cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Survey of NLP-Related Crowdsourcing HITs: what works and what does not.

Crowdsourcing requesters on Amazon Mechanical Turk (AMT) have raised questions about the reliability of the workers. The AMT workforce is very diverse and it is not possible to make blanket assumptions about them as a group. Some requesters now reject work en mass when they do not get the results they expect. This has the effect of giving each worker (good or bad) a lower Human Intelligence Task (HIT) approval score, which is unfair to the good workers. It also has the effect of giving the requester a bad reputation on the workers' forums. Some of the issues causing the mass rejections stem from the requesters not taking the time to create a well-formed task with complete instructions and/or not paying a fair wage. To explore this assumption, this paper describes a study that looks at the crowdsourcing HITs on AMT that were available over a given span of time and records information about those HITs. This study also records information from a crowdsourcing forum on the worker perspective on both those HITs and on their corresponding requesters. Results reveal issues in worker payment and presentation issues such as missing instructions or HITs that are not doable.
Multi-objective optimization of a reluctance actuator for precision motion applications

Abstract Recent research and assessments have shown that the reluctance actuator is a promising candidate to drive the next generation precision motion system of the lithography machine in the semiconductor industry. This paper proposes an optimization design algorithm for an E-core reluctance actuator considering the requirements of the precision motion system. These include maximizing the output magnetic force, minimizing the mass and the time constant of the actuator, and driving the actuator stiffness value to zero. First, the characteristics of the reluctance actuator are expressed in terms of the design variables of the number of coil turns and the width ratio of the actuator poles. After that, the optimization algorithm using the Grid search method and Pareto optimal approach is proposed to obtain the optimal design of the reluctance actuator. Finally, the optimal design of the reluctance actuator is implemented in a precision motion system examples. The simulation results are obtained using FEA in COMSOL to check the saturation of magnetic flux in the reluctance actuator. The dynamic response of the motion system is obtained in the time domain for different inputs to verify the optimal design of the reluctance actuator.
SPATIOTEMPORAL DOMAIN DECOMPOSITION FOR MASSIVE PARALLEL COMPUTATION OF SPACE-TIME KERNEL DENSITY

Accelerated processing capabilities are deemed critical when conducting analysis on spatiotemporal datasets of increasing size, diversity and availability. High-performance parallel computing offers the capacity to solve computationally demanding problems in a limited timeframe, but likewise poses the challenge of preventing processing inefficiency due to workload imbalance between computing resources. Therefore, when designing new algorithms capable of implementing parallel strategies, careful spatiotemporal domain decomposition is necessary to account for heterogeneity in the data. In this study, we perform octtree-based adaptive decomposition of the spatiotemporal domain for parallel computation of space-time kernel density. In order to avoid edge effects near subdomain boundaries, we establish spatiotemporal buffers to include adjacent data-points that are within the spatial and temporal kernel bandwidths. Then, we quantify computational intensity of each subdomain to balance workloads among processors. We illustrate the benefits of our methodology using a space-time epidemiological dataset of Dengue fever, an infectious vector-borne disease that poses a severe threat to communities in tropical climates. Our parallel implementation of kernel density reaches substantial speedup compared to sequential processing, and achieves high levels of workload balance among processors due to great accuracy in quantifying computational intensity. Our approach is portable of other space-time analytical tests.
Accurate emulation of fast optical circuit switches

Optical circuit switches (OCS) are emerging as a solution to the high bandwidth demands of data center networks. Recent research prototypes provide scalable bandwidth using a tenth or less of the power of an Electronic Packet Switch (EPS) and — unlike traditional OCSs — are able to provision point-to-point circuits in a few µs. The disadvantage of OCS is the lack of efficient buffers to store and process packets, requiring routing decisions (i.e. circuit scheduling) to be performed by an external controller. Thus, application performance using an optical data plane depends on the controller adopted. The problem is that exploring the technology to evaluate its advantages as well as comparing different controllers is a prohibitive task, restricted to few research groups. Fast OCS technology is still in its early stages, and studying the viability of its adoption requires building OCS prototypes, an expensive and time consuming solution. To address this problem we designed OCSEMU, a distributed emulation platform that mimics the behavior of fast OCSs using traditional packet switches. We show that OCSEMU achieves comparable performance to the state-of-the-art OCS prototype, providing the extensibility necessary to explore application performance and optimizations of emerging optical interconnects.
Disdained by Generals

The Biology of Doom The History of America9s Secret Germ Warfare Project. Ed Regis. Holt, New York, 1999. 267 pp. $25, C$37.50. ISBN 0-8050-5764-1. Regis offers an account of the biological warfare programs of the United States, Canada, Japan, and the United Kingdom. He is particularly interested in the question of why biological weapons have seen so little use.
The satellites of Uranus

