cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Getting to Zero-Lift in Washington State Nursing Homes

The huge toll caused by back and shoulder injuries among nursing home workers (nursing assistants) has been well documented. These injuries have been related primarily to tasks involving lifting and handling of the residents. There is strong evidence that reduction in load would decrease the risk of injury. “Zero-lift” programs are designed to reduce these loads and involve several components: support of management and participation of employees; acquisition of equipment; policies surrounding the use of equipment; training; and management of injuries that do occur. There appears to be a significant disparity between the availability of technology to reduce the hazards associated with handling tasks and the adoption of the technology by the industry. The challenge for nursing homes is to effectively implement programs that reduce physical loads on nursing assistants while maintaining a safe and caring environment for the residents.
TU‐C‐141‐06: Improving Image Quality in 4D‐CT Scans Using Deformable Registration and Selective Averaging

Purpose: To improve image quality in low‐dose 4D‐CT using a selective averaging algorithm that combines images acquired under free breathing and registered to a single breathing phase. Methods: Five patients were imaged with a low‐pitch helical protocol on a 64‐slice scanner during free patient breathing, as part of an IRB‐approved research protocol. 25 low dose scans were performed in order to image the lungs at varying breathing phases to generate a breathing motion model. The first scan was registered to the subsequent 24 using a b‐spline registration algorithm to produce 25 representations of a single patient scan geometry. These images were averaged using k‐means clustering (k=2 clusters) in conjunction with the arithmetic mean. A gradient mapping algorithm assigned the appropriate mean value to each voxel to produce a composite image. This algorithm calculates the image gradient at each voxel and assigns a cluster mean when the gradient magnitude is above a threshold, otherwise assigning the arithmetic mean. The composite image was compared with the first image in the set as well as the arithmetic mean of all 25 scans. Image noise was calculated in an axial region of the liver. Sharpness was measured as the sum of gradient magnitudes across the image. Results: By combining gradient selective k‐means clustering with the arithmetic mean, image noise was reduced by 78% while maintaining sharpness within 14.5% of the reference image. This improves on the arithmetic mean in sharpness by 14% with less than a 1% increase in noise. Conclusion: Results indicate that 4D‐CT image quality can be improved by co‐registration followed by a gradient selective averaging algorithm. This method greatly reduces image noise while maintaining sharpness that is lost in a simple averaging algorithm. This work supported in part by NIH R01CA096679
Perception of degraded speech sounds differs in chinchilla and human listeners

The behavioral responses of chinchillas to noise-vocoded versions of naturally spoken speech sounds were measured using stimulus generalization and operant conditioning. Behavioral performance for speech generalization by chinchillas is compared to recognition by a group of human listeners for the identical speech sounds. The ability of chinchillas to generalize the vocoded versions as tokens of the natural speech sounds is far less than recognition by human listeners. In many cases, responses of chinchillas to noise-vocoded speech sounds were more similar to responses to band limited noise than to the responses to natural speech sounds. Chinchillas were also tested with a middle C musical note as played on a piano. Comparison of the responses of chinchillas for the middle C condition to the responses obtained for the speech conditions suggest that chinchillas may be more influenced by fundamental frequency than by formant structure. The differences between vocoded speech perception in chinchillas and human listeners may reflect differences in their abilities to resolve the formants along the cochlea. It is argued that lengthening of the cochlea during human evolution may have provided one of the auditory mechanisms that influenced the evolution of speech-specific mechanisms.
Mississippi River Ecohydrology: Past, present and future

Abstract For well over 100 years the twin objectives of navigation/transportation and flood-risk management have led to an intensively managed Mississippi River system which, hydrologically and hydraulically, has been radically altered. Additionally, human disturbances have led to more recent environmental impacts, including increased agricultural chemicals and industrial toxins, altered salinity and sediment loads, and introduction of non-native species, resulting in a riverine and riparian ecosystem far different from its historical condition. These anthropogenic impacts, combined, have led to reduced biodiversity, resilience and ecosystem services provided to society. The goals and objectives of ecosystem rehabilitation must include mechanisms to reverse the physical, chemical and biological alterations to the Mississippi River. Implementing Ecohydrology goals through the reestablishment of the historical floodplain is paramount to successful remediation. Likewise, the ability to measure project success is critical to evaluating the efficacy of the entire rehabilitation program.
Exchange of Sodium by Magnesium in Aluminum Hydroxycarbonate Gel

Approximately 90% of the sodium present in a washed aluminum hydroxycarbonate gel was removed by exchange with magnesium. This behavior supports recent structural studies which have suggested that cations such as sodium serve as counterions in aluminum hydroxycarbonate gel. However, sodium could not be removed from dihydroxyaluminum sodium carbonate by exchange with magnesium because sodium is part of the crystal structure. It is hypothesized that aluminum hydroxycarbonate gels which resist removal of sodium are actually mixtures containing dihydroxyaluminum sodium carbonate in addition to aluminum hydroxycarbonate.
Categorical Data Analysis With SAS and SPSS Applications, Categorical Data Analysis Using the SAS System

