cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Determination of backrest inclination based on biodynamic response study for prevention of low back pain

Abstract Whole-body vibration experiments with subjects under vertical vibration were performed to examine and evaluate effects of backrest inclination on vibration transmitted through seats to the human body by using biodynamic response parameters represented by apparent mass (APMS) and vibration power absorption (VPA). The biodynamic response parameters of twelve male subjects, exposed to vertical random vibration at 0.8 m/s2 r.m.s., were characterized under three different backrest support conditions, with the upper body supported against backrest inclined at angles of 0° (vertical), 10°, and 30° with respect to the vertical axis. An increased backrest inclination angle resulted in reduction of the total power absorption calculated particularly the frequency range of 1–20 Hz. Normalized APMS magnitudes showed a principal resonance at about 5 Hz for each subject for a backrest supported vertically. A second resonant peak appeared at about 7.5 Hz in addition to the primary resonant peak for a backrest inclined at an angle of 10° and then became much steeper for a backrest inclined at angle of 30°. For a backrest inclined at an angle of 30°, the resonant peak at 5 Hz was less apparent than in other backrest inclination postures. All subjects showed the second resonant peak at about 7.5 Hz in the double-normalized VPA for a backrest inclined at an angle of 30°. According to the evaluation of vibration absorption behavior performed in this study, backrest inclination angle is preferable between 10° and 30° from the viewpoint of prevention of low back pain disorder.
High voltage tolerant stacked MOSFET in a Buck converter application

A Buck converter, created with a monolithic implementation of series connected MOSFETs at high-voltage, is presented. Using a single low-voltage control signal to trigger the bottom MOSFET in the series stack, a voltage division across parasitic and inserted capacitances in the circuit is used to turn on the entire stack of devices. The governing equations for the Stacked MOSFET are presented, and reliable operation for use in a Buck converter is presented in a 0.180 um Silicon-on-Insulator (SOI) CMOS process. The prototype is shown to handle 25 mA with a rail voltage of 3.3 V and a frequency range of 1–20 Megahertz.
Abstract A77: Weight gain and weight cycling and risk of endometrial cancer

Background: Obesity, as measured by BMI, is an established risk factor for endometrial cancer in postmenopausal women. However, whether weight gain and weight cycling, both which occur frequently, are associated with risk of endometrial cancer independent of BMI is not clear. Previous studies of weight gain have found mixed results, but there was considerable variation in how the potential influence of BMI on this association was accounted for. Some studies did not adjust for BMI at all while others adjusted for BMI from different points during life. Similarly, inconsistent findings have been reported from studies of weight cycling and risk of endometrial cancer. Because weight cycling has been suggested to influence fat distribution and the ability to lose weight, it may affect risk of endometrial cancer. Methods: The associations of weight gain and weight cycling with endometrial cancer risk were investigated in a large, well characterized prospective study, the American Cancer Society9s Cancer Prevention Study II (CPS-II) Nutrition Cohort. Included in this analysis were 38,152 women with an intact uterus who provided information on weight history and weight cycling on the 1992 baseline questionnaire. Of these, 560 were diagnosed with endometrial cancer between 1992 and June 30, 2007. Adult weight change was calculated from the reported weight at age 18 and current weight on the 1992 baseline questionnaire. Number of lifetime weight cycles was assessed based on responses to the 1992 baseline questions asking how many times 10 or more pounds were intentionally lost and later regained. Multivariate-adjusted hazards ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using Cox proportional hazards regression. Results: Total weight gain during adulthood was statistically significantly positively associated with risk of endometrial cancer (HR=3.93, 95% CI:2.73–5.65 for gained 61+ lbs versus stable weight, p Conclusions: Our finding that adult weight gain is positively associated with risk of endometrial cancer even after adjustment for BMI suggests that both adult weight gain and BMI might have independent effects on the risk of endometrial cancer. The absence of association of weight cycling with endometrial cancer incidence after adjustment for BMI suggests that cycles of intentional weight loss followed by regain do not contribute to risk of this cancer. These findings underscore the importance of avoiding adult weight gain and indicate that encouraging women to try to lose weight is unlikely to increase risk of endometrial cancer even if weight is lost and subsequently regained. Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2011;4(10 Suppl):A77.
Minimal hierarchy of Faddeev-type equations for N-particle scattering

Operators are introduced, which make up the kernels of all $N$-body Faddeev-type scattering equations. The hierarchy of these operators, and the equations they satisfy, are shown to provide the minimal description of all Faddeev-type formalisms. By means of this hierarchy, the $N$-body formalisms proposed by Yakubovskii and by Alt, Grassberger, and Sandhas are shown to be equivalent. The four-body case is treated in some detail.
Outcome following mitral valve replacement in patients with mitral stenosis and moderately reduced left ventricular ejection fraction

