cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of Water Activity in Model Systems on High-Pressure Inactivation of Escherichia coli

The objectives of the study were to measure the effect of water activity (a w) and to quantitatively evaluate the effect of the selected humectants under high-pressure processing (HPP) in combination with processing parameters such as treatment time, temperature, and pressure on the inactivation of Escherichia coli K12 in solid and liquid model systems. Glycerol was used in liquid and solid models to vary a w at 0.90, 0.95, and 0.99 levels. The model systems samples and transmitting media were preconditioned to initial temperatures of 4 and 20 °C to compensate for adiabatic heating upon compression to ensure that HPP treatments at 400 and 600 MPa were performed at final temperatures not higher than 40 °C. Decrease of a w from 0.99 to 0.90 in glycerol-based models caused considerably less inactivation of E. coli K12 at tested pressures and temperatures. Effect of different humectants at a w 0.95 and 0.99 on the inactivation of E. coli K12 was studied comparing glycerol, fructose, sodium chloride, and sorbitol. Among four types of solutes tested in the study, sodium chloride appeared the least protective, with glycerol and fructose being approximately equal, and sorbitol showed the most protective effects on inactivation of E. coli K12. The obtained data of E. coli K12 inactivation by HPP at varied a w levels in different solutes demonstrated similar effects of a w on microbial inactivation by thermal treatments. The results must be taken into account when HP preservation process and foods are developed.
Nasal valve stabilization

Nasal valve collapse is a challenging, but common, source of nasal obstruction. Many surgical techniques have been described to stabilize the nasal valve, but each has important limitations. Nasal valve stabilization is a new technique that draws on advantages of the nasal valve suspension techniques but minimizes the drawbacks associated with the suspension techniques. The indications, technique, advantages, and disadvantages are described herein.
Physics of hot hadronic matter and quark-gluon plasma

Abstract This Introductory talk contains a brief review of the current status of theoretical and experimental activities related to physics of superdense matter. In particular, we discuss latest lattice results on the phase transition, recent progress in chiral symmetry physics based on the theory of interacting instantons, news in the theory of QGP and of hot hadronic matter, mean p t and collective flow, the shape of p t distribution, strangeness production, J / ψ suppression and φ enhancement, two puzzles connected with soft pion and soft photon enhancements, and some other “ultrasoft” phenomena.
Eliminating the birefringence in silicon-on-insulator ridge waveguides by use of cladding stress

We propose and demonstrate the use of the cladding stress-induced photoelastic effect to eliminate modal birefringence in silicon-on-insulator (SOI) ridge waveguides. Birefringence-free operation was achieved for waveguides with otherwise large birefringence by use of properly chosen thickness and stress of the upper cladding layer. With the stress levels typically found in cladding materials such as SiO2, the birefringence modification range can be as large as 10-3. In arrayed waveguide grating demultiplexers that were fabricated in a SOI platform, we demonstrated the reduction of the birefringence from 1.2×10-3 (without the upper cladding) to 4.5×10-5 when a 0.8‐µm oxide upper cladding with a stress of -320 MPa (compressive) was used. Because the index changes induced by the stress are orders of magnitude smaller than the waveguide core–cladding index contrast, the associated mode mismatch loss is negligible.
Psychoanalytic affect theory in the light of contemporary neurobiological findings

Abstract This paper reviews the parallel evolution of the psychoanalytic theory of affects, the neuropsychological theories leading to a contemporary affect theory from that perspective, and the neurobiological research on the brain structures and functions involved in affect activation. The paper concludes with a theoretical proposal that integrates neurobiological findings and contemporary affect theory, and illustrates the utilization of this model in the psychotherapeutic situation.
Strategy in Point Voting: A Note

In a recent article' Dennis Mueller argues that an expected utility-maximizing voter, confronted with a point-voting scheme, will reveal his true relative preferences only in the trivial case in which the utilities associated with all issues are equal. He further argues that, if the voter assumes that each additional point that he allocates to an issue has a diminishing marginal effect on his probability of success on the issue, then he will understate his preferences for his more important issues, and overstate his preferences for other issues. The purpose of this note is to show that these conclusions follow from a mathematical error in Mueller's first-order conditions, and that once this error has been corrected we find that the voter may choose to over-, accurately, or understate his preferences for his more important issues, depending upon the voter's assumption as to the extent of his ability to affect the probabilities of success of issues. Retaining Mueller's notation, a voter, in attempting to maximize his expected utility and having been given 1,000 continuously divisible points with which to vote, would allocate points among the n issues so as to maximize
ACTIVE SUPPRESSION OF IMMUNOGLOBULIN ALLOTYPE SYNTHESIS III. IDENTITICATION OF T CELLS AS RESPONSIBLE FOR SUPPRESSION BY CELLS FROM SPLEEN, THYMUS, LYMPH NODE, AND BONE MARROW

