cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Patterns of Health Insurance Discontinuity and Children’s Access to Health Care

Objectives This study classified patterns of discontinuous health insurance coverage, including change in coverage type and gaps in coverage, and described their associations with children’s access to health care. Methods Using the 2011–2013 National Health Interview Survey data, we determined children’s insurance coverage over the past year, and whether children had a usual source of care, had to delay getting care, or had unmet health care needs. Using multivariable logistic regression, we compared measures of access to care across insurance coverage patterns, classified as continuous private coverage; continuous public coverage; continuous lack of coverage; change in coverage type (public versus private) without gaps in coverage; and any gap in coverage. A subgroup analysis repeated this comparison for children with a caregiver-reported chronic physical illness. Results The analysis included 34,105 children, of whom 7% had a gap in coverage and 1% had a change in coverage type. On multivariable analysis, gaps in coverage were associated with increased likelihood of unmet health care needs, compared to continuous private (OR 6.9; 95% CI 5.9, 8.0) or continuous public coverage (OR 5.1; 95% CI 4.4, 6.0). Seamless changes in coverage were also associated with greater likelihood of unmet health care needs [OR vs. private: 3.8 (95% CI 2.3, 6.1); OR vs. public: 2.8 (95% CI 1.8, 4.6); all p < 0.001]. Results were similar for other study outcomes, and among children with chronic physical illness. Conclusions for Practice Both gaps in coverage and seamless changes between coverage types were associated with limited health care access for children.
Mouse Hepatitis Virus and Herpes Simplex Virus Move along Different CNS Pathways

The spread of mouse hepatitis virus, strain JHM and herpes simplex virus type 1 in the central nervous system after inoculation into the nares and main olfactory bulb has been examined. The results show that each virus infects a subset of the possible connections of the olfactory bulb and that the subset infected by each virus is different. Thus, both viruses will be useful for studying the neuroanatomic connections of the olfactory bulb, and possibly for functional analyses as well.
Using Community Planning to Conserve Green Infrastructure and Water Quality

Water quality, stormwater management, and other hydrological and ecological processes and services are fundamental to development of community. In places experiencing growth and development, both water quality and community are enhanced when regulatory and nonregulatory community planning tools are used to conserve green infrastructure including soil, trees and forests, riparian areas, steep slopes, and larger systems of open space. In the community planning process, understanding and considering complex ecological/social systems including the multiple dimensions of people’s values is important for success. People’s values toward and concern about water quality, and other connected ecosystem services, may increase in places experiencing capital investment, modernization, population growth, and land conversion and development. These value changes, as well as resource scarcity, drive new community planning policy effecting private property use, conflict, and green infrastructure conservation. Today, as exemplified in the idea of ecosystem management, the importance of using community planning to consider both human and ecological health, not always provided by private property ownership or utility value, is crucial given population growth, land conversion and development, and other realities. Readers interested in the cycling of water, matter, and the modeling thereof in urban environments are referred to Chaps. 17, 18 and 19, respectively.
Effects of dioxygen pressure on rates of NOx selective catalytic reduction with NH3 on Cu-CHA zeolites

At low temperatures (<523 K), the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO with NH₃ on Cu-exchanged zeolites occurs via elementary steps catalyzed by NH₃-solvated Cu ions, which are reactive intermediates in a Cuᴵᴵ/Cuᴵ redox cycle. SCR rates are typically measured under “standard” reaction conditions, in which O₂ is the oxidant and present at partial pressures (~10 kPa O₂) that cause both single-site Cuᴵᴵ reduction and dual-site Cuᴵ oxidation to behave as kinetically relevant steps. As a result, “standard” SCR rates (per g) transition from a second-order to a first-order dependence on isolated Cu content (per g) among Cu-CHA zeolites with increasing Cu content and thus spatial density (Si/Al = 15, Cu/Al = 0.08–0.37), as dual-site Cuᴵ oxidation steps limit SCR rates to lesser extents. On a given Cu-CHA catalyst, SCR rates (per Cu, 473 K) show a Langmuirian dependence on dioxygen pressure when varied widely (0–60 kPa O₂), enabling the isolation of first-order or zero-order kinetic regimes with respect to O₂. These kinetic regimes respectively correspond to limiting conditions in which either Cuᴵ oxidation or Cuᴵᴵ reduction becomes the dominant kinetically relevant step, consistent with in operando X-ray absorption spectra. First-order rate constants (per Cu) increase approximately linearly with Cu density, reflecting the dual-site requirement of O₂-assisted Cuᴵ-oxidation steps. Zero-order rate constants (per Cu) increase more gradually with Cu density, in part reflecting the increasing fraction of isolated Cu ions that are able to form binuclear intermediates and thus participate in SCR turnovers. Combining steady-state and transient kinetic data with in operando spectra provides a methodology to quantitatively describe the rate dependences of SCR reduction and oxidation processes on Cu-zeolite properties such as Cu ion density as shown here, and others including the zeolite framework topology and its density and distribution of Al atoms.
Epidemiological characteristics and etiological analysis of hand, foot and mouth disease in Xuzhou and the surrounding area in 2015

