cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
HIV Testing in Publicly Funded Settings, National Health Interview Survey, 2003-2010.

Objective We determined whether or not HIV testing in publicly funded settings in the United States increased after 2006, when CDC recommended expanded HIV screening in health-care settings for all people aged 13-64 years. Methods We analyzed 2003-2010 National Health Interview Survey data to estimate annual national percentages of people aged 18-64 years who were tested for HIV in the previous 12 months. Estimates were calculated by setting (publicly funded, yes/other) and stratified by sex. Test settings were categorized as publicly funded based on the contribution of public funds for HIV testing. We used logistic regression modeling to assess statistical significance in linear trends for 2003-2006 and 2006-2010, adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, and health insurance coverage. Using model parameters for survey year, we calculated the estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) in HIV testing as the difference in the model-predicted testing prevalence between baseline and first post-baseline years, divided by baseline prevalence. Results During 2006-2010, the percentage of women tested for HIV in publicly funded settings increased significantly from 1.9% in 2006 to 2.4% in 2010 (EAPC=6.9%, p=0.008) and the percentage tested in other settings remained fairly stable, from 9.7% in 2006 to 9.6% in 2010 (EAPC=-0.5%, p=0.708). During the same period, the percentage of men tested for HIV in publicly funded settings increased, but not significantly, from 1.5% in 2006 to 1.9% in 2010 (EAPC=5.3%, p=0.110) and the percentage tested in other settings decreased significantly from 7.5% in 2006 to 6.2% in 2010 (EAPC=-4.4%, p=0.001). Conclusion Although HIV testing in publicly funded settings increased among women during 2006-2010, testing rates remained low, and no similar increase occurred among men. As such, all test settings should increase HIV screening, particularly for men.
Quality Improvement: Where Are We with Bowel Preps for Patients Undergoing Colon Resection?

Colorectal surgeons have strived for reductions in postoperative septic complication rates and especially the incidence of anastomotic dehiscence since the inception of bowel surgery [1]. Bowel antisepsis as a means to this end was first advocated by Garlock in the 1940s [2]. Thirty years later, Barker and Everett advocated for MBP because of their belief that gross fecal loading of the bowel was associated with an increased incidence of wound infection [3, 4]. As a result of this work, MBP became almost uniformly accepted as a dogma going forward [5]. The classic article which codified the role of mechanical bowel prep with oral antibiotics was the three armed study performed by Condon et al. They compared oral mechanical bowel prep with either intravenous cephalothin alone; oral neomycin and erythromycin alone; or both intravenous and oral regimens [6]. Although the intravenous antibiotic chosen was limited in bacterial coverage, the combined strategy was superior nonetheless.
Reorganization of corticospinal output during motor learning

Motor learning is accompanied by widespread changes within the motor cortex, but it is unknown whether these changes are ultimately funneled through a stable corticospinal output channel or whether the corticospinal output itself is plastic. We investigated the consistency of the relationship between corticospinal neuron activity and movement through in vivo two-photon calcium imaging in mice learning a lever-press task. Corticospinal neurons exhibited heterogeneous correlations with movement, with the majority of movement-modulated neurons decreasing activity during movement. Individual cells changed their activity across days, which led to changed associations between corticospinal activity and movement. Unlike previous observations in layer 2/3, activity accompanying learned movements did not become more consistent with learning; instead, the activity of dissimilar movements became more decorrelated. These results indicate that the relationship between corticospinal activity and movement is dynamic and that the types of activity and plasticity are different from and possibly complementary to those in layer 2/3.
Big Data in Instrumentation and Measurement [Guest Editorial]

The recent rapid growth of information-gathering technologies—from health tracking sensors to smartphones and satellites—produce massive amounts of data from the real world. Similarly, a huge amount of data is steadily collected from the cyber world as a result of internet technologies. In such a context, the “Big Data” phenomenon is expected to have a dramatic impact on society. Indeed, evidence resulting from Big Data is going to support decisions that have the potential to solve big societal problems, boost billion dollar businesses or simply make our everyday lives easier. However, ensuring and understanding the quality of data is crucial to achieve these goals. On one hand, metrology— a science of information quality—is at the very heart of data science. On the other hand, data science could open a new era for measurement science.
Nonlinear receding horizon control-based real-time guidance, navigation, and control architecture for launch vehicles