Thymus-derived cells (T cells) that actively suppress production of IgG2a immunoglobulins carrying the Ig-1b allotype have been found in adult (SJL x BALB/c)F1 mice exposed to anti-Ig-1b early in life. The suppression is specific for Ig-1b. The allelic product, Ig-1a, is unaffected. Spleen, lymph node, bone marrow, or thymus cells from suppressed mice suppress production of Ig-1b by syngeneic spleen cells from normal F1 mice. When a mixture of suppressed and normal cells is transferred into lethally irradiated BALB/c mice, there is a short burst of Ig-1b production after which Ig-1b levels in the recipient fall rapidly below detectability. Pretreatment of the cells from the suppressed mice with antiserum specific for T cells (anti-Thy-1b) plus complement before mixture destroys the suppressing activity. Similar results with suppressor cells were obtained in vitro using Mishell-Dutton cultures. Mixture of spleen cells from suppressed animals with sheep erythrocyte (SRBC)-primed syngeneic normal spleen before culture suppresses Ig-1b plaque-forming cell (PFC) formation while leaving Ig-1a PFC unaffected. Treatment of the suppressed spleen with anti-Thy-1b before transfer removes the suppressing activity.
A different kind of holding environment: a case study of group work with pediatric staff.

ABSTRACT This paper reports a nearly two-year intervention with staff at a major urban pediatric facility. The authors worked as trainers and consultants for two groups–the Emergency Department (ED) and Chronic Care units (CC). Following two days of training about grief and loss, highlighting skill building for work with traumatized and grieving children and parents, the consultants worked to develop teams which could provide a Winnicottian holding environment for staff. The efficacy of this staff training is analyzed and support needs of staff members are identified. Findings include varied willingness to make use of group support. Chronic care participants are more likely to express willingness to engage in on-going support for one another, while ED staff members seem to prefer structured, educational training and episodic support. The holding environment of the processing groups must be adapted to fit the needs of the medical sub-culture.
Escape rates and physical measures for the infinite horizon Lorentz gas with holes

We study the statistical properties of the infinite horizon Lorentz gas after the introduction of small holes. Our basic approach is to prove the persistence of a spectral gap for the transfer operator associated with the billiard map in the presence of such holes. The new feature here is the interaction between the holes and the infinite horizon corridors, which causes previous approaches to fail. In order to overcome this difficulty, we redefine the Banach spaces on which we consider the action of the transfer operator. In this modified setting, we recover a complete set of results for the open system: Existence of a unified exponential rate of escape and limiting conditionally invariant measure for a large class of initial distributions, the convergence of the physical conditionally invariant measure to the smooth invariant measure for the billiard as the size of the hole tends to zero and the characterization of the escape rate via a notion of pressure on the survivor set.
Competitive reactions of protonated polyamines in the gas phase

The chemical ionization mass spectra of polyamines have been used to determine the importance of competing intramolecular reactions of protonated molecules in the gas phase. Multifunctional molecules react if possible in the order of intramolecular displacement-cyclization reactions, stabilization of the protonated molecular ion through collision stabilized intramolecular hydrogen bond formation and fragmentation of an isolated protonated function. Intramolecular nucleophilic displacement reactions closely parallel the relative rates of cyclization reactions in solution. These reactions may occur from protonated functions which are neither the initial nor the most stable sites of protonation.
Shape Design Optimization of Thermoelastic Structures for Durability

Shape design sensitivity analysis (DSA) and optimization methods for the fatigue life of thermoelastic structural components are presented in this paper. A multiaxial fatigue life prediction method is used for crack initiation. The crack initiation life prediction is modeled using constant amplitude strain-life data and cyclic stressstrain curves. A hybrid DSA method is used for the fatigue life. The design sensitivities of the dynamic stress and the temperature field are obtained using analytical ap­ proaches. The design sensitivity is used to predict the dynamic stress and temperature of the perturbed design. Using predicted stress and temperature, the fatigue life of the perturbed structural design component is predicted. The predicted fatigue life is then used to obtain the design sensitivity of the fatigue life by utilizing the finite difference method. The proposed DSA method is applied to design optimization of an automotive exhaust manifold of an automotive vehicle, considering crack initiation lives as design constraints.
Exaggerated 17-hydroxyprogesterone response to intravenous infusions of recombinant human LH in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Studies using pharmacological gonadotropin stimulation suggest that ovarian steroidogenesis is abnormal in the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). We assessed ovarian steroid secretion in response to...
Nicotinic receptor partial agonists modulate alcohol deprivation effect in C57BL/6J mice.