(2006). Categorical Data Analysis With SAS and SPSS Applications, Categorical Data Analysis Using the SAS System. Journal of the American Statistical Association: Vol. 101, No. 473, pp. 400-400.
Women and Race in Early Modern Texts

Joyce Green MacDonald discusses the links between women's racial, sexual, and civic identities in early modern texts. She examines the scarcity of African women in English plays of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the racial identity of the women in the drama and also that of the women who watched and sometimes wrote the plays. The coverage also includes texts from the late fourteenth to the early eighteenth centuries, by, among others, Shakespeare, Jonson, Davenant, the Countess of Pembroke, and Aphra Behn. MacDonald articulates many of her discussions of early modern women's races through a comparative method, using insights drawn from critical race theory, women's history, and contemporary disputes over canonicity, multiculturalism, and Afrocentrism. Seeing women as identified by their race and social standing as well as by their sex, this book will add depth and dimension to discussions of women's writing and of gender in Renaissance literature.
Standardized panoramic radiography in assessment of mandibular augmentation with hydroxylapatite material: preliminary report.

This study evaluates the usefulness of a head-positioner/cephalostat in producing standardized panoramic radiographs by assessing the reproducibility of the radiographs and comparing the standardized panoramic radiographic findings with those obtained from 45° right and left lateral cephalograms. Comparison of measurements indicated that this cephalostat produced reproducible panoramic radiographs. Measurements on each panoramic radiograph showed standard deviations ranging from 0.0 to 0.24 mm (pooled SD = 0.12), whereas the SDs for the 45° lateral cephalograms ranged from 0.0 to 0.45 (pooled SD = 0.14). This indicates that the panoramic radiographs obtained with this head-positioner/cephalostat were comparable to those obtained by 45° lateral cephalograms.
Estimates of Lethal Equivalents and the Cost of Inbreeding in Mammals

Abstract: The costs of inbreeding in natural populations of mammals are unknown despite their theoretical importance in genetic and sociobiological models and practical applications in conservation biology. A major cost of inbreeding is the reduced survival of inbred young. We estimate this cost from the regression of juvenile survival on the inbreeding coefficient using pedigrees of 40 captive mammalian populations belonging to 38 species. The number of lethal equivalents ranged from –1.4 to 30.3, with a mean of 4.6 and a median of 3.1. There was no significant difference between populations founded with wild-caught individuals, a mixture of wild-caught and captive-born individuals, and individuals of unknown origin. The average cost of a parent-offspring or full sibling mating was 0.33, that is, mortality was 33% higher in offspring of such matings than in offspring of unrelated parents. This is likely to be an underestimate.
Quantum dot infrared photodetectors

Abstract We discuss key issues related to quantum dot infrared photodetectors. These are the normal incidence response, the dark current, and the responsivity and detectivity. It is argued that the present devices have not fully demonstrated the potential advantages. The dominant infrared response in devices so far is polarized in the growth direction. The observed dark currents are several orders of magnitude higher than those for quantum well photodetectors; while ideally they should be lower. The areas that need improvements are pointed out.
The structure of constitutive equations for finite deformation of elastic–plastic materials involving strain-induced anisotropy with applications

Constitutive relations based on finite-deformation-valid analysis require the formulation of coupling effects that were not needed in earlier developments which included small deformation restrictions. However, the feasibility to introduce such coupling effects mathematically requires that the new terms introduced must be in accord with physically based concepts of the phenomena involved. An example came to light in which objectivity of a constitutive relation, considered to be generalized for finite deformation applications involving strain-induced plastic anisotropy, had been achieved by use of the Jaumann derivative in place of the material derivative for the growth of a tensor variable which expressed the anisotropic characteristics. The spin terms thus added to the infinitesimal displacement analogue were not in accord with a physically based assessment of the underlying micro-mechanical phenomena and in fact led to the prediction of anomalous stress response. This paper comprises comments on the subsequent development of the theory, including a tensor equation for the evolution of the anisotropy. By solving a sample test problem with different initial conditions both the numerical implementation of the constitutive relation and the response according to the proposed growth law of the anisotropy are described and discussed.
Strip antennas in a dielectric slab

A general technique for analyzing wire antennas in the presence of a dielectric inhomogeneity is described. The solution is a moment method technique and has the advantage that the dielectric inhomogeneity introduces no new unknowns into the solution. The technique is applied to strip antennas in an electrically thin dielectric slab.
Differentially charged nanomaterials control selectin-mediated adhesion and isolation of cancer cells and leukocytes under flow

