cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Proceedings of the 16th ACM SIGSPATIAL international conference on Advances in geographic information systems

These proceedings contain the papers selected for publication and presentation at the 16th ACM SIGSPATIAL International Conference on Advances in Geographic Information Systems (ACM GIS) in Irvine, California, USA, from November 5th to 7th, 2008. ACM GIS 2008 is the sixteenth event of an annual series of symposia and workshops with the mission to bring together researchers, developers, users, and practitioners carrying out research and development in novel systems based on geospatial data and knowledge. The symposium fosters interdisciplinary discussions and research in all aspects of Geographic Information Systems and Science (GIS) and provides a forum for original research contributions covering all conceptual, design, and implementation aspects of GIS and ranging from applications, user interface considerations, and visualization down to storage management and indexing issues. This is the first time that the conference is being held under the auspices of the new ACM Special Interest Group on Spatial Information (SIGSPATIAL). This year, in addition to the regular research paper track, we introduced two new conference tracks, namely a demonstration track and a Ph.D. showcase track. A program committee of 93 members reviewed the submissions. The call for papers led to 232 paper submissions over all three tracks. The research paper track attracted 193 research paper submissions, of which 38 were accepted as full papers and another 37 papers were accepted as poster papers. The Ph.D. Showcase track attracted 19 Ph.D. showcase submissions, of which 8 were accepted, while the demonstrations track attracted 20 demonstration paper submissions, of which 13 were accepted. These numbers indicate the continued health, interest, and growth of the research field of geographic information systems, and the need to bring its researchers, students, and industrial practitioners together.
Frequency and luminance-dependent blood flow and K+ ion changes during flicker stimuli in cat optic nerve head.

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether blood flow in the cat optic nerve head (ONH) is related to increased neuronal activity elicited by diffuse luminance flickering light stimulation. Methods. ONH blood flow was measured by laser Doppler flowmetry in anesthetized cats during 1 to 3 minutes of flickering light stimulation at controlled luminance and frequency (n = 227 measurements in 18 cats) using either a conventional visual stimulator (repetitive short flashes) or a sinusoidally varying light stimulator. Potassium ion concentration ([K + ]) changes in the vitreous humor immediately in front of the optic disk were measured with neutral carrier K + ionophore liquid membrane microelectrodes. Effects of varying flicker frequency (2 to 80 Hz) at constant luminance were quantified. Effects of luminance were quantified by varying the modulation depth of the stimulus at constant frequency. Results. Both ONH blood flow and [K + ] increased during flicker stimulus with an average slope of 0.305% ± 0.064% (SE)/μM [K + ] (257 measurements in 18 cats). The peak ONH blood flow increase was 59% ± 11% above baseline at 33.3 ± 3.1 Hz. The peak [K + ] increase was 188 ± 42 μM above baseline at 38.3 ± 3.3 Hz. Both ONH blood flow and [K + ] changes had similar bandpass characteristics with frequency, first increasing, then dropping off at higher frequencies (122 measurements in 10 cats). Both frequency responses were described by power law functions (y = af n ). Luminance responses for both ONH blood flow and [K + ] changes could be fit by a modified Hill model and were 50% of maximum at light modulation depths of 21.2% ± 4.6% and 22.5% ± 3.7%, respectively (53 measurements in 5 cats). Conclusions. Increases in ONH blood flow were correlated with changes in [K + ]. Both responses were remarkably similar, with no significant differences in the frequency for peak responses in ONH blood flow or [K + ], in low- and high-frequency power law exponents of the two responses, or in the 50% response to light modulation. The results are consistent with close coupling of neuronal activity and ONH blood flow. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 1995 ;36 :2216-2227.
Recent Developments in Agents for the Treatment of Age-Related Macular Degeneration and Stargardt Disease

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of irreversible blindness in older individuals living in developed countries. There are two major clinical presentations of AMD: atrophic or “dry” and neovascular or “wet.” Geographic atrophy (GA) is the most severe manifestation of dry AMD which represents the form of the disease characterized by the highest prevalence. A smaller fraction of AMD patients (10–20%) develop choroidal neovascularization (CNV) which represents the key feature of neovascular AMD. Historically, laser photocoagulation, surgery, and photodynamic therapy were the first treatment options for patients with CNV. In recent years, the emergence of anti-VEGF therapeutics has transformed the treatment of patients with neovascular AMD. Current anti-VEGF biologics that represent a standard of care (ranibizumab, bevacizumab, and aflibercept) are very effective in improving or maintaining visual acuity in CNV patients over long periods of time. The work on the new generation of anti-VEGF agents with higher potency and long-lasting efficacy is ongoing with the goal of reducing the frequency of intravitreal injections required for achieving good visual acuity outcomes. Brolucizumab, abicipar pegol, and faricimab exemplify the efforts toward the development of novel therapeutic agents with lower frequency of intravitreal injections. While neovascular AMD can be effectively managed with current anti-VEGF therapeutics, there are no FDA-approved treatments for the atrophic form of AMD. Similarly, there is no therapy for inherited Stargardt disease, an orphan genetic form of macular dystrophy that shares phenotypic similarities with atrophic AMD. Due to the multigenic and multifactorial nature of AMD, it is believed that a combination of several factors may contribute to pathogenesis of atrophic AMD. This includes a complement system dysregulation in the retina and exposure of retinal cells to toxins produced in the visual retinoid cycle reactions (lipofuscin bisretinoids and retinaldehydes). Several therapeutic agents are currently being evaluated in clinical trials for geographic atrophy related to atrophic AMD or Stargardt disease. This includes pegcetacoplan (C3 inhibitor), avacincaptad pegol (C5 inhibitor), emixustat (RPE65 inhibitor), ALK-001 (deuterated form of vitamin A: C20-D3-retinyl acetate), STG-001 (RBP4 antagonist), and tinlarebant (RBP4 antagonist). These ongoing clinical trials may yield a therapy that will address a significant unmet medical need that exists for the currently untreatable forms of macular degeneration.
Identification of the Attacker in Cyber-Physical Systems with an Application to Vehicular Platooning in Adversarial Environment

Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) are systems with tight coupling between integration of physical, computational and networking components. Control systems play an important role to help these systems to adhere to their desired performance. Having a reliable and secure control system which can cope with high risk situations and various attacks is one of the bottlenecks for real world cyber-physical systems. It has been proven that using control modification attack, where the adversary modifies the sensor information or the control law, can disrupt the desired performance of the system. In this paper, a novel scheme is presented to detect and identify the attacker in control systems. The detection algorithm is the combination of the system identification method and machine learning technique which effectively recognizes the malicious actors. The proposed algorithm is efficient, viable, and simply adequate to address the challenges posed by complex cyber-physical systems. Finally, the efficiency of the presented method is verified with the case of platooning in an adversarial environment.
Vaporization energy and expansion velocity of electrically exploding aluminum and copper fine wires in vacuum

It has been experimentally shown that the complete vaporization of Al and Cu fine wires due to a fast electrical explosion in vacuum requires 2-3 times the standard atomization enthalpy of ∼4 eV/atom. The expansion speed of a fully evaporated Al wire in vacuum is ∼10 km/s and ∼8 km/s for Cu wire. This excess of evaporation energy over tabulated enthalpy of atomization is related to the “pressure cooker effect,” when a fine metal wire is heated by a fast-rising current with high magnetic and hydrodynamic pressures. In our paper, we demonstrate self-consistent relationships between the deposited energy, expansion rate, and state of the wire core for Al and Cu fine wires.
Abstract 62: Evaluating Collateral Flow Territory Stability As A Novel Biomarker Of Recurrent Stroke In Patients With Symptomatic Intracranial Stenosis

Introduction: Intracranial (IC) collateral pathways provide important indicators of arterial steno-occlusion compensation, however evaluating the adequacy of these pathways is difficult with existi...
Buckling strength and ductility evaluation of thin-walled steel stiffened square box columns with uniform and graded thickness under cyclic loading

Abstract Thin-walled steel stiffened square box columns are becoming an increasingly attractive choice as cantilever bridge piers due to their architectural, structural and constructional advantages. This paper investigates the behavior of thin-walled steel columns with uniform square box sections (B) and newly proposed graded-thickness square box sections (GB) under constant axial and cyclic lateral loading. The analysis is carried out using a finite-element model (FEM) which takes into account the effect of both material and geometric nonlinearities. First, the accuracy of the employed FEM is verified based on the experimental results. Then, a GB column with size and volume of material equivalent to a B column is introduced. The proposed GB column is proved to have significant improvements in strength, ductility, and post-buckling behavior as compared to its counterpart B column. As a part of this research, a comprehensive parametric study is carried out to investigate the effects of main key parameters including: the width-to-thickness ratio parameter (Rf), the column slenderness ratio parameter (λ), the magnitude of axial load (P/Py), and the number of loading cycles (N) on the strength and ductility of the B and GB columns. Finally, a series of proposed formulae for strength and ductility evaluation of the B and GB columns is given.
Mosquito species and age influence thermal performance of traits relevant to malaria transmission

Models predicting disease transmission are a vital tool in the control of mosquito populations and malaria reduction as they can target intervention efforts. We compared the performance of temperature-dependent transmission models when mosquito life history traits were allowed to change across the lifespan of Anopheles stephensi, the urban malaria mosquito, to models parameterized with commonly derived estimates of lifetime trait values. We conducted an experiment on adult female Anopheles stephensi to generate daily per capita values for lifespan, egg production, and biting rate at six constant temperatures. Both temperature and age significantly affected trait values. Further, we found quantitative and qualitative differences between temperature-trait relationships estimated based on daily rates versus directly observed lifetime values. Incorporating these temperature-trait relationships into an expression governing transmission suitability, relative R0(T), model resulted in minor differences in the breadth of suitable temperatures for Plasmodium falciparum transmission between the two models constructed from only Anopheles stephensi trait data, but a substantial increase in breadth compared to a previously published model consisting of trait data from multiple mosquito species. Overall this work highlights the importance of considering how mosquito trait values vary with mosquito age and mosquito species when generating temperature-based environmental suitability predictions of transmission.
Semicoherent oxide heterointerfaces: Structure, properties, and implications