Abstract Relapse is a core feature of alcohol addiction and hinders the pharmacotherapy of alcohol use disorders. Pre-clinical and clinical studies have shown that neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) partial agonists such as cytisine and its derivative, varenicline, reduce alcohol (ethanol) consumption and seeking behavior. However, the effects of these ligands on ethanol relapse are little understood. In the present study, we examined the effects of varenicline and cytisine on alcohol deprivation effect (ADE) — a validated model for relapse-like ethanol drinking in C57BL/6J mice. After habituation to 15% (v/v) ethanol intake using a continuous free-choice procedure, mice were exposed to alternating cycles of ethanol deprivation (5 days) and re-exposure (2 days). At the end of third deprivation cycle, animals received repeated intraperitoneal injections of saline, varenicline (0.5 or 3.0 mg/kg) or cytisine (0.5 or 3.0 mg/kg) and fluid intake was measured post 4 h and 24 h ethanol re-exposure. Repeated ethanol deprivation and re-exposure cycles significantly produced a robust and transient increase in ethanol (ADE). Pretreatment with varenicline (0.5 or 3.0 mg/kg) or cytisine (0.5 or 3.0 mg/kg) significantly reduced the expression of ADE at 4 h and 24 h after ethanol re-exposure. The results from this study indicate that nAChR partial agonists reduce the expression of ADE in mice and further suggest the involvement of nAChR mechanisms in ADE, a relapse-like ethanol drinking behavior.
Electrical nerve fatigue: Advantages of an alternating bidirectional waveform

Abstract 1. Four applications of stimulating waveforms, cathodal and anodal unidirectional current (UDC) and two types of alternating bidirectional current (ABDC-1 and -2), were evaluated for effectiveness for long-term stimulation. 2. The decrease in tidal volume was significantly greater with cathodal UDC and ABDC-2 stimulation than with ABDC-1 stimulation in both short- and long-term experiments with anesthetized dogs. 3. The decrease in tidal volume with cathodal UDC stimulation was only temporarily restored to control levels when the stimulation was changed to a new site lower on the nerve. 4. Phrenic nerve action potentials decreased significantly following cathodal UDC stimulation. However, this decrease was temporarily reversed by anodal UDC stimulation. ABDC-1 stimulation did not affect nerve action potentials during the stimulation period. 5. Over a 24-hr period there was no change in tidal volume using ABDC-1 stimulation, whereas using UDC cathodal stimulation there was marked decrease. 6. ABDC-1 stimulation required less electricity and energy developed at threshold than cathodal UDC stimulation. 7. We conclude that fatigue accompanying long-term electrophrenic respiration may be postponed by employing an alternating bidirectional symmetrical waveform.
An autonomous marine optical system (AMOS) for monitoring the optical properties of port and harbor waters

The Autonomous Marine Optical System (AMOS) measures remote sensing reflectance (R rs ) above the water surface and subsurface optical properties (irradiance at depth, beam attenuation, chlorophyll fluorescence, and light backscattering) at predetermined times throughout the day. Data are transmitted back by radio to a networked archival and processing station. AMOS was created to routinely monitor the optical properties of near-surface waters, and make those measurements available to researchers over an Ethernet connection with minimal delay. The Rrs measurements can be used not only to validate satellite and airborne remote sensing imagery, but also to be combined with the in situ measurements so that other water column properties can be estimated. The performance of visible and machine-aided hull inspection is strongly affected by the optical properties of the water. AMOS estimates of these optical properties can be used by optical models to predict both subsurface visibility and the amount of ambient light beneath ships at port inspection sites. An example of the application of an inverse hyperspectral Rrs model to AMOS data from the Port of St. Petersburg (FL) is shown to accurately estimate light absorption due to phytoplankton and colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM), and backscattering due to particles.
Flow of energy in D-C machines

The flow of electromagnetic energy is traced in a typical, somewhat idealized, d-c generator, using an adaptation of Poynting's vector, after a discussion justifying this procedure. Quantitative analysis of the flow within the conductors and in the gap is carried out following the specification of the electromagnetic fields. Qualitative analysis of the flow in intermediate regions and to machine output leads is presented. Extension to other types of machines and to less idealized situations is discussed.
Race, respect, and red tape: Inside the black box of racially representative bureaucracies

Racially representative bureaucracy theory suggests that black and Latino clients of street-level bureaucracies will uniformly experience the benefits of a racially diverse staff within these institutions and perceive it as working to their advantage. Conversely, street-level bureaucracy theory suggests that racial minorities working within these organizations are under massive constraints that significantly hamstring their efforts to exercise discretion in ways that might benefit minority clients. Using in-depth interviews of both recipients and providers of public cash benefits and food stamps, I find that the majority of black and Latina clients interviewed in a racially diverse welfare office do not view staff members who share their racial status as operating in ways that are distinctly informed by racial group commonality. A strong bureaucratic structure creates institutional boundaries that often restrict meaningful engagement between these groups despite social group commonality. In those instances in which black and Latina clients do have a racialized interpretation of their encounters with bureaucrats from their racial groups, they are not monolithically understood. Clients can read them as either pointed but welcomed interventions by racemates who offer wisdom on how to navigate the welfare system or heavy-handed maneuvers by more privileged members of their racial communities. Ultimately, this article argues that racial diversity among the workforces of street-level bureaucracies is important and can have positive effects on organizational dynamics as racially representative bureaucracy theory suggests, but organizational context and intragroup politics within minority communities greatly inform how race is mediated within these institutions.
The impact of skills training on cognitive functioning in older people with serious mental illness.