Observations and the probable natures of the five known satellites of Uranus are reviewed. Photographic, photoelectric and CCD photometry of the satellites since 1961, although in agreement within experimental error, is not as mutually consistent as may be expected, and broadband JHK photometry falls in a portion of the J-H, H-K color diagram difficult to interpret. Spectrophotometry in the range 0.3-1.1 microns taken on two separate occasions is inconsistent, with only the relatively neutral reflectances of Titania and Oberon regarded as well established. Near-infrared spectrophotometry has revealed the presence of water ice or frost on the satellite surfaces, possibly in a very pure state, with spectra most similar to Ganymede. Estimations of the properties of the satellites from their surface geometric albedos, assumed mean densities and dynamics yield radii in the range 160-520 km, albedos on the order of 0.5 and densities of about 1.3 g/cu cm, similar to the icy Saturn satellites. The satellites are also believed to have formed after the event that caused the planet to tilt to its present obliquity.
The Mechanism of Mass Loss from Pulsating Cool Stars

Numerical modeling results are described and discussed for the dynamical structure and behavior of the atmospheres of long-period variable stars, such as the Mira variables. Mass loss is shown to result from rather complex interactions between pulsation-induced shocks, which greatly extend the atmosphere; time-dependent thermal relaxation, which is an important determinant of the atmosphere’s thermal structure; and radiation pressure on dust grains, which transfer momentum to the gas and ultimately drive most of the mass loss. The models have steady winds and realistic mass loss rates.
Endometritis following cesarean section: A controlled study of the increased duration of hospital stay and direct cost of hospitalization☆

The increased hospital stay and direct costs of hospitalization as a result of postcesarean section endometritis were evaluated in a case-matched and controlled study (N = 20 in each group). Endometritis increased postcesarean section hospital stay by 3 days and increased hospital cost by $850. Fifteen to 20% of women delivered by cesarean section develop postpartum endometritis. The success of future antibiotic or surgical intervention studies in reducing this high complication rate can be more accurately evaluated by comparison with these now established parameters of morbidity and cost.
Prehistoric Cultural Ecology and Evolution: Insights from Southern Jordan

Prehistoric Cultural Ecology and Evolution: Insights from Southern Jordan. Donald O. Henry. New York: Plenum Press, 1995. 466 pp.
Toroidal stator winding through computer controlled equipment

Stators have traditionally been wound using equipment which winds coils in small loops and then, either manually or mechanically, the loops are "pushed" into the stator slots. However a new design of stator has emerged which allows the stator to be wound like a regular toroidal core. Unfortunately regular toroidal coil winding machines are not capable of winding stators. Therefore it was necessary to develop equipment to wind these stators cost-effectively, with precision and consistent quality. The author describes this new equipment.
A Modular System For Detecting and Displaying Plethysmographic Blood Volume Pulse Amplitude

A modular system for detecting and displaying the maximum amplitude of a plethysmographic blood volume pulse is described. By utilizing a peak detector and supporting logic, the height of the pulse wave for each cardiac cycle is displayed as an analogue step function similar in appearance to the output of a cardiotachometer. This output is simpler and faster to quantify than the typical hand-scoring of blood volume pulse amplitude and is easily adaptable as a feedback medium for pulse wave information. The validity of the new method was ascertained by comparing its output with trough to peak ruler measurements of blood volume pulse during a variety of events. For each stimulus condition correlations between the two methods of scoring ranged from r= .85 to .99 with an average of r = .93 while within subjects correlations ranged from r= .87 to .99 with an average of r= .95.
Latent class models for joint analysis of longitudinal biomarker and event process data: Application to longitudinal prostate-specific antigen readings and prostate cancer

A retrospective substudy of the nutritional prevention of cancer (NPC) trials investigated the utility of longitudinally measured prostate-specific antigen (PSA) as a biomarker for subsequent onset of prostate cancer (PCa). Serial PSA levels were determined retrospectively from frozen blood samples that had been collected from all patients at successive clinic visits with the timing and the number of these visits highly variable. Diagnosis dates of all incident cases of PCa were recorded. Heterogeneity in PSA trajectories was observed that could not be fully explained by the usual linear mixed-effects model and measured covariates. Latent class models that incorporate both a longitudinal biomarker process and an event process offer a way to handle additional heterogeneity, to uncover distinct subpopulations, to incorporate correlated nonnormally distributed outcomes, and to classify individuals into risk classes. Our latent class joint model can aid the prediction of PCa probability given the longitudinal...
Vibration Absorbers for Hysterically Damped Mass-Loaded Beams

The beam is assumed to be hysteretically damped and each absorber is a spring-mass-damper system. For each absorber, for a selected mass, the stiffness and damping coefficients are optimized so as to minimize the dynamic response corresponding to the resonance frequency at which they are tuned to operate. The interaction between the absorbers is also accounted for in the analysis
Langmuir wave decay and collapse in the Jovian foreshock

Abstract Langmuir waves are known to be created upstream of planetary bow shocks by the two-stream instability driven by sunward-streaming particles. In this paper we examine Langmuir waves detected by Ulysses' Unified Radio and Plasma wave experiment (URAP) upstream of Jupiter. Wave envelopes qualitatively consistent with collapsed Langmuir waves are common in the Ulysses dataset, and while a few events have amplitudes exceeding the published theoretical thresholds for turbulent Langmuir wave collapse, the majority of events are too weak. Langmuir wave decay via backscattering within preexisting density fluctuations in the solar wind is examined as a mechanism capable of localizing Langmuir waves. Langmuir decay is found to be a viable process which may play a role in preparing plasma conditions for collapse, but cannot alone account for the observed data.
Ouabain interactions with the H5-H6 hairpin of the Na,K-ATPase reveal a possible inhibition mechanism via the cation binding domain.