In the quest for enhanced functionality of all sorts, nanostructured materials are becoming ever more common. This is particularly true of oxide/oxide heterostructures in which the high density of interfaces has been implicated in enhanced properties and used to engineer strain in oxide composite structures. These interfaces are often characterized by a network of misfit dislocations that relieve the lattice mismatch strain between the two materials, and these dislocations themselves are often suggested as the source of either enhancements or degradation of properties. Despite the importance and pervasiveness of misfit dislocations, however, there is still much that is unknown about their structure and properties, particularly in oxide/oxide heterostructures. Here, we give a perspective on the importance of these dislocation networks and the need to interrogate their impact on functionality.
REDUCING THE IMPACT OF CHILDHOOD MISFORTUNE: THE ROLE OF ADULT PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ON LATER OBESITY

This study investigates the effects of childhood misfortune and adult physical activity on later-life body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference. We use ordinary least squares regression to examine the impact of childhood misfortune (30 indicators), and adult physical activity (frequency and intensity) on waist circumference and BMI (kg/m²) using data from the Health and Retirement Study (N=5,732). Results emphasize that experiencing childhood misfortune is associated with a larger waist circumference and BMI in later life, while adjusting for social status and lifestyle variables. Adjusting for adult physical activity decreases the effect of childhood misfortune on waist circumference, suggesting mediation. The analysis reveals that the effects of childhood misfortune on BMI and abdominal adiposity are remediable. Although childhood misfortune is associated with larger waist circumference and BMI in later life, regular physical activity reduces the risk on both indicators of obesity.
Tissue-Engineered Human Myobundle System as a Platform for Evaluation of Skeletal Muscle Injury Biomarkers

Traditional serum biomarkers used to assess skeletal muscle damage, such as activity of creatine kinase (CK), lack tissue specificity and sensitivity, hindering early detection of drug-induced myopathies. Recently, a novel four-factor skeletal muscle injury panel (MIP) of biomarkers consisting of skeletal troponin I (sTnI), CK mass (CKm), fatty-acid-binding protein 3 (Fabp3), and myosin light chain 3, has been shown to have increased tissue specificity and sensitivity in rodent models of skeletal muscle injury. Here, we evaluated if a previously established model of tissue-engineered functional human skeletal muscle (myobundle) can allow detection of the MIP biomarkers after injury or drug-induced myotoxicity in vitro. We found that concentrations of three MIP biomarkers (sTnI, CKm, and Fabp3) in myobundle culture media significantly increased in response to injury by a known snake venom (notexin). Cerivastatin, a known myotoxic statin, but not pravastatin, induced significant loss of myobundle contractile function, myotube atrophy, and increased release of both traditional and novel biomarkers. In contrast, dexamethasone induced significant loss of myobundle contractile function and myotube atrophy, but decreased the release of both traditional and novel biomarkers. Dexamethasone also increased levels of matrix metalloproteinase-2 and -3 in the culture media which correlated with increased remodeling of myobundle extracellular matrix. In conclusion, this proof-of-concept study demonstrates that tissue-engineered human myobundles can provide an in vitro platform to probe patient-specific drug-induced myotoxicity and performance assessment of novel injury biomarkers to guide preclinical and clinical drug development studies.
Ecology and Biology of Aquatic Insects

The advancement of our knowledge on the ecology and biology of aquatic insects is essential to improving our understanding of their roles in water quality, disease ecology, as indicators of climate change, biodiversity, as well as community structure and ecosystem functioning [...]
Robust M-estimation-based Tensor Ring Completion: a Half-quadratic Minimization Approach.

Tensor completion is the problem of estimating the missing values of high-order data from partially observed entries. Among several definitions of tensor rank, tensor ring rank affords the flexibility and accuracy needed to model tensors of different orders, which motivated recent efforts on tensor-ring completion. However, data corruption due to prevailing outliers poses major challenges to existing algorithms. In this paper, we develop a robust approach to tensor ring completion that uses an M-estimator as its error statistic, which can significantly alleviate the effect of outliers. Leveraging a half-quadratic (HQ) method, we reformulate the problem as one of weighted tensor completion. We present two HQ-based algorithms based on truncated singular value decomposition and matrix factorization along with their convergence and complexity analysis. Extendibility of the proposed approach to alternative definitions of tensor rank is also discussed. The experimental results demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed approach over state-of-the-art robust algorithms for tensor completion.
Re-evaluating expanding intravenous catheters in medical practice.