Objectives Research on psychosocial interventions for people with serious mental illness (SMI) demonstrates that cognitive functioning is associated with psychosocial functioning. However, cognitive impairment is more pronounced and progressive in older adults with SMI and is associated with poorer functioning. Little is known about the long-term impact of psychosocial skills training on cognitive functioning in this rapidly growing group. Design We conducted post-hoc analyses on a previously reported randomized controlled trial to evaluate the relationship between cognitive and psychosocial functioning and the potential impact of psychosocial skills training on cognitive functioning over time. Setting and Participants The current study was conducted using a community-dwelling sample of 183 people older than age 50 with SMI. Intervention Half of the study sample received a psychosocial skills training and health management program, Helping Older People Experience Success, and were compared with a treatment-as-usual group. Measurements Cognitive and psychosocial functioning were assessed at baseline and at 1-, 2-, and 3-year follow-ups. Results Psychosocial functioning was strongly related to cognitive functioning at baseline. Participation in the Helping Older People Experience Success program was not associated with greater improvements in overall cognitive functioning; however, exploratory analyses suggested a modest improvement in executive functioning. Conclusions Given the lack of long-term data on interventions associated with sustaining or improving executive functioning in older adults with SMI, these exploratory findings suggest that future research is warranted to establish the potential benefit of psychosocial skills training as a component of treatment aimed at enhancing long-term psychosocial and cognitive functioning.
On the Apparent Relationship between Convective Activity and the Shape of 500 mb Troughs

Abstract A study was made of the surface occurrence of convective activity during the late spring and summer months for an eight-year period over a region of the central United States. It was found that there was a significant increase in the amount of convective activity as measured by thunderstorm when 500 mb troughs with a northwest to southeast (negative) tilt were present in the area. The enhanced convection was significantly greater than that activity associated with the presence of 500 mb troughs with a more ordinary tilt (or shape). An extension of the study to the winter mouths over a two-year period showed a similar but not so striking association between convective activity and negatively tilted troughs. The observations offer some support for a theoretical argument that convection nay be associated with an equatorward flux of relative angular momentum.
Decoding of Sorting Signals by Coatomer through a GTPase Switch in the COPI Coat Complex

Sorting signals on cargo proteins are recognized by coatomer for selective uptake into COPI (coatomer)-coated vesicles. This study shows that coatomer couples sorting signal recognition to the GTP hydrolysis reaction on ARF1. Coatomer responds differently to different signals. The cytoplasmic signal sequence of hp24a inhibits coatomer-dependent GTP hydrolysis. By contrast, the dilysine retrieval signal, which competes for the same binding site on coatomer, has no effect on GTPase activity. It is inferred that, in vivo, sorting signal selection is under kinetic control, with coatomer governing a GTPase discard pathway that excludes dilysine-tagged proteins from one class of COPI-coated vesicles. The concept of competing sets of sorting signals that act positively and negatively during vesicle budding through a GTPase switch in the COPI coat complex suggests mechanisms for cargo segregation in which specificity is conferred by GTP hydrolysis.
Retinoic Acid Modulation of Ultraviolet Light-induced Epidermal Ornithine Decarboxylase Activity

Irradiation of skin with ultraviolet light of sunburn range (UVB) leads to a large and rapid induction of the polyamine biosynthetic enzyme ornithine decarboxylase in the epidermis. Induction of epidermal ornithine decarboxylase also occurs following application of the tumor promoting agent 12-0-tetradecanoylphorbol-13 acetate and topical retinoic acid is able to block both this ornithine decarboxylase induction and skin tumor promotion. In the studies described below, topical application of retinoic acid to hairless mouse skin leads to a significant inhibition of UVB-induced epidermal ornithine decarboxylase activity. The degree of this inhibition was dependent on the dose, timing, and frequency of the application of retinoic acid. To show significant inhibition of UVB-induced ornithine decarboxylase the retinoic acid had to be applied within 5hr of UVB irradiation. If retinoic acid treatment was delayed beyond 7hr following UVB, then no inhibition of UVB-induced ornithine decarboxylase was observed. The quantities of retinoic acid used (1.7nmol and 3.4nmol) have been shown effective at inhibiting 12-0- tetradecanoyl phorbol-13 acetate induced ornithine decarboxylase. The results show that these concentrations of topical retinoic acid applied either before or immediately following UVB irradiation reduces the UVB induction of epidermal ornithine decarboxylase. The effect of retinoic acid in these regimens on UVB-induced skin carcinogenesis is currently under study.
Photoionization of two-electron atoms using a nonvariational configuration-interaction approach with discretized finite basis