Background: Some patients with mitral stenosis (MS) have moderately reduced left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF), due to either depressed myocardial contractility or alterations in loading conditions. The effect of moderately reduced LV EF on outcome after mitral valve replacement (MVR) is not known. Methods: We studied 16 consecutive patients with LV EF ≤0.50 and MS without significant mitral regurgitation or other valvular or coronary artery disease (Group I). We selected four controls with LV EF >0.50 for each patient, matched for time of surgery (Group II, n = 64). Mean EF in Groups I and II was 0.45 and 0.66, respectively. We compared short- and long-term outcome between the two groups. Results: There were no perioperative deaths. Group I patients had a higher incidence of in-hospital postoperative heart failure (25% vs. 6%, P = 0.02). Mean follow-up was 9 years in both groups. Mean New York Heart Association class improved from 2.4 to 1.7 in both groups. Group I patients had a higher incidence of heart failure deaths (13% vs. 2%, P = 0.03) and admissions (40% vs. 13%, P = 0.01). There were, however, no differences between Groups I and II in overall mortality (27% vs. 21%), rate of cardiac admissions (69% vs. 53%), or mean Specific Activity Scale Score (2.5 vs. 2.5). Conclusions: Although patients with MS and moderately reduced LV EF are at higher risk for heart failure after MVR, overall mortality is not different from that of patients with normal EF. Moderate depression of LV EF should not be a contraindication to MVR for MS.
Human brain-stem auditory evoked responses obtained by cross correlation to trains of clicks, noise bursts, and tone bursts.

Brain‐stem auditory evoked responses (BAERs) were obtained in eight normal‐hearing young adults. Stimuli included clicks, noise bursts, and tone bursts. Tone bursts included carrier frequencies of 1, 2, 4, and 8 kHz. All stimuli were presented at 60 dB nHL. BAERs were obtained by presenting stimuli in pseudorandom trains, called maximum length sequences (MLSs). BAERs were recovered by cross correlating the responses with a recovery sequence. MLS–BAERs were obtained with minimum pulse intervals (MPIs) of 6, 4, and 2 ms. Conventional BAERs were also obtained for stimuli presented at a rate of 30 Hz. BAERs were obtained for all stimuli, for both the conventional averaging technique and for the cross‐correlation technique. BAERs were observed for MPIs as short as 2 ms for all stimuli. Wave V was the only peak consistently identifiable for these stimuli. For all stimuli, wave V latency increased and wave V amplitude decreased with decreasing MPI. This is the first demonstration of the use of maximum length sequences combined with cross correlation to obtain BAERs to noise burst and tone burst stimuli.
Psychometric Analysis of the Social Communication Questionnaire Using an Item-Response Theory Framework: Implications for the Use of the Lifetime and Current Forms

The Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) was developed as a screener of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). To date, the majority of the SCQ utility studies focused on its external validity (e.g., ROC curve analyses), but very few have addressed the internal validity issues. With samples consisting of 2,134 individuals available from the National Database for Autism Research (NDAR), the current study examined the factor structure, item-level characteristics, and measurement equivalence of the SCQ forms (i.e., Lifetime form and Current form) using both the classical true score theory and the Item Response Theory (IRT). While our findings indicate sufficient psychometric properties of the SCQ Lifetime form, measurement issues emerged with respect to the SCQ Current form. These issues include lower internal consistencies, a weaker factor structure, lower item discriminations, significant pseudo-guessing effects, and subscale-level measurement bias. Thus, we caution researchers and clinicians about the use of the SCQ Current form. In particular, it seems inappropriate to use the Current form as an alternative to the Lifetime form among children younger than 5 years old or under other special situations (e.g., teacher-report data), although such practices were advised by the publisher of the SCQ. Instead, we recommend modifying the wording of the Lifetime form items rather than switching to the Current form where a 3-month timeframe is specified for responding to SCQ items. Future studies may consider investigating the association between the temporality of certain behaviors and the individual’s potential for being diagnosed with ASD, as well as the age neutrality of the SCQ.
The influence of communicator-recipient similarity upon the beliefs and behavior of pregnant women

Abstract A field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of communicator-recipient similarity and verbal communication upon the attitudes and behavior of pregnant women. Similarity was varied on two dimensions, pregnancy and color; and these factors were crossed with three communication conditions: (1) information on the advantages of rooming-in and breast feeding; (2) information combined with personal endorsement; and (3) no-information control. Both a pilot study and the main experiment showed no important differences in the amount of attitude change or behavioral compliance between the communication conditions. There were also no significant differences in attitude change as a function of similarity in pregnancy. However, a significantly higher proportion of mothers breast fed and roomed-in when the communicator was pregnant and similar than when she was nonpregnant and dissimilar. Similarity in color had no effect upon attitudes or behavior for the topic of rooming-in. But when the communicator was dissimilar in color there was significant negative change in attitudes toward breast feeding. Similarity in color also increased breast feeding. Attitudes and actions were related; mothers with initially favorable attitudes were more likely to comply for both issues. But with only one exception, attitude change was unrelated to behavioral compliance. The results are discussed in terms of visible similarity as a source of information or cues for action.
RESPONSES OF GERM-FREE MICE TO FRIEND VIRUS.

