cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Temporal Trends in Heart Failure Incidence Among Medicare Beneficiaries Across Risk Factor Strata, 2011 to 2016

Importance Heart failure (HF) incidence is declining among Medicare beneficiaries. However, the epidemiological mechanisms underlying this decline are not well understood. Objective To evaluate trends in HF incidence across risk factor strata. Design, Setting, and Participants Retrospective, national cohort study of 5% of all fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries with no prior HF followed up from 2011 to 2016. The study examined annual trends in HF incidence among groups with and without primary HF risk factors (hypertension, diabetes, and obesity) and predisposing cardiovascular conditions (acute myocardial infarction [MI] and atrial fibrillation [AF]). Exposures The presence of comorbid HF risk factors including hypertension, diabetes, obesity, acute MI, and AF identified byInternational Classification of Diseases,Ninth Revision,Clinical Modificationcodes andInternational Statistical Classification of Diseases,Tenth Revision,Clinical Modificationcodes. Main Outcomes and Measures Incident HF, defined using at least 1 inpatient HF claim or at least 2 outpatient HF claims among those without a previous diagnosis of HF. Results Of 1 799 027 unique Medicare beneficiaries at risk for HF (median age, 73 years [interquartile range, 68-79 years]; 56% female [805 060-796 253 participants during the study period]), 249 832 had a new diagnosis of HF. The prevalence of all 5 risk factors increased over time (0.8% mean increase in hypertension per year, 1.9% increase in diabetes, 2.9% increase in obesity, 0.2% increase in acute MI, and 0.4% increase in AF). Heart failure incidence declined from 35.7 cases per 1000 beneficiaries in 2011 to 26.5 cases per 1000 beneficiaries in 2016, consistent across subgroups based on sex and race/ethnicity. A greater decline in HF incidence was observed among patients with prevalent hypertension (relative excess decline, 12%), diabetes (relative excess decline, 3%), and obesity (relative excess decline, 16%) compared with those without corresponding risk factors. In contrast, there was a relative increase in HF incidence among individuals with acute MI (26% vs no acute MI) and AF (22% vs no AF). Conclusions and Relevance Findings of this study suggest that the temporal decline in HF incidence among Medicare beneficiaries reflects a decrease in HF incidence among those with primary HF risk factors. The increase in HF incidence among those with acute MI and those with AF highlights potential targets for future HF prevention strategies.
Argumentation: The Art of Persuasion

Drawing from the study of human reasoning, Argumentation describes different types of arguments and explains how they influence beliefs and behaviour. Raymond Nickerson identifies many of the fallacies, biases, and other flaws often found in arguments as well as 'stratagems' (schemes, illogical and alogical tactics) that people regularly use to persuade others. Much attention is given to the evaluation of arguments. Readers will learn a new schematic for evaluating arguments based on cognitive science. As a source for understanding and evaluating arguments in decision-making, it is ideal for courses on cognition, reasoning, and psychology.
Multiphase flow and granular mechanics

A perspective highlights the recent progress in our understanding of how the interplay between viscous, capillary, and frictional forces shape the interactions of multiphase flow with deformable granular media, with particular attention to the central role of wettability. Beyond their intrinsic interest as processes that give rise to spectacular pattern formation, these coupled phenomena in granular media can control continental-scale fluxes, such as methane venting from the seafloor, and geohazards, such as earthquakes and landslides.
Advancing motion denoising of multiband resting state functional connectivity fMRI data

Simultaneous multi-slice (multiband) accelerated functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) provides dramatically improved temporal and spatial resolution for resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) studies of the human brain in health and disease. However, multiband acceleration also poses unique challenges for denoising of subject motion induced data artifacts, the presence of which is a major confound in RSFC research that substantively diminishes reliability and reproducibility. We comprehensively evaluated existing and novel approaches to volume censoring-based motion denoising in the Human Connectome Project (HCP) dataset. We show that assumptions underlying common metrics for evaluating motion denoising pipelines, especially those based on quality control-functional connectivity (QC-FC) correlations and differences between high- and low-motion participants, are problematic, and appear to be inappropriate in their current widespread use as indicators of comparative pipeline performance and as targets for investigators to use when tuning pipelines for their own datasets. We further develop two new quantitative metrics that are free from these issues and demonstrate their use as benchmarks for comparing volume censoring methods. Finally, we develop and validate quantitative methods for determining dataset-specific optimal volume censoring parameters prior to the final analysis of a dataset, and provide straightforward recommendations and code for all investigators to apply this optimized approach to their own RSFC datasets.
Pediatric arterial femoral cannulations for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation: Does size really matter?

