cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Machine Learning Model to Successfully Predict Future Diagnosis of Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia With Retrospective Electronic Health Records Data.

Background Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is a clonal stem cell disorder accounting for 15% of adult leukemias. We aimed to determine if machine learning models could predict CML using blood cell counts prior to diagnosis. Methods We identified patients with a diagnostic test for CML (BCR-ABL1) and at least 6 consecutive prior years of differential blood cell counts between 1999 and 2020 in the largest integrated health care system in the United States. Blood cell counts from different time periods prior to CML diagnostic testing were used to train, validate, and test machine learning models. Results The sample included 1,623 patients with BCR-ABL1 positivity rate 6.2%. The predictive ability of machine learning models improved when trained with blood cell counts closer to time of diagnosis: 2 to 5 years area under the curve (AUC), 0.59 to 0.67, 0.5 to 1 years AUC, 0.75 to 0.80, at diagnosis AUC, 0.87 to 0.92. Conclusions Blood cell counts collected up to 5 years prior to diagnostic workup of CML successfully predicted the BCR-ABL1 test result. These findings suggest a machine learning model trained with blood cell counts could lead to diagnosis of CML earlier in the disease course compared to usual medical care.
COVID-19: Salt in the Wound of Health Care Inequality and the Cause of a New Healthcare Disparity.

The year 2020 will forever be associated with a new chapter in the history of global health, COVID-19. However, this new chapter would have a similar message as many other chapters written before it. The COVID-19 pandemic would disproportionately affect minorities, those of low socioeconomic class, and those with limited access to health care. However, this would also bring about a new health care disparity, the affect COVID-19 would have on those with non- COVID related medical needs.
Attribute Propagation for Utilities

Utility systems such as electric, fiber/telco, gas, and water require the realistic modeling of network attributes or values over distance. For example, consider hydraulic pressure in a pipe network; as water flows away from the reservoir or pump, pressure decreases due to pipe friction, leakage, consumption, etc. Attribute propagation is the process whereby network attributes that change over distance (e.g., maximum allowable operating pressure, phase, etc.) are calculated and maintained. This is important for improving safety as well as efficiency. However, attribute propagation is challenging due to the size of the data, which could have tens of millions of nodes and edges per utility, and billions of nodes and edges at the nationwide scale. Additionally, results may need to be calculated and available quickly for interactive analysis. Previous approaches require immediate updates to all nodes and edges downstream of a node/edge being edited (to account for changes in attribute values), which could be computationally intensive and result in a slow user experience for editing attribute values. This paper presents Propagators, which feature an in-memory approach to attribute propagation. Propagators leverage a network index as well as a heuristic based on colocated sources with similar attribute values to increase computational savings. We present experiments that demonstrate the scalability of Propagators, which have been implemented in ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Enterprise.
Correlation Between Serum Amyloid A and Antibody Response to West Nile Virus Vaccine Antigen in Healthy Horses.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to establish if peak serum amyloid A (SAA) concentrations can be used to determine an appropriate immune response to a vaccine containing West Nile Virus (WNV) antigen. A pilot study with 20 clinically healthy horses was performed to identify peak SAA concentration postvaccination with a commercial multivalent WNV vaccine. Blood was collected for SAA at 0, 24, 48, 72, 96, 168 hours postvaccination. Serum for WNV serum neutralization antibody testing was obtained immediately prior to and 30 days postvaccination. An additional 40 horses underwent the study protocol, but with SAA measurements acquired at 0-hours and 72-hours postvaccination. Ninety percent of the population had an increase in SAA in response to WNV vaccination, though no significant correlation was identified between SAA peak and antibody titer fold changes. WNV antibody titer fold changes between pre- and post-vaccination revealed 57% of horses had increased fold changes, 30% had no fold changes and 13% had negative fold changes. There was a negative correlation between age and SAA response (P = .0008). The main conclusions were SAA response postvaccination against WNV does not appear to mirror antibody response. Age appears to significantly affect SAA response. Further, vaccination with WNV antigen may not consistently induce a positive increase in WNV antibodies.
Political and Economic Determinants of the Likelihood of Privatizing Argentine Public Banks

This paper studies the political economy of bank privatization in Argentina following institutional changes related to the implementation of the Convertibility plan and the Tequila Crisis. The empirical results strongly support the hypothesis that political incentives affect the likelihood of privatization. We find: (i) poorly performing banks were more likely to be privatized; (ii) overstaffing tended to reduce the probability of privatization; (iii) large banks were less likely to be privatized; and (iv) higher provincial unemployment and higher shares of public employees reduced the probability of privatization. Although the hypotheses were tested for a specific industry in a specific country, making it possible to control for enterprise performance and institutional characteristics, it seems reasonable that similar results might hold in other industries and countries.
Understanding Disability Services Toward Improving Graduate Student Support

