms of the populations for which the procedure has been used, the type of skills that have been taught with the procedure, and the results when the procedure was employed. The literature also is described in terms of previously identified parameters of the system of least prompts including (a) the number and type of prompts included in the least-to-most assistance prompt hierarchies, (b) the presentation of the target stimulus at each prompt level, (c) use of a fixed response interval, and (d) the delivery of reinforcement following correct prompted and unprompted responses. Summary statements and recommendations about future use and research are included.
DEVELOPING AND FINANCING HOUSING AND HIGHWAY SYSTEMS: LESSONS FROM U.S. EXPERIENCE /

This article highlights the importance of housing and transportation networks in a development process with special emphasis on economic development efforts at the national and regional levels. The major characteristics and developmental aspects of housing and transportation are presented first. Then, legislative policies of the United States are used as examples of successful efforts in the development of these two infrastructures followed by brief explanations of those policies as they relate to development of housing and transportation in that country. Because an economic development effort usually signifies a need characterized by very limited capital, particularly in developing countries or in former nations of the eastern bloc, special attention is focused on financial mechanisms used in policy implementation.
Resistivity of solid mercury

Abstract The resistivity ratio of polycrystalline pure mercury is obtained over the temperature range 1.65 to 234 K. At temperatures below 3 K this ratio is proportional to T 5 and above 50 K to T. Measurements of magnetoresistance extrapolated to zero field are used below 4.2 K. At intermediate temperatures the data may be fit using the Gruneisen-Bloch equation with a characteristic temperature of 35 K. Corrections for resistivity at constant volume and size effects are discussed.
High-resolution mapping of a novel genetic locus regulating voluntary physical activity in mice.

Both human beings and animals exhibit substantial inter-individual variation in voluntary physical activity, and evidence indicates that a significant component of this variation is because of genetic factors. However, little is known of the genetic basis underlying central regulation of voluntary physical activity in mammals. In this study, using an F2 intercross population and interval-specific congenic strains (ISCS) derived from the C57BL/6J strain and a chromosome 13 substitution strain, C57BL/6J-Chr13A/J/NA/J, we identified a 3.76-Mb interval on chromosome 13 containing 25 genes with a significant impact on daily voluntary wheel running activity in mice. Brain expression and polymorphisms between the C57BL/6J and A/J strains were examined to prioritize candidate genes. As the dopaminergic pathway regulates motor movement and motivational behaviors, we tested its function by examining cocaine-induced locomotor responses in ISCS with different levels of activity. The low-activity ISCS exhibited a significantly higher response to acute cocaine administration than the high-activity ISCS. Expression analysis of key dopamine-related genes (dopamine transporter and D1, D2, D3, D4 and D5 receptors) revealed that expression of D1 receptor was higher in the low-activity ISCS than in the high-activity ISCS in both the dorsal striatum and nucleus accumbens. Pathway analysis implicated Tcfap2a, a gene found within the 3.76-Mb interval, involved in the D1 receptor pathway. Using a luciferase reporter assay, we confirmed that the transcriptional factor, Tcfap2a, regulates the promoter activity of the D1 receptor gene. Thus, Tcfap2a is proposed as a candidate genetic regulator of the level of voluntary physical activity through its influence on a dopaminergic pathway.
Spatio-temporal filter for dense real-time Scene Flow estimation of dynamic environments using a moving RGB-D camera

Scene Flow estimation is fast while avoiding over-smoothing objects boundaries.Occlusion problem and sensor noise are avoided without any hardware modification.Adaptive spatial filter improves the quality of the device's depth and Optical Flow.3D Kalman filter is used for temporal smoothness and robustness at object edges. In this paper, we present an automated method for dense real-time Scene Flow estimation of dynamic scenes using Microsoft's depth sensor Kinect. The main contribution of the proposed method is that the estimation is fast while avoiding over-smoothing objects boundaries, occlusion problem and sensor noise without any hardware modification. In particular, the proposed method improves the quality of the device's depth and computed Optical Flow by applying an adaptive spatial filter combined with 3D Kalman filter for temporal smoothness and robustness at object edges. Quantitative evaluations show that the proposed method can produce Scene Flow with higher accuracy and low computational time compared to the state-of-the-art methods.
Routine sectioning of the C2 nerve root and ganglion for C1 lateral mass screw placement in children: surgical and functional outcomes

Purpose Adult studies have shown that sectioning the C2 nerve root and ganglion may facilitate placement of C1 lateral mass screws and lead to decreased operative time and blood loss. We report the functional outcomes and complications following routine sectioning of the C2 nerve root and ganglion, which have not been reported in pediatric patients.
Laser processing of silicon at submicron scale using photochromic films

Laser fabrication at submicron scale is experimentally demonstrated with the nonlinear optical switching effect of photochromism. The effect, which is a result of change in the optical properties of the photochromic material between the open-ring and closed-ring isomers during the photoisomerization, effectively reduces the laser beam size. The ultrafast response of the molecular photocyclization and cycloreversion reactions at a time scale of a few picoseconds ensures the instantaneous realization of the effect. Utilizing a photochromic film of cis-1,2-dicyano-1,2-bis(2,4,5-trimethyl-3-thienyl) ethane as the mask layer, laser processing of a silicon wafer demonstrated submicron scale feature size with improved surface quality as compared to the smallest features achievable using direct laser ablation without the photochromic film.
Absolute quantitation in neurological PET: do we need it?

