cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Contextual signalling and the structure of dyadic encounters in Anolis carolinensis

Abstract Abstract. During conflicts over resources (contests), differences between opponents (asymmetries), which can result in settlement, may be revealed through behaviour patterns constrained by static variables such as body mass (assessment signals), or by labile, potentially dishonest behaviour (contextual signals). Little is known about how contextual signals may settle complex contests. This study investigates how the effects of pre-contest social treatments on labile aspects of internal states influence contest behaviour in male green anoles, Anolis carolinensis . Lizards were subjected to one of two pre-contest treatments which manipulated levels of internal factors that influence the propensity to win contests. Low-level lizards were residents for half an hour in a contest arena. High-level lizards were residents for 20-24 h with a subordinate male and a female present. Comparisons were subsequently made between three contest types: low level; high level and asymmetric. Contests were staged by removing an opaque partition separating two residents. Each contest type generated different behaviour patterns, and the frequency with which these behaviour patterns were displayed appeared to be particularly important in separating contest types. In asymmetric contests, high-level lizards won 20 of 23 contests, but the differences in treatment-level did not have detectable effects on behaviour. In all contests, many behaviour patterns of winners were correlated with those of losers. This suggests that opponents matched behaviour, while subtle interactions between opponents caused different contest-types to follow different courses. A lizard could become aware of an asymmetry by its opponents behaviour without a clear behavioural difference between opponents.
Hemoptysis and Pulmonary Aspergilloma: Operative versus Nonoperative Treatment

The clinical experience with 42 patients with pulmonary aspergilloma evaluated at the Vanderbilt University Affliated Hospitals in a 22-year period was reviewed to determine the necessity and advisability of pulmonary resection. Twenty-nine patients (69%) had sustained one or more episodes of gross hemoptysis. Eleven of the 42 patients were treated operatively with lobectomy, wedge resection, or cavernostomy. Five of them had had hemoptysis preoperatively, but in only 1 patient was massive hemoptysis the primary indication for operation. The single death among these 11 patients occurred in the patient undergoing operation for control of massive hemoptysis. Nonoperative treatment was selected in 31 patients because of advanced chronic lung disease. Twenty-four of these 31 patients experienced 41 episodes of gross hemoptysis during observation periods up to 8 years (average, 32 months). Superimposed bacterial infection usually accompanied the episodes of hemoptysis, and medical therapy with bedrest, antibiotics, and postural drainage was successful in controlling the hemorrhage in 40 of the 41 episodes. One patient died from massive hemoptysis. On the basis of this experience, pulmonary resection for aspergilloma in patients with hemoptysis seems rarely indicated.
Mode-based Decomposition of Part Form Error by Discrete-Cosine-Transform with Implementation to Assembly and Stamping System with Compliant Parts

A discrete-cosine-transformation (DCT) based decomposition method is proposed for modeling part form error, which decomposes the error field into a series of independent error modes. Compression, which ensures a compact model, is achieved by correlation reduction or mode truncation based on good energy compaction property of DCT. The part error related to assembly process (rigid body modes) and part distortion during manufacturing (deformation modes) can be separated and identified. DCT has been proven to be equivalent to least square regression with 2D cosine-base for modeling of part variation pattern. Estimation of these parameters in the model has also been developed. The proposed method was applied to model and evaluate assembly and stamping errors at one of the US stamping plant.
STARVATION IN VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS FICTION

It may seem that Christmas literature, with its glorified descriptions of overflowing tables and conviviality, has no place in a discussion of that other extreme, starvation. However, much of the nineteenth-century literature containing narratives of Christmas speaks directly to national fears of famine. Starvation entered the print matter of Christmas first as part of a social argument and later as a concern for the abiding national identity that had become intertwined with Christmas itself and, more symbolically, Christmas fare. Writers including Charles Dickens, Benjamin Farjeon, Augustus and Henry Mayhew, the creators of Punch , and Mary Elizabeth Braddon authored Christmas pieces that showcase literary reactions to the developing issues of hunger throughout their century. This essay offers an overview of the treatment of starvation in the Christmas literature of the nineteenth century.
Microinjections of D-Ala2-Met5-enkephalinamide placed into nucleus accumbens suppress hypothalamically elicited hissing in the cat.