Background Intravenous catheters are common and essential devices within medical practice. Their placement can be difficult, leading to application of several technologies to improve success. Functionally expanding catheters were once an exciting technology, derailed clinically by hypersensitivity reactions. The exact cause of reactions, attributed to Aquavene catheter materials, remains unknown. Aims To reinvestigate functionally expanding intravenous catheters. Materials and methods The history of the functionally expanding intravenous catheter is presented here along with its utility in current medical practice, potential for further investigation, and possible redesign of these once promising devices. Results This review demonstrates clinical utility and a lack of definitive cause for failure of the previous functionally expanding intravenous catheter design. As Aquavene materials themselves are commonly considered the cause of hypersensitivity reactions which removed expanding intravenous catheters from the market, this review found several possible substitutes for this material for use in any redesign. Discussion and conclusion The functionally expanding intravenous catheter failed due to hypersensitivity reactions in patients. Alternative materials exist for a possible redesign on this once promising clinical product.
A Real-Time Intelligent Intra-vehicular Temperature Control Framework

This paper details a real-time vehicle system solution for vehicular heatstroke. In the current implementation, the system uses two Raspberry Pi microcontrollers, where one microcontroller is equipped with YOLOv3-Tiny, a “You Only Look Once” (YOLO) real-time object detection model, narrowed to detect pets (dogs and cats) left unattended in a vehicle. Also, it is responsible on handling the vehicle’s temperature reading, which is used to determine if corrective action is needed. The second microcontroller’s duty is to transmit an email and short message service (SMS) via WiFi to the owner’s cellular phone and email address when an unattended pet is present in the scene. Based on the temperature reading, the microcontroller alters climate control by sending data through the Controller Area Network (CAN) bus as well. Both microcontrollers are set up to communicate by Amazon Web Services Internet of Things Core (AWS IoT Core) service using Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) protocol.
Seen and Not Seen: Making Sense of Ambiguous Behavior During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Going to the gym is likely to be judged more positively if it is known that the gym-goer is vaccinated against COVID-19 than unvaccinated. We investigate how people make sense of vaccination-contingent behaviors --- behaviors, such as going to the gym or a bar, which are judged differently depending on the target's vaccination status. We find that appropriateness and riskiness judgments deviate substantially from a normative benchmark in which judgments increase linearly with the probability of vaccination. Specifically, participants who are told nothing about the target judge these targets similarly to individuals known to be fully vaccinated. By contrast, informing participants that they do not know the target's vaccination status, leads to evaluations that are notably more disparaging.
A Computer Generated Reduced Iso-Octane Chemical Kinetic Mechanism Applied to Simulation of HCCI Combustion

This paper shows how a computer can systematically remove non-essential chemical reactions from a large chemical kinetic mechanism. The computer removes the reactions based upon a single solution using a detailed mechanism. The resulting reduced chemical mechanism produces similar numerical predictions significantly faster than predictions that use the detailed mechanism. Specifically, a reduced chemical kinetics mechanism for iso-octane has been derived from a detailed mechanism by eliminating unimportant reaction steps and species. The reduced mechanism has been developed for the specific purpose of fast and accurate prediction of ignition timing in an HCCI engine. The reduced mechanism contains 199 species and 383 reactions, while the detailed mechanism contains 859 species and 3606 reactions. Both mechanisms have been used in numerical simulation of HCCI combustion. The simulations show that the reduced mechanism predicts pressure traces and heat release with good accuracy, similar to the accuracy obtained with the detailed mechanism. As may be expected, emissions of hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide are not as well predicted with the reduced mechanism as with the detailed mechanism, since the reduced mechanism was targeted for predicting HCCI ignition and not HC and CO emissions. Considering that the reduced mechanism requires about 25 times less computationalmore » time than the detailed mechanism (2 hours vs. 2 days), the ability to automatically generate a problem specific reduced mechanism is an important new tool for combustion research in general.« less
Evidence for the essential function of 2,4-dienoyl-coenzyme A reductase in the beta-oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids in vivo. Isolation and characterization of an Escherichia coli mutant with a defective 2,4-dienoyl-coenzyme A reductase.

Abstract For the purpose of assessing in vivo the importance of 2,4-dienoyl-CoA reductase (EC 1.3.1.34) in the beta-oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids, reductase mutants of Escherichia coli were isolated by selecting cells that were able to grow on oleate but not on petroselinic acid (6-cis-octadecenoic acid). One mutant (fadH) exhibited 12% of the 2,4-dienoyl-CoA reductase activity present in the parental strain with other beta-oxidation enzymes being essentially unaffected. Antireductase antibodies were used to show that the mutant contains a fadH gene product at a level similar to that observed in the parental strain. Thus, the mutation seems to have resulted in the synthesis of a fadH gene product with lower specific activity. The mutation was mapped in the 71-75-min region of the E. coli chromosome where no other gene for beta-oxidation enzymes has so far been located. Complementation of the mutation by F'141, which carries the 67-75.5-min region of the E. coli genome, resulted in an increase in the 2,4-dienoyl-CoA reductase activity to 80% of the level found in the parental strain. Measurements of respiration with petroselinic acid as the substrate showed rates to be linearly dependent on the 2,4-dienoyl-CoA reductase activity up to levels found in wild-type E. coli. 2,4-Dienoyl-CoA reductase, like other enzymes of beta-oxidation, was induced when E. coli was grown on a long chain fatty acid as the sole carbon source. It is concluded that 2,4-dienoyl-CoA reductase is required in vivo for the beta-oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids with double bonds extending from even-numbered carbon atoms.
In vitro susceptibility of atypical mycobacteria to rifampin.