For almost as long as the Western world has had rockets and missiles, people have been interested in incorporating guidance systems into them [1], [2]. Robert Goddard experimented with rudimentary gyroscopic systems as early as the 1930s. Under the leadership of Wernher Von Braun and his team in the 1940s, V2 rockets used gyroscopes and an accelerometer, along with a simple analog computer, to help adjust their azimuth. Advancements continued to be made after World War II, including the development of guidance systems that adhered as closely as possible to a preplanned reference trajectory [1]-[3]. Expanding on this, studies (such as Launius and Jenkins [4]) provide a broader perspective into the history of the launch vehicle control problem. In his doctrine, Friedberg touches upon the history of U.S. launch vehicle missions [5], while Bilstein sheds light on the Apollo/Saturn launch vehicle program [6]. Such systems, and their offshoots, used differences in the actual velocity vector vs. the expected velocity vector, as well as vector cross products and partial derivatives, to determine what corrective guidance actions to take.
The influence of matrix quality on species richness in remnant forest

Habitat destruction is the leading threat to terrestrial biodiversity, isolating remnant habitat in a matrix of modified vegetation. Our goal was to determine how species richness in several broad taxonomic groups from remnant forest was influenced by matrix quality, which we characterized by comparing plant biomass in forest and the surrounding matrix. We coupled data on species-area relationships (SARs) in forest remnants from 45 previously published studies with an index of matrix quality calculated using new estimates of plant biomass derived from satellite imagery. The effect size of SARs was greatest in landscapes with low matrix quality and little forest cover. SARs were generally stronger for volant than for non-volant species. For the terrestrial taxa included in our analysis, matrix quality decreased as the proportion of water, ice, or urbanization in a landscape increased. We clearly demonstrate that matrix quality plays a major role in determining patterns of species richness in remnant forest. A key implication of our work is that activities that increase matrix quality, such as active and passive habitat restoration, may be important conservation measure for maintaining and restoring biodiversity in modified landscapes.
Reproductive Rights and the Law

The history of the control of women and children parallels the history of reproductive rights and the law. Many believe that the new women’s movement really began when the rights of a woman to choose if and when she would bear a child became legal. There are some who believe that the institution of monogamous marriage itself was created by men who needed to know who their progeny were and only if they found a way to keep women monogamous would that be a certainty. This may make sense given the history of the marriage contract indicating that those who entered into marriage became one body and the governance of that body was by men who retained all the rights. For example, Susan Brownmiller, in her book, Against Our Will: Men, Women and Rape suggests that in olden days when we were a nomadic people, women married one man to keep from being raped by many men.
Interspecific competition affects growth and herbivore damage of Brassica napus in the field

Resource competition can influence plant fitness either directly, or indirectly by influencing the amount of herbivore damage received by plants in the field. We previously found that competition could constrain the constitutive and woundinduced expression of defensive trypsin inhibitors in pot-grown Brassica napus seedlings in the greenhouse, suggesting that the ability of a plant to chemically defend itself could be constrained by competition in the field. Guided by these results, we investigated whether competition would affect growth and the presence of herbivores and herbivore damage on B. napus plants in the field. We established sixteen 1 m 2 plots in the field in a 7 x7 mgrid. Nine two-week-old B. napus seedlings were transplanted from the greenhouse into each 1 m 2 plot. Half of the plots were kept weed-free and half were left to develop interspecific weed competi-tors.After six weeks, three randomly chosen plants in each plot were measured for height, number of leaves, leaf area removed by herbivores, and the presence of aphids, leaf miners, and eggs of ladybird beetles. Consistent with the induction of the shade-avoidance response, plants in plots with weed competitors were significantly taller and had half as many leaves as plants in weed-free plots. Competing plants also had 60% more leaf arearemoved by herbivores, an 80% higher proportion of leaves with aphids, and an equal proportion of leaves with leaf miners. In this study, weed competition had dramatic effects on growth, leaf area removal by herbivores, and the presence of aphids on B. napus plants in the field. Together with our demonstration that competition can constrain the expression of trypsin inhibitor activity, these results suggest that resource competition may limit theability of a plant to defend itself from natural enemies, leading to greater herbivory. In turn, increased herbivory on competing plants could exacerbate the direct effects of competition on plant fitness.
Portfolios of genetic algorithms

We propose an anytime algorithm portfolio technique which allocates computational resources among sets of control parameter value settings for evolutionary algorithms. Meta-level optimization of the portfolios is enabled by applying a bootstrap sampling approach to a database of individual algorithm performance on instances from a problem distribution. Experiments with a genetic algorithm portfolio applied to the traveling salesperson (TSP) domain show that the portfolio approach can yield better performance on a distribution of problem instances than the best single control parameter set.
Ensemble Spread Grows More Rapidly in Higher-Resolution Simulations of Deep Convection

AbstractIdealized ensemble simulations of mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) with horizontal grid spacings of 1, 1.4, and 2 km are used to analyze the influence of numerical resolution on the rate...
Surveying Applicants to Improve the Family Medicine Residency Interview Day.