Objective To investigate the pathogen types and epidemic characteristics of the hospitalized children with hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD), and to provide reference for the prevention and treatment of HFMD. Methods The clinical data of the hospitalized children with HFMD in Xuzhou Children’s Hospital during 2015 were collected, the demographic characteristics and clinical manifestations were analyzed, and an epidemiological investigation was carried out. The fecal samples were collected and virus RNA was detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR for enterovirus 71 (EV71) and Coxsackievirus A16 (CoxA16). Results During 2015, a total of 2 792 cases with HFMD were collected, including 1 842 males and 950 females, 10 severe cases and 3 death cases. The age was from 72 days to 11 years old. Patients with HFMD mainly concentrated around March to July. A total of 1 738 cases (62.24%) were diagnosed and the peak was reached in April with 425 diagnosed cases (15.22%). The children with HFMD were concentrated among 1-3 years old (1 471 cases, 52.68%), and residentially-scattered children and childcare were the main targets of HFMD, among which stay-at-home children and secondary children accounted for 30% (837/ 2 792) and 20% (558/2 792), respectivly. Children suffered from respiratory or digestive tract diseases (39.68%, 1 108/2 792) within the last three months, poor nutritional status (59.81%, 1 670/2 792) and lower educational level of parents (64.97%, 1 814/2 792) were susceptible to HFMD. Etiological examination showed that the positive rate of EV71 was 56.2% (1 570/2 792), the positive rate of CoxA16 was 13.1% (368/ 2 792), and that of other enterovirus was 30% (854/2 792). The fecal specimens (102 cases) of the parents whose children suffered from HFMD and viral encephalitis were collected, and 44 samples were positive for EV71. Conclusions In Xuzhou and the surrounding areas, there were still more children with HFMD in 2015, and EV71 infection was the main infection. The proportion of severe patients in stay-at-home children and children with secondary infection was higher and the disease was more serious. The latent infection in adults might become another important source of infection. Key words: Hand, foot and mouth disease; Eetiology; Epidemic characteristics; Left-behind children; Second infection
$\sigma$-Ridge: group regularized ridge regression via empirical Bayes noise level cross-validation

Features in predictive models are not exchangeable, yet common supervised models treat them as such. Here we study ridge regression when the analyst can partition the features into $K$ groups based on external side-information. For example, in high-throughput biology, features may represent gene expression, protein abundance or clinical data and so each feature group represents a distinct modality. The analyst's goal is to choose optimal regularization parameters $\lambda = (\lambda_1, \dotsc, \lambda_K)$ -- one for each group. In this work, we study the impact of $\lambda$ on the predictive risk of group-regularized ridge regression by deriving limiting risk formulae under a high-dimensional random effects model with $p\asymp n$ as $n \to \infty$. Furthermore, we propose a data-driven method for choosing $\lambda$ that attains the optimal asymptotic risk: The key idea is to interpret the residual noise variance $\sigma^2$, as a regularization parameter to be chosen through cross-validation. An empirical Bayes construction maps the one-dimensional parameter $\sigma$ to the $K$-dimensional vector of regularization parameters, i.e., $\sigma \mapsto \widehat{\lambda}(\sigma)$. Beyond its theoretical optimality, the proposed method is practical and runs as fast as cross-validated ridge regression without feature groups ($K=1$).
Equivalent Faults under Launch-on-Shift (LOS) Tests with Equal Primary Input Vectors

A recent work showed that it is possible to transform a single-cycle test for stuck-at faults into a launch-on-shift (LOS) test that is guaranteed to detect the same stuck-at faults without any logic or fault simulation. The LOS test also detects transition faults. This was used for obtaining a compact LOS test set that detects both types of faults. In the scenario where LOS tests are used for both stuck-at and transition faults, this article observes that, under certain conditions, the detection of a stuck-at fault guarantees the detection of a corresponding transition fault. This implies that the two faults are equivalent under LOS tests. Equivalence can be used for reducing the set of target faults for test generation and test compaction. The article develops this notion of equivalence under LOS tests with equal primary input vectors and provides an efficient procedure for identifying it. It presents experimental results to demonstrate that such equivalences exist in benchmark circuits, and shows an unexpected effect on a test compaction procedure.
Pancreatic cyst fluid glucose in differentiating mucinous from nonmucinous pancreatic cysts: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background and Aims Recently, low levels of intracystic glucose acquired with EUS-guided pancreatic cyst fluid sampling have been shown to help to differentiate mucinous from nonmucinous cystic neoplasms. The aim of this study was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the diagnostic characteristics of pancreatic cyst fluid glucose compared with carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) for pancreatic cystic lesions. Methods Individualized searches were developed in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology guidelines and meta-analysis analyzed according to Cochrane Diagnostic Test Accuracy working group methodology. A bivariate model was used to compute pooled sensitivity and specificity, likelihood ratio, diagnostic odds ratio, and summary receiver operating characteristics curve for intracystic glucose or CEA alone or combination testing. Results Eight studies (609 lesions; mean patient age, 63.56 ± 2.75 years; 60.36% women) were included. The pooled sensitivity for pancreatic cyst fluid glucose was significantly higher compared with CEA alone (91% [95% confidence interval {CI}, 88-94; I2 = .00] vs 56% [95% CI, 46-66; I2 = 537.14]; P .05). Diagnostic accuracy was significantly higher for pancreatic cyst fluid glucose versus CEA alone (94% [95% CI, 91-96] vs 85% [95% CI, 82-88]; P .05). Conclusions Low pancreatic cyst fluid glucose was associated with a high sensitivity and specificity with significantly improved diagnostic accuracy compared with CEA alone for the diagnosis of mucinous versus nonmucinous pancreatic cystic lesions.
Terahertz characterization of carbon nanotube and graphene on-substrate thin films

