cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Association of Childhood Asthma with Postoperative Pneumonia

BACKGROUND Bronchial asthma is the most pervasive chronic disease among children in the United States. Pneumonia, an acute pulmonary disorder, is also quite common, affecting individuals with chronic respiratory conditions. Despite the widespread recognition of bronchial asthma as a common, potentially life-threatening disease, its impact on the risk of serious pulmonary infections such as postoperative pneumonia is under-appreciated. We examined the association of bronchial asthma with postoperative pneumonia in a matched cohort of children who underwent inpatient surgical procedures. METHOD We assembled a propensity score-matched retrospective cohort of children (<18 years of age) who underwent inpatient surgery between 2012 and 2015, in hospitals participating in the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program. Our primary outcome was the incidence of postoperative pneumonia. We used Fine-Gray sub-distributional hazard regression to estimate the hazard ratio of postoperative pneumonia, while accounting for the competing risk by mortality. RESULTS The unmatched cohort comprised of 93 061 children who met the eligibility criteria, of whom 7.8% (n = 7237) had a preoperative diagnosis of bronchial asthma. The cumulative incidence of pneumonia was 4.5% (95% confidence interval: 2.8%, 8.3%) among children without bronchial asthma and 8.5% (95% confidence interval: 5.8%, 11.8%) among those with bronchial asthma. Throughout the 30-day postoperative period, the risk of pneumonia almost doubled among children with bronchial asthma compared to their nonasthmatic peers (hazard ratio: 1.71; 95% confidence interval: 1.24, 2.35; P = .001). CONCLUSION Children with bronchial asthma had a significantly greater risk of postoperative pneumonia. Further studies are needed to understand the mechanisms underlying these associations and determine if perioperative interventions can mitigate this association.
Pediatric Inpatient Problem List Review and Accuracy Improvement.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The problem list (PL) is a meaningful use-incentivized criterion for electronic health record documentation. Inconsistent use or inaccuracy of the PL can create communication gaps among providers, potentially leading to diagnostic delays and serious safety events. The objective of the study was to increase the rate of PL review by attending physicians for inpatients discharged from hospital pediatrics and infectious disease services from a baseline of 70% to 80% by June 2018 and to sustain the rate for 6 months. The secondary aim was to improve PL accuracy by decreasing the rate of duplicate codes and red code diagnoses that should resolve before discharge from a baseline of 12% and 11%, respectively, to 5% and sustaining the rate for 6 months. METHODS: A quality improvement team used the Institute for Healthcare Improvement Model for Improvement. We tracked duplicate codes and red codes as surrogate markers of PL quality. Rates of PL review and PL quality were analyzed monthly via statistical process control charts (p-charts) with 3-σ control limits to identify special cause variation. RESULTS: PL review improved from a baseline of 70% to 90%, and the change was sustained for 1 year. PL quality improved as duplicate codes at the time of discharge decreased from 12% to 6% and as red codes decreased from a baseline of 11% to 6%. CONCLUSIONS: The PL is an important communication tool that is underused. By engaging and educating stakeholders, incentivizing compliance, standardizing PL management, leveraging electronic health record enhancements, and providing physician feedback, we improved PL meaningful use and quality.
The histologic phenotype of lung cancers may be driven by transcriptomic features rather than genomic characteristics

Histology plays an essential role in therapeutic decision-making for lung cancer patients. However, the molecular determinants of lung cancer histology are largely unknown. We conducted whole-exome sequencing(WES) and microarray profiling on 19 micro-dissected tumor regions of different histologic subtypes from 9 patients with lung cancers of mixed histology. A median of 68.9% of point mutations and 83% of copy number aberrations were shared between different histologic components within the same tumors. Furthermore, different histologic components within the tumors demonstrated similar subclonal architecture. On the other hand, transcriptomic profiling revealed shared pathways between the same histologic subtypes from different patients, which was supported by the analyses of the transcriptomic data from 141 cell lines and 343 lung cancers of different histologic subtypes. These data suggest that histology of lung cancers may be determined at the transcriptomic level rather than the genomic level.
Health Insurance Expansions and Provider Behavior: Evidence from Substance Use Disorder Providers

We examine how substance use disorder (SUD) treatment providers respond to private health insurance expansions induced by state equal coverage (‘parity’) laws for SUD treatment. We use data on the near universe of specialty SUD treatment providers in the United States between 1997 and 2010 in an event study analysis. During this period, 18 states implemented parity laws. Following the passage of a state parity law we find that providers are less likely to participate in public markets, are less likely to provide charity care, increase the quantity of healthcare provided, and become more selective of the type of patients they are willing to admit.Institutional subscribers to the NBER working paper series, and residents of developing countries may download this paper without additional charge at www.nber.org.
Enhanced Privacy Duties for Dominant Technology Companies