Introduction The diversity of family medicine residency programs across the country makes a generalized assessment of applicant preferences and experiences regarding the interview experience difficult. As such, there have been few publications in recent years relating to interview trail trends and modification of the interview day process to meet the needs of applicants. The purpose of this project was to identify applicant preferences and trends among applicants interviewing at Penn State Health's Milton S. Hershey Medical Center during the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 application cycles. Methods Applicants completed a voluntary, anonymous, 16-question multiple-choice survey during the interview day. Questions explored the preinterview dinner, interview day, and postinterview day communication methods. Results In total, 67 surveys were collected from 68 eligible candidates (98.5%) in 2014-2015, and 65 surveys from 65 eligible candidates in 2015-2016 (100%) for a total of 132 participants. Applicant preferences focused on use of electronic communication and the importance of interviewing with both the program director and a current resident. Interview day trends experienced by those surveyed emphasized the inclusion of spouses/significant others, program support of hotel costs, frequency of applicant preinterview dinners, and the lack of emphasis on second-look visits. Conclusion This study highlights how the utilization of applicant surveys during the interview day may allow family medicine programs to identify trends occurring on the interview trail, while developing an interview day agenda that meets the desires of the applicants the program attracts.
Capillary Scale Admittance and Conductance Detection.

Admittance detection, more commonly called capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection, is widely used. While the true conductance of a solution is linear with concentration up to ∼1 mequiv/L, the admittance signal is nonlinear. In small-bore capillaries and highly resistive solutions, such as in suppressed open tubular ion chromatography (SOTIC), the admittance signal is exponentially related to concentration. Solution contact conductivity detection is common in microfluidics, but no true conductivity measurement efforts have been made with conventional capillaries in the last two decades. We examine five solution contact cell geometries: (A) wire/disk electrodes perpendicular to the flow direction, (B) annular tubular electrodes facing the flow (that exits through the center tube), (C) ring-disk electrodes facing the flow that exits through the annulus, (D) coplanar parallel wire/disk electrodes facing the flow that exits around the electrodes, and (E) planar electrodes separated by a thin i...
Systematically Produced Intervention Strategies in Early Education.

In recent years, instructional technology procedures have been utilized in developing various types of packaged curricula in the field of early education. This article describes the development of ...
A Curriculum in Quality Improvement for Interprofessional Palliative Care Trainees.

Introduction:A structured and intentional approach to quality improvement is critical for clinicians specializing in palliative care and is a required component of training programs.Methods:We pres...
Beyond First Grade: Examining Word, Sentence, and Discourse Text Factors Associated with Oral Reading Rate in Informational Text in Second Grade.

Text complexity in elementary classrooms is typically measured by traditional readability tools, which rely on surface-level measures of word and sentence complexity. Theoretical and empirical work on text complexity, however, indicates that additional measures of semantics, syntax, and discourse structure may be equally important for understanding how young children process texts. This study evaluated the components of two available text analysis tools representing different generations of readability: the Lexile Framework and the Coh-Metrix Text Easability Assessor. Using multilevel modeling, informational passage readings were nested in 5133 second-grade children in 459 schools to identify text variables that predicted changes in oral reading rate. Coh-Metrix dimensions of word concreteness, referential cohesion, and deep cohesion were uniquely associated with oral reading rate after controlling for traditional readability components. A full model including both the Lexile components and three Coh-Metrix dimensions provided the best fit to the data. Results suggest that measures of semantic complexity and text cohesion are needed to improve prediction of text difficulty for young readers and better inform text selection in the early grades. Implications for policy and practice under the Common Core State Standards, which emphasize reading complex texts across the gradespan, are discussed.
The Effects of Blood or Plasma Clot on Brain Edema in the Rat with Intracerebral Hemorrhage

The causes and characteristics of the brain edema which forms adjacent to an acute intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) have not been explored thoroughly. This study was designed to examine the edema process in rat brain provoked by two different blood clot components. An intracerebral clot was produced by stereotactic injection of 100 µl of either blood (bICH) or cryoprecipitate/ thrombin (pICH) into the right caudate nucleus. Water, Na+ K+, and Cl− contents were measured at 0,4,24,48, and 72 h after instillation of the clot. During the first 24 h, the water content of the ipsilateral caudate nucleus and cortex gradually increased in both groups. By 48 h brain edema was more severe in the bICH compared to that with pICH in the ipsilateral basal ganglia and cortex. The edema formation was accompanied by significant increase in sodium and chloride, as well as a decrease in potassium content by 48 h and sustained to 72 h. These results suggest that both blood and plasma clots can cause brain edema, but a plasma clot is less damaging than a blood clot in the immediate vicinity of the mass.
Residual Stresses at Critical Locations in Additively-Manufactured Components