Abstract Background : No studies exist comparing various femoral artery cannula sizes in children on ECMO. We hypothesize that smaller arterial cannulas provide adequate flow in children while decreasing vascular complications. Methods : We performed a retrospective review of the ELSO database from 2012–2017. We included children undergoing femoral venoarterial ECMO between ages 12 and 18 years and weighing more than 30 kg. Arterial cannula sizes were grouped as: 15-16Fr, 17–18Fr, 19–20Fr and ≥21Fr. Arterial pump flow, bleeding complications, limb ischemia, and mechanical complications were compared by cannula size. Distal perfusion catheter and percutaneous placement were also compared for complications. Results : A total of 429 patients were included with 28.2% 15–16Fr, 32.2% 17–18Fr, 22.8% 19–20Fr, and 16.8% ≥ 21Fr arterial femoral cannulas. Median age was lower in the 15–16Fr group compared to the largest cannula group (14.7 years vs 15.5 years, p Conclusion : Review of the ELSO database demonstrates that the use of larger arterial cannulas compared to 15-16Fr cannulas are not needed to achieve similar pump flows for hemodynamic support but the largest cannula sizes may increase the risk of ischemic complications.
Chronic Kidney Disease Helper

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), a condition characterized by a gradual loss of kidney function over time, is one of the silent killers of this century, next to cancer. Many healthcare reports around the globe indicate that the number of patients having CKD and End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) are alarmingly increasing in recent years. According to 2019 annual report by USRDS [17] , "the prevalence of recognized CKD has steadily risen each year, accompanied by a comparable increase in the percentage of patients with a stage-specific CKD diagnosis code." In particular, the proportion of Medicare patients in the United States with CKD has risen from 13.8% in 2016 to 14.5% in 2017. On December 31, 2017, there were 746,557 prevalent cases of ESRD in the United States; this represents an increase of 2.6% since 2016, and of 91.1% since 2000 [17] . In its latest news on March 04, 2020 [11] , the National Kidney Foundation in the United States mentioned that one in three Americans (or 33%) are at risk of developing life-threatening kidney disease. More than 10% of world population is impacted by CKD; for example, CKD prevalence in Saudi Arabia and Belgium is estimated to be 24%; in UK and Singapore, it is estimated to be 16% [1] .
Can Contingency Fee Reforms Improve Maternal & Infant Health? Evidence from Nevada

Contingency fee laws are intended to reduce the amount of defensive medicine practiced by physicians, but their impact on such behavior is theoretically ambiguous. While nearly half of all states have adopted some type of contingency fee laws, very little empirical evidence exists with respect to related impacts, and no rigorous studies examine their potential impacts on health. We examine the impact of a particular contingency fee reform that occurred in Nevada in 2004 using synthetic control methods. Consistent with our expectations, we find a systematic increase in the C-section rate of less-educated mothers in Nevada after implementation of the reform. However, we find no systematic effect on infant mortality, suggesting that contingency reforms contribute to an increase in defensive medicine without a corresponding improvement in health.
Chromosomes in Breast Cancer

Observation of chromosome aberrations in association with tumors of particular morphology, developmental stage, or tissue of origin has generated new interest in cytogenetic analysis. Tumor-specific aberrations could be valuable in identifying tissue-specific developmental genes and in detecting sites within the genome that are critical for cell growth or control of cell division. Documentation of tumor-chromosome associations seems essential to understanding the roles that chromosomal events can play in the biology and evolution of malignancy.
Structure, Constitution, and General Characteristics of Wrought Ferritic Stainless Steels

High chromium-ferritic stainless steels have good general corrosion and pitting resistance and are resistant to stress-corrosion cracking. Despite these desirable properties, the alloys have found little use as materials of construction. This lack of use is a result of significant losses in ductility, toughness, and corrosion resistance when these alloys are subjected to moderate or high temperatures. Names given to the phenomena causing loss in properties include 475°C, sigma phase, and high-temperature embrittlement. This publication summarizes the literature describing the causes, the cures, and the limitations imposed on alloys when these problems occur. The most seriously limiting problem-high temperature embrittlement and loss or corrosion resistance-is discussed in considerable detail. The key role that interstitial carbon and nitrogen play on notch sensitivity and loss of ductility and corrosion resistance following a high-temperature exposure as in welding is defined. Good as-welded properties, the absence of which has severely restricted the use of ferritic stainless steels, depend on controlling interstitial carbon and nitrogen. The publication describes three methods that are being used for interstitial control. It is now possible to produce ferritic stainless steels which are tough and which have excellent corrosion resistance and ductility in the as-welded conditions. Several new high-chromium ferritic alloys with these desirable properties are being produced commercially.
Fourier Algorithm Revisited

Only comparatively recently, Fourier solvability algorithm for linear constraints has been shown to be of great theoretical interest in Linear Programming: the fundamental duality theorem and other major results are a direct consequence of it. We show here that Fourier algorithm plays a similar role in (linear) Symbolic Computation and Affine Geometry. From this algorithm we derive easily a number of interesting results, characterization of geometric objects and algorithms which form a basis for a practical system to reason about linear constraints.
The future of women of minority race/ethnicity in breast cancer chemoprevention therapy.