Few students with disabilities transition from undergraduate to graduate programs. Graduate students often receive ineffective and insufficient accommodations, including lack of support specific to graduate students, because disability services policies are shaped by undergraduate experiences. To understand how disability services offices accommodate graduate students: we (1) critically analyzed disability services websites of 18 U.S. institutions, and (2) interviewed 17 disability services staff. Disability services websites publicly present institutional accommodation policies and guidelines, and staff are responsible for identifying, providing, and implementing reasonable accommodations. We found that policies may be interpreted differently depending on specific student circumstances. We discuss our findings in two main themes: (a) Policies and attitudes ascribed to disability, technology, and faculty, and (b) Impacts of policies and perspectives on accommodation decisions for graduate students. The contributions of this work include an empirical investigation of institutional support for disabled graduate students and suggestions for how to improve support from disability services offices to empower students.
DEAD TO THE WORLD: EMBODIED GENDER TRANSGRESSION AND THE LOSS OF HUMANITY

The accepted scope of humanity, though broad on first glance, actually represents a narrow, shallow stream. Within Western culture, the expectations, proscriptions and limitations tied to one’s own “human” status remain largely unidentified until they are transgressed. The human body (lynchpin of humanity) is considered something not to be tampered with, at risk of the loss of one’s human status. While some forms of modification, such as plastic surgery, tattooing, and piercing have become more broadly accepted, more extreme modifications of the body, intentional or otherwise, can render the subject as a freak—an implicit social death. Here emerges a curious overlap between the freak and the spectre, both inhabiting a liminal space between inhuman and exhuman, hypervisible in their distance from humanity. Broadly conceived of as mutilated or desecrated, transgender bodies are alternately read as cultural freaks and social specters, demonstrating the loss of humanity that occurs when transgression is physically written onto the body.
Enhanced protection for influenza vaccines using a novel rOv-ASP-1 adjuvant aqueous formulation (VAC2P.933)

Adjuvants have been used to enhance the efficacy of a variety of vaccines; however, no adjuvant is included in current influenza vaccines used in the United States. In this study, we found that a novel adjuvant, rOv-ASP-1, co-administrated with inactivated influenza vaccine using an aqueous formulation, substantially improved the influenza-specific antibody response and protection against lethal infection in a mouse model. rOv-ASP-1 enhanced the magnitude of the specific antibody response after immunization with low doses of influenza vaccine, allowing antigen-sparring by 10-fold. The rOv-ASP-1 formulated vaccine induced a more rapid response and a stronger Th1-associated antibody response compared to vaccine alone and to the vaccine formulated with the adjuvant alum. Importantly, rOv-ASP-1 significantly enhanced cross-reactive antibody responses and protection when challenged with a heterologous influenza virus strain. These results demonstrate that rOv-ASP-1 is an effective adjuvant that: 1) accelerates and enhances the specific antibody response induced by influenza vaccine; 2) allows for antigen sparing; and 3) augments a Th1-biased and cross-reactive antibody response that confers heterologous protection.
Interaction of Bacillus Calmette-Guérin-activated macrophages and neoplastic cells in vitro: II. The relationship of selective binding to cytolysis

Abstract The selective binding in vitro between BCG-activated peritoneal macrophages from C57B1/6J mice and five nonadherent neoplastic targets (P815, EL-4, P388, RBL-5, and L1210) was found to lead to cytolysis of the targets. Cytolysis was selective, in that interaction between BCG macrophages and the neoplastic targets led to significant lysis, while interaction between these targets and inflammatory macrophages or between lymphocytes and either type of macrophage did not. Cytolysis of the targets was respectively decreased or increased by treatments which decreased (chelators or trypsinization of the macrophages) or increased (Con A or neuraminadase plus galactose oxidase) binding. Addition of unlabeled P815 or EL-4 cells but not lymphocytes reduced binding and cytolysis of subsequently added EL-4 or P815 targets. El-4 or P815 targets bound to the BCG-activated macrophages were lysed in preference to targets not bound to the macrophages. Interposition of a mechanical barrier between the macrophages and the targets blocked both binding and cytolysis. The data suggest that the spontaneous binding of EL-4 or P815 targets to BCG-activated peritoneal macrophages is an initial and necessary step in cytolytic destruction of those targets.
Stability Analysis of All Possible Equilibria for Gyrostat Satellities under Gravitational Torques

Introducing a source of angular momentum into a gravitational!) stabilized satellite affects both the equilibria and the stability properties. A previous paper found that there is a two parameter family of orientations which can be made into equilibria, relative to gravitational torques, by using a source of internal angular momentum. Here a stability analysis is made of all possible equilibria for such gyrostat satellites. The parameters involved are the three inertias of the satellite, two parameters identifying the equilibrium, and the component of angular momentum perpendicular to the orbital plane. The boundaries in this parameter space along which the qualitative nature of the stability behavior changes, are identified using the theory of bifurcation of Poincare with the quadratic approximation to the dynamic potential. The region of Liapunov stable satellites (using the Hamiltonian as a Liapunov function) is identified. It is shown that the case 4a solutions previously described (having the axis of intermediate moment of inertia any place in the orbital plane) forms a boundary dividing those satellites which can be made Liapunov stable from those which cannot be made Liapunov stable by choosing a sufficiently large component of internal angular momentum along the perpendicular to the orbital plane. This boundary can be easily visualized. Contour plots show the magnitude of this angular momentum component required to obtain stability.
Leucine, Isoleucine, Valine and Histidine Requirements of Fingerling Channel Catfish