Single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) thin films with thicknesses on the order of 100's nanometers on substrates and graphene thin films on substrate are characterized via Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy. The thin film is treated as a surface boundary condition between the substrate and air. Using the uniform field approximation, the surface conductivities of these films are extracted. The SWNT results show consistent surface conductivities for samples on different substrates and with different film thicknesses. The measured graphene Terahertz conductivity is comparable to the values reported in literatures at DC and optical frequency. This characterization method has been successfully applied as a means to evaluate metallic content of SWNT samples to verify a metallic SWNT purification process using high power microwave irradiation.
Comparison of Static Picture and Video Prompting on the Performance of Cooking-Related Tasks by Students with Autism.

This study compared the effectiveness of static photographs and video prompts on the independent task performance of six young men with a diagnosis of autism. An adapted alternating-treatment desig...
The effects of cheliped autotomy and regeneration on aggression in purple shore crabs (Hemigrapsus nudus)

Studies on appendage regeneration often speculate whether the regrowth of a leg or tail is an adaptive process. However, almost all of these studies have had experimental comparisons between two specific treatment groups: (1) control animals that have never autotomized and (2) animals that autotomized and subsequently regenerated. To truly understand the evolutionary significance and adaptive value of appendage regeneration, comparisons must include animals that have autotomized but not regenerated. The aim of this study was to apply this novel perspective on regeneration and aggression in the purple shore crab, Hemigrapsus nudus. Both retreat and aggressive behaviors were compared among normal males, males with autotomized claws, and males with regenerated claws. Our results demonstrated a reduction in aggressive behaviors and an increase in retreat behaviors in both autotomized and regenerated males. However, since chelipeds are not used exclusively for intrasexual selection in many decapods, future exp...
Hypertensive vascular disease: The long term effect of rapid repeated reductions of arterial pressure with diazoxide∗

Abstract The long term effect of repeated acute reductions of arterial pressure has been evaluated in 16 patients with severe hypertension who had become unresponsive to antihypertensive therapy. During a 20 day period, 300 mg. of diazoxide was administered intravenously and repeated on a daily basis as often as necessary to keep the arterial pressure more than 20 per cent below control levels. At the end of the 20 day period diazoxide had been successful in reducing the arterial pressure in 14 of 16 patients. In addition, retinopathy had cleared in 2, cardiac size significantly decreased in 4 and congestive heart failure had lessened in 4 and completely cleared in one patient. All 14 patients were then restarted on a combination of chlorthalidone and reserpine. Cardiovascular-renal function continued to improve with this therapy over a 30 month period in 7 patients. In the remaining 7 patients the addition of hydralazine or methyldopa administered in one-half the previous effective dose was needed to maintain the beneficial effect. Thirty months after the rapid reduction of arterial pressure, the average mean arterial pressure in the 14 patients was 123 + 6.7, compared to 112.5 ± 11.7 mm. Hg immediately after diazoxide. Retinopathy and congestive heart failure had cleared, and heart size was reduced in all patients. Since rapid reduction of arterial pressure with diazoxide was accomplished effectively, safely and in a short period of time, and since, at least in 14 of 16 patients studied here, beneficial effects were observed as long as 30 months it would seem: (1) that such aggressive therapy might be incorporated into the routine of treating patients with severe hypertension, and (2) the usefulness of such an approach might be evaluated in the therapy of patients with less severe types of hypertension.
Peptide Backbone Composition and Protease Susceptibility: Impact of Modification Type, Position, and Tandem Substitution