Atypical mycobacteria (209 strains) were examined for susceptibility to rifampin by the proportion method by using Middlebrook 7H-10 agar. All strains of Mycobacterium kansasii and tap-water scotochromogens were inhibited by 0.25 to 1 μg of the drug per ml. Seventy-six per cent of M. scrofulaceum and 61% of M. intracellulare strains were susceptible to 4 μg/ml or less; 5% of the former and 8% of the latter were resistant to 16 μg/ml. All strains of M. gastri and M. triviale and most strains of M. terrae were sensitive to 1 to 4 μg/ml. Two strains of M. borstelense were both inhibited by 8 μg/ml. Nearly all strains of M. fortuitum were resistant to the drug. The results of this study suggest that rifampin may be a valuable agent for the treatment of many atypical mycobacterial infections.
The Hurricane Katrina Effect on Mathematics Achievement in Mississippi

Hurricane Katrina caused severe physical damage to the Gulf Coast states of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Homes and businesses were destroyed. Natural habitats were annihilated, and many Americans were displaced for days, weeks, and even years. This study investigated the within-subject effects and contrasts of poverty, rurality, and location within a Katrina distance impact zone on mathematics achievement in fifth-grade, eighth-grade, and Algebra I schools in Mississippi during the 2004–2007 school years. Through an analysis of publicly available school data, all school groups were found to have been impacted by Katrina, but the nonpoor/nonrural Algebra I schools within a 90-mile radius of Katrina's point of landfall were affected the greatest. Interesting patterns in eighth-grade mathematics achievement results were additionally found. Rural schools were impacted to a greater extent than their nonrural counterparts. Several findings in this study were startling and counterintuitive, but this initial analysis into the impact of Katrina on mathematics achievement in Mississippi illustrated that catastrophic natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina can cause more than just physical damage.
GigaWalk: interactive walkthrough of complex environments

We present a new parallel algorithm and a system, GigaWalk, for interactive walkthrough of complex, gigabyte-sized environments. Our approach combines occlusion culling and levels-of-detail and uses two graphics pipelines with one or more processors. GigaWalk uses a unified scene graph representation for multiple acceleration techniques, and performs spatial clustering of geometry, conservative occlusion culling, and load-balancing between graphics pipelines and processors. GigaWalk has been used to render CAD environments composed of tens of millions of polygons at interactive rates on systems consisting of two graphics pipelines. Overall, our system's combination of levels-of-detail and occlusion culling techniques results in significant improvements in frame-rate over view-frustum culling or either single technique alone.
Dietary Management of Neonatal Chylothorax

A neonate with transposition of the great arteries developed chylothorax following ligation of the patent ductus arteriosus. At first, multiple thoracenteses and chest drainage were employed without significant diminution of pleural fluid production. Administration of a formula containing medium chain triglycerides (MCT) was associated with a marked decrease of pleural fluid accumulation within a few days. Total lipid concentration of pleural fluid prior to the diet was 890 mg/100 ml and diminished to 40 mg/100 ml after eight days of administration of the diet. Cholesterol and cholesterol esters decreased from 101 mg/100 ml to 24 mg/100 ml and from 83 mg/100 ml to 9 mg/100 ml, respectively. Total triglyceride concentration fell from 111 mg/100 ml to 2 mg/100 ml. Only negligible amounts of fatty acids with a chain length lower than capric (C10:0) were recovered from the analyses of the samples. Thereafter, x-ray films revealed no pleural effusion and at the third-month follow-up visit the chest remained clear. The marked diminution in Volume of the pleural effusion in this case is thought to be associated with MCT feedings. MCT passes directly into the portal system, bypassing the lymphatic pathways and still provides adequate caloric intake. Thus, it seems ideal for the treatment of conditions which have a compromised lymphatic drainage. Both clinical data and biochemical findings in this case strongly suggest the use of MCT diet as an important adjunct of the management of neonatal chylothorax.
RURAL ADOLESCENT SUBSTANCE ABUSE: PREVENTION IMPLICATIONS FROM THE EVIDENCE

Purpose: To identify appropriate adolescent substance abuse prevention programming for rural populations through the application of three concepts: effectiveness (best clinical evidence), efficiency (benefit to rural populations), and equality (access). Methods: A review of the literature guided by these concepts was conducted to identify criteria essential to the tailored development of rural adolescent substance abuse prevention programming. An advanced search of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP) was then conducted using criteria tailored to rural populations. Findings: Results from the literature search support the inclusion of two components directed at improving quality of outcomes through a customized approach to rural adolescent substance abuse prevention programming: inclusion of parents in prevention education efforts and use of the Internet as an appropriate method of program delivery. These components were satisfied by one program listed on SAMHSA’s NREPP: Parenting Wisely . Conclusions: While Parenting Wisely is an ideal program for rural adolescent substance abuse prevention strategy, it may not be suitable for all communities. Parallel to recommendations from the SAMHSA and Institute of Medicine, other evidence-based prevention programs need to be expanded to include a web-based delivery option. Strategies for moving forward would include the use of advanced-practice nurses at the forefront of discussion for rural professionals, researchers, educators, and policymakers. Key Words: Access to Care, Technology, Substance Abuse Prevention, Rural
A simulation-based comparison of interconnection networks