We present an extension of a simple configuration-interaction procedure to the photoionization of two-electron atoms. By using a finite basis set constructed from {ital B} splines, this nonvariational approach does not rely on any optimum procedure, which is often required in other more elaborate configuration-interaction calculations. The quantitative accuracy of this procedure is tested by examining the photoionization cross sections at photon energies immediately above the first ionization threshold, as well as near the doubly excited 2{ital s}2{ital p} {sup 1}{ital P} resonance structure. The {ital S}- and {ital P}-wave phase shifts for the electron-hydrogen scattering calculated with this procedure are also presented. The excellent agreement between the present calculation and other existing theoretical and experimental results, in addition to the extensive recent applications of this procedure to the bound excited states of divalent atoms, has further demonstrated the effectiveness of this simple configuration-interaction procedure.
The low levels of O19

Abstract Gamma radiation studies on the O18(d, pγ)O19 reaction have established that the 0.096 MeV state and ground state of O19 have angular momentum assignments of 3 2 and 5 2 , respectively. The 1.47 MeV state is shown to de-excite with a relative intensity of 96.5 ± 1.6% to the 0.096 MeV state and of 3.5±1.6% to the ground state. The predictions of both j-j and intermediate coupling shell models are in excellent accord with these results for an effective neutron charge of 0.5e, which is also characteristic of O17. This suggests that the two additional neutrons in O19 do not appreciably enhance the core polarization. No evidence for a recently reported state of O19 at 0.348 MeV has been found in studies of gamma de-excitation radiation; it is suggested that this proposed state is spurious and reflects target contamination in the earlier measurement.
Matched load truncation for feedline of patch antennas in the FDTD method

In this paper, a matched load termination of a finite-length line is used to represent an infinite feedline structure in FDTD simulations. A generator with an internal resistor—which is matched to the input port—is employed to excite the feedline, with a view to achieving a low reflection at the truncation point. A patch antenna, whose feedline is truncated in this manner, is used as an example to illustrate the usefulness of the proposed technique. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 31: 267–269, 2001.
CHARACTERISTICS OF A CELL-FREE SYSTEM FROM EUGLENA GRACILIS FOR THE INCORPORATION OF AMINO ACIDS INTO PROTEIN.

Abstract 1. 1. Ribosomes isolated from Euglena gracilis are highly active in incorporating leucine into protein. The activity is dependent on a fraction of the 100 000 × g supernatant, Euglena transfer-RNA, an ATP generating system and glutathione. It is sensitive to puromycin and unaffected by chloramphenicol. 2. 2. Both ribosomes and supernatant fraction retain their full activity for several months, when stored in liquid N2. 3. 3. The most active preparations are obtained from Euglena cultures beyond the logarithmic phase of growth.
Blind men and elephants: What do citation summaries tell us about a research article?

The old Asian legend about the blind men and the elephant comes to mind when looking at how different authors of scientific papers describe a piece of related prior work. It turns out that different citations to the same paper often focus on different aspects of that paper and that neither provides a full description of its full set of contributions. In this article, we will describe our investigation of this phenomenon. We studied citation summaries in the context of research papers in the biomedical domain. A citation summary is the set of citing sentences for a given article and can be used as a surrogate for the actual article in a variety of scenarios. It contains information that was deemed by peers to be important. Our study shows that citation summaries overlap to some extent with the abstracts of the papers and that they also differ from them in that they focus on different aspects of these papers than do the abstracts. In addition to this, co-cited articles (which are pairs of articles cited by another article) tend to be similar. We show results based on a lexical similarity metric called cohesion to justify our claims. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The politics of punishing: Building a state governance theory of American imprisonment variation

This article asks why some American states are more likely to rely on imprisonment in response to crime than others. Employing comparative historical methodology it brings new kinds of data to addr...
2-D Write/Read Channel Model for Bit-Patterned Media Recording With Large Media Noise