Adopting additively-manufactured components in conventional supply chains requires an understanding of residual stress effects on typical component quality: dimensional accuracy, mechanical strength, and fatigue performance. Residual stresses are central to these elements of component quality; however, they vary significantly at different locations in additively-manufactured parts. Multiple methods are used to assess residual stresses at critical locations including the build/baseplate interface, the near surface layers, between layers, and typical planes of interest. Exploratory measurements on laser engineering net shaping (LENS) and powder bed fusion (PBF) bosses are performed using the contour method and slitting method. Steep stress gradients and high stresses with limits approaching the material yield strength are reported. These stresses are often compressive at the component interior and tensile near the outer surfaces. Future work is planned to investigate repeatability of both the measurement methods and the ADDITIVE manufacturing processes.
Absent and present: Biopolitics and the materiality of body counts on the US–Mexico border:

As the deaths of undocumented migrants expose the violence of border security policies around the globe, a complicated politics emerges between bodily death and the ways in which the migrant associ...
Computation of Molecular Spectra on a Quantum Processor with an Error-Resilient Algorithm

© 2018 authors. Published by the American Physical Society. Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI. Harnessing the full power of nascent quantum processors requires the efficient management of a limited number of quantum bits with finite coherent lifetimes. Hybrid algorithms, such as the variational quantum eigensolver (VQE), leverage classical resources to reduce the required number of quantum gates. Experimental demonstrations of VQE have resulted in calculation of Hamiltonian ground states, and a new theoretical approach based on a quantum subspace expansion (QSE) has outlined a procedure for determining excited states that are central to dynamical processes. We use a superconducting-qubit-based processor to apply the QSE approach to the H2 molecule, extracting both ground and excited states without the need for auxiliary qubits or additional minimization. Further, we show that this extended protocol can mitigate the effects of incoherent errors, potentially enabling larger-scale quantum simulations without the need for complex error-correction techniques.
Social connections and the healthfulness of food choices in an employee population

Unhealthy food choice is an important driver of obesity, but research examining the relationship of food choices and social influence has been limited. We sought to assess associations in the healthfulness of workplace food choices among a large population of diverse employees whose food-related social connections were identified using passively collected data in a validated model. Data were drawn from 3 million encounters where pairs of employees made purchases together in 2015–2016. The healthfulness of food items was defined by ‘traffic light’ labels. Cross-sectional simultaneously autoregressive models revealed that proportions of both healthy and unhealthy items purchased were positively associated between connected employees. Longitudinal generalized estimating equation models also found positive associations between an employee’s current food purchase and the most recent previous food purchase a coworker made together with the employee. These data indicate that workplace interventions to promote healthy eating and reduce obesity should test peer-based strategies. Using relationship data for over 5,000 hospital employees inferred from 2 years of workplace cafeteria sales data, Levy et al. found significant associations in the healthfulness of food purchases between socially connected employees.
COMPARATIVE DISPOSITION OF FOUR TYPES OF PLUTONIUM DIOXIDES INHALED BY DOGS

Abstract Groups of three dogs were given single inhalation exposures to dry aerosols of one of four different plutonium dioxides to compare retention, translocation, and rates of excretion. Two of the plutonium dioxides were prepared by calcining the oxalate at 350°C and at about 1000°C. Two others were produced by ignition of the stabilized delta metal at 450°C and by slow oxidation of the pure metal at 123°C. The lung retention half-time of the oxalate calcined at 350°C was about one year, half that of the other oxides. This was due to greater accumulation of plutonium in the bronchial lymph nodes rather than greater clearance via the mucus-ciliary pathway or a relatively high rate of solubility. The metal oxidized at 450°C was cleared via the mucus-ciliary route to a lesser extent than the other oxides. This same oxide also showed a selective loss of 241Am, relative to 239Pu, in lung and bronchial lymph node tissue which was not evidenced by the other oxides. The oxalate calcined at 1000°C showed the least translocation to tissues outside the respiratory tract. These results indicate that the physical-chemical state of inhaled plutonium dioxide influences its disposition in the body.
Memory reduction in MLFMA through target rotation [scattering computation]

Using a parallel implementation of the multilevel fast multipole algorithm (MLFMA) called LSSP, large-scale scattering problems can be solved. However, as the problem sizes in terms of number of unknowns are increased, the memory requirements increase. This paper illustrates how the memory required by some practical problems can be reduced. The memory reduction can be realized by constructing the bounding box around the target such that the overall dimension of the box enclosing the target is minimized. In the case of a sphere, the rotational symmetry gives rise to a single box size; however, with a missile-shaped target or aircraft, the box size containing the target is reduced when the target extends from corner to corner instead of side to side. This can be realized by a simple coordinate transformation or rotation of the target geometry.
Mechanisms Underlying Short-Term Motor Learning, Long-Term Motor Learning and Transfer