Abstract Cardiac glycosides such as ouabain and digoxin specifically inhibit the Na,K-ATPase. Three new residues in the carboxyl half of the Na,K-ATPase, Phe-786, Leu-793 (PFLIF786IIANIPL793PLGT797), and Phe-863 (FTYF863VIM) have been identified as ouabain sensitivity determinants using random mutagenesis. Polymerase chain reaction was utilized to randomly mutate the DNA sequence encoding the amino acids between Lys-691 and Lys-945 in the α subunit of the Na,K-ATPase. This region contains four transmembrane segments (H5, H6, H7, and H8) and the connecting extracellular and cytoplasmic loops. Diverse substitutions of these three residues resulted in proteins displaying 2.8-48-fold increases in the I50 of different cardiac glycosides for inhibition of the Na,K-ATPase activity. By locating these residues, in conjunction with Thr-797 (Feng, J., and Lingrel, J. B (1994) Biochemistry 33, 4218-4224), a new region of the protein containing the H5-H6 hairpin and the H7 transmembrane segment emerges as a major determinant of ouabain inhibition. Thus, a link between the cardiac glycoside binding site and the cation transport sites of the Na,K-ATPase transpires giving a structural base to the cation antagonism of ouabain binding. Furthermore, this link suggests a possible mechanism for cardiac glycoside inhibition of the Na,K-ATPase, such that ouabain binding to the implicated region blocks the movement of the H5 and H6 transmembrane domains which may be required for energy transduction and cation transport.
Tuning the optical band gap of quantum dot assemblies by varying network density.

The effect of bulk network density on the extent of quantum confinement (probed by optical band gap) in CdSe quantum dot gels is evaluated. The CdSe gels were produced from controlled removal of surface thiolate ligands from CdSe quantum dots by adding 3% tetranitromethane. Two main techniques were employed to systematically vary the bulk density. First, different amounts of oxidizing agent were added to change the monolith density of the wet gel, followed by supercritical CO2 drying to yield CdSe aerogels with different bulk densities. Experimental results suggest that a gradual and almost linear band gap decrease is observed when increasing the bulk density at the aerogel level. The fact that quantum confinement effects are largely preserved in aerogel constructs is consistent with SAXS data revealing the fractal nature of the network. Second, for a constant amount of oxidant, different drying techniques were used to yield CdSe gels with a larger density variation: aerogels (supercritical CO2 dried), am...
Insulin inhibits the activation of transcription by a C-terminal fragment of the forkhead transcription factor FKHR: a mechanism for insulin inhibition of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 transcription.

The forkhead rhabdomyosarcoma transcription factor (FKHR) is a promising candidate to be the transcription factor that binds to the insulin response element of the insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-1 (IGFBP-1) promoter and mediates insulin inhibition of IGFBP-1 promoter activity. Cotransfection of mouse FKHR increased IGFBP-1 promoter activity 2–3-fold in H4IIE rat hepatoma cells; insulin inhibited FKHR-stimulated promoter activity ∼70%. A C-terminal fragment of mouse FKHR (residues 208–652) that contains the transcription activation domain fused to a Gal4 DNA binding domain potently stimulated Gal4 promoter activity. Insulin inhibited FKHR fragment-stimulated promoter activity by ∼70%. Inhibition was abolished by coincubation with the phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase inhibitor, LY294002. The FKHR 208–652 fragment contains two consensus sites for phosphorylation by protein kinase B (PKB)/Akt, Ser-253 and Ser-316. Neither site is required for insulin inhibition of promoter activity stimulated by the FKHR fragment, and overexpression of Akt does not inhibit FKHR fragment-stimulated Gal4 promoter activity. These results suggest that insulin- and phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase-dependent phosphorylation of another site in the fragment by a kinase different from PKB/Akt inhibits transcription activation by the fragment. Phosphorylation of this site also may be involved in insulin inhibition of transcription activation by full-length FKHR, but only after phosphorylation of Ser-253 by PKB/Akt.
Moduli inflation with large scale structure produced by topological defects.