The authors evaluate some of the interconnection networks and routing algorithm proposed for large scale parallel computers. They compare different algorithms on networks built using a limited number of packages, each with a limited pin count, and using limited board layout area. Performance of each network is measured by simulating the execution of a synthetic program. The results quantify the extent to which network latency can be hidden because of the ability to initiate several memory accesses without blocking. The results also indicate that message combining is useful to avoid performance degradation in the presence of hot-spot traffic. >
Analysis of a mine roof using the DDA method

Abstract The effects of loading, joint friction angle and rock bolting on the stability of a cross-jointed mine roof model were studied using the Discontinuous Deformation Analysis (DDA). DDA results showed the existence of a zone of compression between rock bolt anchor and tensioning points, and zones of low compression between tensioning points. Moreover, radial bolts were found to be more effective that vertical bolts in stabilizing a mine roof. DDA results also validated the assumptions made in the reinforced rock arch and the flat arch methods. They demonstrated the arching phenomenon and the existence of reinforced rock units.
Hemifacial microsomia: anatomical prediction of difficult intubation

Hemifacial microsomia (HFM) is associated with a difficult airway. We hypothesized that a difficult intubation would be predicted by radiographic evaluation of the severity of mandibular hypoplasia. A retrospective review of anaesthetic and surgical records of 102 children with HFM from 1986 to 1996 was conducted for radiographic classification of mandibular hypoplasia and degree of difficulty with intubation. Intubation was classified as Grade A-easy, Grade B-difficult, or Grade C-very difficult. The mandibular anatomy was categorized as Type I-'mini-mandible', Type II-abnormal condylar size and shape, or Type III-absent ramus, condyle, and temporomandibular joint. In the 82 patients with HFM, 70% were classified as Grade A, 21% had Grade B and 9% had Grade C airways. No patients with Type I mandible had Grade C airway, while 25% of the patients with Type III mandible had Grade C airway. The correlation of the degree of airway difficulty with mandibular type was significant (P=0.001). In 20 patients with bilateral mandibular hypoplasia, 30% had Grade A, 35% had Grade B, and 35% had Grade C airways. We conclude that radiographic classification of mandibular deformity is a useful adjunct for preoperative prediction of airway difficulty in the management of children with unilateral HFM.
Chest Wall Abnormalities and their Clinical Significance in Childhood

Summary The thorax consists of the rib cage and the respiratory muscles. It houses and protects the various intrathoracic organs such as the lungs, heart, vessels, esophagus, nerves etc. It also serves as the so-called "respiratory pump" that generates the movement of air into the lungs while it prevents their total collapse during exhalation. In order to be performed these functions depend on the structural and functional integrity of the rib cage and of the respiratory muscles. Any condition (congenital or acquired) that may affect either one of these components is going to have serious implications on the function of the other. Furthermore, when these abnormalities occur early in life, they may affect the growth of the lungs themselves. The following article reviews the physiology of the respiratory pump, provides a comprehensive list of conditions that affect the thorax and describes their effect(s) on lung growth and function.
Safety of a single successful conversion of ventricular fibrillation before the implantation of cardioverter defibrillators.

GOLD, M.R., et al.: Safety of a Single Successful Conversion of Ventricular Fibrillation Before the Implantation of Cardioverter Defibrillators.Multiple successful conversions of ventricular fibrillation (VF) at 10 J below the maximum output of implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) have been recommended as a minimum device implantation criterion. This recommendation is based on the probabilistic properties of defibrillation that necessitates multiple shocks to establish an adequate safety margin for the conversion of subsequent spontaneous arrhythmias. We hypothesized that a single successful shock at a 14 J may suffice. Methods and Results: The Low Energy Safety Study (LESS) enrolled 720 patients undergoing initial ICD implantation with a dual-coil transvenous lead and active pulse generator. At implant, an enhanced defibrillation threshold (DFT++) was determined by a rigorous protocol beginning at 14 J, and requiring at least 4 shocks. Fifty percent of all patients were then randomized to full output shock energy and the conversion rates for spontaneous ventricular tachyarrhythmias at rates >200 beats/min were measured. There were 318 patients randomized to 31 J, of whom 254 were successfully defibrillated by an initial 14 J shock. During a mean follow-up of24 ± 12months, 112 spontaneous VF episodes occurred in 31 patients. The combined conversion success of the first and second shock (when needed) did not differ between the subgroup of patients who were successfully defibrillated by an initial 14 J shock, regardless of the results of additional testing, and the whole cohort who underwent more systematic testing (97% vs 97%). All spontaneous episodes of VF were successfully treated during long-term follow-up. Conclusions: A first successful shock of 14 J may be a sufficient endpoint to allow the implantation of ICDs with the Triad lead configuration, when programming all shocks to 31 J. (PACE 2003; 26[Pt. II]:483–486)
Radioimmunoassay of PGE and an approach to the specific measurement of PGE1