A 2-D write/read channel model, which can accurately capture the media, writer, and reader characteristics, is proposed and investigated for very-high-density bit-patterned media recording (BPMR) system with large media noise. For the write process, a 2-D data-dependent write channel combined with a micromagnetic model of the writer is investigated for BPMR. In order to better understand the proposed channel model, several 2-D patterns are investigated, and the corresponding write failure events are studied. It is observed that the write error rates (WERs) are different for different 2-D patterns due to the 2-D data-dependent nature of the write-in errors, even though the write failure rates are the same for these different 2-D patterns. For the readback process, a read channel, including media noise, is combined with the write channel, and the bit error rates (BERs) are studied for various 2-D patterns as a function of media jitter and write clock phase drift. It is observed that the 2-D pattern corresponding to four identical bits in a square pattern provides the best performance at a target BER of $10^{\mathrm {-2}}$ , because it can provide adequate tolerance to media noise and interference in down-track and cross-track (CT) directions. The difference between the WER and the BER after readback is studied for various 2-D patterns, and the pattern corresponding to 4 bits with transitions in the CT direction is found to exhibit the largest difference among the studied patterns due to the fact that inter-track interference is more severe than the inter-symbol interference. These results motivate possible inclusion of 2-D modulation codes in BPMR channel to avoid certain bit patterns.
The influence of American urban culture on the development of normative beliefs about aggression in Middle-Eastern immigrants.

The effects of a community's culture on children's and adolescents' normative beliefs about the appropriateness of aggression were examined. One hundred forty-seven high school students and 103 fourth graders participated in a survey of normative beliefs; 69 high school and 44 elementary school students were of Middle-Eastern background. Although there were no differences in the beliefs of immigrant and nonimmigrant fourth graders, adolescents born in the United States were more accepting of aggression than those who immigrated from the Middle East. Moreover, adolescents who immigrated to the U.S. at age 12 or later were less accepting of aggression than those who immigrated prior to age 12.
A Comparison of Activity-Based Intervention and Embedded Direct Instruction When Teaching Emergent Literacy Skills

This replication study focused on the effectiveness of two different intervention approaches, activity-based intervention and embedded direct instruction, on the acquisition, generalization, and maintenance of phonological awareness, a key area of emergent literacy, by preschool children with language delays. Five male preschool participants with language delay were treated with a modified alternating-treatments design. Embedded direct instruction was more effective and efficient in the acquisition of phonological awareness skills for preschool children with language delays. Embedded direct instruction was also more effective in the generalization of emergent literacy skills to probe generalization sessions, as well as in the percentage of maintained skills. Preschool children who are at risk of acquiring foundational skills necessary for the development of conventional literacy would benefit from an explicit, systematic instructional approach. Embedded direct instruction provided the structure necessary ...
The role of secondhand smoke in sinusitis: a systematic review.

Background The objective of this study was to systematically review existing literature on the association between sinusitis and secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure. Methods We performed a literature search encompassing the last 25 years in PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane CENTRAL. Inclusion criteria included English language papers containing original human data with at least 7 subjects. Data was systematically collected on study design, patient demographics, clinical characteristics/outcomes, and level-of-evidence (Oxford Center for Evidence-Based Medicine). Quality assessment was performed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Two investigators independently reviewed all manuscripts. Results The initial search yielded 116 abstracts, of which 19 articles were included. Thirteen (68.4%) of the 19 articles showed a statistically significant association between sinusitis and SHS. Seven (36.8%) studies specifically evaluated chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) with 5 (71.4%) CRS studies demonstrating a significant association between CRS and SHS. Seventeen articles were case-control studies (Level 3b). For characterizing sinusitis, 6 (31.6%) studies included computed tomography (CT) or endoscopy in the diagnostic criteria, with 5 of these studies following rhinosinusitis taskforce guidelines. For determining presence of SHS, all studies used questionnaires and 2 (10.5%) studies also reported serum or urine cotinine levels. Conclusion A majority of the studies (68.4%) included in this systematic review showed a significant association between sinusitis and SHS. Furthermore, 5 (83.3%) of the 6 studies with objective diagnostic criteria (CT, endoscopy) found a significant association between sinusitis and SHS. Further higher-quality studies with objective diagnosis of sinusitis and quantification of SHS exposure should be performed in the future to better evaluate the relationship between sinusitis and SHS.
Effect of method of administration on longitudinal assessment of quality of life in gynecologic cancer: an exploratory study.

Background Longitudinal assessments of quality of life are needed to measure changes over the course of a disease and treatment. Computer versions of quality of life instruments have increased the feasibility of obtaining longitudinal measurements. However, there remain occasions when patients are not able to complete these questionnaires. This study examined whether changes measured using a computer version of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy – General (FACT-G) on two occasions would be obtained if patients completed a paper version on one of the two occasions.
Compositional trends in aeolian dust along a transect across the southwestern United States

[1] Aeolian dust strongly influences ecology and landscape geochemistry over large areas that span several desert ecosystems of the southwestern United States. This study evaluates spatial and temporal variations and trends of the physical and chemical properties of dust in the southwestern United States by examining dust deposited in natural depressions on high isolated surfaces along a transect from the Mojave Desert to the central Colorado Plateau. Aeolian dust is recognized in these depressions on the basis of textural, chemical, isotopic, and mineralogical characteristics and comparisons of those characteristics to the underlying bedrock units. Spatial and temporal trends suggest that although local dust sources are important to the accumulated material in these depressions, Mojave Desert dust sources may also contribute. Depth trends in the depressions suggest that Mojave sources may have contributed more dust to the Colorado Plateau recently than in the past. These interpretations point to the important roles of far-traveled aeolian dust for landscape geochemistry and imply future changes to soil geochemistry under changing conditions in far-distant dust source areas.
Jewish in America or the Search for an Identity