It is tempting to inflate along one of the many flat directions that arise in supersymmetric theories. The required flatness of the potential to obtain sufficient inflation and to not overproduce density fluctuations occurs naturally. However, the density perturbations (in the case of a single moduli field) that arise from inflaton quantum fluctuations are too small for structure formation. Here we propose that topological defects (such as cosmic strings), which arise during a phase transition near the end of moduli inflation can provide an alternative source of structure. The strings produced will be `fat', yet have the usual evolution by the time of nucleosynthesis. Possible models are discussed.
Explicit and Implicit Persuasive Communications over Time To Initiate and Maintain Behavior Change: New Perspective Utilizing a Real-life Dental Hygiene Situation1,2

Reacting to the failure of most persuasive communications to maintain behavior changes once they are established, in the context of junior high school dental hygiene programs, the present investigation explores the effects of behavioral measurement itself (as an unplanned treatment effect) in maintaining a specific behavior once it is established. Using a modified time-series extension of a basic pretest-treatment-posttest design with a variety of treatment conditions and a novel behavior measure as the dependent variable, it was established that the process of measuring behavior itself was possibly as effective as treatment conditions. All conditions effected behavior changes and maintained them for a 10-week period.
Preparation and properties of pollen sporoplasts

Methods for the removal of exine from mature, ungerminatedLilium longiflorum pollen and release of intact gametophytes (sporoplasts) have been developed. These methods rely on the low temperature solvolytic activity of 4-methylmorpholine N-oxide (MMNO), which allows partial or complete detachment of exine from intine during subsequent washing procedures. These methods are: aqueous MMNO combined with cyclohexylamine (method I), aqueous MMNO at alkaline pH (method II), and aqueous MMNO containing a high Ca2+ concentration with added cellulysin and macerase (method III). Sporoplasts produced by methods I and II are most frequently completely separated from exine and, as shown by histochemical tests, enveloped by the intine layer. Selected enzyme activities in method II sporoplasts are measurable but, as indicated by other tests, considerable damage to the plasma membrane accompanies this treatment. Sporoplasts produced by melhod III largely remain attached to their ruptured exine layer and retain substantial biological competence in terms of extractable enzyme activities, membrane integrity, and respiration.
Differential and regulated expression of C-X-C, C-C, and C-chemokines by human colon epithelial cells.

Abstract BACKGROUND & AIMS: Intestinal epithelial cells constitute a barrier between host and external milieu and can play a role in signaling the influx of leukocytes during the acute mucosal inflammatory response. To further explore this role, the regulated expression of twelve C-X-C, C- C, and C-chemokines by human colon epithelial cells was characterized. METHODS: Chemokine production was assessed in HT-29 and Caco-2 human colon epithelial cells that were infected with Salmonella dublin or stimulated with interleukin 1 alpha or tumor necrosis factor alpha and in freshly isolated human colon epithelial cells by quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: Expression of the neutrophil chemoattractants GRO-alpha, GRO-gamma, and interleukin 8 increased rapidly (2-3 hours) but transiently after infection or proinflammatory agonist stimulator. In contrast, expression of another neutrophil chemoattractant, epithelial cell-derived neutrophil activator 78, was delayed for 6-10 hours, and secretion continued to increase for 24 hours after infection. Among C-C chemokines known to chemoattract different leukocyte populations, monocyte chemotactic peptide 1 was rapidly expressed, whereas RANTES was up-regulated with delayed kinetics. Freshly isolated colon epithelial cells produced an array of chemokines similar to the cell lines, as well as macrophage inflammatory proteins 1 alpha and 1 beta. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that regulated chemokine production by epithelial cells results in temporal and spatial mucosal chemokine gradients that are important in both early and later phases of the mucosal inflammatory response. (Gastroenterology 1997 Oct;113(4):1214-23)
Cone-Derived Waverider Flowfield Simulation Including Turbulence and Off-Design Conditions

Using the numerical scheme of Roe's flux-difference splitting, the Baldwin-Lomax algebraic turbulent model, and the time-averaged thin-layer Navier-Stokes equation, the flowfields for a selected Rasmussen's waverider forebody are investigated. Specific cases include turbulent flow on-design condition (M^ = 4, a = 0), turbulent flow off-design condition (Moo = 4, a = 5 deg), and laminar (and Euler) flow off-design condition (M^ = 5, a = 0). For comparison purposes, some results previously reported by the authors are presented. The off-design flowfields are more complicated than the on-design ones. For the M^ = 5 waverider, there is very strong stock-wave/boundarylayer interaction. For the a = 5 deg waverider, there is a detached shock, resulting in a small separation bubble and a vortex on the upper surface. The shock-wave/boundary-layer interaction and shock attachment pattern strongly affect the waverider pressure and local skin-friction coefficient distributions.
Using technology to promote gastrointestinal outcomes research: A case for electronic health records

Electronic health records (EHRs) have been shown to reduce medication errors, improve patient outcomes, and create administrative efficiencies. Numerous public and private efforts are currently underway to achieve universal EHR adoption in the United States by the year 2014. EHRs hold a great potential to integrate clinical care and research by allowing input of clinical data in a structured format, facilitating electronic data capture for clinical trials and providing linkage with genomic information. The goal of this article is to inform the academic gastrointestinal community about the research opportunities created by the widespread adoption of EHRs and present a systematic approach in utilizing EHR-derived data for observational, experimental, or translational studies.
3,3′-Diindolylmethane reduces levels of HIF-1α and HIF-1 activity in hypoxic cultured human cancer cells