Abstract A specific radioimmunoassay for prostaglandins of the E series is presented. Several refinements of the conventional procedures used for unknown sample preparation prior to assay are described. Validation of the method through recovery of labeled and unlabeled prostaglandin E from plasma indicates: 74% extraction efficiency, 80% chromatographic separation efficiency, and a 67% overall recovery figure for the complete assay. The development of an “absorbed system” approach for measuring one E prostaglandin (PGE 1 ) without interference from the other E prostaglandin (PGE 2 ) is also described. A preliminary study of rat tissue and male plasma samples measured by these assay systems is included. Alternate approaches to the development of a specific PGE 1 assay, although less feasible in these authors' hands, are discussed.
A Short-Portable Version of the Category Test

This study validates the use of a shortened version of the booklet form of the Category Test developed by DeFillipis, McCampbell and Rogers (1979). In a sample of 85 subjects the estimated total score (using the Calsyn, O'Leary and Chaney (1980) regression equation) correlated 0.93 with the actual total error score. It was also found that the estimated score could reliably predict who would exceed the cutoff of 51 errors on the entire test with an overall accuracy of 86%. The results support the use of a brief booklet version of the Category Test.
Psychiatric disorders affect outcomes of antireflux operations for gastroesophageal reflux disease.

Most of the information used to determine a patient’s candidacy for antireflux surgery has centered on physiologic measurements of esophageal functioning and quantitative assessment of acid reflux. Unfortunately, little attention has been paid to the study of psychosocial factors that could affect outcomes. The purpose of this study was to establish whether concomitant psychiatric disorders might affect the symptomatic outcomes of antireflux surgery. We retrospectively reviewed a prospectively gathered database of patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) who underwent either open or laparoscopic antireflux surgery. A history of a psychiatric disorder was considered to be present if the patient had been previously diagnosed with a DSM-IV psychiatric diagnosis and was being medically treated for it. Preoperatively, patients were evaluated with the symptom severity questionnaire, the GERD-HRQL (best score 0, worst score 50). Later in the series, patients were also evaluated with the generic quality-of-life questionnaire, the SF-36 (best score 100, worst score 0). After antireflux surgery, patients completed both questionnaires 6 weeks postoperatively. A total of 94 patients underwent antireflux surgery. Seventy-seven of them had laparoscopic antireflux surgery (either Nissen or Toupet fundoplication), and 17 had open antireflux surgery (Nissen, Toupet, Collis-Nissen, or Belsey fundoplications). Nine patients had psychiatric disorders (five major depression, four anxiety disorders). At 6-week follow-up, 95.3% of patients without psychiatric disorders were satisfied with surgery, as compared to 11.1% of patients with psychiatric disorders (p<0.000001). Patients satisfied with surgery had a median SF-36 mental health domain score of 76, as compared to a score of 36 for patients dissatisfied with surgery (p=0.0002). Patients without psychiatric disorders showed improvement in the median total GERD-HRQL score from 27 preoperatively to 1 postoperatively (p<0.00001), whereas patients with psychiatric disorders demonstrated less improvement, from 30 preoperatively to 10.5 postoperatively (p=0.03). Patients with psychiatric disorders are rarely satisfied with the results of antireflux surgery. Moreover, these patients demonstrated less symptomatic relief than patients without psychiatric disorders. Patients who were dissatisfied with antireflux surgery—even those without psychiatric disorders—had lower scores on the SF-36 mental health domain. These results suggest that even patients who might otherwise be candidates for antireflux surgery may have a poor symptomatic outcome, if they also have low mental health domain scores. Antireflux surgery in patients who suffer from major depression or anxiety disorder should be approached with great trepidation.
Nonlinear extensions of the fading memory filter

The equations for a recursive extended Kalman filter with exponential age-weighting of data and dynamics are derived. A similar result is given for a second-order filter. It is seen that the filter equations are essentially of the same form as their unfaded counterparts. This technique offers promise in controlling the divergence problem that recursive filtering often encounters.
Alterations in hepatic gene expression by trivalent chromium in Fundulus heteroclitus.

Cr(III) is the dominant toxicant at some Superfund sites within the United States and therefore we are interested in its effects. Cr(III)s mechanisms are not well studied or understood because of its low bioavailability. We have attempted to characterize the effects of Cr(III) on gene expression in Fundulus heteroclitus (mummichog) liver. The NOEC and LOEC were determined at 32 and 64 mg/L, respectively, by measuring growth and mortality after exposing juveniles for 30 days. Secondary adult male exposures were performed at 32 mg/L, livers excised, and RNA extracted. Arrays were probed with cDNA from untreated or Cr(III)-exposed adult fish and gene expression was quantified. Cr(III) at 32 mg/L altered the expression of five genes, including GSTτ, GSTα, and ALDH4. Ultimately, we anticipate using this gene expression information to ascertain whether Cr(III) is bioavailable at potentially adverse concentrations in contaminated sites.
Redistribution of cellular energy following renal ischemia.