Publisher Summary One simple type of motor learning entails practice-related performance changes in simple movements. When neurologically normal individuals intentionally make elbow movements at increasing speeds over the same movement distance, both the agonist electromyogram (EMG) burst and the antagonist EMG burst increase in magnitude. This chapter focuses on studies in which the goal of the task is to improve a single movement pattern in terms of speed and accuracy, and then generalize this pattern to a similar type of movement, such as a longer throw. Selected studies that have investigated how patterns of muscle activation change to enhance motor performance in one experimental session have been emphasizes. The chapter reviews studies that have investigated changes in performance and muscle activation patterns over multiple experimental sessions. It also reviews studies that have investigated the extent to which performance changes learned when practicing one task transfer to variants of the task. The chapter focuses on a series of studies that have performed using a single joint model system, and integrate findings with those obtained using more complicated movements, and also from animal neurophysiology.
Fleet Test, Performance and Emissions of Diesel Engines Using Different Alcohol-Diesel Fuel Blends

Essai de flotte, performances et emissions polluantes de moteurs diesel utilisant comme carburants differents melanges alcool-carburant diesel
The Archaeology of Ethnicity: Constructing Identities in the Past and Present

The Archaeology of Ethnicity: Constructing Identities in the Past and Present. Sian Jones. London: Routledge, 1997. 180 pp.
Between Politics and Science: Assuring the Integrity and Productivity of Reseach

Tables and figures Abbreviations Preface Introduction: making space for science policy 1. Science policy: structure and boundaries 2. Understanding the social contract for science 3. Challenges to the social contract for science 4. Assuring the integrity of research 5. Assuring the productivity of research 6. Between politics and science Notes References Index.
GROWTH, REPRODUCTION, AND DEATH RATES OF ESCHERICHIA COLI AT INCREASED HYDROSTATIC PRESSURES

ZoBell, Claude E. (University of California, La Jolla) and Andre B. Cobet. Growth, reproduction, and death rates of Escherichia coli at increased hydrostatic pressures. J. Bacteriol. 84:1228-1236. 1962.-Pressures ranging from 100 to 500 atm were found to retard the growth and reproduction of Escherichia coli in nutrient medium. Reproduction (as manifested by cell division or an increase in the number of viable cells) was retarded more than was growth (as manifested by increase in cell size or the formation of biomass). When incubated near the threshold of pressure tolerance (about 475 atm at 30 C), some cells of E. coli grew into long slender filaments showing little evidence of fission or cell division. Compression prolonged the lag phase of E. coli in nutrient medium, particularly at pressures higher than 400 atm. The inhibiting effects of pressure on reproduction and growth were found to be less at 30 than at 20 or 40 C. Pressures of 400 to 1,000 atm accelerated the death rate of E. coli cultures in nutrient medium. The lethal effects of pressure were greater at 40 than at 30 C and greater at 30 than at 20 C.
Vertical Drop Test of a Narrow-Body Transport Fuselage Section with Overhead Stowage Bins

A 10-foot long fuselage section from a Boeing 737-100 was dropped from a height of 14 feet, generating a final velocity at impact of 30 feet per second. The fuselage section was configured to simulate the load density at the maximum takeoff weight condition. The final weight of 8870 pounds included cabin seats, dummy occupants, overhead stowage bins with contents, and cargo compartment luggage. The fuselage section was instrumented with strain gages, accelerometers, and high-speed cameras. The fuselage section sustained severe deformation of the cargo compartment. The cargo compartment luggage influenced the manner in which the fuselage crushed affecting the g forces experienced by the fuselage section and the pulse duration. The seat tracks experiences a vertical impact pulse of 15 g and a pulse duration of approximately 135 milliseconds.
Analysis of Facial Shape in Children Gestationally Exposed to Marijuana, Alcohol, and/or Cocaine

The association between fetal marijuana and/or alcohol exposure and facial features resembling fetal alcohol syndrome was investigated in a sample of 80 children. Standardized lateral and frontal facial photographs were taken of 40 children, 5 to 7 years of age, whose mothers reported frequent use of marijuana during the first trimester of pregnancy and 40 children whose mothers reported no use of marijuana during pregnancy. The marijuana-exposed and unexposed children were group-matched on alcohol exposure prior to and during pregnancy, sex, race, and age at the time of assessment. The photographs were assessed clinically by a study staff dysmorphologist and morphometrically by computerized landmark analysis. Fetal alcohol syndrome-like facial features were not associated with prenatal marijuana exposure in this study sample. No consistent patterns of facial features were identified among the marijuana-exposed group. Maternal consumption of two or more ounces of alcohol per day, on average, in early gestation was found to be associated with fetal alcohol syndrome-like facial features identified both clinically and morphometrically. Cocaine use reported by 13 of the 80 women was independently associated with mild facial dysmorphic features of hypertelorism and midfacial flattening. The results demonstrate the usefulness of this diagnostic technique for quantifying anomalies apparently unique to fetal alcohol syndrome and for targeting clusters of anomalies in new conditions for future evaluation.
Reconstructing accurate ToF-SIMS depth profiles for organic materials with differential sputter rates