Abstract The effects of d -Ala2-Met5-enkephalinamide (DAME) upon the hissing component of hypothalamically elicited affective defense behavior in the cat were examined in this study. Microinjections of DAME placed into the nucleus accumbens significantly suppressed this response in a dose and time dependent manner. This dose dependent suppression of affective defense decreased toward baseline levels at 60 and 90 min following delivery of 1 and 10 μ g 0.5 μ l of DAME, respectively. Similar injections placed into the caudate nucleus had no effects upon this response. Neither vehicle control nor naloxone placed into nucleus accumbens was found to significantly alter latencies for hissing. Naloxone injected into nucleus accumbens prior to administration of either a 1-μg or a 10-μg dose of DAME blocked the suppressive effects of DAME that were observed when this drug was administered alone. These findings suggest that opioid receptors in the nucleus accumbens play an important role in the regulation of the hissing component of hypothalamically elicited affective defense behavior in the cat.
Differentiation of nicotinic and muscarinic anticholinergic effects on two schedules of reinforcement

An examination was made of the differential effects of the anticholinergic compounds, scopolamine and mecamylamine, on response inhibition under two different reinforcement schedules. Rats were trained on a multiple-schedule DRL-DRO. Each subject was then run under each of six different drug-dose combinations. All dose levels of both scopolamine and mecamylamine had significant disruptive effects on responding during the DRO schedule when compared to control injections of saline. Only high dose levels of scopolamine tended to disrupt responding during the DRL schedule. The peripheral action of methyl scopolamine and hexamethonium, on the other hand, had no measurable effect.
Oxygen saturation and retinopathy of prematurity.

Editor—The observations of Tin et al 1 have led them to suggest that babies may have better overall outcomes when unit policies aim at oxygen levels of 70–90%, much lower than current practice in most NICUs. While I would support their call for further well designed research into this question, I have major concerns that this concept of …
Influence of Monensin and Salinomycin on the Performance of Broiler Chicks

Abstract Because monensin and salinomycin are widely used to control coccidiosis, two experiments were conducted to compare the performance of broiler chicks when these compounds were added to the diet. Five levels of each coccidiostat were fed. Increasing the levels of coccidiostat resulted in a decrease in body weight and feed intake. Monensin gave a greater depression at the level suggested by the manufacturer for prevention of coccidiosis (121 ppm) than did salinomycin (66 ppm). The interaction of experiment × treatment was significant and was a result of the greater performance depression at the lower levels (manufacturers recommended levels) of coccidiostat administered in the first experiment than in the second. This research points out the necessity of the accurate use of the coccidiostats.
BUCKLING AND POSTBUCKLING ANALYSIS OF LAMINATED CYLINDRICAL SHELLS USING THE THIRD-ORDER SHEAR DEFORMATION THEORY

In the present work the buckling and postbuckling behavior of laminated cylindrical shells under axial compression and lateral pressure loading are investigated. A nonlinear theory for thin cylinders incorporating the effects of transverse shear deformation is employed. A modal solution based on the Koiter theory is utilized to derive the nonlinear equilibrium equations for the postcritical behavior of the shell. The Rayleigh–Ritz method is used to obtain analytical solutions for the critical load through algebraic routines written in Maple. Prebuckling and postbuckling equations are also solved by using symbolic computation. The influence played by geometrical parameters of the cylinder and physical parameters of the laminate (i.e. fiber orientation of each lamina, material properties and number of layers) on the critical and postcritical behavior of the shell is examined. It is noticed that the stability of shells is highly dependent on laminate characteristics and, from these observations, it is concluded that specific configurations of laminates should be designed for each kind of application.
The Microsoft database research group

Microsoft’s strategic interest in the database field dates from 1993 and the efforts of David Vaskevitch, who is now the Microsoft Vice President in charge of the database and transaction processing product development groups. David’s vision was that the world would need millions of servers, and that this presented a wonderful opportunity to a company like Microsoft that sells software in high volume and at low prices. Database systems played an important role in Vaskevitch’s vision, and, indeed, in Microsoft’s current product plans. David began looking for premier database and transaction processing people in late 1993. The scope of Vaskevitch’s efforts included a desire for Microsoft to establish a database research group. Rick Rashid, Microsoft Research Vice President, collaborated with Vaskevitch in recruiting David Lomet from Digital’s Cambridge Research Lab to initiate the Microsoft Database Research Group. Lomet joined Microsoft Research in January of 1995. Hence, Microsoft’s Database Research Group is now a little over three and a half years old. One person does not a group make. Recruiting efforts continued. Surajit Chaudhuri, a researcher from HP Labs joined the Database Group in February of 1996. Paul Larson, a professor from the University of Waterloo joined in May of that year. Vivek Narasayya was initially an intern as a graduate student from the University of Washington in the summer of 1996, officially joining the group in April of 1997. Roger Barga, the newest member of the group and a new Oregon Graduate Institute Ph.D., joined in December, 1997.
Refining a previous analysis of the economics of a eucalyptus/agricultural crop combination

When evaluating the economics of a joint production agroforestry system two rules should be followed: (1) all benefits and costs need to be included and (2) revenue streams over time should be compared using the net present value of an infinite set of rotations. To illustrate both points, previously presented data on the economics of eucalyptus plantings around agricultural fields are reevaluated below.
Using Fire to Increase the Scale, Benefits, and Future Maintenance of Fuels Treatments