Women of minority race/ethnicity have been underrepresented in United States-based breast cancer chemoprevention trials. Searches of Medline between 1966 and 2004 were done with priority given to recent reports (1996–2004), and references from bibliographies of relevant articles. Large chemoprevention trials have reported significant breast cancer risk reduction and increased risk of serious adverse events in tamoxifen-treated, high-risk women, which illustrates the need to carefully assess the risk/benefits of this therapy. The mathematical model used for this purpose in the United States-based trials has resulted in the inclusion of very few women of minority racial/ethnic backgrounds. The continued use of this risk assessment that has not been adequately validated for its usefulness in non-Caucasian populations, should be reviewed, especially given that adequate alternative nonmathematical models exist. Current and future chemoprevention trials should also use nonmathematical selection criteria to ensure that eligible underrepresented minorities are adequately included in these trials.
A Buffer-Oriented Methodology for Microarchitecture Validation

We propose a methodology for validating microarchitecture specifications. We view microarchitecture features as specific operations on entries of various buffers in the processor. Our validation approach is to determine the functionality of a buffer type, model its operations at the microarchitecture level using abstract finite state machine (FSM) models, and rigorously generate instruction sequences that systematically exercise the model of each instance of that buffer type. A high-level test sequence is derived based on the abstract FSM model using FSM testing techniques, and then translated to a test program that exercises the functionality of each buffer entry. This methodology is applied to the microarchitecture specifications of the PowerPC 604. The effectiveness of the sequences generated using our methodology is compared with that of some real and randomly-generated programs. Simulation results show that all targeted FSM transitions are covered by our sequences with at least 1000 × and 3 × fewer instructions than real and randomly-generated programs, respectively.
New device indications: impact on the individual electrophysiology (EP) practitioner in a predominantly managed care environment.

The high penetration of managed care as a payment source in cardiology practice is a fact of life in many areas of the country. Understanding the system of reimbursement used by managed care is helpful in order to maximize physician payment for work done, to minimize practice overhead, and to reduce physician and managerial frustration. The key ingredient for success in any cardiology practice environment is high quality procedural outcomes and good communication with patients and referring physicians. This is true in both a managed care and fee for service environment. This article describes the relationship between an indicated electrophysiology procedure (e.g., an implantable cardioverter defibrillator in a low ejection fraction coronary patient) at one end and its reimbursement by a local managed care payer to an electrophysiologist at the other end.
8 – Detection of Viral Pathogens Using PCR Amplification

This chapter focuses on the detection of viral pathogens using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification. PCR is a relatively simple procedure consisting of repetitive cycles of oligonucleotide primer-directed DNA replication. A selected genetic target is copied in a three-step reaction: denaturing the target DNA, annealing, and extending the bound primers by DNA polymerase action. The use of Taq DNA polymerase resulted in increased specificity of PCR amplification reactions by permitting higher primer annealing and polymerase extension temperatures to be used, decreasing the amount of non-specific target amplification. The high analytical sensitivity of PCR-based procedures facilitates the detection of minute amounts of pathogens in biological specimens that are undetectable using more conventional technology. The use of uracil-N-gylcosylase in PCR protocols improves the sensitivity of PCR amplifications by degrading nonspecific extension products that result from low-stringency primer binding that occurs below the optimal primer annealing temperature. Direct detection of viral particles or nucleic acid is the most reliable method for diagnosis of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in newborns of HIV-infected women.
Fracture toughness and fatigue crack growth in Ti‐6Al‐4V friction stir welds

Friction stir welding of titanium holds the promise for producing joints with microstructures and mechanical properties that are more comparable to wrought material than traditional fusion welding processes. Extensive data exist on the microstructure and static mechanical properties of titanium friction stir welds, but very little are available on the durability (fatigue) and even less on the damage tolerance (fracture toughness and fatigue crack growth). This paper presents the results of an investigation into the damage tolerance of friction stir welds made in 6 mm thick Ti-6Al-4V after a post-weld heat treatment. It was found that the apparent fracture toughness was lower than the wrought base material, 7–25% depending on the crack orientation relative to the weld, but the crack growth performance (ΔK vs. da/dN) of the weld in the absence of weld-induced residual stresses was identical to the base material.
The effects of pentagastrin in achalasia and diffuse esophageal spasm

Abstract The effects of subcutaneous pentagastrin (6 μg/kg) on esophageal motility were recorded in patients with achalasia, in patients with idiopathic diffuse esophageal spasm (IDES), and in healthy subjects. In achalasia and IDES, pentagastrin produced an increase in mean lower esophageal sphincter pressure, amplitude of contractions, esophageal pressure, and repetitive wave activity. Also, chest pain or dysphagia occurred after pentagastrin administration in 4 of 9 patients with IDES and in 7 of 12 patients with achalasia. After comparing these observations with those of healthy subjects, we tested the potential for pentagastrin-induced motility changes to improve our ability to diagnose IDES. This was done by administering pentagastrin to 22 patients with clinically "suspected" esophageal motor disease but in whom routine radiologic and manometric studies were nondiagnostic. In none of the 22 did symptoms or manometric changes develop to help establish the diagnosis of IDES. This was true despite additional studies in 10 patients that failed to provide an alternative to IDES as the diagnosis. These results do not support the use of pentagastrin as a provocative test for IDES.
Factors determining whether Ethiopian women support continuation of female genital mutilation