The metastatic spread of cancer cells from the primary tumor to distant sites leads to a poor prognosis in cancers originating from multiple organs. Increasing evidence has linked selectin-based adhesion between circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and endothelial cells of the microvasculature to metastatic dissemination, in a manner similar to leukocyte adhesion during inflammation. Biomimetic flow devices hold promise as a diagnostic tool to separate CTCs and potentially treat metastasis, utilizing antibody and selectin-mediated interactions for cell capture under flow. However, capture at high purity levels is challenged by the fact that CTCs and leukocytes both possess selectin ligands. Here, we developed surfaces of nanoscale roughness and varying surface charge for E-selectin mediated adhesion and separation of cancer cells and leukocytes from flow. Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) functionalized with the negatively charged surfactant sodium dodecanoate (NaL) significantly increased the number of colon and breast cancer cells captured from flow. Conversely, HNT functionalization with the positively charged surfactant decyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (DTAB) abrogated nearly all cancer cell adhesion to E-selectin (ES). The opposite trend was observed with leukocytes, with decreased cell adhesion to E- selectin on NaL-functionalized HNTs, and increased adhesion to DTAB-functionalized HNTs. This work reveals that differentially charged nanomaterials can control receptor-mediated cancer cell and leukocyte adhesion, enabling new approaches to increase the number and purity of separated CTCs from patient blood.
REVERSE TRANSFERS WHO RETURN TO A UNIVERSITY: AN ANALYSIS OF THEIR ACADEMIC PROGRESS

Northern Illinois University was the site of a study of reverse transfer students returning to a university. The 269 students in the study represent 15% of all the transfer students entering the university during 1975‐1976. Their 4?2?4 academic progress found 45% had academic difficulty in their initial senior institution. In the community college, 55% completed an associate degree. The academic‐difficulty students raised their average GPA by 1.4 points. Five years after entering NIU the reverse transfers had a bachelor's degree completion rate of 61.3%. Students in previous academic difficulty attained a 55.4% graduation rate while students in good standing in their initial senior institution had a 66.2% graduation rate. Among students in previous academic difficulty, students who were attending a different senior institution were twice as likely to complete a bachelor's degree than students returning to the same school where they had had academic problems previously. A discriminant analysis of NIU statu...
Binding specificity and modulation of the ApoA-I promoter activity by homo- and heterodimers of nuclear receptors.

Abstract Three proximal regulatory elements, AIB, AIC, and AID, of the apoA-I gene are necessary and sufficient for its hepatic expression in vivo and in vitro. DNA binding and competition assays showed that elements AIB and AID contain hormone response elements composed of imperfect direct repeats that support the binding of the hepatic nuclear factor-4, other nuclear orphan receptors, and the ligand-dependent nuclear receptors retinoic X receptor (RXRα), RXRα/RARα, and RXRα/TRβ. Substitution mutations on repeats 1 and 2 in the hormone response sites of elements AIB and AID, respectively, abolished the binding of all nuclear receptors and reduced promoter activity to background levels, indicating the importance of both hormone response elements for the hepatic expression of the apoA-I gene. Cotransfection experiments in HepG2 cells with normal and mutated promoter constructs and plasmids expressing nuclear hormone receptors showed that RXRα homodimers transactivated the wild type promoter 150% of control, in the presence of 9-cis-retinoic acid (RA), whereas RXRα/TRβ heterodimers repressed transcription to 60% of control, in the presence of T. RXRα/RARα and hepatic nuclear factor-4 did not affect the transcription, driven by the proximal apoA-I promoter. Potassium permanganate and dimethyl sulfate interference experiments showed that RXRα homodimers, RXRα/RARα, and RXRα/TRβ heterodimers participate in protein-DNA interactions with 12, 13, and 11 out of the 14 nucleotides, respectively, that span repeats 1 and 2 and the spacer region separating them on the hormone response element of element AID. The binding of RXRα homodimers and RXRα/TRβ heterodimers is associated with ligand-dependent activation by 9-cis-RA or repression by T. Upon deletion or mutation of repeat 1, homodimeric binding of RXRα is lost whereas heterodimeric binding is retained. This heterodimeric binding to the mutated element AID is mediated solely by interactions with repeat 2 and one adjacent nucleotide and is confined to a heptameric core recognition motif. The interactions of the RXRα heterodimers with repeat 2 are associated with low levels of ligand-independent transcriptional activity. The findings suggest that the specific types of homo- and heterodimers of nuclear hormone receptors occupying the hormone response elements of apoA-I and the availability of the ligand may play an important role in the transcriptional regulation of the human apoA-I gene.
Computation of nonclassical shocks using a spacetime discontinuous galerkin method