CONSIDERABLE interest has developed in the germ-free animal as an assay system for potential oncogenic viruses. Theoretically it should provide a more uniform test system than the conventional animal with its unpredictable microflora which may influence unpredictably the response to the agent being studied. For this reason we undertook a comparative study of Friend virus infection in germ-free and conventional mice of the same strain. This communication concerns the results of this investigation.
Characteristics of Precipitation Features and Annual Rainfall during the TRMM Era in the Central Andes

The central Andes extends from 7 deg to 21 deg S, with its eastern boundary defined by elevation (1000m and greater) and its western boundary by the coastline. The authors used a combination of surface observations, reanalysis, and the University of Utah Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) precipitation features (PF) database to understand the characteristics of convective systems and associated rainfall in the central Andes during the TRMM era, 1998-2012. Compared to other dry (West Africa), mountainous (Himalayas), and dynamically linked (Amazon) regions in the tropics, the central Andes PF population was distinct from these other regions, with small and weak PFs dominating its cumulative distribution functions and annual rainfall totals. No more than 10% of PFs in the central Andes met any of the thresholds used to identify and define deep convection (minimum IR cloud-top temperatures, minimum 85-GHz brightness temperature, maximum height of the 40-dBZ echo). For most of the PFs, available moisture was limited (less than 35mm) and instability low (less than 500 J kg(exp -1)). The central Andes represents a largely stable, dry to arid environment, limiting system development and organization. Hence, primarily short-duration events (less than 60 min) characterized by shallow convection and light to light-moderate rainfall rates (0.5-4.0 mm h(exp -1)) were found.
The static and dynamic behavior of the human knee in vivo.

Abstract Tests are described in which the in vivo dynamic behavior of human knees are assessed by means of dynamic, static and creep tests. The dynamic behavior was investigated by means of impedance techniques in which the subject's leg was compared to the contralateral fellow over a frequency range of 0–10 Hz. Agreement was reached between the two knees of control subjects. The knee was found to behave dynamically as a Kelvin body. A complex rheological model describing the behavior of the knee both statically and dynamically is given.
A Continuum Model of Elephant Trunks

A continuum model is presented that relates the trunk parameters of loading, geometry, and muscle structure to the necessary conditions of static equilibrium. Linear theory for stress-strain behavior is used to describe an elephant trunk for an incremental displacement as the animal slowly lifts a weight at the trunk tip. With this analysis and experimental values for the trunk parameters, the apparent trunk stiffness Ea is estimated for the living animal. For an Asian elephant with a maximum compression strain of 33 percent, Ea is of the order of 10(6) N/m2. The continuum model is quite general and may be applied to similar nonskeletal appendages and bodies of other animals.
COMPARISONS BETWEEN MODEL PREDICTIONS AND MEASURED VALUES FOR AVAILABLE LYSINE LOSSES IN A MODEL FOOD SYSTEM

A mathematical model, developed to predict available-lysine losses in a model food system which had undergone an isothermal-nonstirred process, was tested under different process conditions. The model predictions were compared to measured available-lysine losses in both jacketed-mixer processing and extrusion processing. Statistical analysis using a paired t-test analysis indicated a significant correlation between predicted and actual results for the jacket-mixer process. In the extrusion experiment a statistically significant correlation (0.7) occurred when the predicted values were plotted against observed. However, variation due to product backmixing and inaccurate temperature measurement prevented a rigorous test of the model. The reaction order of available lysine loss in casein, single-cell protein and a soy protein isolate were determined at an elevated temperature. The casein and single-cell protein followed first-order reaction kinetics. The soy isolate initially follows first-order loss but after an approximate loss of 40–50% available lysine, the loss abruptly stops and a no-loss phase occurs.
The binding of streptomycin to ribonucleotides.

Incubation of streptomycin (SM)** with [32P]5'-ribonucleotides at pH 7.0 produces fractions that migrate towards the cathode in high voltage electrophoresis (HVE) separations at pH 3.5. SM appears to interact with pG, pA and pC but not with pU. The appearance of these [32P]-labeled fractions is dependent on incubation time and SM concentration. Incubation of nucleotides with dihydrostreptomycin (DSM) or SM reduced with sodium cyanoborohydride (NaBH3CN) at pH 5.0, does not produce detectable changes in [32P] nucleotide mobility on HVE; however, incubation with SM reduced with NaBH3CN at pH 7.0 does produce [32P]-labeled fractions migrating with a net positive charge. Elution of [32P]-labeled material migrating towards the cathode from SM-5'-nucleotide incubations and re-electrophoresis results in nucleotides migrating with pG, pA and pC markers. These data indicate a reversible interaction between the SM-streptose aldehyde and amino-group containing nucleotides. This type of interaction may form an additional binding site for SM to RNA, relative to DSM.
Histaminergic neurons mediate restraint stress-induced increases in the activity of noradrenergic neurons projecting to the hypothalamus.