Growth studies were conducted with fingerling channel catfish to determine the minimal requirements for the amino acids leucine, isoleucine, valine and histidine. The experimental diets were formulated from purified ingredients to contain 24% crude protein and 275 kcal/100 g diet. Casein and gelatin served as protein sources and were supplemented with crystalline L-amino acids to provide the amino acid pattern found in 24% crude protein from whole egg powder. Based on dry diet the catfish required 0.84 +/- 0.04% leucine, 0.62 +/- 0.04% isoleucine, 0.71 +/- 0.03% valine and 0.37 +/- 0.01% histidine. These values correspond to 3.50% leucine, 2.58% isoleucine 2.96% valine and 1.54% histidine when expressed as a percentage of dietary protein. Quantitation of serum free amino acid levels revealed a marked increase in valine and isoleucine in leucine-deficient fish. In addition, increases in dietary isoleucine or valine resulted in changes in the serum levels of isoleucine, valine and leucine. These data indicate an apparent interaction among these amino acids in the catfish comparable to that previously observed in other species. Dietary histidine caused no increase in serum free histidine levels until the dietary requirement was reached. Muscle carnosine could not be detected in the catfish.
Slinging the Bull in Korea: An Adventure in Psychological Warfare – By John Martin Campbell

In this new book, the author recounts his journey into service with the Air Force's psychological warfare element—Air Resupply and Communications Service (ARCS)—during the Korean War, puts his own ...
Deletion of the Escherichia coli crp Gene

Spontaneous crp mutants Escherichia coli were selected from a strain that does not require 3′,5′-cyclic adenosine monophosphate for CAP activity. Several deletions of the crp gene were characterized. The crp gene was not essential for growth of E. coli. crp mutations reduced the donor ability of Hfr strains.
Debating Immortality: Application of Data Envelopment Analysis to Voting for the Baseball Hall of Fame

This paper applies data envelopment analysis to voting for the Baseball Hall of Fame (HOF). The approach interprets a player's career statistics as inputs and the percentage of votes that he received for the HOF as the output. A constructed frontier based on past voting defines the maximum number of votes that a player should receive based on his statistical profile. Our results suggest that about a third of the current members of the HOF (excluding Negro League players, managers, umpires, and executives) should be replaced by more deserving players. Our conclusions, however, do not account for those aspects of a player's career (both positive and negative) not captured by statistics. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Hypersensitivity to substance P in the etiology of postlumbar puncture headache.

Objective.-Postlumbar puncture headache may represent a model which could be used to test the hypothesis that headache pain is caused by the release of substance P in patients who are predisposed to headache due to hypersensitivity to substance P. Methods.-We measured substance P in CSF and plasma in 37 patients undergoing diagnostic lumbar puncture. In 9 patients, plasma samples were obtained before lumbar puncture, in 28 patients plasma was obtained after lumbar puncture. Patients were followed up by telephone to determine if they developed postlumbar puncture headache. Patients were also asked about a history of chronic or recurrent headaches. Substance P was determined by radioimmunoassay. Results.-The mean plasma substance P levels obtained before lumbar puncture was 1.0 ± 0.1 pg/mL and 1.3 ± 1.2 after lumbar puncture (P<0.0005). The mean plasma substance P levels in subjects who developed postlumbar puncture headache was 0.6 ± 0.6 pg/mL compared with 1.4 ± 1.5 in subjects who remained headache-free (P<0.05). The mean CSF substance P levels in subjects who developed postlumbar puncture headache was 0.7 ± 0.5 pg/mL compared with 1.2 ± 0.8 in subjects who remained headache-free (P<0.05). There were no significant differences in substance P levels between chronic headache sufferers and nonheadache subjects. Conclusions.-Postlumbar puncture headache may be mediated by the release of substance P triggered by lumbar puncture, in patients predisposed to headache by a hypersensitivity to substance P. Hypersensitivity to substance P may also represent a mechanism for headache pain in other headache disorders.
Cognitive Responses to Persuasion as Mediators of Opinion Change

Summary Past research on the relationship between recall of message content and the effectiveness of a persuasive communication has produced contradictory findings. The present study utilized Greenwald's “cognitive response analysis” of persuasion in an attempt to clarify this relationship. Eighty male and female undergraduates were exposed to persuasive communications and then tested for their retention of message content and cognitive response content. Opinion change, both immediately and after a one-week delay, was significantly correlated with recall of cognitive responses. There was no significant correlation between recall of message content and attitude change. These results were seen as supporting Greenwald's modified learning approach to persuasion.
Transition to the tenure track for nurse faculty with young children: a case study.