The Forest Service is implementing a new planning rule and starting to revise forest plans for many of the 155 National Forests. In forests that historically had frequent fire regimes, the scale of current fuels reduction treatments has often been too limited to affect fire severity and the Forest Service has predominantly focused on suppression. In addition to continued treatment of the wildland urban interface, increasing the scale of low- and moderate-severity fire would have substantial ecological and economics benefits if implemented soon. We suggest National Forests identify large contiguous areas to concentrate their fuels reduction efforts, and then turn treated firesheds over to prescribed and managed wildfire for future maintenance. A new round of forest planning provides an opportunity to identify and overcome some of the current cultural, regulatory and institutional barriers to increased fire use that we discuss.
Ecological variation in leaf biomechanics and its scaling with tissue structure across three mediterranean-climate plant communities

Summary The mechanical resistance of leaves has key ecological implications but its basis has not been well understood, particularly at the tissue scale. We tested the hypotheses that leaf mechanical resistance should be a function of tissue density, increasing from the lamina to the midrib, and higher in drought-tolerant than drought-avoiding species. In a common garden study, we quantified nine leaf biomechanical traits, including measurements of material and structural resistance, and in addition 17 morphological traits, at the tissue and whole-leaf scales, for 21 species from three semi-arid communities of California, USA. The mechanical properties of leaves depended strongly on tissue density. Material resistance was significantly greater in the midrib than in the leaf lamina, and tissue resistances were significantly correlated among tissues, lower in deciduous coastal sage species and higher in evergreen drought-tolerant chaparral species. The proportion of the biomass invested in the midrib was lower in species bearing midribs and laminas of high material resistance. Our results support the hypothesis of a hierarchical partitioning of leaf mechanical resistance among leaf tissues reflecting the investment of dry mass. Also, our data indicated a mechanical compensation in leaf design, where leaves with high material resistance and density deploy a relatively minor proportion of support tissue in the midrib. Finally, our results establish a quantitative basis for differences among communities in leaf biomechanics. Our results supported the classical characterization of the mediterranean-climate flora of California according to the dramatic increase in the mean leaf mechanical resistance from species of coastal sage to chaparral, with diverse leaf types in the Mojave Desert species.
Commercializing Open Science: Deep Space Communications as the Lead Market for Shannon Theory, 1960–73

Recent research on the commercialization of scientific discoveries has emphasized the use of formal intellectual property rights (notably patents) as a mechanism for aligning the academic and entrepreneurial incentives for commercialization. Without such explicit intellectual property rights and licensing, how is such open science commercialized? This paper examines the commercialization of Claude Shannon's theory of communications, developed at and freely disseminated by Bell Telephone Laboratories. It analyses the first 25 years of Shannon theory, the role of MIT in developing and extending that theory, and the importance of deep space communications as the initial market for commercialization. It contrasts the early paths of two MIT-related spinoffs that pursued this opportunity, including key technical and business trajectories driven by information theory. Based on this evidence, the paper provides observations about commercializing open science, particularly for engineering-related fields.
Synthesis and Structure of bis(β-Diketiminate) Chromium(II) Complexes

The new ligand 2,4-N,N′-bis(napthylamino)-pent-2-ene (Lnapth) (1) has been synthesized and crystallizes in space group P212121 with crystal cell parameters a = 8.196(3) A, b = 9.119(3) A, c = 25.746(10) A, V = 1924.3(12) A3 and Z = 4. The complexes bis[2,4-pentane-N,N′-bis(napthyl)ketiminato] chromium(II) (2), bis[2,4-pentane-N,N′-bis(isopropylphenyl)ketiminato] chromium(II) (3), and bis[2,4-pentane-N,N′-bis(tertbutylphenyl)ketiminato] chromium(II) (4) were synthesized and structurally characterized. Complex 2, the first complex reported with a bis(napthyl) β-diketiminate ligand, crystallizes in space group P − 1 with crystal cell parameters a = 12.0824(15) A, b = 12.2462(16) A, c = 14.8975(19) A, α = 87.035(2)°, β = 80.615(2)°, γ = 62.756(2)°, V = 1932.9(4) A3 and Z = 2. Complex 3 crystallizes in space group P21/n with crystal cell parameters a = 13.088(3) A, b = 22.222(5) A, c = 14.206(3) A, β = 102.310(4)°, V = 4036.6(17) A3 and Z = 4. Complex 4 crystallizes in space group P21/n with crystal cell parameters a = 20.831(6) A, b = 11.575(4) A, c = 21.373(7) A, β = 107.241(5)°, V = 4922(3) A3 and Z = 4. The degree of twist between the ligand planes is dependent on the steric bulk of the ligand. Three bis(β-diketiminate) chromium(II) complexes have been synthesized and structurally characterized. The degree of twist between the ligands was observed to be dependent on the steric bulk of the ligand.
Childhood obesity—a problem of surgical proportions?