We present a numerical study for two systems of conservation laws using a spacetime discontinuous Galerkin (SDG) method with causal spacetime triangulations and the piecewise constant Galerkin basis. The SDG method is consistent with the weak formulation of conservation laws, and, in the case of strictly hyperbolic systems, also with the Lax entropy condition. Convergence of the method was shown for a special class of hyperbolic systems (Temple systems). The initial data we consider lead to nonclassical shocks. The first part of our study is for the Keyfitz-Kranzer system. We compute the SDG solutions approximating overcompressive and singular shocks, and note that our results are consistent with those obtained by [Sanders, and Sever, 2003] using a finite difference scheme. The second system we consider is an approximation of a three-phase flow in the petroleum reservoirs. Numerical solutions for this system were computed by [Schecter, Plohr, and Marchesin, 2004] using the Dafermos regularization and a technique for numerical solving of ordinary differential equations. We compute the SDG approximation to a solution containing a transitional shock. We note that even though convergence of the SDG method was shown so far only for Temple systems, numerical examples herewith show that it can be successfully used in approximating solutions of more general conservation laws.
The Relation of Perceptions by Leaders and Members to Creative Group Behavior

Summary Male and female volunteers (N = 120, aged 18 to 53 years) participated in a simulated problem-solving situation in order to determine whether the leader's and members' perceptions of the leader and the leader's verbal behavior were predictors of creative solutions to problems. Results of correlation matrix analyses indicate that these perceptions were not predictors of creative solutions to problems. A supplementary analysis of the data showed significant correlations between the leader's perception of himself and positive social/emotional verbal behavior.
On the Liapunov-Movchan and the energy theories of stability

The asymptotic stability result obtained by Pritchard for the Benard and Taylor problems employing the Liapunov-Movchan theory is optimized by using inequalities and variational techniques. The equivalence between this result and the one obtained by the energy theory is demonstrated. Future applications as related to the symmetry of the operators are discussed.
Ga-67 scan findings in global splenic infarction and abscess.

In global splenic infarction, CT scan of the spleen may demonstrate a rim of enhancing capsule surrounding hypodense spleen. Differentiation from splenic abscess may necessitate percutaneous needle aspiration. A Ga-67 scan performed on a patient with these findings showed absence of uptake in the spleen confirming infarction and avoiding needle aspiration. Splenic abscess is frequently seen as a complication of splenic infarction. Several months later, when splenic abscess was suspected on sonogram, a repeat Ga-67 scan showed increased uptake in the splenic abscess. This was confirmed at autopsy. Intense Ga-67 uptake in the splenic abscess was present even though the entire spleen was necrotic
The Computer and Education: Choosing the Least Powerful Means of Instruction

The computer is a threat to the intellectual and moral education of students. It reduces words to their most abstract meaning, thereby objectifying meaning. Moreover, the computer promotes logical thought at the expense of dialectical thinking. The computer is behind the proliferation of random information, all of which is at the disposal of the individual user. This fosters a cynical worldview that information is random and exists to be exploited. Finally, the computer turns us into consumers of information that fragments the personality and makes moral responsibility increasingly difficult. It allows for anonymous discourse and substitutes information for judgment. Teachers should resist the use of the mass media—especially the computer and television—as much as possible.
An evaluation of force-based design vs. direct displacement-based design of jointed precast post-tensioned wall systems

The unique features of jointed post-tensioned wall systems, which include minimum structural damage and re-centering capability when subjected to earthquake lateral loads, are the result of using unbonded post-tensioning to attach the walls to the foundation, along with employing energy dissipating shear connectors between the walls. Using acceptance criteria defined in terms of inter-story drift, residual drift, and floor acceleration, this study presents a multiple-level performance-based seismic evaluation of two five-story unbonded post-tensioned jointed precast wall systems. The design and analysis of these two wall systems, established as the direct displacement-based and force-based solutions for a prototype building used in the PREcast Seismic Structural Systems (PRESSS) program, were performed at 60% scale so that the analysis model could be validated using the PRESSS test data. Both buildings satisfied the performance criteria at four levels of earthquake motions although the design base shear of the direct displacement-based jointed wall system was 50% of that demanded by the force-based design method. The study also investigated the feasibility of controlling the maximum transient inter-story drift in a jointed wall system by increasing the number of energy dissipating shear connectors between the walls but without significantly affecting its re-centering capability.
Desensitization, re-sensitization and desensitization again: A preliminary study

Abstract When desensitization was applied to a patient's anxiety reactions to images of the theme of “infidelity” by his wife, obsessive compulsive behavior progressively diminished. Then high anxiety stimuli were prematurely introduced into the treatment and the obsessive compulsive behavior recurred. It was finally overcome by resuming the standard progression of scene presentations.
Low levels of asparagine deamidation can have a dramatic effect on aggregation of amyloidogenic peptides: implications for the study of amyloid formation.