This paper explores two case studies in order to extract the elements of a legislative approach in the United States for stronger privacy regulation for dominant technology companies. The Federal Communication Commission’s now-repealed broadband privacy rules required broadband companies to obtain opt-in consent for data use beyond what was needed for providing broadband service. In an abuse of dominance case, the German Federal Cartel Office required Facebook to get separate affirmative consent from its users for combining third-party and affiliate data with data from its own social network service. Informed by these two cases, this paper outlines a new privacy law for dominant technology companies in the United States. It would establish enhanced privacy duties for dominant technology companies to ensure that the consumer interest in effective data protection is vindicated in a context where consumers are less able to exercise their general privacy rights. It develops several economic factors to test whether a company is dominant in its line of business and covers companies providing search, social media, online retailing and video exchange services. The paper proposes that such dominant technology companies would need to have a legal basis for their data use and describes consent, contractual necessity and legitimate interest as three possible bases. In addition, dominant technology companies would not be allowed to use unreasonably deceptive, abusive or dangerous designs, as described in Woodward Hartzog’s recent work. Furthermore, they would be required to satisfy enhanced duties of information fiduciaries as outlined in Jack Balkin’s work. The law would also impose restrictions on data sharing with service providers and affiliates and hold open the possibility of banning specific data uses. The law would put in the hands of an industry-specialist regulatory agency the authority to take into account the specified factors to determine when a technology company was dominant and so subject to enhanced privacy duties. The specialist agency would also be authorized to write and enforce implementing regulations in connection with the requirements specified in the legislation.
Dynamic modeling of coronal and interplanetary responses to solar events

Recent progress in the dynamic modeling of responses of the corona and interplanetary medium to solar events (such as surges, eruptive prominences, flares, etc.) is reviewed. In particular, coronal transients and wave phenomena are discussed in some detail including pertinent mathematical requirements. Within the context of hydrodynamics and magnetohydrodynamics, a summary of both one- and two-dimensional time-dependent models is presented. A comparison of theoretical results with ground-based optical, radio, ATM Skylab observations, Pioneer 9 and Pioneer 10 solar wind observations is also presented. It is illustrated that: (1) substantial progress has been made in the theoretical (i.e., numerical) modeling of coronal and interplanetary responses within the last few years; (2) two-dimensional, time-dependent modeling is needed to examine the details of nonlinear wave coupling; and (3) theoretical results of modeling appear to reproduce physical consequences successfully.
Helping beyond the 50-minute hour. by Kottler, J. A., Englar-Carlson, M., & Carlson, J.

Helping Beyond the 50-Minute Hour is a call to social action for practicing psychotherapists, counselors, and clinical students. This book is intended to inspire mental health professionals to enga...
State-federal relations: States still on the defensive

Party polarization continues to sustain gridlock in Washington and produce state-federal tensions. States could reduce Washington’s polarized gridlock by eliminating partisan gerrymandering and reforming primary elections, but states also are more polarized along red and blue lines. Polarization contributes to coercive federalism, and states are on the defensive in their relations with the federal government. State-federal conflicts over the Affordable Care Act, the Common Core State Standards Initiative, REAL ID and other issues marked 2013–14. Many observers tout state innovation as a counterbalance to Washington’s gridlock, but many innovations are polarizing because they are produced by one-party states and thus lack bipartisan traction. The federal government also pre-empts some state innovations and nationalizes others. The U.S. Supreme Court decided eight federalism-relevant cases during its 2012–13 term and four in early 2014, with 10 to be decided as of April 2014.
Magnetically Assembling Nanoscale Metal Network Into Phase Change Material

A high throughput manufacturing process to magnetically assembling nanowire (NW) network into paraffin was developed for enhancing conductivity in phase change materials (PCMs) used in energy storage applications. The prefabricated nickel nanowires were dispersed in melted paraffin followed by magnetic alignment under a strong magnetic field. Measuring electrical conductivity of the nanocomposites, as well as observing cross-section of the sample slice under an optical microscope characterized the alignment of nanowires. As a comparison, nickel particles (NPs) based paraffin nanocomposites were also fabricated and its electrical conductivity with and without applied magnetic field were measured. The effects of aspect ratio of fillers (particles and nanowires) and volume concentration on percolation threshold were studied both experimentally and theoretically. It was found that the nanowire based paraffin nanocomposite has much lower percolation threshold compared to that of particle based paraffin composite. Furthermore, the alignment of particles and nanowires under magnetic field significantly reduce the threshold of percolation. This work provides solid foundation for the development of a manufacturing technology for high thermal conductivity phase change materials (PCM) for thermal energy storage applications.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Autonomous mental development in high dimensional state and action spaces