In order to elucidate the pattern of redistribution of cellular energy and the restoration of basic cellular metabolism following an ischemic renal insult, suspensions enriched in proximal tubule segments were studied after 45 min of bilateral artery occlusion and 15 min and 2 h of reflow from rats given either normal saline (control), ATP-MgCl2 (which enhances postischemic recovery of ATP), or α, β-methyl adenosine diphosphate (AMPCP), which inhibits nucleotide degradation during ischemia. In non-ischemic control animals, approximately half of the energy is distributed to functional pump activity and half directed for non-transport purposes. When cellular ATP is reduced to 56% of control values, functional pump activity is significantly reduced to 61% of control, while energy delegated for non-transport purposes is decreased by a significantly smaller increment to only 78% of control at 15 min of reflow. In animals given ATP-MgCl2, the cellular and metabolic profile at 15 min of reflow was no different from ischemic control animals with cellular ATP levels similar at 58%. However, by 2 h, cellular ATP levels had increased significantly to 74%, and this was associated with a redistribution of cellular energy to functional pump activity (119% of control) with little change in non-transport function (76%). In animals treated with AMPCP, the cellular ATP levels were 74% of controls, similar to ATP-MgCl2-treated rats after 2 h of reflow. Despite the differences in reflow interval, the distribution of cellular energy was similar (functional pump activity 120% and non-transport activity 79%). By 2 h, cellular ATP was at 95% and both functional pump activity and non-transport activity were 100%. This early restoration of pump activity, followed by repletion of energy available for non-transport activity, is associated with minimal histological evidence of ischemic injury. These studies have shown: (1) a hierarchy of distribution of energy and maintenance of cellular metabolism; (2) there appears to exist a threshold requirement of ATP that is necessary to replete functional pump activity prior to redirecting energy for non-transport purposes; (3) energy redistribution following ischemia is not dependent upon time of reflow but upon replenishment of cellular energy; (4) repletion of transport and non-transport activities limits the degree of cellular damage.
Luminescent Organoboron Quinolate Polymers

The synthesis of well-defined luminescent organoboron polymers via a novel three-step procedure starting from silylated polystyrene is reported. Highly selective borylation of poly(4-trimethylsilylstyrene) (PS-Si), followed by replacement of the bromine substituents in poly(4-dibromoborylstyrene) (PS-BBr) with substituted thienyl groups (R = H, 3-hexyl, 5-hexyl), and final introduction of the 8-hydroxyquinolato moiety yields a series of new organoboron quinolate polymers in 67-83% isolated yield. The hexyl-substituted polymers are highly soluble and solution-processable yielding thin films that efficiently emit light at 513-514 nm upon excitation at 395 nm.
Warranted Neo-Confucian belief: Religious pluralism and the affections in the epistemologies of Wang Yangming (1472–1529) and Alvin Plantinga

In this article, I argue that Wang Yangming'sNeo-Confucian religious beliefs can bewarranted, and that the rationality of hisreligious beliefs constitutes a significantdefeater for the rationality of Christianbelief on Alvin Plantinga's theory of warrant. I also question whether the notion of warrantas proper function can adequately account fortheories of religious knowledge in which theaffections play an integral role. Idemonstrate how a consideration of Wang'sepistemology reveals a difficulty forPlantinga's defense of the rationality ofChristian belief and highlights a limitation ofPlantinga's current conception of warrant asproper function.
An Electronic Marketplace of Ideas

When implemented with suitable caution, it can expand the availability of information and aid in its eficient dissemination.
Evolutionary consequences of predation for pathogens in prey.

This article investigates the impact of predation on the coexistence and competitive exclusion of pathogen strains in the prey. Two types of predator are considered—a generalist and a specialist. For each type of predator, we assume that the predator can discriminate among susceptible and infected with each strain prey. The two strains will competitively exclude each other in the absence of predation with the strain with the larger reproduction number persisting. If a generalist predator preys discriminantly and the disease is fatal, then depending on the predation level, a switch in the dominant pathogen may occur. Thus, for some predation levels, the first strain may persist while for other predation levels the second strain may persist. Furthermore, a specialist predator preying discriminantly may mediate the coexistence of the two strains. Although in most cases increasing predation reduces the disease load in the prey, when predation leads to coexistence, it may also lead to increase in the disease load.
Discourse and Argument in Bureau of Land Management Wilderness Environmental Impact Statements

This study examines argument as a link between technical information and policy recommendations in wilderness environmental impact statements (EISs) produced by the Bureau of Land Management. As the EISs went from draft to final form, their structure and content changed. The changes reflect a shift to incorporate wilderness protection into the policy agenda for public lands. The analysis suggests that EISs can be understood as a form of argumentative discourse in which agency personnel frame issues and make normative arguments through technical analyses.