The clinical utility of peptides is limited by their rapid degradation by endogenous proteases. Modification of the peptide backbone can generate functional analogues with enhanced proteolytic stability. Existing principles for the design of such oligomers have focused primarily on effective structural mimicry. A more robust strategy would incorporate a rational approach for engineering maximal proteolytic stability with minimal unnatural residue content. We report here the systematic comparison of the proteolytic resistance imparted by four backbone modifications commonly employed in the design of protease-stable analogues of peptides with complex folding patterns. The degree of protection was quantified as a function of modification type, position, and tandem substitution in the context of a long, unstructured host sequence and a canonical serine protease. These results promise to inform ongoing work to develop biostable mimics of increasingly complex peptides and proteins.
The Finite Difference Method

This chapter contains sections titled: Finite Differencing Formulas One-Dimensional Analysis Two-Dimensional Analysis Yee's FDTD Scheme Absorbing Boundary Conditions Modeling of Dispersive Media Wave Excitation and Far-Field Calculation Summary References Problems
Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy of palladium

Abstract Large enhancements in the Raman scattering signals have been observed from molecules and ions adsorbed on a palladium surface. The largest enhancement factor is in the order of 10 5 . Results will be discussed in terms of theoretical models on the surface enhanced Raman scattering process.
Effects of Adenine Nucleotides and of Photophosphorylation on H+ Uptake and the Magnitude of the H+ Gradient in Illuminated Chloroplasts

Abstract The steady state extent of H+ uptake in illuminated chloroplasts can be observed routinely to be decreased by ADP in the presence of arsenate when these reagents are present at saturating concentrations. The failure of previous investigators to observe this phenomenon may be explained by the fact that suboptimal concentrations of ADP and especially arsenate were used. ATP (or ADP) in the absence of arsenate enhance the magnitude of the light-induced H+ concentration gradient in chloroplasts (ΔpH) by 0.15 to 0.2 unit. In the presence of arsenate, ΔpH was decreased by ADP up to 0.4 unit and this decrease was prevented by phlorizin, an energy transfer inhibitor. When phosphorylation and ΔpH, assayed under similar conditions, were varied either by decreasing light intensity or by adding an uncoupler, it was apparent that initial phosphorylation rates decreased much more rapidly than ΔpH. Plots of log phosphorylation rate against ΔpH were linear and showed that a decrease in ΔpH of 0.3 to 0.34 unit was accompained by a 10-fold decrease in the rate of phosphorylation. The observed, relatively small, decrease in ΔpH by phosphorylation is consistent with the apparent dependence of phosphorylation rate on ΔpH.
Fracture toughness of porous cordierite

A procedure was developed to prepare test specimens of porous cordierite to determine the fracture toughness of this material by the double-torsion test method. 300-μm thick test specimens were obtained from the walls of diesel particulate filters through a sequence of dry cutting/grinding operations using diamond-impregnated wheels. The fracture toughness of porous cordierite was found to be 0.46 ± 0.03 MPa√m and it was found that the fracture process was strongly influenced by the microstructure of the material. The procedures for test specimen preparation and fracture toughness testing are discussed in detail.
Fetal dopamine neural grafts: extended reversal of methylphenyltetrahydropyridine-induced parkinsonism in monkeys.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses certain critical questions, such as whether dopamine neurons are responsible for reversal of parkinsonism, or whether some other element of the neuropil, such as glia or released trophic factors may be essential, by the inclusion of control transplants of cerebellar tissue derived from the same fetal brains that were used for substantia nigra grafting. The chapter also proposes a new approach that allows a precise comparison of dopamine levels, measures neurochemically, and the presence of dopamine neurons in and near graft sites. The presence of dopaminergic neurons with fibers that extended from the graft into the host, especially within the boundaries of the punched regions, strongly supports the concept that dopamine is in a position anatomically to integrate with host brain activity. Fetal nerve cell grafts, probably, are lasting therapeutic interventions in experimentally induced Parkinsonism in a primate species closely related to human. The lack of any rejection and the development of an extensive anatomical substrate for integration with the host brain indicate that the procedure of grafting neurons possesses exciting possibilities for therapeutic intervention in human parkinsonism. Dopamine neurons are an essential component of the graft for promoting functional recovery in severely debilitated, l-methyl-4-phenyl-1, 2, 3, 6-tetrahydropyridin (MPTP) treated animals. However, more information is needed regarding the developmental, immunological and transmitter phenotype characteristics of immature human neurons that might aid or optimize their transplantation.
Social Skills Instruction for Students At Risk for Antisocial Behavior: The Effects of Small-Group Instruction.

This study examined the effectiveness of social skills instruction for seven elementary-age students at risk for antisocial behavior who were unresponsive to a schoolwide primary intervention program. Students received instruction in social skills in a small-group setting over a 10-week period. A comprehensive list of acquisition deficits was generated for each student using an empirically validated assessment tool. These acquisition deficits became the core content of each intervention group. Results revealed lasting decreases in both disruptive behaviors in the classroom and negative social interactions on the playground. Students also experienced increases in percentage of academic engaged time. Findings from a social validity measure indicated that students viewed the intervention procedures as acceptable and reportedly used the newly acquired skills in multiple settings. Limitations are discussed, and directions for future research are provided.
The Use of Medical Expulsive Therapy During Pregnancy: A Worldwide Perspective Among Experts.