Abstract Recent efforts to ease the nursing shortage focus on recruiting and retaining younger faculty. The first years in a tenure-track position are especially challenging for new faculty who struggle to negotiate demands of academia along with parenting young children. These struggles may influence retention and require further exploration. A case study using qualitative content analysis was conducted on the transitioning experiences of three assistant professors of nursing, who had young children, during their first two years on tenure track at a research-intensive public university. Three main content areas emerged: adapting to the academic role, negotiating work/life demands, and benefiting from mentoring. To help ease the nurse faculty shortage, colleges and universities should strive to implement family-friendly policies and mentoring programs to retain faculty with young children.
Synthetic double-stranded RNA poly(I:C) as a potent peptide vaccine adjuvant: therapeutic activity against human cervical cancer in a rodent model

Due to the inherent lack of immunogenicity of peptides, it is generally recognized that the strong inflammatory signals that are required to elicit specific responses against peptide-based therapeutic tumor vaccines may not be provided by the standard/conventional vaccine adjuvants. In this study, we have demonstrated dsRNA in the form of synthetic pI:C as a potent adjuvant to enhance the specific anti-tumor immune responses against a peptide-based vaccine. When complexed with an MHC I-restricted minimal peptide epitope derived from the HPV 16 E7 protein, the resulting pI:C/E7(49-57) molecular complex induced strong E7(49-57)-specific CTL responses that caused significant regressions of model human cervical cancer tumors pre-established in mice. In addition, although the proportion of DCs in tumor-bearing mice was significantly decreased when compared to that in naive mice, immunization with pI:C/E7(49-57 )restored the proportion of DCs in tumor-bearing mice. Double-stranded RNA may hold a great potential as an adjuvant to induce cellular immune responses for tumor immunotherapy.
Building bridges between neural models and complex decision making behaviour

Diffusion processes, and their discrete time counterparts, random walk models, have demonstrated an ability to account for a wide range of findings from behavioural decision making for which the purely algebraic and deterministic models often used in economics and psychology cannot account. Recent studies that record neural activations in non-human primates during perceptual decision making tasks have revealed that neural firing rates closely mimic the accumulation of preference theorized by behaviourally-derived diffusion models of decision making.This article bridges the expanse between the neurophysiological and behavioural decision making literatures specifically, decision field theory [Busemeyer, J. R. & Townsend, J. T. (1993). Decision field theory: A dynamic-cognitive approach to decision making in an uncertain environment. Psychological Review, 100, 432-459], a dynamic and stochastic random walk theory of decision making, is presented as a model positioned between lower-level neural activation patterns and more complex notions of decision making found in psychology and economics. Potential neural correlates of this model are proposed, and relevant competing models are also addressed.
Two-dimensional fluorescence-detected coherent spectroscopy with absolute phasing by confocal imaging of a dynamic grating and 27-step phase-cycling

We present a novel experimental scheme for two-dimensional fluorescence-detected coherent spectroscopy (2D-FDCS) using a non-collinear beam geometry with the aid of “confocal imaging” of dynamic (population) grating and 27-step phase-cycling to extract the signal. This arrangement obviates the need for distinct experimental designs for previously developed transmission detected non-collinear two-dimensional coherent spectroscopy (2D-CS) and collinear 2D-FDCS. We also describe a novel method for absolute phasing of the 2D spectrum. We apply this method to record 2D spectra of a fluorescent dye in solution at room temperature and observe “spectral diffusion.”
Do corporations manage earnings to meet/exceed analyst forecasts? Evidence from pension plan assumption changes

A significantly larger number of firms increase the expected rate of return on pension plan assets (ERR) to make their reported earnings meet/exceed analyst forecasts than would be expected by chance. In the short run, the stock market reacts positively to these firms’ earnings announcements, suggesting that investors fail to recognize that earnings benchmarks are achieved through ERR manipulation. In the long run, however, firms that employ this earnings management strategy significantly underperform control firms in both stock returns and operating performance.
Fumigants as Treatments for Harvested Citrus Fruits Infested with Asynonychus godmani (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Ethyl formate, hydrogen cyanide, phosphine, and methyl bromide fumigants were tested for their efficacy for postharvest control of eggs of Fuller rose beetle, Asynonychus godmani Crotch, on lemons. Fuller rose beetle is a quarantine pest of citrus fruits entering Japan. Only methyl bromide use appears to be feasible for fumigating citrus fruits infested with beetle eggs. Fumigation of infested, unprocessed lemons at a 50% load factor for 2 h at 21 degrees C with 44 g/m3 of methyl bromide resulted in a concentration X exposure time (CT) product of 75.6 g.h/m3, with mortality to eggs of 99.94%. Inorganic methyl bromide residue in lemon fruit pulp and peel averaged 5.0 and 12.2 ppm, respectively. Supplementing methyl bromide fumigation with 20% carbon dioxide did not improve insect mortality. Cold storage and shipping temperatures (normally used in handling citrus fruits destined for Japan) combined with methyl bromide fumigation also did not improve efficacy.
The Modern Day Baby Book: Enacting Good Mothering and Stewarding Privacy on Facebook

