cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Health Disparities Among African Americans

The purpose of this research, “Health Disparities among African Americans,” is to increase our understanding of the demographic differences of health disparities that exist in America. The state of Tennessee is ranked third in the nation for obesity, and 48th in the nation in education success (CDC, 2014). The correlation between these variables, along with the intervening variable of culture, suggests a strong impact on poor health and wellness among African Americans. This research suggeststhe peculiar nature of prejudice and its relationship to poor health, race, gender, social economic status and culture as it relates to precursors of poor health. This research assessed 300 TSU African American students on the comparative analysis of body weight and body muscle (BMI Ratio) to the national average of BMI Ratios for teens to young adults ranging in age from 17-20. Comparative analysis suggests that the participants were above the national BMI average. Active Learning Workshop was useful in helping participants to increase their understanding of the correlation between weight and health and wellness.
Settlement, Deterrence and the Economics of Punitive Damages Reform

Recent proposals to reform the frequency and amount of punitive damages involve absolute and proportional limits on awards, higher evidentiary standards and/or bifurcated trials, and the sharing of punitive damages awards with the state. In this paper we present a formal model, in the product safety context, that examines the effect of such reforms on equilibrium pricing and safety claims made by firms and on equilibrium settlements and awards made to consumers who have suffered losses due to product safety failures. A firm with private information may be tempted to intentionally misrepresent its product's quality, enabling it to charge more than an informed consumer would be willing to pay. Recognizing this temptation, consumers can provide market incentives for the firm to reveal its true quality through their purchasing behavior, but in some circumstances this is insufficient to ensure the existence of a revealing equilibrium. However, intentional misrepresentation is a tort which is subject to punitive damages, and we determine the minimum punitive damages necessary, in conjunction with consumer behavior, to deter it. We also argue that this corresponds to the maximum level of punitive damages which is legally justified. Raising evidentiary standards requires an increase in punitive damages in order to maintain deterrence, but has no effect on the equilibrium probability of trial and hence no effect on the expected trial costs. Raising the share of the punitive damage award taken by the state results in an increase in the equilibrium probability of settlement, and necessitates an increase in punitive damages awarded at trial in order to maintain deterrence.
Catatonia: a syndrome appears, disappears, and is rediscovered.

Catatonia is the psychiatric syndrome of disturbed motor functions amid disturbances in mood and thought first described in 1874. It was quickly found in 10% to 38% of psychiatric populations. After it was tied to schizophrenia as a type in the psychiatric classification, its recognition became increasingly limited and by the 1980s questions were asked as to where the catatonics had gone. The decline is largely owing to the change in venue for psychiatric practice from asylum to office, the rejection of physical examination, and the dependence on item rating scales for diagnosis.In the 1970s, broad surveys again showed that catatonia was as common as before among patients with mania and depression, and as a toxic response to neuroleptic drugs. The latter recognition, that the neuroleptic malignant syndrome is the same syndrome as malignant catatonia, and is effectively treated as such, sparked a renewed interest. Clinicians developed rating scales to identify the catatonia syndrome and applied the immedia...
Biomechanical Responses of Neonatal Brachial Plexus to Mechanical Stretch.

This study investigated the biomechanical responses of neonatal piglet brachial plexus (BP) segments—root/trunk, chord, and nerve at two different rates, 0.01 mm/second (quasistatic) and 10 mm/second (dynamic)—and compared their response to another peripheral nerve (tibial). Comparisons of mechanical responses at two different rates reported a significantly higher maximum load, maximum stress, and Young's modulus (E) values when subjected to dynamic rate. Among various BP segments, maximum stress was significantly higher in the nerve segments, followed by chord and then the root/trunk segments except no differences between chord and root/trunk segments at quasistatic rate. E values exhibited similar behavior except no differences between the chord and root/trunk segments at both rates and no differences between chord and nerve segments at quasistatic rate. No differences were observed in the strain values. When compared with the tibial nerve, only mechanical properties of BP nerves were similar to the tibial nerve. Mechanical stresses and E values reported in BP root/trunk and chord segments were significantly lower than tibial nerve at both rates. When comparing the failure pattern, at quasistatic rate, necking was observed at maximum load, before a complete rupture occurred. At dynamic rate, partial rupture at maximum load, followed by a full rupture, was observed. Occurrence of the rate-dependent failure phenomenon was highest in the root/trunk segments followed by chord and nerve segments. Differences in the maximum stress, E values, and failure pattern of BP segments confirm variability in their anatomical structure and warrant future histological studies to better understand their stretch responses.
Transplant center assessment of the inequity in the kidney transplant process and outcomes for the Indigenous American patients.