Abstract Introduction: Medical expulsive therapy (MET) is a pharmacologic approach thought to augment the spontaneous passage of ureteral calculi. The usage of MET pharmacologics for presumed ureteral calculi during pregnancy has not been studied and their safety and utility are unknown. We sought to characterize the worldwide usage of MET in the setting of pregnancy with presumed ureteral calculus (P-MET), as well as factors associated with physician use. Experts in stone management were specifically sought. Materials and Methods: A nine-question survey was delivered through society-administered e-mail. Questions gathered physician's worldwide region, degree of specialization in stone disease, practice type, interval since training, and willingness to use both MET and P-MET. We assessed drugs of choice in those using P-MET and reasons for avoidance in non-P-MET users. Finally, we assessed the impact of physician-perceived medicolegal risk on usage of P-MET. Results: Five hundred sixty-five responses were...
Linear optimization models with integer solutions for ping control problems in multistatic active acoustic networks

The typical ping control objective for a multistatic network is to optimize a sonar performance metric within a search area over the mission scenario time horizon subject to available ping energy at sources. Assuming sonar performance models and near real-time multistatic target trackers are available, sonar performance metric predictions for near-future time window can be obtained. However, for Anti-Submarine Warfare applications, it is not realistic to accurately predict performance metrics involving an unknown number of evasive targets over a long scenario time horizon. Therefore, effective and efficient ping control methods must consider effective strategies to obtain desired performance over the spectrum of operational objectives and time frames. In this paper, we develop four integer-linear goal programming models to provide intelligent ping control decisions for various operational modes that depend on remaining ping energy and remaining scenario time. We incorporate the multiple objectives of: maximizing the sonar performance metric, judicious use of energy-limited sources and maintaining a certain level of ping activity. We show that the constraint matrix of each relaxed linear model possesses the total unimodularity property, guaranteeing optimal integer ping control solutions. Therefore, computationally efficient linear programming methods can be used in the implementation of these models. We simulate multiple operational scenarios and demonstrate the properties of the resulting ping strategies in terms of the performance metric and individual source and network lifetime. Results are compared to the baseline ping strategy, which considers the sonar performance metric alone.
Bioavailability of soybean isoflavones from aglycone and glucoside forms in American women

Background: Test results on the bioavailability of isoflavones in the aglycone or glucoside form in Eastern and Western human subjects are contradictory. Objective: The objective was to investigate the bioavailability of the soy isoflavones daidzein and genistein in American women with typical American dietary habits after ingestion of the aglycone or glucoside form of isoflavones. Design: Fifteen American women aged 46 ± 6 y participated in a randomized, double-blind study. Blood samples were collected 0, 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, 24, and 48 h after consumption of aglycone or glucoside tablets with breakfast. The plasma curves for daidzein, genistein, and equol were constructed and the postprandial maximum concentration (C max ), time to the maximum concentration (t max ), and area under the curve (AUC) were determined. Results: Isoflavone concentrations peaked early (1-2 h) in plasma and peaked again at 4-8 h. Mean C max , t max , and AUC values for genistein were not significantly different after ingestion of aglycone or glucoside. However, C max and AUC values, but not t max , were significantly higher for daidzein after aglycone ingestion, which was partly due to its higher content in the aglycone tablets. Equol appeared after 4 h and remained elevated after 48 h. Despite a higher content of daidzein in the aglycone tablets, the AUC for equol was significantly higher after ingestion of the glucoside tablets, probably because of the metabolic action of intestinal bacteria during the long intestinal transit time of glucoside. Conclusion: The apparent bioavailability of genistein and daidzein is not different when consumed as either aglycone or glucoside by American women.
Apps for Physical Education: Teacher Tested, Kid Approved!

Physical education teachers have been encouraged to use technology in their classes to enhance student motivation and learning. The purpose of this article is to share iOS applications (apps) that K-12 physical education teachers and students have found useful.
The influence of crystal structure and some properties of hexagonal metals on friction and adhesion

Crystal structure and lattice parameter effects on single and polycrystalline metals adhesion, friction and wear properties, discussing basal slip hexagonal metals
The role of comorbid disruptive behavior in the clinical expression of pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder

Abstract This study explored the impact of disruptive behavior disorder (DBD) comorbidity on a number of theoretically relevant outcomes among 192 children and adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Youth were divided into three groups: OCD Only, OCD + DBD comorbidity and OCD + Other comorbidity. Relative to those without a comorbid condition and those with any non-DBD comorbidity, comorbid DBD was associated with greater family accommodation and less symptom resistance. Youth with comorbid DBD exhibited greater OCD symptom severity, OCD-related impairment, anxiety, and internalizing problems than those with no comorbidity. Those with comorbid DBD were over 3.6 times as likely to be taking an atypical antipsychotic medication relative to children without comorbidity. The present results suggest that comorbid DBD contributes to more severe illness presentation above and beyond an OCD diagnosis alone, and may be associated with differing pharmacotherapy prescribing practices.
Animal models of melanoma