Abstract The role of histamine in mediating restraint stress-induced increases in the activity of noradrenergic neurons projecting to the hypothalamus was evaluated in male rats. Noradrenergic neuronal activity was estimated by measuring concentrations of the norepinephrine metabolite 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylethyleneglycol (MHPG) in the paraventricular and medial preoptic nuclei which contain terminals of these neurons. Placement of rats within restraining tubes rapidly increased MHPG but not norepinephrine concentrations in the paraventricular and medial preoptic nuclei. Depletion of neuronal histamine by α-fluoromethylhistidine and antagonism of H 1 receptors by mepyramine attenuated, whereas blockade of H 2 receptors by zolantidine did not prevent the stress-induced increases in MHPG concentrations. Neither mepyramine nor zolantidine affected MHPG concentrations in hypothalamic regions of nonstressed rats. These results indicate that histaminergic neurons contribute to the stress-induced increase the activity of noradrenergic neurons projecting to the hypothalamus via an action at H 1 receptors.
Growth hormone and renal function

Summary: Recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) has been recognized to be beneficial for improving growth retardation in uraemic children. the potential effect of growth hormone (GH) on renal haemodynamics results in an increase in glomerular filtration rate and renal plasma flow. However, in GH transgenic mice and uraemic rats treated with GH, GH has been reported to aggravate glomerular sclerosis and induce deterioration in renal function. Therefore, the potential of adverse effect of GH on deterioration in renal function has been of concern in uraemic children receiving rhGH. Growth hormone enhances protein anabolism and promotes a positive nitrogen balance. It is more likely that the anabolic effect of GH used at the conventional dose may reduce renal solute load and slow the progression of end-stage renal failure (ESRF) in rhGH-treated uraemic children. A low protein diet with adequate calories slows the deterioration of renal function in uraemic patients. the effects of GH on growth promotion, renal haemodynamics and protein anabolism are mainly mediated by insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I). Insulinlike growth factor-I enhances glomerular filtration rate and promotes glomerular hypertrophy, but IGF-I administration is unlikely to give rise to glomerular sclerosis. the efficacy and the safety of concomitant therapy of recombinant GH or IGF-I and low protein diet should therefore be considered in uraemic children.
Issues in the effective use of computers in introductory and advanced courses in psychology

The recent proliferation of time-shared terminals, computers, and instructional software is producing a dramatic change in undergraduate education in psychology. Although computers have been used for many years in research in psychology, their use as instructional alternatives only recently has been thrust upon the academic community, a development for which many faculty-even experienced computer users-are ill prepared. The use of computers and microcom­ puters in instruction can provide the instructor, and more importantly, the student, with an ef­ fective pedagogical tool. However, computers cannot be introduced into the curriculum in a piecemeal or haphazard fashion. In this paper, issues involved in the effective introduction and use of computers in teaching are outlined. There are now so many computer packages available for use in instruction in psychology that a faculty mem­ ber is faced with many choices. In reading the promo­ tional literature provided by publishers and enthusiastic authors, one has the impression that it is easy to introduce computer-based instructional materials into one's classes. Most of the documentation provided with software does little to alter that perception. However, the experience of hundreds of instructors in psychology (as well as many more in other disciplines) amply demonstrates that the path to effective integration of computers into course work is strewn with traps and pitfalls for the unwary. These problems have led to frustrating experiences for faculty and students alike and, surprisingly, often have led to the elimination of instructional computing in subsequent offer­ ings of the course. The purpose of this paper is to discuss ways of introduc­ ing instructional computing into courses which will en­ hance both teaching and learning. The curricular empha­ sis is on introductory and advanced substantive courses. The methods to be covered include: (1) surveying avail­ able software; (2) evaluating software for its suitability to a particular course; (3) determining the resources (hard­ ware, software, space, staff, etc.) needed to utilize in­ structional microcomputing; (4) modifying the course syl­ labus to reflect the new resources to be used; (5) monitoring microcomputer use during the course; (6) evaluating the effectiveness of the microcomputer in improving or enhancing the course; and (7) integrating software into the departmental curriculum. Although each of these tasks is important, and I have tried to order them in a logical sequence, circumstances at individual institutions may dictate different orders and
2‐methoxyestradiol‐induced cell death in osteosarcoma cells is preceded by cell cycle arrest

2-Methoxyestradiol (2-ME), a naturally occurring mammalian metabolite of 17beta-Estradiol (E2), induces cell death in osteosarcoma cells. To further understand the molecular mechanisms of action, we have investigated cell cycle progression in 2-ME-treated human osteosarcoma (MG63, SaOS-2 and LM7 [corrected]) cells. At 5 microM, 2-ME induced growth arrest by inducing a block in cell cycle; 2-ME-treatment resulted in 2-fold increases in G1 phase cells and a decrease in S phase cells in MG63 and SaOS-2 osteosarcoma cell lines, compared to the appropriate vehicle controls. 2-ME-treatment induced a threefold increase in the G2 phase in LM7 [corrected] osteosarcoma cells. The results demonstrated steroid specificity, as the tumorigenic metabolite, 16alpha-hydroxyestradiol (16-OHE), did not have any effect on cell cycle progression in osteosarcoma cells. The cell cycle arrest coincided with an increase in expression of the cell cycle markers p21, p27 and p53 proteins in 2-ME-treated osteosarcoma cells. Also, MG63 cells, transiently transfected with cDNA for a 'loss of function mutant' RNA-dependent protein kinase (PKR) protein, were resistant to 2-ME-induced cell cycle arrest. These results suggest that 2-ME works in concert with factors regulating cell cycle progression, and cell cycle arrest precedes cell death in 2-ME-treated osteosarcoma cells.
Loss and Disorganization from an Attachment Perspective