To properly process and reconstruct 3D ToF-SIMS data from systems such as multi-component polymers, drug delivery scaffolds, cells and tissues, it is important to understand the sputtering behavior of the sample. Modern cluster sources enable efficient and stable sputtering of many organics materials. However, not all materials sputter at the same rate and few studies have explored how different sputter rates may distort reconstructed depth profiles of multicomponent materials. In this study spun-cast bilayer polymer films of polystyrene and PMMA are used as model systems to optimize methods for the reconstruction of depth profiles in systems exhibiting different sputter rates between components. Transforming the bilayer depth profile from sputter time to depth using a single sputter rate fails to account for sputter rate variations during the profile. This leads to inaccurate apparent layer thicknesses and interfacial positions, as well as the appearance of continued sputtering into the substrate. Applying measured single component sputter rates to the bilayer films with a step change in sputter rate at the interfaces yields more accurate film thickness and interface positions. The transformation can be further improved by applying a linear sputter rate transition across the interface, thus modeling the sputter rate changes seen in polymer blends. This more closely reflects the expected sputtering behavior. This study highlights the need for both accurate evaluation of component sputter rates and the careful conversion of sputter time to depth, if accurate 3D reconstructions of complex multi-component organic and biological samples are to be achieved. The effects of errors in sputter rate determination are also explored.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common sleep disorder that affects 2% to 7% of the population. It is a serious medical condition that has many effects on health, happiness, and survival, beyond simple snoring and poor sleep. OSA often goes undiagnosed, and many patients with risk factors for OSA should be evaluated for the disease. OSA is initiated by inappropriate closure of the upper airway during sleep, leading to a cessation in breathing that is often terminated by a gasp and awakening (see Figure). Patients with OSA are prone to airway closure for a number of reasons. First, they have a smaller airway opening than those without OSA. They also have changes in the muscles surrounding the airway that make it more collapsible than normal. People who are obese or have a large neck circumference are at particular risk of airway closure because of the excess tissue that may compress the airway opening further. When awake, patients with OSA are able to keep the collapsible airway open, but when they are asleep, the airway muscles relax, putting the patient at risk of airway closure. Figure. Pathophysiological mechanisms of OSA. This is a schematic of the mechanism responsible for OSA. (1) The patient begins awake, and as he/she falls asleep, the upper airway tissues relax and start to close. (2) Once asleep, the airway closes completely. As a result, breathing stops. (3) When the patient’s oxygen levels fall and carbon dioxide levels rise, he/she is stimulated to breath. This stimulation results in awakening, in addition to gasping and rapid …
GPS URE/UE evolutionary improvements and end-user accuracy results

It has become evident that GPS must undergo evolutionary changes in order to fully satisfy both civil and military requirements in the next century. The end-user accuracy is an area where there is continual call for improvements to provide increasing accuracy for both tactical and strategic operations. The observed URE/sup 2/ performance which describes the error contributed by the Space and Control Segment portions has seen significant step improvements which have resulted in a current URE in the range of 2.5 m from the original spec of 6.0 m, a 60% reduction in the expected error. The continuing AII/sup 3/ program efforts expect to drive this down to <1.5 m even before AUTONAV becomes operable with 6 functional IIR SV/sup 4/.
Transverse magnetic field effects on a cross- flow arc

Experiments were conducted upon an 80 amp, 1.1 atm argon cross-flow arc in a constant velocity mainstream flow of 182.8 cm/sec; electrode spacing was held constant at 6.3 mm. Applied transverse magnetic fields ranged from the zero-balanced mode (B = 0) to the balanced configuration (B = 11.2 gauss). Isotherm distributions were obtained in several horizontal planes; cross-sectional shapes and profiles were thereby inferred. The arc cross-sectional shape was found to be noncircular in all cases. For the zero-balanced mode, the major axis of the cross-sectional shape was in the direction of flow; for the balanced configuration, the major axis was in the direction transverse to the flow. The experimental results indicated that the influence of the magnetic field was perceived throughout the plasma. For the zero-balanced mode, the effects of forced convection were found principally in the outer region; the inner core was approximately circular in cross section.
Shock re‐equilibration of fluid inclusions in crystalline basement rocks from the Ries crater, Germany

This study examines the effects of shock metamorphism on fluid inclusions in crystalline basement target rocks from the Ries crater, Germany. The occurrence of two-phase fluid inclusions decreases from shock stage 0 to shock stage 1, while single-phase inclusions increase, likely as a result of re-equilibration. In shock stages 2 and 3, both two-phase and single-phase inclusions decrease with increasing shock stage, indicating that fluid inclusion vesicles are destroyed due to plastic deformation and phase changes in the host minerals. However, quartz clasts entrained in shock stage 4 melts contain both single-phase and two-phase inclusions, demonstrating the rapid quenching of the melt and the heterogeneous nature of impact deformation. Inclusions in naturally shocked polycrystalline samples survive at higher shock pressures than those in single crystal shock experiments. However, fluid inclusions in both experimental and natural samples follow a similar trend in re-equilibration at low to moderate shock pressures leading to destruction of inclusion vesicles in higher shock stages. This suggests that shock processing may lead to the destruction of fluid inclusions in many planetary materials and likely contributed to shock devolatilization of early planetesimals.
The role of osmotic resistance on equine spermatozoal function