Autonomous mental development (AMD) of robots opened a new paradigm for developing machine intelligence, using neural network type of techniques and it fundamentally changed the way an intelligent machine is developed from manual to autonomous. The work presented is a part of SAIL (self-organizing autonomous incremental learner) project which deals with autonomous development of entire humanoid robot with vision, audition, manipulation and locomotion. The major issue addressed is the challenge of high dimensional action space (5 to 10) in addition to the high dimensional context state space (hundreds to thousands and beyond), typically required by an AMD machine. This is the first work that studies a high dimensional (numeric) action space in conjunction with a high dimensional perception (context state) space, under the AMID mode. Two new learning algorithms, Direct Update on Direction Cosines (DUDC) and High-Dimensional Conjugate Gradient Search (HCGS), are developed, implemented and tested. The convergence properties of both the algorithms and their targeted applications are discussed. Autonomous learning of speech production under reinforcement learning is studied as an example.
Bayesian probabilistic reasoning applied to mathematical epidemiology for predictive spatiotemporal analysis of infectious diseases

Probabilistic reasoning under uncertainty suits well to analysis of disease dynamics. The stochastic nature of disease progression is modeled by applying the principles of Bayesian learning. Bayesian learning predicts the disease progression, including prevalence and incidence, for a geographic region and demographic composition. Public health resources, prioritized by the order of risk levels of the population, will efficiently minimize the disease spread and curtail the epidemic at the earliest. A Bayesian network representing the outbreak of influenza and pneumonia in a geographic region is ported to a newer region with different demographic composition. Upon analysis for the newer region, the corresponding prevalence of influenza and pneumonia among the different demographic subgroups is inferred for the newer region. Bayesian reasoning coupled with disease timeline is used to reverse engineer an influenza outbreak for a given geographic and demographic setting. The temporal flow of the epidemic among the different sections of the population is analyzed to identify the corresponding risk levels. In comparison to spread vaccination, prioritizing the limited vaccination resources to the higher risk groups results in relatively lower influenza prevalence. HIV incidence in Texas from 1989-2002 is analyzed using demographic based epidemic curves. Dynamic Bayesian networks are integrated with probability distributions of HIV surveillance data coupled with the census population data to estimate the proportion of HIV incidence among the different demographic subgroups. Demographic based risk analysis lends to observation of varied spectrum of HIV risk among the different demographic subgroups. A methodology using hidden Markov models is introduced that enables to investigate the impact of social behavioral interactions in the incidence and prevalence of infectious diseases. The methodology is presented in the context of simulated disease outbreak data for influenza. Probabilistic reasoning analysis enhances the understanding of disease progression in order to identify the critical points of surveillance, control and prevention. Public health resources, prioritized by the order of risk levels of the population, will efficiently minimize the disease spread and curtail the epidemic at the earliest.
Clinical Chemistry: Theory, Analysis, Correlation, 3rd ed. Lawrence A. Kaplan and Amadeo J. Pesce. St. Louis, MO: Mosby, 1996, 1064 pp, $69.95. ISBN 0-8151-5243-4

This highly successful and comprehensive textbook of clinical chemistry has become one of the two authoritative texts in the field. The new edition has 57 chapters, 9 appendixes, and 113 contributors (up from 96 in the 2nd edition). The author list is a who’s who of clinical chemistry today. In a major organizational change, the 3rd edition includes analytical methods at the end of each pathophysiology chapter rather than in a separate section at the end of the book. This greatly improves the continuity of the presented …
Radiation resistance of the oxide spinel: the role of stoichiometry on damage response

Abstract Stoichiometric and non-stoichiometric magnesio-aluminate spinel single crystals (compositions MgO · Al 2 O 3 and MgO · 3Al 2 O 3 , respectively) were irradiated with both 400 keV and 1.5 MeV Xe ions under cryogenic and room temperature conditions, in order to compare the irradiation damage response of these isostructural compounds. Overall, stoichiometric spinel was found to be more resistant to irradiation damage (microstructural alterations) than the non-stoichiometric compound. At room temperature, non-stoichiometric spinel transforms to a metastable crystalline structure at an ion dose representing 1 to 2 displacements per atom (dpa), while this transformation is not observed in stoichiometric spinel to a dose of 10 dpa. Furthermore, under cryogenic conditions, both stoichiometric and non-stoichiometric spinel undergo a metastable phase transformation, followed by a transformation to an aperiodic structure, and they do so at similar ion doses.
The molecular machinery for fast and slow neurosecretion

Recent studies indicate that the molecular machinery for synaptic vesicle docking and fusion consists of a triad of botulinum/tetanus neurotoxin substrates (synaptobrevin, syntaxin, SNAP-25) that are homologues of proteins required for constitutive secretion. Proposed low-affinity Ca2+ sensors that regulate exocytosis remain to be identified, although recent studies on synaptotagmin suggest that it, along with other proteins, could play this role. Regulated peptide secretion from dense-core granules has been found to utilize a similar machinery for docking/fusion, and recent studies indicate that this pathway involves a pre-docking step that is regulated by a higher affinity Ca2+ sensor.
Peer validation and idiographic analysis of social skill deficits