Childhood obesity is at epidemic proportions globally and its management is controversial. This Viewpoint considers the role of surgery for pediatric extreme obesity and the prevalence of this type of bariatric surgery. Guidelines for the use of bariatric surgery, clinical outcomes, and future research avenues are also discussed.
High resolution Ba+ monoion spectroscopy with frequency stabilized color-center laser

Abstract We describe an experiment in which a stabilized color-center laser is used to perform high resolution spectroscopy on single, laser-cooled barium ions. Virtually every transition between the two levels of interest was observed using the “shelved-optical electron” double resonance technique. Detailed error signal analyses show a 4.8 kHz rms laser linewidth relative to the reference cavity. The absolute laser linewidth can be determined from the single ion spectrum, where the single ion can be viewed as an extremely narrow, stable spectrum analyzer. Correcting for slow cavity drift, an rms laser linewidth of ≃ 13 kHz over a 10 s observation period is obtained. We believe that the observed absolute laser with is principally limited by short term fluctuations in the reference cavity.
GENDERED ORGANIZATIONAL LOGIC Policy and Practice in Men's and Women's Prisons

This article uses Acker's theory of gendered organizations to frame an analysis of the ways in which policies and practices in a men's and a women's prison reflect and reproduce gendered inequalities. The article offers a working definition of one of Acker's key theoretical concepts, the notion of “gendered organizational logic.” Then, using interview data collected from correctional officers in a men's and a women's prison, the article examines the ways in which officer training and assignments, although designed to be nominally generic, assume a male worker and disproportionately benefit male officers working in men's institutions. These findings imply that the perspective could more usefully be conceived as a theory of “masculinized” organizations.
Impact of laparoscopic experience on performance on laparoscopic training drills among obstetrics and gynecology residents: a pilot study.

Abstract Study Objective To assess whether volume of laparoscopic experience correlates with residents’ performance on laparoscopic training drills. Design Residents performed 4 laparoscopic drills in the inanimate laboratory: peg transfer, bean drop, rope pass, and triangle transfer. Performance times were recorded. Laparoscopic experience as primary surgeon was determined from resident case logs. The resident data were divided according to volume of laparoscopic experience (0–19, 20–39, ≥40 cases). Performance times were compared among the groups according to volume of laparoscopic surgical experience. Design classification: II-3. Setting This study was conducted in a university school of medicine surgical skills laboratory. Participants Participants in this study were obstetrics and gynecology residents entering their second through fourth years of training. Interventions Laparoscopic trainer drill performance times were recorded and correlated with amount of operative laparoscopic experience. Measurements and Main Results In all, 25 residents participated. Only the peg transfer drill showed statistically significant correlation between faster performance time and increasing laparoscopic experience (p =.01). No significant association existed between laparoscopic experience and performance time on the bean drop, triangle transfer, or rope pass drills. Conclusion Residents with more laparoscopic experience performed the peg transfer drill significantly faster than those with less experience.
Sponsored Search as a Strategic E-service

In addition to helping consumers navigate the web search engines offer a new kind of e-service known as sponsored search. A search engine provides an auction interface to advertisers that allows them to be included in a list of sponsored links. Consumers then search the list to find the best deal. This paper uses a version of traditional consumer price search models from economic theory to evaluate the extent to which consumers and advertisers can rely on sponsored search as an effective strategic infomediary. The article also describes steps that the manager of the search engine can take to improve the sponsored search service. The findings are relevant to web advertising as well as to mobile advertising.
Transport properties of pancreatic cancer describe gemcitabine delivery and response

Background. The therapeutic resistance of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is partly ascribed to ineffective delivery of chemotherapy to cancer cells. We hypothesized that physical properties at vascular, extracellular, and cellular scales influence delivery of and response to gemcitabine-based therapy. Methods. We developed a method to measure mass transport properties during routine contrast-enhanced CT scans of individual human PDAC tumors. Additionally, we evaluated gemcitabine infusion during PDAC resection in 12 patients, measuring gemcitabine incorporation into tumor DNA and correlating its uptake with human equilibrative nucleoside transporter (hENT1) levels, stromal reaction, and CT-derived mass transport properties. We also studied associations between CT-derived transport properties and clinical outcomes in patients who received preoperative gemcitabine-based chemoradiotherapy for resectable PDAC. Results. Transport modeling of 176 CT scans illustrated striking differences in transport properties between normal pancreas and tumor, with a wide array of enhancement profiles. Reflecting the interpatient differences in contrast enhancement, resected tumors exhibited dramatic differences in gemcitabine DNA incorporation, despite similar intravascular pharmacokinetics. Gemcitabine incorporation into tumor DNA was inversely related to CT-derived transport parameters and PDAC stromal score, after accounting for hENT1 levels. Moreover, stromal score directly correlated with CT-derived parameters. Among 110 patients who received preoperative gemcitabine-based chemoradiotherapy, CT-derived parameters correlated with pathological response and survival. Conclusion. Gemcitabine incorporation into tumor DNA is highly variable and correlates with multiscale transport properties that can be derived from routine CT scans. Furthermore, pretherapy CT-derived properties correlate with clinically relevant endpoints. Trial registration. Clinicaltrials.gov NCT01276613. Funding. Lustgarten Foundation (989161), Department of Defense (W81XWH-09-1-0212), NIH (U54CA151668, KCA088084).
Intervention thresholds: A conceptual frame for advance care planning choices