Abstract Cryopreservation requires exposure of sperm to extreme variations in temperature and osmolality. The goal of this experiment was to determine the osmotic tolerance levels of equine sperm by analyzing motility, viability, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and mean cell volume (MCV). Spermatozoa were incubated at 22 °C for 10 min in isosmolal TALP (300 mOsm/kg), or a range of anisosmolal TALP solutions (75–900 mOsm/kg), for initial analysis, and then returned to isosmolal conditions for 10 min for further analysis. Total sperm motility was lower (P
Collective excitations and inelastic electron scattering in semiconductor superlattices.

We present a theoretical investigation of the collective excitations in doped tunneling semiconductor superlattices by calculating the loss functions describing inelastic electron scattering and Raman scattering experiments. The dynamical response of this inhomogeneous electron system is treated within the random-phase approximation. Our calculations indicate that in addition to the conventional plasma modes associated with the in-phase motion of all electrons in the system, as well as the single-particle-like transitions with nonvanishing oscillator strength, there exist plasma modes related with the charge depletion in the surface layers of typical systems. A tunneling plasma mode corresponding to the electron motion along the superlattice growth direction is also shown to exist. The dispersion relations for the different plasma modes are obtained together with their effective oscillator strength for both inelastic electron and light scattering experiments. The strongest intraminiband plasmon behaves like that in two-dimensional electron systems in the small [ital q][sub [parallel]] regime, while the surface plasma modes exhibit an acousticlike linear dispersion due to the screening of the electrons in the bulk subbands. The behavior of the tunneling plasma mode is intermediate to these two. We show explicitly that the two experimental probes emphasize different modes in the various wave-vector regimes, andmore » are therefore rather complementary.« less
Residue Met156 Contributes to the Labile Enzyme Conformation of Coagulation Factor VIIa

Serine protease activation is typically controlled by proteolytic cleavage of the scissile bond, resulting in spontaneous formation of the activating Ile16-Asp194 salt bridge. The initiating coagulation protease factor VIIa (VIIa) differs by remaining in a zymogen-like conformation that confers the control of catalytic activity to the obligatory cofactor and receptor tissue factor (TF). This study demonstrates that the unusual hydrophobic Met156residue contributes to the propensity of the VIIa protease domain to remain in a zymogen-like conformation. Mutation of Met156to Gln, which is found in the same position of the highly homologous factor IX, had no influence on the amidolytic and proteolytic activity of TF-bound VIIa. Furthermore, the mutation did not appreciably stabilize the labile Ile16-Asp194 salt bridge in the absence of cofactor. VIIaGln156 had increased affinity for TF, consistent with a long range conformational effect that stabilized the cofactor binding site in the VIIa protease domain. Notably, in the absence of cofactor, amidolytic and proteolytic function of VIIaGln156 were enhanced 3- and 9-fold, respectively, compared with wild-type VIIa. The mutation thus selectively influenced the catalytic activity of free VIIa, identifying the Met156 residue position as a determinant for the zymogen-like properties of free VIIa.
UPTAKE OF NAPHTHALENES BY THE CLAM, RANGIA CUNEATA, IN THE VICINITY OF AN OIL SEPARATOR PLATFORM IN TRINITY BAY, TEXAS

ABSTRACT In three separate experiments, the clam, Rangia cuneata was exposed under and near an oil separator platform in Trinity Bay, Texas for periods of approximately 100 days. The greatest naphthalenes uptake was in those clams exposed beneath the platform. Clams exposed at distances of 150-1,000 m from the platform showed little or no uptake of naphthalenes. In clams returned to the lab and allowed to depurate, most of the accumulated naphthalenes were released though detectable levels remained in some of the clams after 47 days. There was good correlation between the rates of naphthalenes uptake by the clams and naphthalenes levels in the sediments at the different stations. However, clams analyzed by gas chromatographic techniques showed high levels of weathered hydrocarbons suggesting that the sediments are a source of hydrocarbons accumulated by the clams. The results are discussed in relation to the physical features of Trinity Bay which is a very shallow, semi-enclosed body of water with a high ...
Biological Sciences: Effects of Cycloheximide on RNA Polymerase Specific Activity and Encystment in Acanthamoeba castellanii

TROPHOZOITES of the protozoan Acanthamoeba castellanii (Neff) possess at least two distinct RNA polymerase activities which can be separated by DEAE-‘Sephadex’ A-50 chromatography1. These enzymes show optimum activities at different magnesium, manganese, and salt concentrations. Polymerase fraction I is also inhibited by cycloheximide, while polymerase fraction II is affected by rifampin and α-amanitin.
Radiative instability of a cloudy planetary atmosphere.