An assessment methodology was developed which utilizes peer judgments to identify specific problematic conversational behaviors among individual subjects. Forty-two subjects, both males and females, who reported high social avoidance and distress, each interacted with three different randomly assigned peers of the opposite sex in dyadic social conversations. The 126 peers suggested specific changes in their partner's conversational behavior using behavioral rating scales and an open-ended format. Each of the nine conversational behaviors which previously had the most social skill research support was rated by peers to be more important for change than a group of comparison behaviors which had no previous research support. In addition, peers reliably evaluated the changes that they would recommend on six of the nine behavioural scales. An analysis of these six measures indicated that peers recommended different changes for different individuals. Three conceptually important subject groups were identified: those with general difficulties across the set of behavior (11.9%), those with specific differential difficulties (28.6%), and those with no reliably indicated overt social skill problems (59.5%). Thus, this research generally corroborates the importance of many of the behaviors which have been targeted in social skills programs, although individualized assessment and treatment of social inadequacy seem warranted.
Projection, symmetry, and natural kinds

Scientific practice involves two kinds of induction. In one, generalizations are drawn about the states of a particular system of variables. In the other, generalizations are drawn across systems in a class. We can discern two questions of correctness about both kinds of induction: (P1) what distinguishes those systems and classes of system that are ‘projectible’ in Goodman’s (Fact, fiction and forecast, 1955) sense from those that are not, and (P2) what are the methods by which we are able to identify kinds that are likely to be projectible? In answer to the first question, numerous theories of ‘natural kinds’ have been advanced, but none has satisfactorily addressed both questions simultaneously. I propose a shift in perspective. Both essentialist and cluster property theories have traditionally characterized kinds directly in terms of the causally salient properties their members possess. Instead, we should focus on ‘dynamical symmetries’, transformations of a system to which the causal structure of that system is indifferent. I suggest that to be a member of natural kind it is necessary and sufficient to possess a particular collection of dynamical symmetries. I show that membership in such a kind is in turn necessary and sufficient for the presence of the sort of causal structure that accounts for success in both kinds of induction, thus demonstrating that (P1) has been answered satisfactorily. More dramatically, I demonstrate that this new theory of ‘dynamical kinds’ provides an answer to (P2) with methodological implications concerning the discovery of projectible kinds.
Course of psychiatric and substance abuse syndromes co-occurring with bipolar disorder after a first psychiatric hospitalization

Background Patients with bipolar disorder frequently meet criteria for other psychiatric and substance abuse diagnoses. To clarify relationships among these disorders, the authors examined the course of syndromes co-occurring with bipolar disorder for 12 months after a first hospitalization. Method Seventy-seven patients were recruited from consecutive inpatient admissions who met DSM-III-R criteria for bipolar disorder, manic or mixed with psychosis. The 12-month syndromal course of co-occurring DSM-III-R alcohol and drug abuse disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and other anxiety disorders were longitudinally recorded. Results The rates of all syndromes, except other anxiety disorders, were elevated. OCD demonstrated an interval course that frequently mirrored the course of the bipolar disorder. The courses of PTSD and substance abuse syndromes were separate from that of the bipolar disorder in many of those with both syndromes. Alcohol and drug abuse syndromes were strongly correlated. Conclusion The obsessive-compulsive syndrome may represent an alternative expression of bipolar disorder in some patients. In contrast, PTSD appears to represent a truly separate disorder, which is possibly more prevalent in bipolar patients due to a shared risk factor. Substance abuse does not appear to simply result from attempts at self-medication or from the impulsivity of mania. These results suggest that future studies examining the course of syndromes co-occurring with bipolar disorder are warranted.
Genetically engineered herbicide resistance, part two

Should we continue to support publicly funded research on genetically engineered herbicide resistant crops? In Part One, I discussed the difference between science and ethics, presented a brief history of weed control, and explained three moral principles undergirding my environmentalist perspective. I then argued that unqualified endorsement (E) of the research is unjustified, as is unqualified opposition (O). In Part Two, I argue against qualified endorsement (QE), and for qualified opposition (QO).
Hyperleptinaemia of end-stage renal disease is corrected by renal transplantation.