Advance care planning (ACP) provides for decisions in the event of decisional incapacity. Determining ahead of time what a person may want is challenging and limits the utility of ACP. We present empirical evidence for a new approach to ACP: the individual’s “intervention threshold.” The intervention threshold is intuitively understood by clinicians and lay people, but has not been thoroughly described, measured, or analyzed. Using a mixed-methods approach to address the concept of the intervention thresholds, we recruited 52 subjects from a population of chronically ill outpatients for structured telephone interviews assessing knowledge, attitudes, and prior ACP activities. Respondents were presented with 11 interventions for each of four medical scenarios. For each scenario, they were asked whether they would accept each intervention. Data was evaluated by descriptive statistics and chi-squared statistics. Complete data were obtained from 52 patients, mean age of 64.5, 34.6% of whom were male. Only 17.3% reported prior ACP discussion with a physician. Rates of accepting and refusing interventions varied by scenario (p < 0.0001) and intervention intensity (p < 0.0001). These data provide evidence that people display transitions between wanting or not wanting interventions based on scenarios. Further research is needed to determine effective ways to identify, measure, and represent the components of an individual’s intervention threshold in order to facilitate informed decision making during future incapacity.
Multilayers of oppositely charged SiO2 nanoparticles: effect of surface charge on multilayer assembly.

The growth behavior of all-silica nanoparticle multilayer thin films assembled via layer-by-layer deposition of oppositely charged SiO2 nanoparticles was studied as a function of assembly conditions. Amine-functionalized SiO2 nanoparticles were assembled into multilayers through the use of three different sizes of negatively charged SiO2 nanoparticles. The assembly pH of the nanoparticle suspensions needed to achieve maximum growth for each system was found to be different. However, the surface charge |z| of the negatively charged silica nanoparticles at the optimal assembly pH was approximately the same, indicating the importance of this parameter in determining the growth behavior of all-nanoparticle multilayers. When |z| of the negatively charged nanoparticles lies between 0.6z0 and 1.2z0 (where z0 is the pH-independent value of the ζ-potential of the positively charged nanoparticles used in this study), the multilayers show maximum growth for each system. The effect of particle size on the film struct...
On the Optimum Design for 1xN Multimode Interference Coupler Based Beam Splitters

An analytical formula for optimum 1xN multimode input/output channel width is derived for improved performance based on the insertion loss and output uniformity. Experimental investigation of a SOI based 1x12 MMI confirms the analytical results.
Protein labelling patterns in oocytes of Xenopus laevis.

Soluble and microsomal proteins synthesized at various stages of oogenesis in Xenopus laevis were compared by 3 H and 14 C dual-isotope labelling with subsequent mixing and analysis on sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gels. The results indicated that the proteins labelled in all the stages of oogenesis studied are remarkably similar. However, the patterns in the small and medium-sized oocytes are more similar to one another than to the patterns characteristic of large oocytes. The greatest differences were found when comparing the microsomal proteins. The labelling patterns of oocyte proteins in vitro were not significantly different from the in vivo patterns for the stages of oogenesis studied. These results indicate that (1) there is little quantitative contribution of proteins to either the soluble or microsomal fractions from extra-oocytic sources in vivo and (2) the in vitro system itself has little effect on the labelling patterns over the incubation period.
Andrew Tanenbaum: Writing the Book on Networks

Andrew Tanenbaum describes how he came to write one of the key books in the computer science field. The first Web extra at http://youtu.be/i69Ngf8rips is a video interview in which author Charles Severance speaks with Andrew Tanenbaum about how he came to write one of the key books in the computer science field. The second Web extra at http://youtu.be/fWPIu0Ki2vE is an audio recording of Charles Severance's Computing Conversations column, in which he discusses his interview with Andrew Tanenbaum about how he came to write one of the key books in the computer science field.
Mercury exposure and survival in free-living tree swallows ( Tachycineta bicolor )

Mercury has become a ubiquitous contaminant in food chains worldwide. A large body of literature detailing bioaccumulation and effects on birds has revealed the potential for mercury to adversely impact avian physiology and reproduction. However, the extent to which these effects impair survival remains poorly understood. The objective of this study was to determine whether mercury exposure was associated with reduced annual survivorship in tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) breeding at a site with legacy industrial contamination. From 2005 to 2008, we captured and marked 932 adult swallows. We used Cormack-Jolly-Seber models and an information-theoretic approach to test our hypotheses that adult survival varied by sex, breeding location, and cumulative individual mercury exposure. Blood mercury was significantly elevated on contaminated sites (2005–2007 combined mean ± SE: 2.84 ± 0.09 μg/g; reference: 0.17 ± 0.01 μg/g). Model-averaged estimates of female apparent survival ranged from 0.483 to 0.488 on reference sites and 0.473 to 0.477 on contaminated sites. For males, apparent survival ranged from 0.451 to 0.457 on reference sites and 0.444 to 0.448 on contaminated sites. Thus, we observed approximately a 1% difference in survival between mercury-contaminated and reference sites. Such a small difference is unlikely to impact population viability in this short-lived species; however, some songbirds accumulate mercury to a greater degree than tree swallows and do not possess the migratory behavior that removes swallows to less contaminated areas for the majority of the year. Identifying whether such species are at risk of suffering biologically significant reductions in survival should become a focus of future research.
Framing a Transdisciplinary Research Agenda in Health Education to Address Health Disparities and Social Inequities: A Road Map for SOPHE Action