3,3'-diindolylmethane (DIM) is a chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic phytochemical derived from the metabolism of indoles found at high concentrations in cruciferous vegetables. We have previously shown that DIM exhibits anti-angiogenic properties in cultured vascular endothelial cells and in Matrigel plug assays in rodents. In the present study, we demonstrate that DIM reduces the level of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1alpha in hypoxic tumor cell lines, as well as HIF-1 transcriptional activity as measured by a reporter assay. Moreover, DIM inhibited the expression of HIF-1-responsive endogenous genes, resulting in the reduced expression of key hypoxia responsive factors, VEGF, furin, enolase-1, glucose transporter-1 and phosphofructokinase. DIM reduced the level of HIF-1alpha in hypoxic cells by increasing the rate of the prolylhydroxylase- and proteasome-mediated degradation of HIF-1alpha, and by decreasing the rate of HIF-1alpha transcription. Using enzyme kinetics studies, we established that DIM interacts with the oligomycin-binding site on the F0 transmembrane component of mitochondrial F1F0-ATPase. The contributions of the resulting increases in levels of ROS and O2 in hypoxic cells to the inhibitory effects of DIM on HIF-1alpha expression are discussed. These studies are the first to show that DIM can decrease the accumulation and activity of the key angiogenesis regulatory factor, HIF-1alpha, in hypoxic tumor cells.
Radiographic Pseudofracture of Bipolar Pacemaker Wire

We present a case in which the radiographic appearance of a bipolar pacing lead mimics a wire fracture. Recognition of this normal finding—due to lead construction—will help avoid erroneous diagnosis of wire fracture on chest x-ray films.
Evidence of immune memory 8.5 years following administration of a prophylactic human papillomavirus type 16 vaccine

Abstract Background The duration of protection conferred by prophylactic human papillomavirus (HPV) L1 virus-like particle vaccines is a critical determinant of their public health impact. A feature of vaccines that confer long-term immunity is their ability to induce immune memory. Objectives We evaluated antibody responses against HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18 following administration of the quadrivalent HPV-6/11/16/18 vaccine to women who had previously received a monovalent HPV-16 vaccine. Study design As part of an extended follow-up study conducted between 2006 and 2009 in Seattle, Washington, we administered the quadrivalent HPV-6/11/16/18 vaccine to 52 women (19 vaccine and 33 placebo recipients) who had participated in a monovalent HPV-16 vaccine trial 8.5 years earlier. Serum samples were tested for anti-HPV antibodies using competitive Luminex immunoassay. Results Following administration of the first dose of the quadrivalent HPV-6/11/16/18 vaccine, the anti-HPV-16 geometric mean titer among monovalent HPV-16 vaccine recipients (GMT=5024.0milli-Merckunitspermilliliter [mMU/mL]; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2710.1, 9313.6mMU/mL) substantially exceeded that among the placebo recipients (GMT=136.1; 95% CI: 78.5, 235.8mMU/mL; p p Conclusions The findings suggest that the administration of the three-dose regimen of the monovalent HPV-16 vaccine had produced memory lymphocytes, characterized by a heightened immune response following administration of the quadrivalent HPV-6/11/16/18 vaccine that effectively served as an antigen challenge.
SENSITIVITY OF STRAINS OF ESCHERICHIA COLI DIFFERING IN REPAIR CAPABILITY TO FAR UV, NEAR UV AND VISIBLE RADIATIONS*

Abstract— In stationary phase, strains of Escherichia coli deficient in excision (B/r Her) or recombination repair (K.12 AB2463) were more sensitive than a repair proficient strain (B/r) to monochromatic near-ultraviolet (365 nm) and visible (460 nm) radiations. The relative increase in sensitivity of mutants deficient in excision or recombination repair, in comparision to the wildtype, was less at 365 nm than at 254 nm. However, a strain deficient in both excision and recombination repair (K12 AB2480) showed a large, almost equal, increase in sensitivity over mutants deficient in either excision or recombination repair at 365 nm and 254 nm. All strains tested were highly resistant to 650 nm radiation. Action spectra for lethality of strains B/r and B/r Her in stationary phase reveal small peaks or shoulders in the 330–340, 400–410 and 490–510 nm wavelength ranges. The presence of 5μg/ml acriflavine (an inhibitor of repair) in the plating medium greatly increased the sensitivity of strain B/r to radiation at 254, 365 and 460 nm, while strains E. coli B/r Her and K12 AB2463 were sensitized by small amounts. At each of the wavelengths tested, acriflavine in the plating medium had at most a small effect on E. coli K.12 AB2480. Acriflavine failed to sensitize any strain tested at 650 nm. Evidence supports the interpretation that lesions induced in DNA by 365 nm and 460 nm radiations play the major role in the inactivation of E. coli by these wavelengths. Single-strand breaks (or alkali-labile bonds), but not pyrimidine dimers are candidates for the lethal DNA lesions in uvrA and repair proficient strains. At high fluences lethality may be enhanced by damage to the excision and recombination repair systems.
Mothers' evaluation of a parent training program completed three and one-half years earlier.