Abstract Objective To examine the factors influencing the opinions of women about whether female genital mutilation (FGM) should continue in Ethiopia. Methods Data from questionnaire surveys of women (n = 11 375) collected during the Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey were analyzed. Factors influencing the opinions of women concerning whether FGM should continue as a practice in Ethiopia were examined using multiple logistic regression. Results Women who believed that FGM should continue were more likely to be aged 15–24 years (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.21; 95% confidence interval [CI],1.05–1.41); rural residents (OR, 2.73; CI, 2.38–3.12); Muslim (OR, 1.98; CI,1.80–2.17); married (OR, 1.26; CI, 1.09–1.46); uneducated (OR, 2.85; CI, 2.51–3.23); circumcised (OR, 3.46 CI, 2.94–4.06); and to have had no exposure to mass media (OR,1.57; CI,1.41–1.75). Conclusion To change the opinions of women regarding FGM, specific education and prevention programs should be designed to target these demographic groups of women.
Learning theory and the treatment of depression.

Abstract Difficulties in defining and measuring “depression” operationally have led behavior therapists largely to ignore the subject. This paper describes several operational factors which lend themselves to more objective assessment and therapeutic maneuvers. Within this context, S-R analyses can presumably lead to effective and specific treatment procedures. Three treatment techniques are described, and one method (time projection with positive reinforcement) is described in considerable detail.
A digital computer model of the vectorcardiogram with distance and boundary effects: simulated myocardial infarction.

A mathematical model of the electrical fields of the heart which uses analogue computational techniques has recently been reported.’ This computer model of the vectorcardiogram assumed an equivalent dipole source generator and an infinite homogeneous resistive medium. More recently, a digital-computer model has been developed2 which includes a set of 20 distributed current dipoles, each dipole representing a segment of the heart, with the whole array eccentrically placed in a spherical homogeneous resistive medium. The behavior of this system is governed by the equations of Wilson and Bayley3 and includes both distance and boundary effects. The mathematical model is described in Appendix A, and the basic equations are given there. The success with this model in the simulation of normal vectorcardiograms, vectorcardiograms of large infarcts in classical locations, and right and left ventricular hypertrophy of varying degrees led us to explore methodically the effects of small and medium infarcts simulated in all areas of the myocardium. This paper is a detailed report of this exploration, with infarctions simulated in all areas of the septal and left ventricular myocardium, including the so-called “silent areas.” It is hoped that these simulated vectorcardiograms will stimulate the further exploration of current criteria for the diagnosis of myocardial infarction in clinical vectorcardiography. It can be expected that the model, which is anatomically and physiologically based, may provide the basis for clarifying previously confusing and undiagnosable electrocardiograms and vectorcardiograms.
The effects of silicon and nickel additions on the mechanical properties of A 0.4 carbon low alloy steel

Investigates the possibility that the interaction between silicon and the strong carbide forming elements could mask any beneficial effects that additions of silicon, either alone or in combination with other alloying elements, might have on the toughness of low alloy steels. Points out that the composition of the base steel, containing no molybdenum or vanadium, is 0.39C/1.5Ni/1.0Cr/0.5Mn. Finds that while separate additions of 2 wt% silicon or of 1.5 wt% nickel do not significantly improve toughness, the 2 elements together are effective in improving toughness. Concludes that while it appears that the improved toughness of the base + Ni + Si steel is due to its low impurity levels and to the increased interparticle spacing of its inclusions, additional work is needed before the affect can be quantitatively understood.
Risk factors for reoperation after repair of discrete subaortic stenosis in children.

Objectives This study aimed to identify independent predictors of reoperation after successful resection of discrete subaortic stenosis (DSS). Background Recurrence of DSS has been reported to range from 0% to 55% of patients. Factors associated with recurrence have not been adequately defined. Methods Patients were included if they had a diagnosis of DSS, normal segmental cardiac anatomy, previous resection of DSS, and at least 36 months’ follow-up. Demographic, surgical, and echocardiographic data were analyzed. Primary outcome was repeat resection of DSS in patients after successful primary resection. Results Of 111 subjects who had successful surgical resection of DSS, 16 patients (14%) required reoperation. Median follow-up time was 8.2 years. Form of DSS and gender did not differ significantly between those with reoperation and those without. In multivariate analysis, independent predictors of reoperation that would be available before first surgery were Conclusions Proximity of the obstructive lesion to the AoV and severe obstruction determined by preoperative echocardiography, as well as involvement of valve leaflets requiring surgical peeling, predict recurrent DSS requiring reoperation.
Blockade of glutamate reuptake in the rat nucleus accumbens increases locomotor activity.