Linan Ha, Frances P. Noonan,w Edward C. De Fabo,w and Glenn Merlino Laboratory of Cell Regulation and Carcinogenesis, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA; wLaboratory of Photobiology and Photoimmunology, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health and Health Services, The George Washington University Medical Center, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
The responses of the left ventricle to left sympathetic burst-like stimulation

This paper attempts to verify experimentally the results of a paper by Greene and Clark (1974) on the modelling of cardiac augmentor function. Three separate stimulation protocols are utilised in this study and model and experimental results are shown to agree.
Indigenous and petroleum-derived hydrocarbons in a polluted sediment

Abstract Evidence is presented of the extremely slow rate of bacterial degradation of polluting oil trapped in a marine sediment.
Development of a lie scale for the Child Abuse Potential Inventory

The present studies describe the development of a lie scale for the Child Abuse Potential Inventory. A total of 515 subjects were employed in the initial development of a scale designed to detect and eliminate individuals who attempt to “fake good” on the inventory. Preliminary norms and reliability data for the lie scale are provided.
TAPP: temperature-aware application mapping for NoC-based many-core processors

Application mapping with its ability to spread out high-power components can potentially be a good approach to mitigate the looming issue of hotspots in many-core processors. However, very few works have explored effective ways of making tradeoff between temperature and network latency. Moreover, on-chip routers, which are of high power density and may lead to hotspots, are not considered in these works. In this paper, we propose TAPP (Temperature-Aware Partitioning and Placement), an efficient application mapping algorithm to reduce on-chip hotspots while sacrificing little network performance. This algorithm "spreads" high-power cores and routers across the chip by performing hierarchical bi-partitioning of the cores and concurrently conducting placement of the cores onto tiles, and achieves high efficiency and superior scalability. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm reduces the temperature by up to 6.80°C with minimal latency increase compared to the latency-oriented mapping solution.
Use of telemetry to assess vaccine-induced protection against parenteral and aerosol infections of Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus in non-human primates.

Two investigational vaccines, TC-83 (live-attenuated) and C-84 (formalin-inactivated), are currently available to immunize at-risk individuals against Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEE). Ideally, such vaccines should protect against both the natural mosquito-borne route of infection and from aerosol, the most common route of laboratory infection. Whereas considerable data on vaccine efficacy following parenteral challenge are available, the efficacy of these vaccines against disease caused by aerosol exposure is not well established in primates. We compared the immunogenicity and protective capacity of TC-83 and C-84 against either subcutaneous or aerosol routes of infection in cynomolgus monkeys implanted with temperature-monitoring radiotelemetry devices. A single s.c. dose of TC-83, or three s.c. doses (days 0, 7, 28) of C-84, elicited similar serum virus-neutralizing antibody responses. Animals immunized with either TC-83 or C-84 were protected against s.c. infection. In contrast, after aerosol infection, 40% of the animals vaccinated with either TC-83 or C-84 developed signs nearly as severe as those seen in unvaccinated animals. Protection was not entirely consistent with the measured preinfection immune responses: unprotected animals had serum virus-neutralizing antibody titers and lymphoproliferative responses similar to those seen in protected animals. In this study, C-84 (three doses) protected monkeys as well as TC-83 (one dose) against either a s.c. or aerosol VEE challenge.
Validity of the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure questionnaire as a measure of therapeutic response to enalapril or placebo.

Abstract Patients' perspectives concerning the effects of disease and therapy on their lives have become increasingly important for the assessment of medications in clinical trials. The Minnesota Living with Heart Failure (LIhiFE) questionnaire was developed to systematically and comprehensively assess the patient's perceptions of the effects of heart failure, and its treatment on his or her daily life.1 A valid measure of therapeutic response should be responsive to medications known to benefit patients with heart failure and be insensitive to the effects of placebo. In addition, a valid measure would indicate that patients with overt heart failure have more impairment than do those with left ventricular dysfunction who do not need medications for heart failure. We previously showed that this questionnaire was sensitive to the effects of pimobendan, an inotropic agent with vasodilator properties, and was insensitive to placebo in patients with moderate-to-severe heart failure.2,3 This report demonstrates the questionnaire's responsiveness to a converting enzyme inhibitor and confirms its insensitivity to placebo.
Laser-induced metal deposition and laser cutting techniques for fixing IC design errors

The local modification of an integrated circuit (IC) requires in general the availability of three generic processes. First, a method for cutting conductors must be provided. Second, a process for depositing new conductors must be available. Finally, a means of opening via holes through the chip passivation to the underlying conductors is needed; this operation enables newly deposited conductors to make connections to the existing circuit elements, and also provides probe access to facilitate testing of the circuit.
Perforating lichen nitidus