The polypeptide hormone amylin forms amyloid deposits in Type 2 diabetes mellitus and a 10-residue fragment of amylin (amylin20–29) is commonly used as a model system to study this process. Studies of amylin20–29 and several variant peptides revealed that low levels of deamidation can have a significant effect on the secondary structure and aggregation behavior of these molecules. Results obtained with a variant of amylin20–29, which has the primary sequence SNNFPAILSS, are highlighted. This peptide is particularly interesting from a technical standpoint. In the absence of impurities the peptide does not spontaneously aggregate and is not amyloidogenic. This peptide can spontaneously deamidate, and the presence of less than 5% of deamidation impurities leads to the formation of aggregates that have the hallmarks of amyloid. In addition, small amounts of deamidated material can induce amyloid formation by the purified peptide. These results have fundamental implications for the definition of an amyloidogenic sequence and for the standards of purity of peptides and proteins used for studies of amyloid formation.
A scheme for the neutrino mixing matrix

We show that the observed pattern for neutrino mixing arises naturally if neutrinos are composites of more elementary constituents carrying an SU(2) quantum number we call lepospin.
Globalization, Mega-projects and the Environment: Urban Form and Water in Jakarta

The geographical pattern of the expansion of a city has a direct relationship with its environmental quality, particularly water flows and flooding. A key question for urban policy and planning is ...
Studies of expression of the DQß promoter and its 5′ deletion derivatives in normal and mutant human B cell lines

A series of 5' deletion test plasmids harboring promoter sequences of the HLA-DQ beta gene fused to the bacterial chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT) gene were constructed. Transient CAT expression from these constructs in several types of cells was employed to examine the role of the promoter sequence in the regulation of DQ beta gene expression. The DQ beta constructs drove CAT expression in Raji cells (human Burkitt lymphoma cells) to at least 25-fold or 50-fold higher levels than in Hela cells (human cervical carcinoma cells) or Jurkat cells (human T-leukemia cells), respectively. A short promoter sequence of -160 bp containing the conserved X and Y sequences was sufficient for expression in Raji cells, and deletion to -106 bp which interrupted the X sequence abolished the expression. Sequences further upstream to -160 bp as far as -2500 bp which included an Ig-like octamer appeared to have no effect on expression in Raji cells. Thus, the promoter up to -160 bp has all of the sequences required for B cell specific expression of CAT in this assay. CAT expression from the 5' deletion constructs introduced into RJ2.2.5 and 6.1.6 cells (class II-negative mutant B cells lines) was also examined. None of the 5' deletion constructs, including that with -160 bp of promoter, showed CAT expression in these cells, suggesting that a transcriptional factor(s) required for the activity of the DQ beta promoter was missing in these cells. Moreover, the -160 to -66 bp sequence (including the X and Y elements), which functions as a B cell specific enhancer, was inactive in the mutant cells. Thus, the missing factor(s) are required for the enhancer function of this fragment.
Ion beam analysis of edge effects in Al/M/Al stripes

Abstract Al/M/Al stripes (with M = Hf, Ti or TiW) having widths from 0.5 to 200 μm were annealed in N2 and H2 gas. The interdiffusion between layers and hydrogen diffusion in from edges were studied by RBS and nuclear reaction analysis. For Hf and Ti systems, rapid hydrogen diffusion in from the edge was observed. However, this hydrogen did not affect interdiffusion between layers. Al/Hf/Al samples showed an edge-enhanced diffusion, which was likely caused by reactive ion etching (RIE) during processing. For the Ti-W system, the edge diffusion was reduced in H2 during annealing.
Airway lavage with exogenous surfactant in an animal model of meconium aspiration syndrome.

Background: Meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS) is a major cause of respiratory morbidity and mortality in term infants, and occasionally causes serious respiratory disturbance. Viscous meconium debris in the trachea interferes with ventilation, and chest physiotherapy (CPT) is effective for removing secretions from the trachea. The effects of conventional exogenous diluted surfactant lavage combined with CPT were evaluated in a MAS animal model in a randomized controlled study. Methods: Twenty-three MAS model adult Japanese rabbits were randomized into three groups and artificially ventilated for 3 h with the following treatments: group 1, suction only (n = 7); group 2, surfactant lavage (n = 7); group 3, surfactant lavage with CPT (n = 7). Surfactant lavage was performed by infusing 2 mL/kg of diluted Surfactant TA (Surfacten; 6 mg/mL) into the trachea over approximately5 s, then performing gentle manual bagging six times, and aspirating the tracheal contents using a suction catheter. This procedure was performed four times in four different positions (total, 8 mL/kg). In group 3, CPT (squeezing) was performed during expiration of manual bagging in surfactant lavage. Results: In group 3, PaO2 improved significantly (P < 0.05) at all time points compared with those in the other groups. Oxygenation index (OI) in group 3 improved significantly (P < 0.05) at all time points except after 0.5 h compared with that in group 1, and at 2, 2.5, and 3 h compared with that in group 2. Conclusions: A combination of exogenous surfactant lavage and CPT (squeezing) improves respiratory disturbance in MAS.
Expanding Roles for α4 Integrin and its Ligands in Development