This article addresses the question posed in the title by examining the effects of parameters traditionally associated with improved absolute quantitation, on the analysis of 12 acquired immune deficiency syndrome dementia complex (ADC) patients compared to a normal control group. Results are discussed within the framework of the subprofile scaling model (SSM) for analyzing patterns of regional covariation. It is demonstrated that the ability to extract measures of group discrimination and disease progression are unaffected by (1) limited improvements in image resolution, (2) the use of transmission scan smoothing, (3) the application of a scatter deconvolution correction, and (4) converting region-of-interest measurements of counts per voxel to measurements of regional CMRglc. This “robustness” of the SSM approach is partly due to the extraction of disease-related subject weights, independent of any subject's global scaling effects. It is argued that other analysis techniques that initially reduce inters...
Regulation of two pair-rule stripes by a single enhancer in the Drosophila embryo.

Abstract Previous studies on the regulation of the segmentation geneeven-skipped(eve) have centered on the transcription of stripe 2. Here, we characterize another enhancer module contained within the complexevepromoter that directs expression of stripes 3 and 7. This enhancer is ∼500 bp in length and maps ∼3.3 kb upstream of the transcription start site. The stripe 3 + 7 enhancer appears to be regulated by one or more ubiquitously distributed activators, including components of a JAK-Stat pathway. The two-stripe pattern results via multiple tiers of repressors which delimit this ubiquitous activation. The zinc finger repressor hunchback appears to be responsible for establishing the anterior border of stripe 3 and the posterior border of stripe 7. knirps, a member of the nuclear receptor family of transcription factors, appears to establish the posterior border of stripe 3 and the anterior border of stripe 7. Activator and repressor proteins bindin vitroto several sites within the enhancer. These findings suggest a general model for the regulation of segmentation stripes, whereby enhancers integrate positional information provided by broadly distributed activators and spatially restricted repressors.
The Circle of Apollonius: A Discovery Activity

The works of the Greek mathematician Apollonius offer many opportunities for conjecture regarding the discovery of geometric relationships. The “circle of Apollonius” can provide students a chance to use simple constructions and knowledge of proportions to discover an unexpected result, and, if desired, a chance to follow that discovery with a proof that what appears to be so is, indeed, the case. A minimum of prior knowledge is needed for the conjecturel discovery phase of this activity, while the proof requires a more solid background of Euclidean geometry. This exercise can lead to a number of other relationships and constructions found in the works of Apollonius.
Influence of age, spatial memory, and ocular fixation on localization of auditory, visual, and bimodal targets by human subjects

A common complaint of the elderly is difficulty identifying and localizing auditory and visual sources, particularly in competing background noise. Spatial errors in the elderly may pose challenges and even threats to self and others during everyday activities, such as localizing sounds in a crowded room or driving in traffic. In this study, we investigated the influence of aging, spatial memory, and ocular fixation on the localization of auditory, visual, and combined auditory–visual (bimodal) targets. Head-restrained young and elderly subjects localized targets in a dark, echo-attenuated room using a manual laser pointer. Localization accuracy and precision (repeatability) were quantified for both ongoing and transient (remembered) targets at response delays up to 10 s. Because eye movements bias auditory spatial perception, localization was assessed under target fixation (eyes free, pointer guided by foveal vision) and central fixation (eyes fixed straight ahead, pointer guided by peripheral vision) conditions. Spatial localization across the frontal field in young adults demonstrated (1) horizontal overshoot and vertical undershoot for ongoing auditory targets under target fixation conditions, but near-ideal horizontal localization with central fixation; (2) accurate and precise localization of ongoing visual targets guided by foveal vision under target fixation that degraded when guided by peripheral vision during central fixation; (3) overestimation in horizontal central space (±10°) of remembered auditory, visual, and bimodal targets with increasing response delay. In comparison with young adults, elderly subjects showed (1) worse precision in most paradigms, especially when localizing with peripheral vision under central fixation; (2) greatly impaired vertical localization of auditory and bimodal targets; (3) increased horizontal overshoot in the central field for remembered visual and bimodal targets across response delays; (4) greater vulnerability to visual bias with bimodal stimuli. Results highlight age-, memory-, and modality-dependent deterioration in the processing of auditory and visual space, as well as an age-related increase in the dominance of vision when localizing bimodal sources.
Polymer nomenclature: the controversy between source-based and structure-based representations (a personal perspective)

Abstract This article reviews the controversy between the two methods by which polymer names and structures are stored in databases and presented by authors in publications such as books, encyclopedias, and journals. The two methods, known as source-based representation and structure-based representation, require different approaches from the point of view of both how the structure of a polymer is represented, and in what style its name is written. The problem of mismatches between name and structure representation styles is addressed, and guidance is offered with regard to correct orientation of structural repeating units (SRUs). The need for improved graphical representation and naming of structural repeating units is stressed, and directions are given for obtaining the rules for identification, orientation, and naming of SRUs. Polymer representations, and their accompanying nomenclature, are divided in this article into three main categories. Category A discusses linear polymers for which Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) has class assignments such as amine resin, polyamide, and polyether. Category B discusses linear polymers with special features—examples are alternating and periodic copolymers, block copolymers, inorganic and coordination polymers, and modified/post-treated polymers. CAS has no special class assignment for these features per se. Category C discusses non-linear polymers such as comb/graft polymers, cross-linked polymers, and dendritic/hyperconnected/star polymers.