The practice of sharing family photographs is as old as the camera itself. Many mothers now share baby photos online, yet little is known about what kinds of baby photos they share and their motivations for doing so. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 22 new mothers, we find that they share cute, funny, milestone, and family and friend photos but refrain from sharing crying and naked photos. While some mothers harbor concerns about controlling information, oversharing, and digital footprints, the benefits of receiving validation outweighs their concerns. Sharing baby photos on Facebook helps new mothers enact and receive validation of "good mothering." However, mothers are charged with the responsibility of stewarding their children's privacy and identities online. We introduce the concept of privacy stewardship to describe the responsibility parents take on when deciding what is appropriate to share about their children online and ensuring that family and friends respect and maintain the integrity of those rules. As a result, mothers must exchange benefits of sharing baby photos with risks of creating digital footprints for their child.
Is the lower risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) among infants born to Mexican and- Puerto Rican mothers due to other (competing) causes of infant death? |[bull]| 529

Previous studies by our group and others suggest that infants born to Mexican (MX) and Puerto Rican (PR) mothers may have lower risks of death due to SIDS. The reason(s) for this protective effect remain unexplained. Overall MX infants have about the same level and PR infants have higher levels of mortality than Non-Hispanic Whites (NHW). We investigated whether the lower risk of death due to SIDS among MX and PR infants could be due to their higher rates of other/competing causes of infant death. Using a 50% random sample of the U.S. linked infant birth and death data for the year 1990 (N = 1,842,681), we estimated Cox proportional hazard models of SIDS which had been modified to account for the competing risks of ten other causes of infant death. In addition to maternal race, the adjusted models included birth weight as well as maternal age, education, marital status, parity, interpregnancy interval, birth order, prenatal care, tobacco and alcohol use. Results showed that the crude hazard of infant death due to all causes combined was essentially identical between NHW and MX [Crude Hazard Ratio (HR): 1.04, p=0.19] but about 40% higher for PR [Crude HR: 1.39, p < 0.001]. The adjusted hazards of all cause mortality were about 20% lower for both MX [Adjusted HR: 0.82, p < 0.0001] and PR [0.79, p=0.0004] as compared with NHW. In contrast, both the crude and the adjusted SIDS-specific hazard rates were substantially lower for MX [Crude SIDS-specific HR: 0.67, p < 0.0001 - Adjusted SIDS-specific HR: 0.40, p < 0.0001] and for PR [Crude SIDS-specific HR: 0.63, p < 0.0001 - Adjusted SIDS-specific HR: 0.33, p < 0.0001]. Conclusions: 1) The lower risk of SIDS in infants born to Mexican and Puerto Rican mothers is not due to higher risks of mortality due to other/competing causes of infant death. 2) The mechanism(s) for the protective effect of Mexican/Puerto Rican ethnicity on the risk of SIDS such as differences in sleeping habits among Mexican and Puerto Rican families need further study.
Traditional assignment considered harmful

Data movement in nearly all modern imperative languages is based on a single primitive: traditional assignment. (With traditional assignment, data are moved between variables by copying.) Unfortunately, traditional assignment poses many known software engineering drawbacks with respect to efficiency for value types, and with respect to modular reasoning for reference types. Moreover, its entrenched legacy has stifled serious regard of potentially superior data-movement primitives. Exploration of the complete design space for data-movement primitives supports the following conclusions: (1) traditional assignment is fundamentally flawed, and (2) any other data-movement primitive would be better.
Aspergillus-related lung disease

Summary Aspergilli are ubiquitous fungi with branched septate hyphae. Aspergillus produces a wide variety of diseases determined by the inoculating dosage, the ability of the host to resist infection at local and systemic levels and the virulence of the organism. These entities differ clinically, radiologically, immunologically, and in their response to various therapeutic agents. Although the fungus can affect any organ system, the respiratory tract is involved in >90% of affected patients. A broad knowledge is required to timely diagnose and aggressively treat the potentially lethal manifestations of Aspergillus-related pulmonary diseases.
Evaluation of health literacy tools for correct prescription understanding.