Interaction of alpha 4 integrins with vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) is classically important for immune function. However, we found recently that these receptors have a second role, in embryogenesis, where they mediate cell-cell interactions that are important for skeletal muscle differentiation. Here, we present evidence of an expanding role for these receptors in murine development. alpha 4 and VCAM-1 were found at embryonic sites of hematopoiesis, suggesting a role for these receptors during embryogenesis that parallels their hematopoietic function in adult bone marrow. During angiogenesis in the lung, alpha 4 and VCAM-1 were found on mesenchyme that gives rise to vascular endothelium and smooth muscle. alpha 4 persisted on the smooth muscle and the endothelium of newly forming vessels where it colocalized with its extracellular matrix ligand, fibronectin (FN). These patterns suggest several roles for alpha 4 integrins and their ligands in angiogenesis. alpha 4 was also found on neural crest derivatives where it colocalized with FN. alpha 4 was expressed selectively on cells in the dorsal root ganglia: it was apparent along ventral projections, but absent from dorsal projections, suggesting that alpha 4 integrins could be involved in defining neuronal fates. Although VCAM-1 was not expressed on most neural crest derivatives, it was found in the neural crest-derived outflow tract of the embryonic heart, where it colocalized with alpha 4. These results imply that alpha 4 integrins and their ligands could be important for migration or differentiation of neural crest. alpha 4 was also expressed on embryonic retina and FN was found on inductive mesenchyme surrounding the eye, suggesting a role for these proteins in eye development. Finally, based on their patterns of expression, we conclude that VCAM-1 only participates in a subset of interactions involving alpha 4 integrins, whereas FN appears to be the more general ligand.
Influence of professional preparation and class structure on HIV, STD, and pregnancy prevention education

Objective:The purpose of this study was to determine if education about human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/sexually transmitted disease (STD) and pregnancy prevention is dependent on professional preparation and/or class structure.Design:A secondary data analysis of the 2006 School Health Policies and Programmes Study (SHPPS) was conducted.Setting:Data were obtained from the health education classroom level questionnaire of the 2006 SHPPS.Methods:A series of multivariable logistic regression models (N = 34) were computed to determine if instruction of HIV/STD and/or pregnancy prevention content was dependent on professional preparation and/or class structure.Results:Professionally prepared health educators were found to be significantly more likely than their counterparts to teach about teenage age pregnancy risks, teenage pregnancy impacts, finding information/services related to pregnancy, finding information/services related to HIV, and HIV diagnosis/treatment. These topics and three others (methods of...
Design and implementation of efficient pipelined IIR digital filters

A generalized clustered look-ahead transformation procedure is presented. Like the original clustered look-ahead transformation, the generalized version is useful for converting IIR digital filter transfer functions into pipelined forms. It is, however, better able to yield stable pipelined IIR filters. It is shown that this improvement is obtained at the expense of a very modest increase in system complexity and a small decrease in processing speed. Design examples are given and high-speed hardware implementations are discussed in detail. >
Harmonic potential field path planning for high speed vehicles

This paper presents a method to represent complex shaped obstacles in harmonic potential fields used for vehicle path planning. The proposed method involves calculating the potential field for a series of circular obstacles inserted into the unobstructed potential field. The potential field for the total obstacle is a weighted average of the circular obstacle potential fields. This method explicitly calculates a stream function for the potential field. The need for the stream function is explained for situations involving controlling a dynamic system such as a high speed ground vehicle. The traditional potential field controller is also augmented to take the stream function into account. Simulation results are presented to show the effectiveness of the potential field generation technique and the augmented vehicle controller.
Cardiac Progenitor Cell Cycling Stimulated by Pim-1 Kinase

Rationale: Cardioprotective effects of Pim-1 kinase have been previously reported but the underlying mechanistic basis may involve a combination of cellular and molecular mechanisms that remain unr...
STUDIES OF THE TRIAD: IV. Structure of the Junction in Frog Slow Fibers

The structure of the triadic junction in frog slow fibers has been studied and compared with that of twitch fibers. The junctional gap is wider (by approximately 13%) in slow fibers. The junctional feet have the same size and disposition as in twitch fibers, although the size and shape of the junctional areas are different. It is concluded that the role of triads in slow fibers is the same as in twitch fibers
Three cases of feature correlation in an electrocorticographic BCI

Three human subjects participated in a closed-loop brain computer interface cursor control experiment mediated by implanted subdural electrocorticographic arrays. The paradigm consisted of several stages: baseline recording, hand and tongue motor tasks as the basis for feature selection, two closed-loop one-dimensional feedback experiments with each of these features, and a two-dimensional feedback experiment using both of the features simultaneously. The two selected features were simple channel and frequency band combinations associated with change during hand and tongue movement. Inter-feature correlation and cross-correlation between features during different epochs of each task were quantified for each stage of the experiment. Our anecdotal, three subject, result suggests that while high correlation between horizontal and vertical control signal can initially preclude successful two-dimensional cursor control, a feedback-based learning strategy can be successfully employed by the subject to overcome this limitation and progressively decorrelate these control signals.
Types of Education and the Occupational Attainments of Young Men