Background. Previous studies have reported that patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) have elevated plasma leptin concentrations, but the cause and significance of the elevations are unknown. We studied leptin concentrations in 29 adults undergoing renal transplantation, to determine if restoration of renal function reduced leptin concentrations in ESRD. Methods. Leptin concentrations were measured by radioimmunoassay in plasma specimens collected within 1 week before transplant, 6 days post-transplant, and 60 days post-transplant. Results. Mean plasma leptin concentrations were higher in both male and female ESRD patients compared with a control population of similar age and body mass index (BMI), but most of the disparity was due to a minority of patients with grossly elevated concentrations; the majority of ESRD patients had normal or near-normal leptin concentrations after accounting for their adiposity with BMI. Six days after successful renal transplantation, average plasma leptin concentrations decreased to control levels. The grossly elevated pretransplant concentrations in a minority of patients were greatly reduced in relation to BMI, and the reduction persisted to 60 days post-transplant. The decrease in creatinine with transplant did not correlate with the decrease in leptin. Conclusions. These results demonstrate that restoration of renal function in ESRD patients reduces hyperleptinaemia, which provides further evidence of a cause/effect relationship between impaired renal function and abnormal leptin metabolism.
Hydrological Impacts on Seasonal Sea Level Change

Abstract In this paper, we present some extended results of hydrological impacts on seasonal sea level change using a few different hydrological models and an updated steric model, and compare with the results of Chen et al. [Geophys. Res. Lett., 25 (19) (1998) 3555] and Minster et al. [Global Planet. Change, 20 (1999) 157]. Even though different hydrological models show significant discrepancies in seasonal water storage change at local scales, most of the model-derived seasonal global mean sea level (GMSL) changes agree well with TOPEX/Poseidon (T/P) data. This further increases our confidence in using TOPEX/Poseidon satellite altimeter data, especially when combined with the TOPEX/Poseidon extended mission, Jason-1's data to provide observational constraints on water mass budget of global atmospheric and hydrological models.
Twin-tables technique for occlusal rehabilitation: Part II—Clinical procedures

Molar disclusion is determined by the cusp-shape factor and the angle of hinge rotation. A new twin-tables technique has been introduced for developing molar disclusion by using two incisal tables. It is a relatively uncomplicated technique and does not require special equipment. The final prosthesis with the twin-tables technique ensures a restoration with a predictable posterior disclusion and anterior guidance in harmony with the condyle path.
Innovation is built on the obscure: innovation-enhancing software for uncovering the obscure

Analysis of over 1,000 innovative inventions reveals that during the innovative process at least one rarely-noticed or new (i.e., obscure) feature is unearthed and built upon to create the solution (i.e., the Obscure Features Hypothesis for innovation: OFH) [6, 7]. Embedding the insights from this analysis into the structure of semantic networks creates AhaNets, which help optimize the search for the needed key obscure feature. Techniques to overcome cognitive aversions to noticing the obscure (i.e., fixation effects) further enhance innovation by improving the search process. Once implemented in software, AhaNets and counter-fixation techniques create an innovation-enhancing human-machine interaction.
Anti-plane wave motion in a cylindrically orthotropic elastic solid containing a stress-free crack

A cylindrically orthotropic elastic solid is excited by a point impulsive body force. The solid contains a semi-infinite stress-free crack. The resulting wave motion is anti-plane. An eigenfunction solution to the problem is obtained in the form of an infinite series. The series is summed into two parts. The first part contains the incident and reflected wave pulses while the second part gives the diffraction integral. Wave front patterns are presented with an application to wood.
Children's Temperament, Mothers' Discipline, and Security of Attachment: Multiple Pathways to Emerging Internalization

This study examined relations of temperamental fearfulness/anxiety proneness, attachment security, and maternal discipline with emerging internalization in 103 26–41-month-old toddlers. It was a further test of the model that proposed that child temperament (1) is an important underpinning of early internalization and (2) moderates the influence of socialization. All constructs were measured using multiple behavioral observations in several contexts at home and laboratory and parental reports. Fearfulness/anxiety was associated with several measures of internalization. There was also strong evidence of diverse pathways to internalization for children with different temperaments. For the relatively fearful/anxious children, maternal gentle discipline deemphasizing power, thus presumably resulting in an optimal, moderate level of anxious arousal, predicted internalization. For the relatively fearless children, however, security of attachment was associated with internalization. The findings are discussed within a framework proposing alternative pathways to internalization—one capitalizing on fear/anxiety and one building on positive, cooperative interpersonal set between the mother and child—with different pathways effective for children differing in temperament.
Nesiritide for treatment of perioperative low cardiac output syndromes in cardiac surgical patients: an initial experience

The physiologic properties of the b-type natriuretic peptide nesiritide include pulmonary, coronary, and renal arterial vasodilation and lusitropic effects on ventricular myocardium. These effects may be useful during cardiac surgery, particularly when myocardial function and cardiac output (CO) are compromised. Intraoperative hemodynamic data were collected retrospectively before and 5-15 min following completion of a nesiritide loading dose in 15 adult cardiac surgical patients with low CO associated with pulmonary hypertension, low left ventricular ejection fraction, diastolic dysfunction, or left ventricular assist device placement. In seven patients, prior alternative pharmacologic interventions had failed to improve CO, and fluid challenges were ineffective in six patients with diastolic dysfunction. Perioperative nesiritide administration (2 microg.kg(-1) load, followed by 0.01 microg.kg(-1).min(-1) for a maximum of 24 h) resulted in a statistically significant median increase in CO of 35% (P = 0.0006). In conclusion, nesiritide was associated with increased CO in patients with low CO syndromes undergoing cardiac surgery, when other measures failed. This novel agent may offer an additional option to inotropes and fluid challenges for these patients perioperatively. Randomized clinical trials are desirable to determine the risks and benefits of nesiritides and to elucidate its role for the cardiac anesthesiologist.
Internet delivery of meteorological and oceanographic data in wide area naval usage environments