In this article, it is hypothesized that disorganizing, disorienting, and unresolved states of mind about loss experiences, as classified by the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) coding system, may offer insight into the bereaved mind and may guide clinical treatment approaches. This article discusses pre-loss attachment organizations and the disorganizing/disorienting markers of unresolved loss found in the AAI. Although sometimes subtle in nature, the unresolved, disorganized, and disorienting indices—defined as lapses in monitoring of reason, discourse and behavior—provide concrete markers for assessing the degree of resolution for loss experiences. An attachment-based grief treatment model can add to existing models implemented in prolonged grief disorder treatment.
Multiband sigma-delta modulation

A sigma-delta modulation architecture which breaks the signal band into smaller bands and uses a different band reject noise shaping transfer function per band is described. Operating at 1.024 MHz and 64 kHz signal bandwidth with 2nd order modulators, the resolution of the architecture is 4.5 bits higher than that of a standard 2nd order sigma delta ( Sigma Delta 2).
Boronic Acids Facilitate the Transport of Ribonucleosides through Lipid Bilayers

Boronic acids were found to facilitate the transport of various ribonucleosides in and out of liposomes (artificial cells). Most experiments were conducted with large unilamellar vesicles composed of dipalmi-toylphosphatidyl choline, cholesterol, and phosphatidic acid in the ratio 20:15:2. Rates of nucleoside efflux were determined by a UV assay, whereas the influx experiments used a radiotracer method. Five boronic acids were studied: 3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenylboronic acid (1), 3,5-dichlorophenylboronic acid (2), 4-tert-butylphenylboronic acid (3), 1-bu-tylboronic acid (4), and 4-carboxyphenylboronic acid (5). The order of carrier effectiveness was found to be 1 > 3 > 2 >> 4 >> 5. Efflux and influx experiments with mixtures of nucleosides and sucrose showed virtually complete transport selectivity in favor of the nucleosides. Mechanistic studies indicate that the nucleoside transport mechanism involves transient formation of a lipophilic, trigonal boronate ester.
An isotropic glass phase in Al-Fe-Si formed by a first order transition

We present evidence of the nucleation and growth of a metallic glass phase from the melt, as if by a first-order transition. Microstructures of a number of rapidly solidified Al-Fe-Si alloys demonstrate that this glassy phase, which we term q-glass, is not a kinetically frozen liquid. It is the first phase to form from the melt as isolated nuclei that grow and deplete the melt of iron and silicon. From the nucleation behavior and the compositional partitioning, we infer an interface between the q-glass and the melt, and that, in a narrow composition range, the q-glass has a lower energy and entropy (is more ordered) than a conventional glass.
Synthesis of 5-hydroxymethyldeoxyuridine triphosphate in extracts of SP10c phage-infectedBacillus subtilis W23

A hypermodified nucleotide partially replaced deoxythymidylate in mature DNA ofBacillus subtilis phage SP10c. Studies with crude extracts of SP10c-infected cells revealed that deoxythymidylate synthetase activity declined by 70% during the program and was replaced by deoxyuridylate hydroxymethyltransferase. In addition, extracts of infected cells were able to phosphorylate 5-hydroxymethyldeoxyuridylate to the corresponding triphosphate, but these same extracts could not phosphorylate the hypermodified deoxynucleoside monophosphate. It is suggested that deoxythymidylate and the hypermodified nucleotide in mature SP10c DNA are derived by postreplicational modification of 5-hydroxymethyldeoxyuridylate in newly replicated DNA.
Super-smooth optical fabrication controlling high spatial frequency surface irregularity

Modern advanced optical systems often require challenging high spatial frequency surface error control during their optical fabrication processes. While the large scale surface figure error can be controlled by directed material removal processes such as small tool figuring, surface finish (<<1mm scales) is controlled with the polishing process. For large aspheric optical systems, surface shape irregularities of a few millimeters in scale may cause serious performance degradation in terms of scattered light background noise and high contrast imaging capability. The conventional surface micro roughness concept in Root Mean Square (RMS) over a very high spatial frequency range (e.g. RMS of 0.5 by 0.5 mm local surface map with 500 by 500 pixels) is not sufficient to describe or specify these surface characteristics. For various experimental polishing conditions, we investigate the process control for high frequency surface errors with periods up to ~2-3mm. The Power Spectral Density of the finished optical surfaces has been measured and analyzed to relate various computer controlled optical surfacing parameters (e.g. polishing interface materials) with the high spatial frequency errors on the surface. The experiment-based optimal polishing conditions and processes producing a super smooth optical surface while controlling surface irregularity at the millimeter range are presented.
Granulocyte Function in Recipients of Renal Transplants from Live Related Donors and from Cadavers