the Healthy People 2010 goal of eliminating health disparities through its Strategic Plan. SOPHE held an Inaugural Health Education Research Disparities Summit, Health Disparities and Social Inequities: Framing a Transdisciplinary Research Agenda in Health Education, August 8 and 9, 2005. This article explains the process used at the Summit where more than 80 researchers, academicians, practitioners, and students from across the country convened to ask fundamental questions about health disparity associated with race and ethnicity and how a health education research agenda could help in eliminating these disparities. From this Summit, about a dozen questions and/or recommendations have been developed to frame our future discussions about health disparities. Through its Research Agenda Committee, SOPHE has developed a process of translation and dissemination, including community participation, review, dialogue, and action.
Are heat shock proteins DAMPs

. We thank Willem van Eden and colleagues for critically discussing their opinion about the role of heat shock pro‑ teins (HSPs) as damage‑associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). As we discussed in our Review article 1 , the evidence that HSPs act as DAMPs to stimulate immune responses during sterile injury is controversial largely owing to the fact that most purified DAMP preparations, including those of HSPs, con‑ tain varying amounts of contaminating microbial products. Furthermore, HSPs can bind to several pathogen‑associated molecu‑ lar patterns (PAMPs) and enhance Toll‑like receptor (TLR) ligand‑induced stimulation 3–5 , making the interpretation of published results difficult. Because depletion of microbial prod‑ ucts from HSP preparations has been shown to reduce or abolish HSP‑induced inflamma‑ tory responses 6,7
Transmission-based electrical actuators: a concept for improving robot manipulator performance

This paper explores a new approach for extending the operating range of electrical servoactuators in applications such as high payload robotics and remote handling systems where, at present, only hydraulic systems are used. The fundamental idea is to incorporate a multi-speed transmission to "spread" a servomotor's torque-speed characteristics across a wider output speed range. This has the effect of allowing smaller high power motors to also deliver high torque at low speeds. Incorporating a multi-speed transmission allows motor size to be reduced while increasing the overall actuator power density in the process. The hypothesis of this research was that this power density increase would be sufficient to allow a greater range of electrically-actuated robot manipulators to be designed with distributed actuators such that the cost and complexity of centralized actuators with power transmissions could be avoided. An existing articulated manipulator design is used as a baseline to evaluate potential benefits of this concept for robotics. Among these are increased performance, dramatic reductions in manipulator complexity and reduced manufacturing and implementation costs.
Hydrodynamic Aspects of Spouted Beds at Elevated Temperatures

Abstract A spouted bed was used to study the effect of temperature on hydrodynamic performance, as measured by parameters such as pressure, minimum spouting velocity, and spout-annulus residence time distribution. Three bed temperature regimes were investigated: ambient, preheat (∼200°C. using a small hydrogen pilot flame), and combustion (∼800°C, using a premixed toluene flame). A stable operating regime for the system under combustion conditions was characterized on a plot of gas velocity vs. equivalence ratio. Pressure and temperature profiles in the bed were developed. The effect of temperature on the minimum spouted velocity was evaluated in terms of the minimum spouting Reynolds number, Rems, and the Archimedes number. The effect of particle shape on spout-annulus flow disribution appeared to be greater than the effect of temperature.
ATTENUATED RADON AND ABEL TRANSFORMS.

The attenuated Radon transform is the mathematical basis of single-photon emission-computed tomography. The case of constant attenuation is reviewed, and a new proof of the Tretiak–Metz algorithm is presented. A space-domain version of the inverse attenuated Radon transform is derived. A special case of this transform that is applicable when the object is rotationally symmetric, the attenuated Abel transform, is derived, and its inverse is found.
Simultaneous polydrug use among teens : prevalence and predictors

The use of two or more substances in combination, simultaneous polydrug use (SPU), is a particularly dangerous form of drug use that appears to be established by late adolescence. We examined the prevalence of SPU in a diverse sample of 12th graders, and identified risk and protective factors for SPU that are present at 10th grade. We also tested for differences in SPU across race and gender, and explored the basis for observed differences. Our goals were to determine the extent of SPU problems in different groups and how to address these problems. Twenty-nine percent of participants had engaged in SPU in the past year. The best predictors of alcohol/marijuana SPU were a pro-drug environment, pro-drug beliefs, social deviance, and family disruption; only a pro-drug environment was predictive of hard drug SPU. Women were far less likely to combine marijuana and alcohol than were men. Asian Americans were less likely to combine alcohol and marijuana than were other racial groups, apparently due to their advantaged standing on all predictors of this behavior. African Americans were less likely to use hard drugs in combination than were other groups. Overall, polydrug use is a substantial problem for older teens. Broader drug-use prevention programs may be sufficient to address SPU involving gateway drugs, but reducing drug availability appears central to addressing hard drug SPU.
Health and long-term care for people with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias: policy research issues.