We report a second case of perforating lichen nitidus. This supports the occurrence of the transepidermal elimination phenomenon in lichen nitidus and justifies the addition of lichen nitidus to the family of perforating dermatoses.
Imprinting Quantum Fluctuations on Hydrodynamic Initial Conditions

Abstract We have developed an algorithm to imprint quantum fluctuations onto the initial transverse energy density profile according to a given two-point covariance function. Using as an example MC-KLN initial conditions with added fluctuations satisfying the covariance function derived in [B. Muller and A. Schafer, Phys. Rev. D 85, 114030 (2012).], we find that effects from sub-nucleonic gluon field fluctuations on the eccentricity harmonics ϵ n vary strongly with the gluonic correlation length controlled by the saturation momentum Q s . Varying Q s over the range probed in Au + Au collisions at RHIC, we find gluon fluctuation induced enhancements of the eccentricity coefficients ranging from 10 to 20% in central collisions.
Dependence of reward contingent positive variation (RCPV) and cortical synchronization on visual input in the cat.

Abstract Cats trained to press a lever for milk reward display high amplitude low frequency electrocorticographic post-reinforcement synchronization (PRS) associated with epicortical steady potential shift, termed Reward Contingent Positive Variation (RCPV), over the parieto-occipital cortex. Previously, it was found that the PRS-RCPV phenomenon depends on unpatterned light input devoid of any conceivable information or conditional property. Although training in the dark most likely eliminated the “novelty” factor and the resulting orienting reaction to “light off” as a cause of PRS-RCPV suppression, a possibility could not be excluded that the absence of ligh had a negatively reinforcing property preventing the emergence of PRS-RCPV. Hence, in the present study an experimental paradigm was used in which “light off” and/or “tone on” cues signalled the availability of reward, the “light off” periods extending through the consummatory response. Seven out of 9 cats, despite 2–4 months of daily training, and 85% correct timing of bar press performance, never showed a PRS-RCPV response (one animal showed only sporadic and poorly developed patterns). However, when the light was turned on during consumption, in 85% of such tests a fully developed PRS-RCPV emerged in a stimulus-bound manner. One animal was an exception and showed PRS-RCPV both in the absence and presence of light. It was concluded that light input plays a crucial role in the emergence of the PRS-RCPV phenomenon and therefore also participates in the integration of gustatory input.
Higher education's role in educating the older worker

Educational programs for mature adults have become widespread in the past few years but still attract only a small minority of the potential older population. One approach to increasing enrollment is to gain access to older people through their place of employment. This offers the advantages of a “captive” group, clear objectives for the instructional experience, a supportive environment, and a substantial experience base on which to plan the instruction. European industrial training of older workers offers substantial insight and application to the U.S. and may prove a boon to both educators and employers.
Poly(vinyl chloride)-g-poly(2-methyl-1,5-hexadiene): PVC fitted with multiple allyl groups

The objective of this research was to obtain poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) backbone fitted with multiple allyl (-CH2CH=CH2) functions. We attained this objective by the carbocationic grafting of 2-methyl-1,5-hexadiene (CH2=C(CH3)CH2CH2CH=CH2, MeHD) from PVC. Experimentally, grafting was mediated by adding Et2AlCl to PVC/MeHD mixtures in methylene dichloride solutions in the −50 to −80 °C range. The structure and molecular weight of PVC-g-PMeHD were characterized by NMR spectroscopy and GPC, respectively. Our technique readily yields PVCs carrying up to ∼8 allyl groups per backbone.
Reproduction and development of the endangered Sedum integrifolium ssp. leedyi (Crassulaceae).

Information on reproduction and life history is important for the conservation of endangered plants. We investigated rates of flowering, seed set, and germination in populations of the endangered perennial plant Sedum integrifolium ssp. leedyi. Germination and flowering rates differed significantly among populations, but seed set rate did not. We assayed 26 plant clusters (81 stems) from four of the five known populations for evidence of clonal reproduction using 28 randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. Of the 81 stems, 75 had unique genotypes and three pairs had identical genotypes, suggesting that clonal reproduction is infrequent. Flowering, seed set, and germination rates were correlated with our estimates of ratios of effective to actual population sizes ( N e/N), but not with Ne. The single formally protected population may be experiencing inbreeding depression. We grew plants from seed to maturity in a greenhouse, with a germination rate of 77% and survival of 98% of the germinants at 6 mo, suggesting that this will be a viable means of ex situ propagation. Plants flowered 4‐6 mo after germination and produced mature fruits 1‐2 mo later, suggesting that they have the potential to sexually reproduce in their first or second season of growth.
AN INITIAL FIELD TRIAL OF AN INSTRUMENT FOR MEASURING LEARNING STRATEGIES OF MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS

Learning strategies have been increasingly recognized as a useful tool to promote effective learning. In response to the lack of available learning strategies measures for middle school students, this study designed an instrument for these students, assessing behavioral, cognitive, and metacognitive strategies. This instrument, the Middle School Learning Strategies (MSLS) scale, is examined in terms of factorial structure, reliability, and correlates. Three factors emerge from the analyses: effective strategies, help seeking, and bad habits. The subscales displayed a reasonable reliability, ranging from .70 to .87. Student grades in language arts, social studies, math, and science were collected as criterion variables. As expected, grades in these four subjects correlated positively with both effective strategies and help seeking, yet negatively with bad habits. As a pilot measure, this instrument has demonstrated promising features as a useful tool for students to evaluate and enhance their learning strategies.
Characterization of thin Al films using grating coupling to surface plasma waves

A detailed characterization of the optical, microstructural, and electrical properties of thin (5–50 nm) Al films grown by thermal evaporation, magnetron sputtering, and ion‐assisted sputtering (IAS), is reported. Dielectric‐function measurements were carried out by using grating coupling to surface plasma waves (SPW) and, for comparison, ellipsometric measurements were also performed. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) studies of film microstructure as well as dc electrical resistivity measurements were carried out and correlated with the optical data. Using the Bruggeman effective media approximation, good agreement was obtained for thicker films (30–50 nm), but not for thinner films (<30 nm). SEM and resistivity measurements suggest that conditions of film growth influence the behavior of individual grains, resulting in increased electron reflectance at the grain boundaries with increasing energy delivered to the substrate during deposition. This resulted in lower electrical resistivities for evaporate...
Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma masked as fever of unknown origin

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma is a rare malignancy that often presents in an advanced stage. For many patients, early diagnosis is often delayed, secondary to vague symptoms and a lack of physical findings. Herein, we report an unusual case of fever of unknown origin secondary to intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.
Comment on tangential wave motion in unstable combustors

An attempt is made to gain insight into the injection boundary instability mechanism as captured by a simple computational tool developed for liquid rocket engines. Considerable evidence is generated supporting a hypothesis that destructive tangential-mode instabilities in liquid-fuel combustors are driven by combustion processes occurring at the propellant-wetted injector face. The driving action is found to be directly analogous to a burning solid propellant surface mechanism, responsible for solid rocket motor instabilities. Since the proposed instability mechanism has not been fundamentally confirmed, experimental research is strongly recommended.
A property of interface dislocations

Abstract The singular character of the interface tractions induced by an edge dislocation at the interface between two dissimilar solids is examined.
A clinical study concerning the anticariogenic effects of NaH2PO4-enriched breakfast cereals in institutionalized subjects: results after two years.

Two comparable groups of patients in an institution received 1-oz servings of ready-to-eat cereals daily for two years. One group received NaH 2 PO 4 -enriched cereal. Dental examinations before, during, and at the conclusion of the study showed that those receiving the enriched cereal had reductions in dental caries increments approaching 50%.
Side effects and aliasing can have simple axiomatic descriptions

We present a different style of axiomatic definition for programming languages. It is oriented toward imperative languages, such as Algol 68, that do not distinguish between statements and expressions. Rather than basing the logic on a notion of pre- or postcondition, we use the value of a programming language expression as the underlying primitive.A number of language constructs are examined in this framework. We argue that this style of definition gives us a significantly different view of the notion of “easy axiomatixability.” Side effects in expressions as well as aliasing between variables are shown to be “easily axiomatizable” in our system.
FLOW OVER A LOCALIZED HEAT SOURCE

Abstract A general theoretical model has been designed to analyze the properties of perturbations induced when air flows over an isolated warm portion of the earth's surface. The dependence of these perturbations on wind and temperature conditions of the large-scale flow as well as on the orientation of the local heat source with respect to the prevailing flow has been examined by performing two numerical integrations. The heat source is considered to be narrow (10 km) in the x-direction and infinite in the y-direction. The computations show that when the prevailing flow is strong, and normal to the heat source, the induced perturbations are weak. The surface wind over the heat source is accelerated and the wind at the leeward edge is stronger than at the windward side. Consequently, there is downward motion over the entire extent of the heat source. The corresponding results for the case when the prevailing flow is parallel to the heat source show considerably stronger induced perturbations and the heat ...
Zinc glucagon in the managementof idiopathic hypoglycemia

Zinc glucagon was successfully used in the management of a male infant withpersistent idiopathic hypoglycemia who had been resistant to other forms of therapy. Zinc glucagon administered in the fasting state did not produce a hyperglycemic response, but, when given in conjunction with feedings, the blood glucose values were raised to within the normal range. With each feeding the duration of a normoglycemic response was 2 to 3 hours—an effect which was observed for as long as 12 hours but less than 30 hours after administration of zinc glucagon. Therapy with a daily dose of 2.5 mg. of zinc glucagon and frequent feedings brought about a marked improvement in the patient's condition by alleviating all hypoglycemic symptoms for the past 3 months.