We examine the effects of high school curriculum and vocational training on occupational outcomes among young men 25-29 and 29-33 years of age. The effects on both occupational status and occupational routines (concern with people, data, and things) are reported. Returns to years of schooling tend to be greater for whites, but returns to curriculum and vocational training are generally greater for blacks. The major exceptions to stronger effects of vocational training for blacks involve skilled manual training and occupations dealing with things. The findings are interpreted as indicating that (a) the usual status attainment model has inadequately specified the relationship between educational and occupational attainment, (b) the common conclusion that black occupational outcomes are less predictable than those of whites is unwarranted, and (c) curriculuim and vocational training have such strong effects for blacks because they help move blacks into peopleand data-processing occupations. The great outpouring of publications dealing with the status attainment process which followed Blau and Duncan's innovative analysis has been primarily concerned with elaborating the conceptualization of the antecedent processes leading up to levels of educational attainment and the specification of patterns of attainment experienced by various subgroups of the population-male/female, black/white differences, etc. More recently, appraisals of this work have focused on either the structural constraints within which the processes occur (Beck et al.) or the fact that occupational outcomes have been defined too narrowly. Although the core of this body of research has used either a socioeconomic scale or a prestige scale of occupations, more recently attention has been given to other ways to conceptualize occupational outcomes (Mortimer; Wilson; Wright and Perrone). As a Partial support for this research was provided by the Biomedical Research Support Grant from Duke University. We are grateful to Richard T. Campbell for his advice and comments. ? 1982 The University of North Carolina Press. 0037-7732/82/010024-45$02.20
Relationship Between Periodontal Disease, Tooth Loss, and Carotid Artery Plaque: The Oral Infections and Vascular Disease Epidemiology Study (INVEST)

Background and Purpose—Chronic infections, including periodontal infections, may predispose to cardiovascular disease. The present study investigates the relationship of periodontal disease and tooth loss with subclinical atherosclerosis. Methods—We enrolled 711 subjects with a mean age of 669 years and no history of stroke or myocardial infarction in the Oral Infections and Vascular Disease Epidemiology Study. Subjects received a comprehensive periodontal examination, extensive in-person cardiovascular disease risk factor measurements, and a carotid scan using highresolution B-mode ultrasound. Regression models were adjusted for conventional risk factors (age, sex, smoking, diabetes, systolic blood pressure, low- and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, race-ethnicity, education, physical activity) and markers of cultural background, healthy lifestyle, and psychosocial health. Results—Measures of both current and cumulative periodontitis became more severe as tooth loss increased. A significant association was observed between tooth loss levels and carotid artery plaque prevalence. Among those with 0 to 9 missing teeth, 46% had carotid artery plaque, whereas among those with 10 missing teeth, carotid artery plaque prevalence was 60% (P0.05). Conclusions—Our data suggest that tooth loss is a marker of past periodontal disease in this population and is related to subclinical atherosclerosis, thereby providing a potential pathway for a relationship with clinical events. (Stroke. 2003; 34:2120-2125.)
Temporal phenome analysis of a large electronic health record cohort enables identification of hospital-acquired complications

Objective To develop methods for visual analysis of temporal phenotype data available through electronic health records (EHR). Materials and methods 24 580 adults from the multiparameter intelligent monitoring in intensive care V.6 (MIMIC II) EHR database of critically ill patients were analyzed, with significant temporal associations visualized as a map of associations between hospital length of stay (LOS) and ICD-9-CM codes. An expanded phenotype, using ICD-9-CM, microbiology, and computerized physician order entry data, was defined for hospital-acquired Clostridium difficile (HA-CDI). LOS, estimated costs, 30-day post-discharge mortality, and antecedent medication provider order entry were evaluated for HA-CDI cases compared to randomly selected controls. Results Temporal phenome analysis revealed 191 significant codes (p value, adjusted for false discovery rate, ≤0.05). HA-CDI was identified in 414 cases, and was associated with longer median LOS, 20 versus 9 days, and adjusted HR 0.33 (95% CI 0.28 to 0.39). This prolongation carries an estimated annual incremental cost increase of US$1.2–2.0 billion in the USA alone. Discussion Comprehensive EHR data have made largescale phenome-based analysis feasible. Time-dependent pathological disease states have dynamic phenomic evolution, which may be captured through visual analytical approaches. Although MIMIC II is a single institutional retrospective database, our approach should be portable to other EHR data sources, including prospective ‘learning healthcare systems’. For example, interventions to prevent HA-CDI could be dynamically evaluated using the same techniques. Conclusions The new visual analytical method described in this paper led directly to the identification of numerous hospital-acquired conditions, which could be further explored through an expanded phenotype definition.
Biological and computational annotation of the Drosophila Genome Sequence