Granulocyte adherence, chemotaxis, phagocytosis, and bactericidal activity were studied in patients receiving renal transplants to determine whether defects in granulocyte function can explain increased susceptibility to infection. Five points were studied: preoperatively; immediately after transplantation; at the time of any rejection crises (when the patient was receiving large doses of prednisone and azathioprine); at discharge; and six months postoperatively with stable renal function. The major defect was depressed granulocyte adherence early postoperatively and at the time of rejection crises, when prednisone dosage was maximal. Chemotactic activity improved progressively after transplantation despite large doses of prednisone and azathioprine and was supranormal at the time of rejection crises. Phagocytosis was enhanced early postoperatively and at the time of rejection crises. Bactericidal activity was unaffected by renal transplantation and immunosuppressive therapy in recipients of transplants from live related donors, but was depressed in recipients of cadaveric kidneys.
Flexible High-Output Nanogenerator Based on Lateral ZnO Nanowire Array

We report here a simple and effective approach, named scalable sweeping-printing-method, for fabricating flexible high-output nanogenerator (HONG) that can effectively harvesting mechanical energy for driving a small commercial electronic component. The technique consists of two main steps. In the first step, the vertically aligned ZnO nanowires (NWs) are transferred to a receiving substrate to form horizontally aligned arrays. Then, parallel stripe type of electrodes are deposited to connect all of the NWs together. Using a single layer of HONG structure, an open-circuit voltage of up to 2.03 V and a peak output power density of approximately 11 mW/cm(3) have been achieved. The generated electric energy was effectively stored by utilizing capacitors, and it was successfully used to light up a commercial light-emitting diode (LED), which is a landmark progress toward building self-powered devices by harvesting energy from the environment. This research opens up the path for practical applications of nanowire-based piezoelectric nanogeneragtors for self-powered nanosystems.
High-energy picosecond laser pulse recirculation for compton scattering

Frequency upconversion of laser-generated photons by inverse Compton scattering for applications such as nuclear spectroscopy and gamma-gamma collider concepts on the future ILC would benefit from an increase of average source brightness. The primary obstacle to higher average brightness is the relatively small Thomson scattering cross section. It has been proposed that this limitation can be partially overcome by use of laser pulse recirculation. The traditional approach to laser recirculation entails resonant coupling of low-energy pulse train to a cavity through a partially reflective mirror [ 1]. Here we present an alternative, passive approach that is akin to "burst-mode" operation and does not require interferometeric alignment accuracy. Injection of a short and energetic laser pulse is achieved by placing a thin frequency converter, such as a nonlinear optical crystal, into the cavity in the path of the incident laser pulse. This method leads to the increase of x-ray/gamma-ray energy proportional to the increase in photon energy in frequency conversion. Furthermore, frequency tunability can be achieved by utilizing parametric amplifier in place of the frequency converter.
Pot-bellied pig neoplasia A retrospective case series (2004–2011)

The current report summarizes the incidence and variety of neoplasms in pot-bellied pigs as documented by the pathology group at the University of Tennessee, College of Veterinary Medicine (UTCVM) between 2004 and 2011. Sixty-three pot-bellied pig cases (53 necropsies and 10 surgical biopsies) were identified from the UTCVM case database. Of these, 22 cases from 21 patients (34.9%) were given a diagnosis of neoplasia, including 10 females, 3 spayed females, 2 males, and 7 neutered males. The mean age of affected animals was 11.3 years. The incidence of neoplasia among the necropsy cases was 28% (15/53), and in the surgical biopsy material, the incidence was 70% (7/10). Reproductive and gastrointestinal tissues were most commonly affected, and malignancies were frequently identified, with hepatic and intestinal carcinomas predominating. Multiple neoplasms were often identified in patients submitted for necropsy, and in 4 out of 11 of the necropsy cases, at least 1 of the neoplasms was a malignancy. Six nec...
Design and packaging for a microelectromechanical thermal switch radiator

Smaller satellites will require low-power, lightweight thermal control. This paper describes a technology based on a thermal switch which controls the conductivity between the radiator and a highly-emissive surface. The device is going to be tested aboard MIDSTAR 1, a small satellite that is being designed and built by students at the United States Naval Academy. This paper presents a discussion of the device design, and a detailed thermal analysis that shows how the power dissipation for the device relates to design parameters. The package and testing procedure are also described.
Wide en bloc extra-articular excision of the elbow for sarcoma with complex reconstruction