Abstract Objectives To evaluate two brief health literacy prediction tools for understanding of a prescription label and using a drug correctly. Methods Patients who visited the Family HealthCare Pharmacy were asked to complete the Newest Vital Sign (NVS) and Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM-R) and to interpret a prescription medication label. Each patient received a bottle of amoxicillin suspension with one of four prescription labels randomly varied in directions for frequency and amount. Patients were also asked to calculate the days' supply and demonstrate their ability to draw up the required dose using an oral syringe. Results A total of 150 patients consented to participate. Only the NVS score was associated with ability to fully interpret the label correctly. Neither tool was related to ability to draw up the correct amount using an oral syringe but both had some correlation to successfully calculating the days' supply provided. The NVS and REALM-R literacy scores had a modest correlation with each other. Conclusion The NVS may be useful in predicting prescription label understanding and a patient's ability to do a simple dosage calculation. Neither the NVS nor the REALM-R correlated well with ability to draw an amount using an oral syringe correctly.
Molecular dynamics simulations of the effect of the composition of the intergranular film on fracture in Si3N4

Molecular dynamics computer simulations were used to study the fracture behavior of silica, multicomponent silicate, and oxynitride intergranular films (IGFs) between silicon nitride crystals as a function of composition, film thickness, and crystallographic orientation. The maximum fracture strength is higher in the IGF between prism surfaces than between basal surfaces. This is caused by the preferential segregation of specific species to the basal surfaces in contrast to the prism surfaces, effectively modifying the composition within the glassy portion of the IGF, with a subsequent effect on strength. The ordering observed in the thinner IGFs causes an increase in strength in the linear portions of the stress/strain curves, effectively increasing fracture stress. The simulations show that the force/atom in the 1 nm SiO2 IGF in the direction of tensile strain is more similar to that in β-cristobalite than to v-SiO2, whereas such data in the 2 nm SiO2 IGF is more similar to v-SiO2. Simulations of the multicomponent silicate IGFs show the expected effect of lowering fracture strength with increasing modifier content in the silicate IGF, similar to that of bulk glasses. Similar to experimental studies, a decrease in strength is observed in silicon oxynitride IGFs with increasing oxygen concentration.
Above ground aerosol characterization utilizing PIXE analysis and airborne samplers

Abstract A particulate aerosol collection system has been developed and tested. The sampling system, designed for a wide range of aircraft, collects size-segregated particulate samples. Design features enable it to compensate for the constraints normally associated with aircraft sampling. Within UCD's PIXE analysis system, high flux, focused beams have been developed to analyze the particulate samples collected. Evaluation of the system has demonstrated its reliability, accuracy, and utility in many types of airborne sampling. Data from samples collected in California's Central Valley reveal striking differences between ground level and above ground aerosol composition.
A method for the high precision measurement of relative intensities and internal conversion coefficients

Abstract The development of a method for the precision measurement of relative intensities and internal conversion coefficients is discussed. The success of this method primarily depends on a series of interconnecting computer analysis routines which are designed to preserve the significance of the propagated uncertainties. High precision fitting is used to determine photopeak and conversion line intensities. A pair of relative efficiency curves is derived, one for gamma rays and one for electrons, with the property that the ratio of the electron efficiency to the gamma-ray efficiency is known absolutely. Relative electron and gamma-ray intensities are determined from their respective curves and the uncertainties in the intensities are given in their complete matrix form. Internal conversion coefficients are determined directly from the absolute ratio of the two efficiency curves. Sample results are given from the analysis of the decays 192 Ir, 207 Bi and 137 Cs.
Decompression and marsupialization as a treatment for the odontogenic keratocyst

Decompression and marsupialization of cysts of By definition, decompression of a cyst involves the jaws were first suggested by Partsch [1,2] in the German literature, and in many parts of the world they are still described as the Partsch I procedure. (The Partsch 2 procedure is enucleation and primary closure.) This treatment was put forward at that time as a definitive treatment for cysts, and essentially it consisted of the removal of the overlying epithelium and bone and the deroofing of the cyst. If possible, suturing of the cyst lining to the oral epithelium with initial packing of the cyst to keep the hole open also was performed. The rationale at that time was that it decompresses the cyst and stops growth. It was a procedure not associated with postoperative infection, although physicians realized that it was not always a successful procedure in causing elimination of the cyst. In the preantibiotic era, it was often the treatment of choice, because attempts at enucleating the cyst with primary closure often met with failure, wound breakdown, and subsequent infection [3], and without antibiotics these conditions easily could proceed to osteomyelitis and bone loss. With the advent of antibiotics and the routine use of endotracheal intubation, the management of dental cysts changed. Enucleation and primary closure, with or without simultaneous or subsequent bone grafting, became the more accepted treatment, because with adequate antibiotic cover and sterile technique it was associated with a more rapid and predictable final result. In many hands, decompression and marsupialization were resigned to the history books.
Comparison among various approaches to the calculation of the nucleation rate

The discrete, finite difference equations for cluster distribution are transformed into partial differential equations using various expansions. The rate of nucleation is calculated by combining each of these expansions with the kinetic theory of nucleation in liquids developed recently by the authors[Ruckenstein, E., and Nowakowski, B., J. Colloid Interface Sci. 137, 583 (1990)]. Rates of nucleation calculated using expansions compatible with the discrete equilibrium distribution are compared with those obtained using the conventional expansion of finite difference equations to differential equation, and to the classical theory. The results obtained on the basis of the kinetic approach are very different from those based on the classical theory, regardless of the expansion employed. The comparison between the different expressions demonstrates that the rate of nucleation can be very sensitive to the expansion employed for the transformation of the discrete equations for cluster distribution into the continuous equation. Since the expansions compatible with the equilibrium distribution of clusters are expected to be closer to the finite difference equations for cluster distribution, they should be preferred to the other kind of expansions.
Deforestation and diversity of life zones in the Brazilian Amazon: a map analysis.