The nucleotide sequence of the Drosophila melanogaster genome is now available and efforts are ongoing to improve its accuracy and annotation. The value of these sequence data will be enormously enhanced if we can provide for each gene information on: (1) the structure and expression pattern of its transcripts; (2) the mechanisms and logic used to control their expression; and (3) the functions of their protein products. My presentation will be directed toward the challenges of obtaining and interpreting such information for the fruit fly. Gene sequence and expression pattern databases will be extremely powerful tools. However, the function of a protein in a multicellular organism depends on context and will almost certainly need to be determined by experimental analysis. Collection of the required large datasets will be difficult and neither the intellectual framework nor experimental tools for analyzing complex gene networks are currently in place. Nevertheless, there is reason for cautious optimism that the complete genomic sequence of organisms will enable the necessary global approaches to study gene function and regulation. The conservation of gene structure and function during evolution will allow for the linking and sharing of information garnered in different experimental systems. But what data should be collected and how to interpret these data are much less clear. I will describe recent attempts by the Berkeley Drosophila Genome project to address some of these issues.
Teaching and learning styles in engineering education

Engineering professors, like professors in every other field, have always experimented with innovative instructional methods, but even with all the experimentation nothing was done to link the innovations in teaching to learning theory. Scholarly approaches to marrying teaching methods by the professors to learning styles of the students have become common in the past decade. Since matching the teaching styles to the learning styles is the task of the professor and there is no one best learning style or one best teaching style, one has to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of both. A single teaching technique will not always appeal to all students. The challenge of engineering education is to make the scholarship of teaching and learning equal to the scholarship of discovery, integration, and application.
Investigations into Ruthenium Metathesis Catalysts with Six-Membered Chelating NHC Ligands: Relationship between Catalyst Structure and Stereoselectivity

A series of ruthenium catalysts bearing five-membered chelating NHC architectures that exhibit very high Z-selectivity in a variety of metathesis reactions have recently been reported. It was envisioned that catalysts possessing six-membered chelates could similarly exhibit high Z-selectivity and address limitations of this methodology. We thus prepared a number of new catalysts and systematically investigated the impact of the NHC and anionic ligand on their stereoselectivity. In standard metathesis assays, only catalysts containing six-membered chelated NHC structures and η2-bound anionic ligands favored the Z-olefin products. In addition, substitution with bulkier N-aryl groups led to improved Z-selectivity. The effect of ligand structure on stereoselectivity discovered in this study will be useful in the future design of highly active and Z-selective ruthenium catalysts.
Post-translational modifications of sibling proteins and their roles in osteogenesis and dentinogenesis.

The extracellular matrix (ECM) of bone and dentin contains several non-collagenous proteins. One category of non-collagenous protein is termed the SIBLING (Small Integrin-Binding LIgand, N-linked Glycoprotein) family, that includes osteopontin (OPN), bone sialoprotein (BSP), dentin matrix protein 1 (DMP1), dentin sialophosphoprotein (DSPP), and matrix extracellular phosphoglycoprotein (MEPE). These polyanionic SIBLING proteins are believed to play key biological roles in the mineralization of bone and dentin. Although the specific mechanisms involved in controlling bone and dentin formation are still unknown, it is clear that some functions of the SIBLING family members are dependent on the nature and extent of post- translational modifications (PTMs), such as phosphorylation, glycosylation, and proteolytic processing, since these PTMs would have significant effects on their structure. OPN and BSP are present in the ECM of bone and dentin as full-length forms, whereas amino acid sequencing indicates that DMP1 and DSPP exist as proteolytically processed fragments that result from scission of X-Asp bonds. We hypothesized that the processing of DMP1 and DSPP is catalyzed by the PHEX enzyme, since this protein, an endopeptidase that is predominantly expressed in bone and tooth, has a strong preference for cleavage at the NH 2 - terminus of aspartyl residue. We envision that the proteolytic processing of DMP1 and DSPP may be an activation process that plays a significant, crucial role in osteogenesis and dentinogenesis, and that a failure in this processing would cause defective mineralization in bone and dentin, as observed in X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets.
Design of a high-resolution, high-sensitivity PET camera for human brains and small animals

The authors present design parameters for a 3-D PET camera with high sensitivity (35 cm detector ring diameter, 15 cm axial field of view) and isotropic high resolution provided by detector modules capable of depth of interaction (DOI) measurement. Detector modules are made of LSO crystals (3 mm square by 30 mm deep)-the small module size and short decay time of LSO reduce the detector dead time by a factor of 14 compared to conventional EGO detector modules and narrow the coincidence window width to 4 ns. This yields an expected peak noise equivalent count rate of 800 kcps and noise equivalent sensitivity of 1370 kcps//spl mu/Ci/cc with a 20 cm diameter phantom-three to five times higher than conventional scanners. With 5 mm fwhm DOI resolution, the expected reconstructed spatial resolution is <3.0 mm fwhm throughout the entire field of view. Depth of interaction measurement information is incorporated into the reconstruction algorithm by rebinning onto a regularly spaced grid. Attenuation correction is performed with an orbiting single transmission source.