We describe a consecutive series of five patients with bone or soft-tissue sarcomas of the elbow and intra-articular extension treated by complex soft tissue, allograft bone and prosthetic joint replacement after wide extra-articular en bloc excision. All had a pedicled myocutaneous latissimus dorsi rotation flap for soft-tissue cover and reconstruction of the triceps. Wide negative surgical margins were obtained in all five patients. No local wound complications or infections were seen. There were no local recurrences at a mean follow-up of 60 months (20 to 105). The functional results were excellent in four patients and good in one. Longer term follow-up is necessary to confirm the durability of the elbow reconstruction.
A revised model of learned helesspleness in humans1

The present paper presents a revised model of learned helplessness in humans. The conditions under which performance deficits (helplessness) or enhanced performance (facilitation) will result from exposure to objective noncontingency are defined by a number of variables that have been shown to have an impact on human helplessness. The reformulated model specifies the operation of moderating variables as they affect a number of relationships: that between the perception of noncontingency and the future expectancy of response-reinforcement independence; and finally that between the expectancy of response-reinforcement independence and the behavioral deficits associated with learned helplessness. It is argued that exposure to noncontingency can affect both the value of future reward and the perceived probability of obtaining it. Performance deficits or enhanced performance will result from the perception of noncontingency depending on the nature of this double-edged effect of exposure to noncontingent delivery of reward.
Shared reality: spatial intelligence in intuitive user interfaces

In this paper, we describe an interface that demonstrates spatial intelligence. This interface, an embodied conversational kiosk, builds on research in embodied conversational agents (ECAs) and on information displays in mixed reality and kiosk format. ECAs leverage people's abilities to coordinate information displayed in multiple modalities, particularly information conveyed in speech and gesture. Mixed reality depends on users' interactions with everyday objects that are enhanced with computational overlays. We describe an implementation, MACK (Media lab Autonomous Conversational Kiosk), an ECA who can answer questions about and give directions to the MIT Media Lab's various research groups, projects and people. MACK uses a combination of speech, gesture, and indications on a normal paper map that users place on a table between themselves and MACK. Research issues involve users' differential attention to hand gestures, speech and the map, and how reference using these modalities can be fused in input and generation.
Abnormal Returns to a Fundamental Analysis Strategy

We examine whether the application of basic concepts of fundamental analysis can yield significant abnormal returns. Using a collection of signals that reflect traditional rules of fundamental analysis related to contemporaneous changes in inventories, accounts receivables, gross margins, selling expenses, capital expenditures, effective tax rates, inventory methods, audit qualifications, and labor force sales productivity, we form portfolios that earn an average 12 month cumulative size-adjusted abnormal return of 13.2 percent. We find evidence that the fundamental signals provide information about future returns that is associated with future earnings news. Moreover, a significant portion of the abnormal returns is generated around subsequent earnings announcements. These findings are consistent with the underlying focus of fundamental analysis on the prediction of earnings. Significant abnormal returns to the fundamental strategy are not earned after the end of one year of return cumulation, indicating little support for the idea that the signals capture information about multiple-year-ahead earnings not immediately impounded in price or about long-term shifts in firm risk. Additional analysis on a holdout sample suggests that the strategy continues to generate abnormal returns in a period subsequent to the introduction of the fundamental signals in the literature, and contextual analyses indicate that the strategy performs better for certain types of firms (e.g. firms with prior bad news).
Online estimation for subset-based SQL queries

The largest databases in use today are so large that answering a query exactly can take minutes, hours, or even days. One way to address this problem is to make use of approximation algorithms. Previous work on online aggregation has considered how to give online estimates with ever-increasing accuracy for aggregate functions over relational join and selection queries. However, no existing work is applicable to online estimation over subset-based SQL queries-those queries with a correlated subquery linked to an outer query via a NOT EXISTS, NOT IN, EXISTS, or IN clause (other queries such as EXCEPT and INTERSECT can also be seen as subset-based queries). In this paper we develop algorithms for online estimation over such queries, and consider the difficult problem of providing probabilistic accuracy guarantees at all times during query execution.
Parallel I/O performance: From events to ensembles

Parallel I/O is fast becoming a bottleneck to the research agendas of many users of extreme scale parallel computers. The principle cause of this is the concurrency explosion of high-end computation, coupled with the complexity of providing parallel file systems that perform reliably at such scales. More than just being a bottleneck, parallel I/O performance at scale is notoriously variable, being influenced by numerous factors inside and outside the application, thus making it extremely difficult to isolate cause and effect for performance events. In this paper, we propose a statistical approach to understanding I/O performance that moves from the analysis of performance events to the exploration of performance ensembles. Using this methodology, we examine two I/O-intensive scientific computations from cosmology and climate science, and demonstrate that our approach can identify application and middleware performance deficiencies — resulting in more than 4× run time improvement for both examined applications.
Infections Following Gastroduodenal Operations

The stomach in a normal, fasting individual contains very low concentrations, if any, of both aerobic and/or anaerobic bacteria (15). This finding is of interest if one considers the large variety and numbers of bacteria that transiently enter the stomach primarily in swallowed saliva from the oral pharynx and to a lesser degree from small bowel contents that have refluxed through the pylorus. A review of each of these microfloras follows.
Contours of Culture in Indonesia