Abstract The purpose of the present study was to examine the long term effects of a parent training program. Mothers who completed treatment, a mean of 3.6 yr earlier, were asked to fill out measures that examined parent perceptions of child adjustment and parent satisfaction with treatment. Of the 68 mothers to whom questionnaires were mailed, 34 (50%) returned them while 10 questionnaires were returned with an insufficient address. A comparison of pre- treatment, post-treatment and follow-up child adjustment scores indicated that the mothers perceived their children as significantly better adjusted after treatment and that this effect maintained at follow-up. Generally favorable responses were also reported by mothers on a consumer satisfaction measure.
Surgical Management of HIV-Associated Lipodystrophy: Role of Ultrasonic-Assisted Liposuction and Suction-Assisted Lipectomy in the Treatment of Lipohypertrophy

Purpose:HIV-associated lipodystrophy is a frequent consequence of highly active antiretroviral therapy and has been associated with several metabolic disorders (increased triglycerides, hypercholesterolemia, insulin resistance) as well as altered fat distribution, including lipohypertrophy (neck, tr
First Hand: Blurring the Line

When the mentor–fellow relation works well, a sense of collegiality and common purpose develops. The line between teacher and student disappears. Share. Bond. Both learn. Both teach. This was never more obvious than on the day I broke into the VA doctors’ parking lot. Monday, 8 AM: The driver ahead of me is having no luck activating the gate to the doctors’ parking lot with his magnetic card. The lot is usually half-full by this time. Today it is nearly empty. The driver ahead of me gives up and backs away. I, the surgeon, disposed to take charge on short notice and already a few minutes late for the OR, decide that my key card will work. It doesn’t. I get out and try nudging the wooden gate arm. It holds fast. I lean on it. It breaks. I set it aside and hop back in. Several drivers in the waiting 6-car string give me “thumbs up” as we all park and head for work. Monday, 10 AM: I am at my desk between cases and I hear overhead, “Dr, Meals. Dr. Meals. Report to the doctors’ parking lot. Stat.” I do. “Are you Dr. Meals?” “Yes, Officer.” He points to the evidence. “What do you know about this?” “I broke it. It was 8 AM. A string of cars was waiting to get in. Staff and patients were waiting for me in the operating room. I can go home and be back in 10 minutes with wood glue, clamps, and screws. In the meantime, maybe you can arrange to get the card reader fixed.” “Here’s
Excessive environmental risks: An intergenerational market failure

Abstract This paper cautions against the belief that markets work efficiently in transmitting across generations the right signals for investment decisions under risk. Overlapping-generation models are used to show that the incompleteness of intergenerational insurance markets constitutes a market failure that leads to inefficient intergenerational investment decisions under risk. Early generations over-diversify if they face risks that are larger than those of the following generation and could, therefore, be shared with them. On the other hand, if risks are increasing from generation to generation, the current generation would under-insure against those risks. Since the direction of the inefficiency depends on the nature of the risk assumed, the policy implications depend on the empirical assessment of the risks that current and future generations are facing. This paper provides applications of the general result to environmental problems such as inefficiently low protection against global warming, the excessive reduction of biodiversity, and inefficient depletion of a natural resource.
Crank-angle resolved imaging of biacetyl laser-induced fluorescence in an optical internal combustion engine

The use of a frequency-tripled, diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser in combination with a CMOS camera lens-coupled to a three-stage image intensifier allowed the visualization of the fuel distribution with crank angle resolution for hundreds of consecutive engine cycles. Biacetyl, doped into iso-octane, was excited at rates of 12 kHz with 100 ns pulses. Pulse energies are high enough to allow single-pulse imaging of the vapor-phase fuel distribution for motored and fired operation in an optical engine. The repetition rate of the setup is adequate to resolve critical steps in the development of the fuel cloud around the spark plug of a direct-injection gasoline engine.
Newer catecholamines for treatment of heart failure and shock: An update on dopamine and a first look at dobutamine

T HE pharmacology and clinical uses of dopamine were reviewed in this journal in 1969.’ At that time, only a few therapeutic investigations had been completed, and the clinical literature was sparse. Since dopamine has now been administered to large numbers of patients with a variety of cardiovascular conditions and is widely used by the practicing physician, an up-dated review was needed. Recently, the chemically related but pharmacologically different catecholamine, dobutamine, was released for clinical investigations. Because initial studies demonstrated that dobutamine exhibited a different spectrum of activity, we have included a review of this potentially useful drug.
An in vitro study of proximal femoral allograft strains in revision hip arthroplasty

Bone allografts are used frequently to replace bone stock subsequent to total hip arthroplasty. Revision of the failed hip replacement results in a complex structure of allograft bone, host bone and a metal femoral component. To evaluate the mechanics of the allograft-implant-host bone structure at the time of surgery, a strain gauge study was undertaken with six fresh/frozen human femora. Under defined loading conditions, cortical strain distributions were measured for five different cases: (1) normal bone, (2) bone with a femoral implant, (3) bone with the femoral component and an osteotomy at the mid-stem level of the implant (i.e. to stimulate the proximal allograft-host junction around the femoral stem), (4) bone with an osteotomy and an implant cemented into the 'allograft' (i.e. the proximal end of the femur), and (5) bone with an osteotomy and the implant cemented into both the proximal 'allograft' and the distal host bone. The results showed that, prior to making the osteotomy, proximal femoral strains were decreased with the insertion of a femoral stem. These strains were further decreased when an osteotomy had been made. This strain distribution did not change when the stem was cemented into the proximal 'allograft' bone, or cemented into the proximal 'allograft' and distal host bone. The decreases in strain for these test cases implied that the discontinuity between the bony segments caused an extended reduction in the tensile or compressive stresses transmitted through the cortices.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Purification and characterization of dicylcohexylcarbodiimide binding protein from mouse liver mitochondria