Access and retrieval of meteorological and oceanographic data from heterogeneous sources in a distributed system presents many issues. Effective bandwidth utilization is important for any distributed system. In addition, specific issues need to be addressed in order to assimilate spatio-temporal data from multiple sources. These issues include resolution of differences in datum, map-projection and time coordinate. Reduction in the complexity of data formats is a significant factor for fostering interoperability. Simplification of training is important to promote usage of the distributed system. We describe techniques that revolutionize Web-based delivery of meteorological and oceanographic data to address needs of the Naval/Marine user.
Modeling the process of information relay through inter-vehicle communication

In a new paradigm of the decentralized traffic information system as a recent thrust in the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), vehicles form ad hoc mobile networks, and information may be propagated between vehicles through wireless communication with a short transmission range. Fundamental to the system design is effective information propagation. In this paper, we study information propagation along a traffic stream on which presence of equipped vehicles follows an independent homogeneous Poisson process. We define a relay process in which only the furthest equipped vehicle within each transmission range continues the relay, and model it as a transient Markov process. We present closed form formulas for the expected value and variance of propagation distance in the case without transmission delay. We also study the expected number of relays and the expected propagation distance in the case with transmission delay. The results make transparent the relationship between propagation distance, equipped vehicle density and transmission range. In addition, we study the probability distribution of propagation distance, and find that the Gamma distribution could be used as a good practical means of approximation especially when the number of equipped vehicles is large within a transmission range. The Gamma-like behavior is also observed on heterogeneous traffic. It is noted that the relay process has many other applications as well.
Contributions to the growth and decay of large‐scale eddy available potential energy

To study the growth and decay of eddy available potential energy associated with the large-scale atmospheric waves, we have computed composite averages of the terms in the available potential energy equation in the wave-number domain. We found that the eddy available potential energies of the ultra-long waves of wave numbers 1 and 3 grow essentially by receiving energy through the resultant meridional and vertical eddy heat transport process; whereas during the period of decay, the energy loss is essentially through the non-linear heat transport process. We also found that the eddy available potential energies of the synoptic-scale waves of wave numbers 4 to 8 increase by receiving energy and decay by losing energy through both the non-linear and the resultant meridional and vertical eddy heat transport processes. However, the main source of eddy available potential energy for wave number 2 is the contribution of diabatic processes, although diabatic processes contribute to the maintenance of the seasonal mean but not to the growth and decay of the eddy available potential energy of wave number 2. Its time change is also determined by the eddy heat transport processes. It is also found that the amplitude oscillations of eddy available potential energy are generally in-phase with those of eddy kinetic energy in the same wave number. However, the growth of the former usually occurs slightly behind that of the latter. The growth of eddy available potential energy may be interpreted as an indirect consequence of the growth of the eddy kinetic energy of the wave, which enhances the eddy heat transport, thereby increasing the available potential energy of the wave; whereas the growth of the eddy kinetic energy is a result of the receipt of kinetic energy from other waves through barotropic non-linear exchange processes as described by Tsay and Kao (1978). DOI: 10.1111/j.2153-3490.1978.tb00854.x
Purification and isolation of juvenile hormone and its action in lepidopteran larvae

Abstract : Conclusions: (1) The JH-active compound extracted from abdomina of adult male Cecropia is identical with the juvenile hormone produced by corpora allata. (2) The JHactive compound which we have isolated is the juvenile hormone. (3) Juvenile hormone is not farnesol, farnesal, farnesyl methyl ether, or any other compound previously tested for JH activity.
The co-ordination between respiration and wing beats in birds

Investigations in 10 species showed that respiration of birds in flight is usually co-ordinated with wing beats, but the co-ordination is not obligatory. Respiration synchronous with wing beats (1∶1 co-ordination) was found only in pigeons and crows, the other species exhibited one of 11 other types of co-ordination. Quails, ducks and pheasants, birds with relatively high wing beat frequencies (with relatively small wings) showed a 5∶1 co-ordination. Within species, and even during a flight the type of co-ordination changed, and simultaneously there were sudden changes in the respiration frequency. For the most part, the beginning of inspiration was linked with the (end of) upstroke and the beginning of expiration with the end of downstroke.
Ground state for the fractional quantized Hall effect