Abstract The diversity of Holdridge Life Zone types in the Brazilian Amazon region is studied to gain perspective on the consequences of deforestation. The study is based on a life zone map of Brazil by J.A. Tosi, Jr. at a scale of 1 : 10 000 000. The Amazon area of the map was digitized with a cell size of 50 km by 50 km. The resulting data base consists of 1789 cells from 17 life zones. Tropical moist forest covers 60% of the area followed by tropical premontane wet forest transition and tropical premontane moist forest transition at about 10% each. Each of the remaining 14 life zone types covers 3% or less of the total area. Loss of forest area in life zone types due to deforestation is simulated by removing cells from the data base. Different spatial patterns of deforestation are tested to assess their impact on life zone diversity. Deforestation along the Trans-Amazon Highway generated the least impact while deforestation along a frontier advancing from the south generated the most impact, in terms of loss life zone diversity. These results show that the relative loss rate of life zone forest types is dependent on where deforestation begins.
Chlordiazepoxide increases the force of two topographically distinct operant responses in rats

Abstract By using operant conditioning techniques one group of 8 rats was trained to reach through a hole in the wall of an operant chamber, and to exert downward responses on a force-sensing circular disk. Eight other rats learned to reach through the hole and grasp and pull toward them a wire bail attached to a force transducer. Both behaviors were maintained on a fixed ratio 20 schedule of water reinforcement. The effects of chlordiazepoxide (CDP, 2.5, 5.0, 10.0 mg/kg) on response force and rate were assessed for both groups. CDP significantly increased response force in a dose-related manner in both groups; regardless of topography, response rate was little affected by the 2.5- and 5.0-mg/kg doses but was decreased by the highest dose. Results were discussed in terms of CDP's antipunishment and neuromuscular effects.
Reaction of electrogenerated arylhydroxylamines and nitrosobenzene in the course of reduction of nitrobenzene under conditions of cyclic voltammetry

Under quasi-potentiostatic conditions as they occur in dc polarography or when using rectangular voltage polarization (Kalousek commutator), reduction of aromatic nitro compounds usually follows a simple pattern [12]. The nitro group is reduced in a single four-electron step to a hydroxylamino group which, when protonated, is reduced at more negative potentials to an amino group. An increase in current in acidic media in the absence of surfactants was attributed to a reaction of the hydroxylamino derivative with a nitroso intermediate yielding an azoxy compound [3], but measurement of the first step was affected by the presence of streaming maxima. The situation is different in voltammetric methods which involve a voltage scan, where both the potential and the period of contact at the electrode surface are affected by the rate of scanning. Not only is the time available for a chemical conversion different from conditions in dc polarography but products formed at one potential can react with species generated or present at another potential. Voltammetric curves on mercury [4,5] show on the first scan from positive to negative potentials a single peak corresponding to a four-electron reduction (Fig. l), accompanied in acidic media at more negative potentials by an indistinct peak of the reduction of the protonated form of the hydroxylamino derivative. The voltage reversals both at potentials corresponding to an overall four-electron uptake and those corresponding to a six-electron transfer indicate that both overall processes
Mechanistic Modeling of a 1-Phenyloctane/n-Hexadecane Mixture on Rare Earth Y Zeolite

A mechanism-derived lumping strategy for modeling the acid-cracking kinetics of hydrocarbon mixtures based on a limited set of pure component experimental data was tested in terms of its ability to predict the kinetics and product spectra from the reaction of a 1-phenyloctane/n-hexadecane mixture. The modeling approach has two main components. First, reactant and product molecules are organized into compound classes, e.g., paraffins, olefins, and aromatics. Second, the elementary steps of the acid cracking of each member of a compound class are constrained by quantitative structure−reactivity relationships (QSRRs) determined from pure component experiments only. This two-dimensional, mechanism-derived lumping approach provided a significant reduction in the number of parameters required to model the cracking reaction. Application of this lumping strategy to the acid cracking of the phenyloctane/hexadecane reacting mixture provided good agreement between experimental data and a kinetic model containing onl...
An approximate inverse recipe method with application to automatic food analysis