The effect on locomotor activity of blocking glutamate reuptake in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) was investigated in the rat. Bilateral intracranial microinjections into the NAcc of the selective glutamate reuptake blocker, l-trans-pyrrolidine-2,4-dicarboxylic acid (PDC), were made in the freely moving rat and locomotor activity subsequently measured for 2 h. Different groups of rats injected with one of three doses of PDC (0.5, 5 or 10 nmole/0.5 microl/side) showed significant dose-dependent increases in both horizontal and vertical locomotor activity relative to control rats that received injections of the saline vehicle. These findings indicate that glutamate in the NAcc plays an important role in the production of locomotor behaviors.
White Spot Lesions: Formation, Prevention, and Treatment

As oral hygiene becomes more difficult in patients with fixed orthodontic appliances, the decalcification of the enamel surface adjacent to these appliances is prevalent. Decalcification is manifested as a white spot lesion (WSL), and orthodontic patients develop significantly more WSLs than nonorthodontic patients. If WSLs are left untreated, they may progress to produce carious cavitations, and may also present esthetic problems. Thus, the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of WSLs is crucial to minimize tooth decay as well as tooth discoloration that could compromise the esthetics of the smile.
Effects of ductility on seismic response of piping systems and their implication on design and qualification

Abstract This study is concerned with the inelastic seismic response of nuclear power plant piping systems. Two systems are examined. The first one is an idealized four-equal-span pipe run and the second one consists of two configurations modified from an existing pipe run. Detailed finite element seismic time history analyses are performed using the Ansys computer program. By varying the various geometrical and physical parameters, calculations are made for a total of 76 cases. The results show that ductility generally contributes to reducing the response of piping systems. An empirical relation between the support load reduction factor and support ductility demand is given and a chart and simple procedures are suggested for the design and qualification of piping supports taking ductility into consideration.
THE BLOOD PLATELETS IN PNEUMOCOCCUS INFECTIONS

1. A study was made of the behavior of the blood platelets during the course of pneumonia in man, as also in several rabbits experimentally infected with pneumococci. 2. The number of platelets begins to diminish after the infection has become established. A thrombopenia occurs during the febrile period. Immediately following the onset of the crisis in lobar pneumonia or after the temperature begins to fall by lysis, the platelets begin gradually to increase in number. In the postfebrile period, the platelet count increases until the normal number is greatly exceeded, and there is a return to the normal number only after about 2 weeks. 3. Sequelae, characterized by fever, following pneumonia are accompanied by a renewed diminution in the number of platelets. After subsidence of the temperature their number usually increases until the normal is again exceeded. 4. The platelets in general are smaller and contain more granules during the thrombopenic stage of pneumonia. 5. Intravenous injection of antipneumococcus serum during pneumonia ordinarily produces no variation in the number of platelets.
Vinculin Proteolysis Unmasks an ActA Homolog for Actin-based Shigella Motility

To generate the forces needed for motility, the plasma membranes of nonmuscle cells adopt an activated state that dynamically reorganizes the actin cytoskeleton. By usurping components from focal contacts and the actin cytoskeleton, the intracellular pathogens Shigella flexneri and Listeria monocytogenes use molecular mimicry to create their own actin-based motors. We raised an antibody (designated FS-1) against the FEFPPPPTDE sequence of Listeria ActA, and this antibody: ( a ) localized at the trailing end of motile intracellular Shigella , ( b ) inhibited intracellular locomotion upon microinjection of Shigella -infected cells, and ( c ) cross-reacted with the proteolytically derived 90-kD human vinculin head fragment that contains the Vinc-1 oligoproline sequence, PDFPPPPPDL. Antibody FS-1 reacted only weakly with full-length vinculin, suggesting that the Vinc-1 sequence in full-length vinculin may be masked by its tail region and that this sequence is unmasked by proteolysis. Immunofluoresence staining with a monoclonal antibody against the head region of vinculin (Vin 11-5) localized to the back of motile bacteria (an identical staining pattern observed with the anti-ActA FS-1 antibody), indicating that motile bacteria attract a form of vinculin containing an unmasked Vinc-1 oligoproline sequence. Microinjection of submicromolar concentrations of a synthetic Vinc-1 peptide arrested Shigella intracellular motility, underscoring the functional importance of this sequence. Western blots revealed that Shigella infection induces vinculin proteolysis in PtK2 cells and generates p90 head fragment over the same 1–3 h time frame when intracellular bacteria move within the host cell cytoplasm. We also discovered that microinjected p90, but not full-length vinculin, accelerates rates of pathogen motility by a factor of 3 ± 0.4 in Shigella -infected PtK2 cells. These experiments suggest that vinculin p90 is a rate-limiting component in actin-based Shigella motility, and that supplementing cells with p90 stimulates rocket tail growth. Earlier findings demonstrated that vinculin p90 binds to IcsA (Suzuki, T.A., S. Saga, and C. Sasakawa. 1996. J. Biol. Chem. 271:21878– 21885) and to vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP) (Brindle, N.P.J., M.R. Hold, J.E. Davies, C.J. Price, and D.R. Critchley. 1996. Biochem. J. 318:753– 757). We now offer a working model in which proteolysis unmasks vinculin's ActA-like oligoproline sequence. Unmasking of this site serves as a molecular switch that initiates assembly of an actin-based motility complex containing VASP and profilin.
Extended Capability for Fast Neutron Hodoscope Used at Treat