The islands of Indonesia are of exceeding interest to the ethnologist for a variety of reasons. This is an ancient area of human habitation, where the history of man runs back to its very beginnings. Java Man stands at the head of Indonesian genealogy, and he lived hundreds of thousands of years ago. Since then, countless waves of migrants have moved into the islands. The ancestors of the primitive Tasmaniane and Australians, the Oceanic Negroes of Melanesia, and the Polynesians of the Pacific all trod the soil of the Indies in long past ages. The texture of history is deep here, deeper than almost anywhere else on earth.
The “Affirmative Action Hire”: Leading Inclusively in Diverse Religious Communities

This case tells the story of a new principal who wants to lead inclusively by including people of all religious and non-religious beliefs. When she questions some of the existing practices in her school, she faces resistance from school members and from the community, who question her identity, her intentions, and her authority. The case is intended for use in leadership courses and highlights some dilemmas of inclusive leadership around religion, as well as those found in the intersectionality of religion, race, and gender.
Variation in specific needle area of old-growth Douglas-fir in relation to needle age, within-crown position and epicormic shoot production

Variation in specific needle area (SNA; cm 2 projected fresh needle area g −1 oven-dried needle weight) was investigated in relation to needle age, within-crown position and epicormic shoot production in 450-year-old Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii Mirb. (Franco) var. menziesii) trees. Specific needle area decreased with increasing needle age. The magnitude and rate of change in SNA with needle age were greatest for lower-crown branches, and decreased toward the middle- and upper-crown branches. For all branches, there was no difference between regular and epicormic shoots in the relationship between SNA and needle age. Specific needle area decreased with increasing distance from branch base, and this relationship was significant for the majority of needle age classes of the upper- and middle-crown branches. In the lowercrown branches, SNA did not vary with distance from branch base for the majority of needle age classes. For all branches, there was no difference between regular and epicormic shoots in the relationship between SNA and distance from branch base for the majority of needle age classes. These results indicate that renewal of foliage by epicormic shoot production maintains needle quality. Branch SNA increased linearly with decreasing height in the crown at a mean rate of 0.951 ± 0.110 cm 2 g −1 per vertical meter. Total needle area of branches was estimated from total needle dry weight taking into account within-branch variation in SNA. Analyses of allometric relationships between branch size and foliage amount (needle area and needle dry weight) showed that branch length was a better predictor of foliage amount than branch diameter for old Douglas-fir trees. Total needle dry weight and needle area of the sample trees, estimated from branch length and branch height and taking into account vertical within-crown variation in branch SNA, ranged from 42.4 to 154.2 kg and from 246.2 to 816.0 m 2 per tree, respectively.
An experimental technique for the inverse identification of the structural acoustic behavior of aircraft cabins

An experimental technique for identifying modes of aircraft fuselage vibration that are well-coupled to interior cabin noise is presented. The method involves using an active control system to produce selected, dominant acoustic modes in the cabin due to the noise source, followed by measurement of the normal vibrations of the fuselage structure. Experiments performed on a full-scale aircraft show that the technique can successfully separate acoustically-significant fuselage motions from a complex vibration field, yielding only two orthogonal components in the case studied.
Surface Properties of Molybdenum Nitride Thin Films

The interaction of NH 3 and CH 3 NH 2 with the surfaces of f β-Mo 16 N 7 , γ-Mo 2 N, and δ-MoN films was investigated using thermal desorption spectroscopy. Ammonia temperature programmed desorption (TPD) spectra for the films were similar. Ammonia TPD (adsorption at ∼280 K) produced an NH 3 peak at ∼360 K. Some of the NH 3 decomposed into H 2 and N 2 . Two H 2 desorption peaks were produced: a low temperature peak due to recombination of surface hydrogen and a high temperature peak due to hydrogen that emerged from the nitride subsurface. The N 2 desorption spectrum consisted of a peak at ∼340 K and several peaks in the range 500–900 K. The desorption kinetics depended on the structure and composition of the film. 15 NH 3 TPD experiments indicated that the low temperature N 2 desorption peak was due to NH 3 decomposition, while the origin of the high temperature peaks was the nitride itself. We believe that nitrogen desorption from the nitride was induced by the presence of hydrogen which altered the Mo-N bonding. Three different CH 3 NH 2 decomposition processes were observed: complete decomposition of CH 3 NH 2 into H 2 , N 2 and C, partial decomposition into HCN, and simple C-N bond hydrogenolysis into CH 4 and NH 3 . The decomposition pathways depended on the structural and compositional properties of the films. All three processes were observed for the β- Mo 16 N 7 (400), β-Mo 16 N 7 (203) and δ-MoN(002) films, while only trace amounts of HCN were detected for the γ-Mo 2 N(200) film, suggesting that the partial decomposition into HCN was not favored on this surface. The β-Mo 16 N 7 (400) and δ-MoN(002) films had the high selectivities for simple C-N bond cleavage.