A cloudy planetary atmosphere at rest is shown to be unstable to disturbances of large horizontal scale. The energy source for the instability is the change in radiative heat flux associated with vertical displacement near the emitting level. A simple model is described in which Q∞ δz, where Q is the net heating rate in the cloud and δz is vertical displacement. The constant of proportionality may be either positive or negative. Disturbances may take the form of either quasi-steady geostrophic motions or amplified inertia-gravity waves. The model is applied to Jupiter's zonal winds and to motions near the Venus cloud tops, and provides a possible explanation for many important features of these two flows.
Language fuzzing using constraint logic programming

Fuzz testing builds confidence in compilers and interpreters. It is desirable for fuzzers to allow targeted generation of programs that showcase specific language features and behaviors. However, the predominant program generation technique used by most language fuzzers, stochastic context-free grammars, does not have this property. We propose the use of constraint logic programming (CLP) for program generation. Using CLP, testers can write declarative predicates specifying interesting programs, including syntactic features and semantic behaviors. CLP subsumes and generalizes the stochastic grammar approach.
Reframing Employee Engagement Within the Context of Meaning and Purpose Implications for HRD

The ProblemLeaders who develop high levels of employee engagement within their organizations enjoy increased levels of competitive advantage. Consequently, organizations understandably desire higher levels of engagement. However, present research and perspectives on employee engagement have focused primarily on leveraging outcomes toward performance rather than the conditions that nurture performance. Such a unidimensional focus presents a gap in understanding how engagement emerges in practice and what strategies human resource development (HRD) practitioners can utilize to cultivate positive conditions for employee engagement.The SolutionReframing engagement within the context of meaning and purpose provides a unique lens from which to view the conditions that cultivate the development of engagement. In this article, we present an alternative, yet complementary view of employee engagement that focuses on how performance can be sustained within the context of meaning and purpose. Emerging implications fo...
Use of Vortex Generators and Ribs for Heat Transfer Enhancement at the Top Surface of a Uniformly Heated Horizontal Channel With Mixed Convection Flow

Although secondary flows driven by buoyancy forces enhance heat transfer from the bottom surface of a heated, horizontal channel, heat transfer coefficients at the upper surface are known to remain near forced convection levels. In situations where performance is limited by the maximum local temperature, such as the cooling of electronic circuitry, enhanced heat transfer at one surface may be of little advantage if approximately equivalent enhancement does not exist at the opposite surface. Hence differences between top and bottom surface conditions may prevent a designer from taking full advantage of buoyancy-driven flows. This note reports on exploratory experiments to assess the feasibility of using mechanical vortex generators or perforated ribs at the top surface of a uniformly heated channel to provide comparable enhancement at both surfaces.
Blended Course Design: Where's the Pedagogy?

Blended or hybrid course design is generally considered to involve a combination of online and classroom activities. However defining blended courses solely based on delivery mode suggests there is nothing more to a blended course than where students meet and how they use technology. Ultimately there is a risk that blended courses defined in this way will not utilize effective strategies that have proven to improve learning for students. This study investigates pedagogical strategies or designs that have reported success in higher education coursework as published in articles that address blended pedagogy. A qualitative meta-interpretive analysis identified eight themes: definitions of blended design, meetings for the learner, online priority, technology with a purpose, focused e-interactions, active learning, distribution of time, pedagogical chunking, and outliers and omissions.
Intertextuality: Interpretive practice and textual strategy

In contemporary media scholarship, the concept of intertextuality is used to describe both an interpretive practice of audiences and a stylistic device consciously employed by producers of media. This study examines how the frequent, scholarly conflation of these two conceptions has weakened the theoretical usefulness of both perspectives. Turning to the view of intertextuality as stylistic device, the essay identifies parodic allusion, creative appropriation, and self‐reflexive reference as three distinct intertextual strategies. It concludes by considering the ways audiences use these devices to define their identities and order their experiences.
Variation, implied pathology, social meaning, and the 'gay lisp': a response to Van Borsel et al. (2009).

Abstract This brief communication is a response to the article “The prevalence of lisping in gay men” (Van Borsel, J., De Bruyn, E., Lefebvre, E., Sokoloff, A., De Ley, S., & Baudonck, N. 2009. Journal of Communication Disorders, 42, 100–106). I argue aspects of that study's design, measurement, and interpretation limit the strength of its authors’ conclusions that there is a higher incidence of lisping in gay men than in heterosexual men. Suggestions for further research are presented.