How Jews Became White Folks and What That Says about Race in America. Karen Brodkin. Piscataway, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1998. 243 pp. Dispersing the Ghetto: The Relocation of Jewish Immigrants across America. Jack Glazier. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1998. 245 pp. Portrait of the American Jewish Community. Norman Linzer. David J. Schnall. and Jerome A. Chanes. eds. Westport, CT: Praeger, 1998. 220 pp. From Immigrant to Ethnic Culture: American Yiddish in South Philadelphia. Rakhmiel Peltz. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1998. 269 pp.
Solubility of petroleum hydrocarbons in oil/water systems

Abstract To elucidate mechanisms, two laboratory-scale experiments were correlated to understand and quantify how oil partitions into the aqueous phase. In the two experiments, free-phase petroleum was exposed to water in an effort to determine aqueous concentrations of various oil components. In the first investigation, an oil/water system was allowed to equilibrate for 16 days. The water column in the system was periodically sampled, and sample analysis was performed by GC-MS. After analyzing for naphthalene and various alkyl-substituted naphthalene compounds, the data was modeled and rate coefficients and the saturation concentrations were predicted. For naphthalene, the modeled saturation concentration was 1.4×10 −6 mol/l , the rate coefficient was 0.239 h −1 and the predicted time to reach equilibrium was 19.3 h. For the alkyl-substituted compounds, there was an inverse correlation between both the rate coefficients and saturation concentrations and the degree of alkyl-substitution. In the second investigation, oil/water systems were allowed to equilibrate for 36 h. Various oil loadings (mass of oil/volume of water) were investigated. The mixing energy was twice that of the first experiment. After the 36 h, the water column was sampled and analyzed by GC-MS. There was a direct correlation between the measured total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) concentrations in the water and the oil loading. However, there was no such correlation between the naphthalenes and oil loading. It was concluded that the first experiment was a solubility phenomenon while the second experiment also included a colloidal phenomenon.
Reli(e)ving the Past: Emotion Work in the Holocaust's Second Generation

Although most studies of the Second Generation typically account for their social psychological orientations by relying on psychiatric and psychological models, I propose an alternative “listening” to this cohort. I analyze in-depth interviews by adopting Hochschild's insights on emotion work as a sensitizing framework and suggest that (1) four interrelated types of “deep acting” they continuously feel compelled to perform can account for the psychological “symptoms” commonly attributed to them and (2) these types of deep acting constitute adjustments and reactions to problematic emotional dynamics characterizing their survivor families. I conclude with a discussion of the reciprocal effects of this emotion work.
Between Black and Brown: Blaxican (Black-Mexican) Multiracial Identity in California

This article explores the racial/ethnic identities of multiracial Black-Mexicans or “Blaxicans.” In-depth interviews with 12 Blaxican individuals in California reveal how they negotiate distinct cultural systems to accomplish multiracial identities. I argue that choosing, accomplishing, and asserting a Blaxican identity challenges the dominant monoracial discourse in the United States, in particular among African American and Chicana/o communities. That is, Blaxican respondents are held accountable by African Americans and Chicanas/os/Mexicans to monoracial notions of “authenticity.” The process whereby Blaxicans move between these monoracial spaces to create multiracial identities illustrates crucial aspects of the social construction of race/ethnicity in the United States and the influence of social interactions in shaping how Blaxicans develop their multiracial identities.
Error Probabilities for Partially Coherent Diversity Reception

The probability that an ideal coherent receiver errs in receiving a noisy N -ary, orthogonal transmission through M independent slow Rician fading channels is derived. The receiver to be analyzed coalesces coherent and noncoherent reception. A more easily implemented, linearized version of the same receiver is presented, and the performance of both are compared with a previouslyanalyzed noncoherent detector. For small random channel components, the linearized receiver performs almost identically with the optimum receiver. Neglecting the information contained in the random component shows up as an additional noise component in the output and there exists an irreducible error probability, even in the absence of the additive disturbance, which depends on the ratio of the energy received via the specular channel components to the mean squared value of the scatter components. Thus, the importance of using the information conveyed via the channel scatter components is clearly manifested.
Human Resource Development Evaluation: Emerging Market, Barriers, and Theory Building