Policy research into the service needs of persons with dementia had its origin looking at challenges confronting caregivers—extended hours of instrumental task assistance, social isolation, fatigue, depression—and how public policy might support informal care-giving while saving public expenditures from nursing home care. This paper, drawing on the experience of the Medicare Alzheimer's Disease Demonstration and other work, provides suggestions for extending care and financing considerations to include health care use and the medical management of chronic health conditions. Basic research is needed to document current use and risk factors, as is experimentation with clinical and other interventions designed to achieve desired quality of care and cost outcomes. This section of the paper will be of direct interest to both US and international readers. The second half of the paper reviews the US state role in regulating and financing nursing homes, home and community-based care, and residential care. All the...
Intelligent p-Cycle Protection for Dynamic Multicast Sessions in WDM Networks

In WDM networks, it is important to maintain the survivability of communication sessions when link failure occurs due to the high bandwidth provided by a fiber link. Link failures have more serious impact on multicast sessions than on unicast sessions since a link used by a multicast session may carry traffic to multiple destinations. Thus, it is more critical to protect multicast sessions against single link failures. Researchers have proposed various protection schemes for multicast sessions, including tree-based, path-based, and segment-based schemes. Tree-based schemes suffer excessive use of network capacity, whereas path-based and segment-based schemes require long restoration times. In this paper, we propose a new p-cycle-based dynamic multicast protection scheme named IpC, which achieves both fast restoration and high capacity efficiency. The main feature of IpC is that it computes high efficiency p-cycles on demand to protect dynamic multicast sessions as they arrive. Extensive simulations have been conducted to evaluate the proposed IpC scheme, and the results show that it outperforms an existing p-cycle-based scheme.
An enigmatic brainstem posterior fossa ganglioglioma in an adult

Ganglioglioma is a rare central nervous system neoplasm representing 0.4% to 1.7% of all brain tumors and most frequently occurs in the pediatric population with an incidence of 7.6%. These tumors are usually slow-growing and well-circumscribed solid or cystic lesions. Gangliogliomatosis infrequently occurs in the frontal lobe, pineal gland, basal ganglia, hypothalamus, and optic chiasm, with very few reports of brainstem ganglioglioma. We report a case of a 35-year-old female who initially presented with headache, vertigo, ataxia, saccadic dysfunction, dysarthria, and dysmetria for several years due to an unknown etiology. Her brain imaging showed multiple lesions in the pons and the cerebellum with cystic changes and size reduction and enlargement over the next few years while her neurological symptoms continued to worsen. The patient received courses of steroid treatment that improved her neurological symptoms, suggesting an inflammatory component of her disease. Extensive workup for an inflammatory or infectious etiology was unfruitful and two brain biopsies were inconclusive. A third biopsy showed atypical glial nuclei, binucleated cells, and Rosenthal fibers and the presence of BRAF V600E mutation was detected. The diagnosis of gangliogliomatosis was consequently established. This case illustrates that gangliogliomatosis may present with the waxing-and-waning neurological signs and symptoms. It can masquerade inflammatory processes in the central nervous system on brain imaging and deserves careful consideration in the diagnosis of patients with an indolent course of neurological deterioration.
Effects of High Water Vapor Pressures on Oxidation of SiC-Based Fiber-Reinforced Composites

The oxidation of SiC-fiber-reinforced SiC composites at high temperature (1200°C) and elevated total water vapor pressures (up to 1.5 atm) was studied. Substantial degradation of SiC composites was observed under these exposure conditions, particularly when BN (used as a fiber coating) was a composite constituent. Besides accelerated SiC recession due to oxidation, the reactions of oxygen and H 2 O with boron and between boria and SiO 2 led to extensive borosilicate glass formation as well as some volatile H x B y O z products. The extent of these reactions and the rate of overall degradation were compared for different as-processed structures by exposing composites fabricated by processes such as chemical-vapor- and silicon melt-infiltration. Microstructural and compositional factors such as the amount of interconnected porosity and total boron content in the composite had important influences on the rate of degradation. Based on the present results, the overall oxidation behavior of the different composites at high water vapor pressures can be explained based on the concurrent surface reactions involving the formation of volatile reaction products, borosilicate glass, and silica.
Effect of eccentricity and thermal boundary conditions on laminar fully developed flow in annular ducts