The fast neutron hodoscope used at TREAT reactor for fuel meltdown studies has been improved to permit count rates above 106/sec in each channel. Also a digital readout system, based on integrated circuit scalers, has been introduced. Peak instantaneous data rate capability, now about 107/sec, can be expanded to 109/sec.
A Longitudinal Study of Academic Intrinsic Motivation in Intellectually Gifted Children: Childhood Through Early Adolescence

Academic intrinsic motivation of intellectually gifted children and a comparison group was examined in the Fullerton Longitudinal Study. Children at ages 9 through 13 years were administered the Children's Academic Intrinsic Motivation Inventory which assesses intrinsic motivation for school learning in reading, math, social studies, science, and for school in general. Analyses showed that across the ages, relative to a peer comparison, gifted children had significantly higher academic intrinsic motivation across all subject areas and school in general. It is suggested that: Children who become intellectually gifted enjoy the process of learning to a greater extent; intrinsic motivation is important for potentiation of giftedness; Assessment of academic intrinsic motivation be included in selection of children for gifted programs.
Two-way self-punitive locomotor behavior

The effect of an explicit buzzer CS upon self-punitive locomotor behavior was investigated in an experiment utilizing a fully automated two-way locomotor device. Two groups of rats received shock-escape training and extinction, with or without the CS. During extinction, half of the animals in each group were shocked in the middle segment of the alley while the other half were given no-shock regular extinction trials. Rats trained and extinguished with the CS completed more extinction trials than those trained and extinguished without a CS, while rats punished during extinction completed more trials than rats given regular extinction trials. In addition, the punishment-produced facilitation of extinction performance was greater for rats trained and extinguished with the CS than for those without the CS.
Latent graphical models for quantifying and predicting patent quality

The number of patents filed each year has increased dramatically in recent years, raising concerns that patents of questionable validity are restricting the issuance of truly innovative patents. For this reason, there is a strong demand to develop an objective model to quantify patent quality and characterize the attributes that lead to higher-quality patents. In this paper, we develop a latent graphical model to infer patent quality from related measurements. In addition, we extract advanced lexical features via natural language processing techniques to capture the quality measures such as clarity of claims, originality, and importance of cited prior art. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach by validating its predictions with previous court decisions of litigated patents.
Reliability-aware resource allocation in HPC systems

Failures and downtimes have severe impact on the performance of parallel programs in a large scale High Performance Computing (HPC) environment. There were several research efforts to understand the failure behavior of computing systems. However, the presence of multitude of hardware and software components required for uninterrupted operation of parallel programs make failure and reliability prediction a challenging problem. HPC run-time systems like checkpoint frameworks and resource managers rely on the reliability knowledge of resources to minimize the performance loss due to unexpected failures. In this paper, we first analyze the Time Between Failure (TBF) distribution of individual nodes from a 512-node HPC system. Time varying distributions like Weibull, lognormal and gamma are observed to have better goodness-of-fit as compared to exponential distribution. We then present a reliability-aware resource allocation model for parallel programs based on one of the time varying distributions and present reliability-aware resource allocation algorithms to minimize the performance loss due to failures. We show the effectiveness of reliability-aware resource allocation algorithms based on the actual failure logs of the 512 node system and parallel workloads obtained from LANL and SDSC. The simulation results indicate that applying reliability-aware resource allocation techniques reduce the overall waste time of parallel jobs by as much as 30%. A further improvement by 15% in waste time is possible by considering the job run lengths in reliability-aware scheduling.
The effect of Δ7-cholestenol feeding on the cholesterol and lipoproteins of rabbit serum

Abstract 1. 1.When Δ 7 -cholestenol is fed to rabbits there is produced a rise in the various classes of low-density serum lipoproteins. The lipoprotein “pattern” is qualitatively the same as that observed after feeding cholesterol. 2. 2. Δ 7 -Cholestenol produces a striking rise in serum cholesterol, and about the same levels are reached as are observed on feeding cholesterol itself. The sterols of the serum after this feeding show a maximum of about 12% of Δ 7 -cholestenol. 3. 3. Δ 7 -Cholestenol and cholesterol produce an additive effect on the levels of serum lipoproteins when fed simultaneously. 4. 4. Five per cent of the serum sterols is Δ 7 -cholestenol at the end of 1 week of feeding both this sterol and cholesterol. At the end of 2 weeks the Δ 7 -cholestenol falls almost to zero in spite of continued feeding of both sterols.
The importance of glycerin-containing negative control tests in allergy research studies that use intradermal skin tests.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to assess skin whealing with glycerin-containing control injections for intradermal skin tests.DESIGN: Observational.METHODS: Wheal sizes were measured at 0, 10, and 15 minutes...
Clinically inapparent status epilepticus as a cause of coma in the critically ill