The problem and the solution. Measurement and evaluation (M&E) to support HRD interventions and relevant decisionmaking processes is an emerging market that has a surging demand. But the market is currently suffering from a limited supply of methodologies and techniques to address business needs. Given its distinctive nature, this market relies heavily on research to provide an array of diverse measurement theories and models that can be transformed into evaluation services for businesses. To address the limited supply of methodologies and techniques, we must conquer three barriers: the analytical barrier, the business barrier, and the technical barrier. Sprouting from an analysis of HRD systems interactions, we propose a systems approach to tackle these three barriers. This article also discusses the role of theory building and market trends in HRD M&E.
Does Fetal Exposure to SSRIs or Maternal Depression Impact Infant Growth

In utero exposure to a mother's untreated major depression or SSRI antidepressants did not affect infant weight, length, or head circumference in the first year of life, suggesting that factors regulating infant growth are robust enough not to be perturbed by either option.
Piezoelectric actuators employing PVDF coated with flexible PEDOT-PSS polymer electrodes

Piezoelectric polymer sheets usually have metallic electrodes that considerably stiffen the sheet and correspondingly decrease its piezoelectric response in actuator and sensor applications. We have developed both airbrush and inkjet printing methods for applying electrodes of the conducting polymer poly(ethylene dioxythiophene) (PEDOT-PSS) to sheets of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF). PEDOT-PSS electrodes of reasonable thickness have considerably higher resistance than metal electrodes. We calculated the voltage and current response as a function of position on the electrodes of a single "electroded" PVDF sheet. We did this both for a rectangular sheet with an ac voltage applied at one end, and for a semicircular sheet with ac voltage applied to a small semicircular metal tab. By finding the response as a function of frequency, we can determine the necessary electrode thickness for various applications. Next we calculated the extension-mode piezoelectric response of a rectangular sheet to an ac voltage applied at one end. We made and tested bimorphs of two such electroded sheets that are glued together to give a bending response. We have also constructed actuators made of two bimorphs attached together at both ends. Better response is achieved than for similar actuators constructed from sheets with metal electrodes. Finally, we compare results for these high-displacement, low-force actuators with those for low-displacement, high-force actuators of direct extension designs, and propose a cylindrical actuator design with intermediate displacement and force
Professional education for broadcasting

Many of us, including this editor, have bandied about the word “professional” for many years without making any serious attempt to define precisely what we mean by the term. In order seriously to carry on the dialogue centering on the question, “Is broadcasting a profession?” it is first necessary to examine the attributes of a profession, then see how well broadcasting fits those attributes. This is accomplished in the following article.
“Snagging” teeth and premolar homologies in Paleoparadoxiidae (Mammalia: Desmostylia)

(2008). “Snagging” teeth and premolar homologies in Paleoparadoxiidae (Mammalia: Desmostylia) Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology: Vol. 28, No. 3, pp. 923-927.
Biomedical Polymers - An Introduction

During this last decade we have seen not only a large increase in the number of polymers being examined for biomedical uses, but more significantly, a great change in how these materials were characterized. Luckily, we no longer see papers in which, for example, the author simply said, “a plastic was implanted”; and we are seeing less data simply being reported as gross observations only.
Public Man/Private Woman in Context

Jean Elshtain, in an essay published in Signs in 1982 and entitled “Feminist Discourse and Its Discontents: Language, Power, and Meaning,” addressed one of the many issues with which feminist theorists were then grappling: the oppressive power of language as a tool of control over those who had been silenced throughout history, leaving those wanting to resist that control with the task of discovering new modes of communication. Acknowledging that language has the potential to oppress, Elshtain was, however, not ready to abandon the past, to urge her readers to imagine a world where one could escape the languages and discourses that were bequeathed to us over the generations.
Dis-assembly of a Benzylic CF3 Group Mediated by a Niobium(III) Imido Complex

All three C-F bonds in CF3-substituted arenes are activated by a niobium imido complex, driven by the formation of strong Nb-F bonds. The mechanism of this transformation was studied by NMR spectroscopy, which revealed the involvement of Nb(III). Attempts to extend this chemistry to nonaromatic CF3 groups led to intramolecular reactivity.
Scientific Foundations for Systems Engineering: Challenges and Strategies

There is an increasing realization of the need for fundamental research in the science of systems engineering. The International Council on Systems Engineering vision document calls for theoretical foundations for systems architecting, systems design and systems understanding. During a recent NSF workshop, a number of knowledge areas ranging from mathematics, information sciences, physical sciences, systems science to human and social sciences were identified as possible sources from which the scientific foundation of systems engineering can be enhanced. However, the primary challenge facing the community lies in orchestrating the breadth and diversity of the many knowledge areas into a cohesive foundation. This paper briefly surveys systems science-related efforts across multiple application domains. The specific objectives in this paper are to present a classification of initiatives for developing foundations for systems engineering, and to discuss the challenges, and potential strategies forward, associated with systems science research. The classification is discussed using two case examples — the Internet and the air transportation system. Through these examples, some of the key research challenges and strategies are exemplified.Copyright © 2015 by ASME