We propose a method for automatically determining the amount of each ingredient used to prepare a commercial food using the information provided on its label. The method applies when no part of any ingredient is removed in the preparation process and as long as we can collect the nutrition data (e.g., from the USDA Food Database) for at least some of the ingredients. Using this information, we first find a set of initial minimum and maximum bounds for each ingredient amount. Then we improve these maximum and minimum bounds using an iterative method. The resulting bounds on the ingredient amounts can then be used to estimate the nutrient content of the food. We tested this approach for estimating the phenylalanine content of various commercial foods. Phenylalanine is an amino acid that must be carefully monitored when treating patients with the metabolic disease phenylketonuria (PKU). Our numerical tests indicate that the accuracy of our method is within an acceptable range (10mg Phe) for most of the foods we considered. We implemented a web-based application of our proposed method for public use. Our method should be applicable to the estimation of nutrients involved in the management of other medical diets.
Prenatal stress prevents the desensitization of the corticosterone response to TFMPP by desmethylimipramine, but not by pheneezine, in adult male offspring

Abstract Gravid female rats were subjected to one hour of restraint stress twice daily or left undisturbed from days 14–21 of gestation. Adult 105-day old male non-stressed (NS) and stressed (S) offspring were treated once daily with saline, desipramine (DMI) (10 mg/kg, sc) or phenelzine (5.0 mg/kg, sc) for 14 days. Twenty-four hours after the last injection, animals were challenged with saline or l-(m-trifluoromethylphenyl)piperazine (TFMPP) (5.0 mg/kg, sc), a serotonin1B/2B (5-HT1B/2B) agonist, and plasma prolactin and corticosterone concentrations were measured one hour later. As compared to acute saline administration, TFMPP significantly increased prolactin and corticosterone concentrations in all groups. In NS offspring, both DMI and phenelzine treatment augmented the prolactin response, but blunted the corticosterone response, to TFMPP. In S offspring, the prolactin response to TFMPP also was augmented by phenelzine or DMI treatment, whereas the corticosterone response to TFMPP was blunted during phenelzine treatment. However, DMI treatment was not able to desensitize the corticosterone response to TFMPP in the S rats. The results indicate the adaptive capacity of 5-HT systems to DMI administration was compromised in adult animals exposed to stress in utero.
Simultaneous cannabis and tobacco use and cannabis-related outcomes in young women.

Abstract Compared to those who reported a lifetime co-occurrence of cannabis and tobacco use, individuals who report simultaneous use of cannabis and tobacco are more likely to also report higher rates of substance-related problems and psychopathology. In a sample of young women, we examine (a) co-occurring use, or whether regular cigarette smoking is associated with increased cannabis involvement and (b) simultaneous use, a special form of co-occurring use where cannabis and cigarettes are typically used on the same occasion to test whether those who use cannabis and tobacco simultaneously are also more likely to report greater cannabis involvement and (c) the extent to which latent genetic and environmental factors contribute to simultaneous use in those with a history of co-occurring cannabis use and regular cigarette smoking. Women ( N = 3427) who report regular cigarette smoking are 4.5–9.5 times more likely to report co-occurring cannabis use and other stages of cannabis involvement, including DSM-IV cannabis abuse and dependence. In those women who report co-occurring regular cigarette smoking and lifetime cannabis use ( N = 1073), simultaneous use of cannabis and tobacco was associated with increased likelihood of negative cannabis-related outcomes. Simultaneous users were 1.6 times more likely to meet criteria for DSM-IV cannabis abuse, even after controlling for early covariates and for prior stages of cannabis involvement. Simultaneous use was not heritable, and twin similarity was attributable to shared environmental factors (31%). While our study does not determine causality between simultaneous tobacco–cannabis use and cannabis involvement, results indicate that simultaneous use is potentially a marker for more severe psychosocial consequences associated with cannabis use.
Optimal control of systems with pure time delays using a variational programming approach

This paper develops a variational programming algorithm of an iterative nature which generates an optimal feedback control for systems with pure time delays in the plant dynamical equations. The computational approach is based on the theory of weak relative minima of the classical calculus of variations and may be applied in situations where the plant is nonlinear and/or the performance index is nonquadratic.
Results of an International Round‐Robin for Tensile Creep Rupture of Silicon Nitride

Fourteen laboratories participated in an interlaboratory study to establish the within- and between-laboratory repeatability of tensile creep rupture of silicon nitride. In air at 1375°C at 200 MPa, the times to failure ranged over a factor of 50, and the minimum creep rates ranged over a factor of 20. Despite these large ranges, taken individually, no one laboratory stands out from any other; all produced equally acceptable data. Consumers of silicon nitride tensile creep data must accept this magnitude of variability in reported creep data. The wide variety of specimen shapes and sizes, gripping systems, extensometry techniques, and temperature measurement strategies makes it impossible to assign definitively the root cause of the variability. However, there was a significant specimen size effect. As a group, the small-diameter specimens lasted roughly five times longer and crept three times more slowly than the large-diameter buttonhead specimens. A possible interpretation of the origin of this difference is that the oxidizing conditions affected more of the volume of the small specimens during the test.