The ground state for the fractional quantized Hall effect is investigated in occupation number space based on the Laughlin wave function; thereby an explicit and exact formula is derived for the ground-state energy. In a plot against the square average angular momentum, the signs of the components of the Laughlin state in angular momentum space appear to be distributed roughly in a periodical way.
Phytoremediation of Polycyclic Hydrocarbon Contaminated Soil: Part II. Impact on Ecotoxicity

Several biological assays were used to evaluate the toxic effects of contaminants in soil after phytoremediation. During the treatment process, significant decreases in overall toxicity were observed. Specifically, earthworm survivability and lettuce germination increased over the study period. Microbial respiration improved, but only in planted treatments. Toxicity and total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations showed some correlation, but the relationships generally were not significant. Soil moisture was less of a predictor for biological responses. The presence of plants did not provide a clear advantage for improving toxicity compared to unplanted treatments.
The Relationship Between Estrogenic Action and Chemical Constitution in a Group of Azomethine Derivatives

The relation between chemical constitution and estrogenic action has been investigated in a group of azomethine derivatives comprising all 4,4′ substitution combinations of four groups—H, CH3, CH3O, OH. 4,4′-Dihydroxy benzylidene aniline produced an estrogenic response in 12.5 mg. doses subcutaneously and 25 γ doses intravaginally. Absorption spectra were determined for all derivatives.
Using Message Framing to Promote Social Support in Depression: When Misery Makes Better Company

A depressed person may have particular difficulty obtaining social support unless, as previous research indicates, members of the person’s support network believe that their interactions with the depressed person will be rewarding. Continuing this line of research, two studies investigated how message framing influences perceptions of providing social support to someone diagnosed with depression. In Study 1, participants first evaluated a website created by the research team, which emphasized either the rewards of volunteering to help individuals suffering from depression (gain-framed) or the drawbacks of not volunteering (loss-framed). One week later, participants read a vignette about a friend suffering from depression. Participants initially exposed to the gain-framed website indicated that the friend was in greater need of help, and they expressed stronger intentions to help and maintain supportive contact with the friend. The first phase of Study 2 was identical to the first phase of Study 1. However, a week after evaluating the framed website, participants interacted via instant messaging with a confederate posing as a prospective undergraduate student, who disclosed during the conversation that she had been diagnosed with depression. Participants initially exposed to the gain-framed website indicated greater comfort interacting with the prospective student and greater willingness to engage in follow-up interactions with the student (e.g., exchange emails, talk on the phone) compared to participants initially exposed to the loss-framed website. The implications of these findings for increasing the provision of social support to individuals with depression are discussed.
The synthesis and purification of 8-14C-theophylline

The enzymes responsible for the metabolism of methylated xanthines suah as theophylline, theobromine, and caffeine have until now escaped identification (1, 2). However, a sensitive radiometric method of analysis of theophylline metabolism (3) was made possible by the synthesis and purification of 8-14C-theophylline (14C-Theo). 14C-Theo was synthesized by the incorporation of 14C from 14C-formic acid into the 8-position of the purine ring. Purification of the 14C-Theo was accomplished by subjecting the crude produot to cation-exchange column chromatography with AG50W-X12, 50–100 mesh resin of the hydrogen ion form.
Resistance to antiplatelet drugs

Antiplatelet drugs are beneficial in the treatment of coronary artery disease, ischemic stroke, and peripheral arterial disease. Platelet function tests have been studied in these cardiovascular diseases as a means to predict clinical outcomes and monitor antiplatelet drugs. There is a well-documented variability between patients (and normal volunteers) with regard to laboratory test responses to antiplatelet drugs. Evidence from small clinical studies suggest that decreased response, or ‘resistance’, to antiplatelet drugs is associated with subsequent major adverse clinical events. However, it remains unknown whether altering therapy based on platelet function tests is beneficial to patients.
Acute gastric dilatation complicating the use of mydriatics in a preterm newborn.

A 2-month-old girl who had been born at 27-weeks' gestation was admitted for her screening examination for retinopathy of prematurity and given two drops each of cyclopentolate 0.5 % and phenylephrine 2.5 %. Approximately 2 h after completion of the examination, the infant had episodes of apnoea and vomiting. She was noted to be distended, and an abdominal radiograph demonstrated acute gastric dilatation. Apnoea, vomiting and distension resolved after 18 h and a repeat abdominal radiograph demonstrated resolution of the gastric dilatation.
Auditory cortical axons contact commissural cells throughout the guinea pig inferior colliculus