Abstract Three adult patients presenting to the intensive care unit (ICU) with metabolic encephalopathy are described. Despite the absence of clinical signs of status epilepticus, this diagnosis was made on the basis of electroencephalographic recording and when effectively treated with anticonvulsant therapy, associated stupor or coma resolved. Duration of mechanical ventilation, intubation, and ICU stay were substantially shortened by this recognition and subsequent therapy. The inclusion of status epilepticus in the differential diagnosis of coma and stupor in the critically ill adult patient is emphasized.
Enhancing motor performance improvement by personalizing non-invasive cortical stimulation with concurrent functional near-infrared spectroscopy and multi-modal motor measurements

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive cortical stimulation technique that can facilitate task specific plasticity that can improve motor performance. Current tDCS interventions uniformly apply a chosen electrode montage to a subject population without personalizing electrode placement for optimal motor gains. We propose a novel perturbation tDCS (ptDCS) paradigm for determining a personalized electrode montage in which tDCS intervention yields maximal motor performance improvements during stimulation. PtDCS was applied to ten healthy adults and five stroke patients with upper hemiparesis as they performed an isometric wrist flexion task with their non-dominant arm. Simultaneous recordings of torque applied to a stationary handle, muscle activity by electromyography (EMG), and cortical activity by functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) during ptDCS helped interpret how cortical activity perturbations by any given electrode montage related to changes in muscle activity and task performance quantified by a Reaction Time (RT) X Error product. PtDCS enabled quantifying the effect on task performance of 20 different electrode pair montages placed over the sensorimotor cortex. Interestingly, the electrode montage maximizing performance in all healthy adults did not match any of the ones being explored in current literature as a means of improving the motor performance of stroke patients. Furthermore, the optimal montage was found to be different in each stroke patient and the resulting motor gains were very significant during stimulation. This study supports the notion that task-specific ptDCS optimization can lend itself to personalizing the rehabilitation of patients with brain injury.
A simple class of asymptotically optimal quantizers

A simple class of quantizers is introduced which are asymptotically optimal, as the number of quantization levels increases to infinity, with respect to a mean r th power absolute error distortion measure. These asymptotically optimal quantizers are very easy to compute. Their performance is evaluated for several distributions and compares favorably with the performance of the optimal quantizers in all cases for which the latter have been computed. In addition their asymptotic robustness is studied under location, scale, and shape mismatch for several families of distributions.
Compositional dependence of the thermal, structural, and electrical properties of AsTeI glasses

Abstract Thermal, structural, and electrical properties of semiconducting AsTeI (and AsTe) glasses have been examined as a function of concentration. Analytical techniques have been developed for quantitative chemical analysis of all three components. Differential scanning calorimetry data indicate a broad endothermic reaction, Tmin ∼ 145 °C, above the glass transition (Tg = 120 ± 8 °C) for iodine compositions of 0 to ∼ 20 at%. Above this reaction temperature the thermal data are composition dependent. For glasses with I ⪆ 35 at %, Tg is much lower (65–70 °C) and the endothermic reaction is much sharper with a minimum at ∼ 133 °C. The wide variation in thermal properties with composition suggests that electrical effects associated with high temperatures (e.g. switching and memory phenomena) may also be composition dependent, as well as being dependent upon kinetics. Structural studies show that phase segregation above Tg is dependent upon kinetics as well as upon temperature. Thermal, structural, and electrical data give evidence that As2Te3 exists as a unit in the non-crystalline state. This structural unit, stable at high temperatures, is present in the molten material and is thought to be present as the supercooled liquid is quenched. The short-range order extends to long-range order upon devitrification and the first crystalline phase detected is monoclinic As2Te3. Apparently metastable under the conditions of formation, this phase converts to a previously unreported fcc phase upon further heat treatment. Similar crystalline structures are known to be associated with thermally- and electrically-induced memory phenomena in AsTeGe and AsTeI glasses. Density measurements at room temperature show that (1) there are no phase miscibility gaps in the glass substructure or different crystalline phases segregating as the I content is varied, and (2) there is a large change in molar volume with increasing I concentration, whereas the molar weight does not change significantly. Electrical conductivity, σ, data in the region around room temperature, show that the σ0 values, determined from σ = σ0e−E/kt, range from 102 to 103 (Ω-cm)−1. A possible dependence of σ0 on I content may be due to changes in molar volume. The more homogeneous glasses appear to show breakpoints in the σ versus 1/T data; the corresponding changes in E are only 0.02–0.06 eV, with E = 0.04 eV being most frequently observed. For As50Te50−xIx glasses, σ at a given temperature increases as the iodine concentration is increased to about 5 at % and then decreases with further increase in I content. Correspondingly there is a minimum in the E versus I concentration data at I ∼ 5 at %. Results suggest that dependence of the σ breakpoints on glass homogeneity and the variation of E with I concentration may be due to trapping effects.
Mean Value Analysis of Military Airlift Operations at an Individual Airfield