Abstract The DCCD-binding protein from mouse liver Mt has been purified by chloroform: methanol method. The DCCD binding is drastically reduced when lipids are extracted from the proteolipid. The proteolipid as well as the lipid extracted protein migrate as single component with 7.8 K daltons molecular weight. The protein fraction yields a single band (pI 5.8) on isoelectric focusing gels. The DCCD binding protein is a product of Mt translation and contains Val as the N-terminal residue.
A symmetric algorithm for Toeplitz systems

Abstract We derive an algorithm for real symmetric Toeplitz systems with an arbitrary right-hand side. It differs from the Levinson algorithm in that the solution is built up from its middle component(s) outwards, rather than from top to bottom. We then exploit the symmetry of this method by solving separately for the even and odd parts of the right-hand side of the system. On a sequential machine, the complexity of our algorithm for a system of order n is 7 2 n 2 + O (n) flops, compared to 4n 2 + O (n) flops for Levinson's algorithm. The algorithm can be extended to nonsymmetric systems, just like Levinson's algorithm.
Biodesulfurization of dibenzothiophene in Escherichia coli is enhanced by expression of a Vibrio harveyi oxidoreductase gene.

One possible alternative to current fuel hydrodesulfurization methods is the use of microorganisms to remove sulfur compounds. Biodesulfurization requires much milder processing conditions, gives higher specificity, and does not require molecular hydrogen. In the present work we have produced two compatible plasmids: pDSR3, which allows Escherichia coli to convert dibenzothiophene (DBT) to hydroxybiphenyl (HBP), and pDSR2, which produces a Vibrio harveyi flavin oxidoreductase. We show that the flavin oxidoreductase enhances the rate of DBT removal when co-expressed in vivo with the desulfurization enzymes. The plasmids pDSR2 and pDSR3 were co-expressed in growing cultures. The expression of oxidoreductase caused an increase in the rate of DBT removal but a decrease in the rate of HBP production. The maximum rate of DBT removal was 8 mg/h. g dry cell weight. Experiments were also conducted using resting cells with the addition of various carbon sources. It was found that the addition of glucose or glycerol to cultures with oxidoreductase expression produced the highest DBT removal rate (51 mg/h. g dry cell weight). The culture with acetate and no oxidoreductase expression had the highest level of HBP production. For all carbon sources, the DBT removal rate was faster and the HBP generation rate slower with the expression of the oxidoreductase. Analysis of desulfurization intermediates indicates that the last enzyme in the pathway may be limiting.
Reliability of Ventricular Remodeling as a Surrogate for Use in Conjunction With Clinical Outcomes in Heart Failure

As the number of treatments for heart failure (HF) increases and mortality decreases in the setting of clinical trials, the size of the study population required to demonstrate an incremental difference in survival with each new agent may become prohibitive. There has been increasing interest in identifying and validating surrogate end points for assessing HF treatments. The strong association between ventricular remodeling and clinical outcomes supports the incorporation of measures of ventricular volumes into clinical trials of new therapies for HF. A finding of reduced left ventricular volumes renders a particular survival signal more credible. It is therefore appropriate to consider ventricular remodeling in conjunction with outcome events in the construct of clinical trials in HF.
Skew-programmable clock design for FPGA and skew-aware placement

In this paper, we propose a skew-programmable clock-routing architecture. The skews can be adjusted using programmable delay elements (PDEs) which we insert into the clock trees. We develop efficient, shortest-path-based algorithms for programming PDEs to optimize timing. Unlike previous methods for FPGA skew optimization which require large power and routing penalty, our method can achieve large timing improvement with small overhead. Typically, if timing requirements are tight, placers make efforts to satisfy them, often at a cost of compromising routability, total wire length, and power. In this work, we propose novel clock-skew-aware placement algorithms which allow us to relax the timing constraints during placement. Timing can be later optimized as a post process. Even though we demonstrate the efficiency of our approach using FPGAs, the new skew optimization method and the new placement algorithm are quite general and can be applied to any general, topology-constrained skew optimization problem. Experimental results indicate that using the new clock-architecture we can obtain a 22% timing improvement for post-layout skew optimization and an additional 21% improvement from our skew-aware placement algorithm. In one fabric, the cost of added logic is 2.19% as measured by dynamic power dissipation, and 0.85% in terms of area overhead.
Clinical evaluation of a single oral dose of human-bovine (UK) reassortant rotavirus vaccines Wa x UK (P1A[8], G6) and Wa x (DS-1 x UK) (P1A[8], G2)