Abstract Projections from auditory cortex (AC) affect how cells in both inferior colliculi (IC) respond to acoustic stimuli. The large projection from the AC to the ipsilateral IC is usually credited with the effects in the ipsilateral IC. The circuitry underlying effects in the contralateral IC is less clear. The direct projection from the AC to the contralateral IC is relatively small. An unexplored possibility is that the large ipsilateral cortical projection contacts the substantial number of cells in the ipsilateral IC that project through the commissure to the contralateral IC. Apparent contacts between cortical boutons and commissural cells were identified in the left IC after injection of different fluorescent tracers into the left AC and the right IC. Commissural cells were labeled throughout the left IC, and many (23–34%) appeared to be contacted by cortical axons. In the central nucleus, both disc-shaped and stellate cells were contacted. Antibodies to glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) were used to identify GABAergic commissural cells. The majority (>86%) of labeled commissural cells were GAD-immunonegative. Despite low numbers of GAD-immunopositive commissural cells, some of these cells were contacted by cortical boutons. Nonetheless, most cortically contacted commissural cells were GAD-immunonegative (i.e., presumably glutamatergic). We conclude that auditory cortical axons contact primarily excitatory commissural cells in the ipsilateral IC that project to the contralateral IC. These corticocollicular contacts occur in each subdivision of the ipsilateral IC, suggesting involvement of commissural cells throughout the IC. This pathway – from AC to commissural cells in the ipsilateral IC - is a prime candidate for the excitatory effects of activation of the auditory cortex on responses in the contralateral IC. Overall this suggests that the auditory corticofugal pathway is integrated with midbrain commissural connections.
Evaluation of an acid phosphatase assay for detection of phosphorus deficiency in leaves of maize (Zea mays L.)

Abstract Assays based on acid phosphatase activity in plant tissue show promise for rapid diagnosis of phosphorus deficiency. This study was undertaken to evaluate a simple leaf disc assay for the detection of the phosphorus deficiency in maize leaves. Leaf discs were excised from 36 to 48 day old greenhouse‐grown maize plants which had been supplied with phosphate in solution culture at levels of 5, 25 or 75 yM and which had total P concentrations in the leaves ranging from 26 to 309 mmol kg‐1 dry wt. For acid phosphatase activity determinations, discs were incubated 15 min. at 30°C with 5 mM paranitrophenol phosphate in a pH 5.8 acetate buffer. In plants which showed visual symptoms of P‐deficiency, acid phosphatase activity was 2 to 3 times as great as in P‐suf‐ficient plants. Results were inconsistent in plants which were only moderately P‐deficient. This study indicates that the leaf disc acid phosphatase assay should be useful in confirming visual diagnosis of acute phosphorus deficiency in maize, b...
Genetic and environmental contributions to variation in baboon cranial morphology

The development, function, and integration of morphological characteristics are all hypothesized to influence the utility of traits for phylogenetic reconstruction by affecting the way in which morphological characteristics evolve. We use a baboon model to test the hypotheses about phenotypic and quantitative genetic variation of traits in the cranium that bear on a phenotype's propensity to evolve. We test the hypotheses that: 1) individual traits in different functionally and developmentally defined regions of the cranium are differentially environmentally, genetically, and phenotypically variable; 2) genetic covariance with other traits constrains traits in one region of the cranium more than those in others; 3) and regions of the cranium subject to different levels of mechanical strain differ in the magnitude of variation in individual traits. We find that the levels of environmental and genetic variation in individual traits are randomly distributed across regions of the cranium rather than being structured by developmental origin or degree of exposure to strain. Individual traits in the cranial vault tend to be more constrained by covariance with other traits than those in other regions. Traits in regions subject to high degrees of strain during mastication are not any more variable at any level than other traits. If these results are generalizable to other populations, they indicate that there is no reason to suppose that individual traits from any one part of the cranium are intrinsically less useful for reconstructing patterns of evolution than those from any other part.
Parameter Study of a Continuously Stratified Model of the Ideal-Fluid Thermocline

The parameter sensitivity of a continuously stratified model of the ideal-fluid thermocline in the subtropical gyre interior is studied. A one-dimensional advection‐diffusion model is used to set up a background stratification that can provide both the potential vorticity function for the unventilated thermocline and the mixed layer depth used in the ideal-fluid thermocline model. The wind-driven circulation is treated as a perturbation to this background stratification. Although the perturbation solution excludes mixing/diffusion, the dynamic effect of diapycnal mixing is included in the unperturbed solution; therefore, the ideal-fluid solution should correspond to a nonzero diffusion solution for the wind-driven and thermohaline circulation in the ocean. It is shown that the model can reproduce the thermocline structure, which corresponds to either finite or infinitely weak mixing. Under the extreme weak diffusion limit, the model produces a thermocline that looks like a step function in the stratification, which separates the wind-driven gyre above it and the stagnant abyssal water underneath it. It is shown that the subduction rate and production of mode water with low-potential vorticity are closely related to the stratification (or the potential vorticity) of the unventilated thermocline, the geometry of the mixed layer, the Ekman pumping rate, and the orientation of the intergyre boundary. Changes in the structure of the thermocline in response to different upper boundary conditions are explored. It is found that cooling and southward migration of the jet stream induce the production of low potential vorticity mode water, while changes in the vertical density profile have an appearance like the second baroclinic mode.