An analytical queueing network model of military airlift operations at an individual aire eld is developed and implemented. The aire eld system is represented as a capacitated open network of multiserver queues and forkjoin constructs that capture concurrent aircraft e ow through subnetworks of activities. Generated performance measures include mean values for system throughput, aircraft ground time, and resource utilizations. The quality of the analytical approximation is demonstrated through comparison with simulation results.
Sensitivity Analysis for Navier-Stokes Equations on Unstructured Meshes Using Complex Variables

The use of complex variables for determining sensitivity derivatives for turbulent flows is examined. Although a step size parameter is required, the numerical derivatives are not subject to subtractive cancellation errors and, therefore, exhibit true second-order accuracy as the step size is reduced. As a result, this technique guarantees two additional digits of accuracy each time the step size is reduced one order of magnitude. This behavior is in contrast to the use of finite differences, which suffer from inaccuracies due to subtractive cancellation errors. In addition, the complex-variable procedure is easily implemented into existing codes
Terminal oxidases and growth in plant tissues. I. The terminal oxidase mediating growth of Avena coleoptile and Pisum stem sections

Abstract 1. 1. The effects of oxygen pressure, carbon monoxide, cyanide, and several copper-enzyme poisons on the elongation of isolated sections of Pisum stems and Avena coleoptiles were studied in an effort to characterize the terminal oxidase mediating this growth process. 2. 2. Growth of Pisum sections is independent of the partial pressure of oxygen between 5 and 220% of an atmosphere, whereas the growth of Avena sections is markedly inhibited when the oxygen pressure falls below 10% of an atmosphere. 3. 3. Prolonged exposure to moderate positive pressures of nitrogen superimposed upon 1 atm. of air has little effect on growth. 4. 4. Twenty-four-hour exposure to positive pressures of carbon monoxide superimposed upon 1 atm. of air markedly inhibits the growth of the isolated sections. A 5:1 ratio of carbon monoxide to oxygen causes 70% inhibition of elongation of Avena and 50% inhibition of Pisum ; at a 20:1 ratio the corresponding values are 86% and approximately 99%. Upon return to air, the sections grow rapidly and are able in large measure to “catch up” to the controls. 5. 5. The carbon monoxide inhibition of growth is essentially completely reversed by light at all carbon monoxide to oxygen ratios. 6. 6. Growth may also be inhibited by cyanide, but is insensitive to copper-enzyme poisons. 7. 7. It is concluded that the enzyme inhibited by carbon monoxide is cytochrome oxidase, and that the growth of Avena and Pisum sections is mediated entirely by this enzyme.
Iran and the United States: A Cold War Case Study

Richard Cottam served in the U.S. embassy in Tehran from 1956 to 1958 and was consulted by the Department of State during the 1979 hostage crisis. This book draws upon his expert personal knowledge of Iranian politics to describe the spiraling decline of U.S.-Iranian relations since the cold war and the political consequences of those years U.S. policy, he argues, is flawed by ignorance, inertia, the tenacity of a cold war mentality, a quixotic tilt toward Iraq, and the blatant inconsistency of the Reagan administration's arms-for-hostages scheme that produced the Iran-contra scandal.
Effect of volatile anesthetics on interhemispheric EEG cross-approximate entropy in the rat

Dissimilarity of the electroencephalogram (EEG) between the two hemispheres was characterized by cross-approximate entropy (C-ApEn), an information statistical parameter applicable to nonlinear, aperiodic signals. EEGs were recorded bipolarly with pairs of epidural electrodes in the left and right frontal cortices. The signals were filtered for 1-100 Hz and digitized at 200 Hz. Inhaled anesthetic concentration was varied between 0.3 and 2.1% with 45-min equilibration periods while the rats were breathing spontaneously. Anesthetics produced concentration-dependent changes in C-ApEn. A greater dynamic range of C-ApEn was obtained by reducing the epoch length from 2 s to 100 ms. At a 0.4% inspired agent concentration halothane caused an increase of C-ApEn, whereas isoflurane did not. When the inspired concentrations of both agents were greater than 0.4%, C-ApEn dose-dependently decreased as agent concentrations increased. Isoflurane depressed C-ApEn more than did halothane at all equivalent minimum alveolar concentration levels, but the two agents became equipotent at 1.5% inspired concentration. C-ApEn fell below the awake baseline at 0.8% anesthetic concentration that also abolished the righting reflex. C-ApEn increased after high-pass filtering (>20 Hz) and decreased after-low pass filtering (<20 Hz) of the digitized EEG; the anesthetic dependence of C-ApEn was diminished by both filters. The results suggest that C-ApEn of bihemispheric EEG is a sensitive, agent-specific correlate of anesthetics' central effect.