Abstract Numerical solutions for laminar, fully developed, forced convective heat transfer in ecccentric annuli are presented. With an insulated outer surface, two types of thermal boundary conditions have been considered: constant wall temperature (T), and uniform axial heat flux with constant peripheral temperature (H1) on the inner surface of the annulus; these are representative of many practical applications. Isothermal friction factors and Nusselt numbers for concentric annulus are in excellent agreement with previously reported results. Velocity and temperature profiles, and isothermal Re, Nui,T and Nui,1−n values for different eccentric annuli ( 0 ≤ ϵ ∗ ≤ 0.6 ) with varying aspect ratios ( 0.25 ≤ r ∗ ≤ 0.75 ) are presented. The eccentricity is found to have a strong influence on the flow and temperature fields. The flow tends to stagnate in the narrow section and has higher peak velocities in the wide section. This flow maldistribution is found to produce greater nonuniformity in the temperature field and a degradation in the average heat transfer. Also, results show that the H1 condition sustains higher heat transfer coefficients relative to the T condition on the inner surface, except for very large eccentricity.
Massively Parallel Spectral Difference Solver for Simulating Vortex-Induced Vibrations of Circular Cylinders

This paper presents high-fidelity simulations of the VortexInduced Vibration (VIV) phenomena using a new computational model based on the high-order spectral difference (SD) method on unstructured grids. The SD method has shown promise in the past as a highly accurate, yet sufficiently fast method for solving unsteady viscous compressible flows. A Riemann solver is used to compute the inviscid fluxes at the cell interfaces, and the viscous fluxes are computed using an averaging mechanism based on the fluxes from the two cells that share the interface. A thirdorder Runge-Kutta scheme is used to advance time. In this viscous, compressible flow solver, the displacement of an elastically mounted bluff body has been coupled to the lift force created by vortex shedding. The solver is validated by correlating the lift and drag coefficients with previous published results of two cases: single rigid cylinder, and single elastically mounted cylinder. The rigid cylinder case validates the accuracy of the fluid solver. The elastically mounted case validates the fluid-structure coupling. We simulate the phenomenon of wake galloping with two cylinders after the solver has been validated using single cylinder VIV phenomenon.
Factors Associated with Ordering and Completion of Laboratory Monitoring Tests for High-Risk Medications in the Ambulatory Setting: A Dissertation

Since the Institute of Medicine highlighted the devastating impact of medical errors in their seminal report, “To Err is Human” (2000), efforts have been underway to improve patient safety. A portion of medical errors are due to medication errors, and a large portion of these can be attributed to inadequate laboratory monitoring. In this thesis, I attempt to address this small but important corner of this patient safety endeavor. Why are patients not getting their laboratory monitoring tests? Do they fail to complete them or do doctors not order the tests in the first place? Which prescribers and which patients are least likely to do what is needed for testing to happen and what interventions would be most promising? To address these questions, I conducted a systematic review of existing interventions. I then proceeded with three aims: 1) To identify reasons that patients give for missing monitoring tests; 2) To identify patient and provider factors associated with monitoring test ordering; and 3) To identify patient and provider factors associated with completion of ordered testing. To achieve these aims, I worked with patients and data at the Fallon Clinic. For aim 1, I conducted a qualitative analysis of their reasons for missing tests as well as reporting completion and ordering rates. For aims 2 and 3, I used electronic medical record data and conducted a regression with patient and provider characteristics as covariates to identify factors contributing to test ordering and completion. Interviews revealed that patients had few barriers to completion, with forgetting being the most common reason for missing a test. The quantitative studies showed that: older patients with more interactions with the health care system were more likely to have tests ordered and were more likely to complete them; providers who more frequently prescribe a drug were more likely to order testing for it; and drug-test combinations that were particularly dangerous, indicated by a black box warning, were more likely to have appropriate ordering, though for these combinations, primary care providers were less likely to order tests appropriately, and patients were less likely to complete tests. Taken together, my work can inform future interventions in laboratory monitoring and patient safety.
Secure network provenance

This paper introduces secure network provenance (SNP), a novel technique that enables networked systems to explain to their operators why they are in a certain state -- e.g., why a suspicious routing table entry is present on a certain router, or where a given cache entry originated. SNP provides network forensics capabilities by permitting operators to track down faulty or misbehaving nodes, and to assess the damage such nodes may have caused to the rest of the system. SNP is designed for adversarial settings and is robust to manipulation; its tamper-evident properties ensure that operators can detect when compromised nodes lie or falsely implicate correct nodes. We also present the design of SNooPy, a general-purpose SNP system. To demonstrate that SNooPy is practical, we apply it to three example applications: the Quagga BGP daemon, a declarative implementation of Chord, and Hadoop MapReduce. Our results indicate that SNooPy can efficiently explain state in an adversarial setting, that it can be applied with minimal effort, and that its costs are low enough to be practical.