The safety, infectivity, and immunogenicity of two human-bovine reassortant rotavirus candidate vaccines were evaluated in adults, children, and infants. One of these, Wa x UK, contained a single human rotavirus gene from the Wa strain that encoded VP4 P1A specificity in a background of 10 bovine genes including the VP7 gene that encodes G6 specificity, whereas the other, Wa x (DS-1 x UK), possessed the human rotavirus VP4 gene from the Wa strain as well as the human VP7 gene from strain DS-1 that encoded G2 specificity. Each of these vaccines appeared to be well-tolerated and immunogenic in infants less than 6 months of age following a single oral dose, and therefore should be evaluated further as vaccine candidates. J. Med. Virol. 66:407-416, 2002. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Infrared ATR determination of alcohols in aqueous solution

Abstract The small effective sample thickness possible with infrared attenuated-total-reflection techniques permits analysis of solutions of alcohols in water in the 0–100 % concentration range. A Beer's Law concentration dependence is observed over the entire concentration range. No large anomalies due to solvent—solute interactions were observed.
Clinical oxygen transfer performance of the Sorin Monolyth membrane oxygenator

Oxygen transfer performance of the Sorin Monolyth membrane oxygenator was evaluated. Similar to previous oxygen transfer performance studies conducted at this institution, our purpose was sixfold: (1) to construct an oxygen transfer slope (OTS); (2) to find the maximum extrapolated oxygen transfer; (3) to calculate the oxygenator performance index (OPI); (4) to generate a shunt fraction line; (5) to determine the percentage of predicted shunt (POPS); and (6) to compare the Monolyth's performance to several previously studied membrane oxygenators. From the OTS, the maximum extrapolated oxygen transfer was 346.4 ml O2/min. This absolute value was the lowest of the four oxygenators compared. When maximum oxygen transfer was compared relative to membrane surface area, the Monolyth ranked third (157.5 ml O2/min). The Monolyth produced a relatively narrow range for the OPI (81.64-130.47%) and had the lowest standard deviation (SD) in this group. The Monolyth exhibited higher shunt fractions over the range of clinical blood flows when compared to our three previously studied oxygenators. The range of POPS values (71.65-128.77%) was relatively narrow and the SD was the lowest of the four. We concluded from our evaluation that the Monolyth had relatively low top end oxygen transfer capabilities, but provided very consistent and predictable oxygen transfer performance.
Efficient implementations of Complex Block Conjugate Gradient LMS with Individual adaptation

Recent advances in signal processing hardware has made possible the implementation of sophisticated algorithms. The Complex Block Conjugate Least Mean Square algorithm with Individual adaptation (CBCI-LMS) has recently been proposed and applied in adaptive filtering applications. This technique involves matrix inversion, which is computationally intensive. To improve the feasibility of the algorithm in practice, especially for high-order adaptive systems, this paper proposes two efficient implementations of the CBCI-LMS algorithm. The first efficient implementation applies an iterative matrix inversion lemma without any sacrifice in convergence speed and accuracy. The second method further simplifies the algorithm by using a diagonal matrix for approximation at the first iteration, at the expense of a few additional iterations to achieve convergence. Both of the simplified approaches effectively reduce the computational complexities of the CBCI-LMS algorithm.
NEUTRON INELASTIC SCATTERING STUDY OF SE-AS-GE GLASSES : A TEST OF THE VIBRATIONAL ISOCOORDINATE RULE

Determinations of the generalized neutron vibrational density of states (GVDOS) made on samples of Se-As-Ge glass alloys by neutron inelastic scattering at the NIST Center for Neutron Research are presented. It is observed that up to a certain characteristic vibrational energy the GVDOS are nearly identical for alloys over a broad range of compositions as long as they have the same average coordination number $〈r〉.$ In the present work this feature, referred to as the vibrational isocoordinate rule (VIR), is established for samples of Se-As-Ge alloys over the entire glass-forming region with $〈r〉$ ranging from 2.16 through the theoretical rigidity percolation threshold 2.4 up to 3.2. Compositional exceptions to the VIR have been found along and near the Se-As binary alloy line above $〈r〉=2.4.$
Synthesis and characterization of phenolic resole resins for composite applications

In this study, phenol–formaldehyde resins catalyzed with sodium hydroxide, triethylamine, and ammonium hydroxide were investigated and characterized in terms of their degradation behavior, flammability, mechanical properties, and chemical structure. All three resins displayed similar degradative mechanisms, and their degradation behavior was broken down into three distinct stages. These stages were attributed to the evolution of water, the volatilization of species loosely bound to the phenolic backbone, and bulk degradation of the phenolic matrix. Flammability studies were also performed on glass fiber laminates manufactured from these resins. The sodium-hydroxide- and ammonium-hydroxide-catalyzed resins were found relatively inflammable, while the triethylamine-catalyzed laminates burned readily. The mechanical properties of the resins were found to be similar or higher than the mechanical properties of other untoughened epoxies or thermosetting resins. The various chemical properties responsible for these behaviors are discussed and analyzed in terms of the catalyst basicity, solubility, and boiling point. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 73: 505–514, 1999