Background The goal is to determine the delays and reduced rates of kidney transplant (KTx) for the Indigenous Americans and variables predictive of these outcomes at a large single transplant center. Methods 300 Indigenous Americans and 300 non-Hispanic white American patients presenting for KTx evaluation from 2012–2016 were studied. Results Compared to whites, the Indigenous Americans had the following: more diabetes, dialysis, physical limitation and worse socioeconomic characteristics(p<0.01); median difference of 20 day delay from referral to KTx evaluation, 17 day delay from approval to UNOS listing and 126.5 longer delay on the waitlist compared to whites(p<0.001). Of the Indigenous Americans listed, more died, were removed, or were still waiting than transplanted compared to whites (p<0.001). Variables predictive of delay from referral to transplant evaluation included: Indigenous race, distance from transplant center, coronary artery disease, and time on dialysis (p<0.05). Cumulative incidence of waitlisting and KTx was lower for Indigenous Americans (p<0.0001). Independent predictors of decreased likelihood of waitlisting included age, peripheral vascular disease, no caregiver, physical limitation, and illegal drug use history (p<0.05). Variables predictive of lower likelihood of KTx included Indigenous race, percentage of time inactive on the waitlist, no caregiver, and O blood type. Conclusions Among patients referred and evaluated for KTx, the Indigenous American race was independently associated with significant delays in the KTx process after accounting for co-morbid and socioeconomic factors. Cardiovascular morbidity and physical limitation were identified as important determinants of delay and decreased likelihood of waitlisting. Further quantitative and qualitative work is needed to identify and intervene on modifiable barriers to improve access to KTx for the Indigenous Americans.
Changing rate orders of race-gender heart disease death rates: An exploration of county-level race-gender disparities.

Abstract A holistic view of racial and gender disparities that simultaneously compares multiple groups can suggest associated underlying contextual factors. Therefore, to more comprehensively understand temporal changes in combined racial and gender disparities, we examine variations in the orders of county-level race-gender specific heart disease death rates by age group from 1973–2015. We estimated county-level heart disease death rates by race, gender, and age group (35–44, 45–54, 55–64, 65–74, 75–84, ≥ 85, and ≥ 35) from the National Vital Statistics System of the National Center for Health Statistics from 1973–2015. We then ordered these rates from lowest to highest for each county and year. The predominant national rate order (i.e., white women (WW)
Prevalence and descriptive epidemiology of infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis in the United States: A multistate, population-based retrospective study, 1999-2010.

Background Antecedents for infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis (IHPS) vary across studies; therefore, we conducted a multistate, population-based retrospective study of the prevalence and descriptive epidemiology of IHPS in the United States (US). Methods Data for IHPS cases (n = 29,554) delivered from 1999-2010 and enumerated from 11 US population-based birth defect surveillance programs, along with data for live births (n = 14,707,418) delivered within the same birth period and jurisdictions, were analyzed using Poisson regression to estimate IHPS prevalence per 10,000 live births. Additional data on deliveries from 1999-2005 from seven of these programs were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression to estimate adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR)s and 95% confidence intervals (CI)s for selected infant and parental characteristics. Results Overall, IHPS prevalence from 1999-2010 was 20.09 (95% CI = 19.87, 20.32) per 10,000 live births, with statistically significant increases from 2003-2006 and decreases from 2007-2010. Compared to their respective referents, aPRs were higher in magnitude for males, preterm births, and multiple births, but lower for birth weights Conclusions This study covers one of the largest samples and longest temporal period examined for IHPS in the US. Similar to findings reported in Europe, estimates suggest that IHPS prevalence has decreased recently in the US. Additional analyses supported associations with several infant and parental characteristics.
Intracranial, Spinal, and Paraspinal Infections in the Transplant Recipient

Infections of the central nervous system (ICNS) contribute significantly to morbidity and mortality in patients receiving solid organ and stem cell transplants. The risk for ICNS is influenced by multiple factors, including the organ transplanted, type and degree of immunosuppression, post-transplant adverse events, as well as donor characteristics. These infections may be classified by anatomic location – intracranial, spinal, and paraspinal – as well as by time of onset. The early post-transplant period is generally defined as the first month after transplantation. Because the major effects of exogenous immunosuppression are not yet apparent, the causes of ICNS in this time period are those derived from either the donor or recipient and infectious complications of the transplant and hospitalization. In the period 1 to 6 months after transplantation, also known as the intermediate time period, the composition of the pathogens changes. Opportunistic infections prevail; however, there is geographic variation given the inter-institution variation in immunosuppressive and antimicrobial prophylaxis strategies. During the late time period, generally defined as more than 6 months after transplantation, most patients with good graft function receive stable and reduced levels of immunosuppression while continuing on some form of antimicrobial prophylaxis. The pathogens that cause CNS infection tend to more closely resemble the community-acquired pathogens responsible for these infections in immunocompetent hosts.
Inhibitors of Eicosanoid Biosynthesis Reveal that Multiple Lipid Signaling Pathways Influence Malaria Parasite Survival in Anopheles gambiae

Eicosanoids are bioactive signaling lipids derived from the oxidation of fatty acids that act as important regulators of immune homeostasis and inflammation. As a result, effective anti-inflammatory drugs have been widely used to reduce pain and inflammation which target key eicosanoid biosynthesis enzymes. Conserved from vertebrates to insects, the use of these eicosanoid pathway inhibitors offer opportunities to evaluate the roles of eicosanoids in less-characterized insect systems. In this study, we examine the potential roles of eicosanoids on malaria parasite survival in the mosquito Anopheles gambiae. Using Plasmodium oocyst numbers to evaluate parasite infection, general or specific inhibitors of eicosanoid biosynthesis pathways were evaluated. Following the administration of dexamethasone and indomethacin, respective inhibitors of phospholipid A2 (PLA2) and cyclooxygenase (COX), oocyst numbers were unaffected. However, inhibition of lipoxygenase (LOX) activity through the use of esculetin significantly increased oocyst survival. In contrast, 12-[[(tricyclo[3.3.1.13,7]dec-1-ylamino)carbonyl]amino]-dodecanoic acid (AUDA), an inhibitor of epoxide hydroxylase (EH), decreased oocyst numbers. These experiments were further validated through RNAi experiments to silence candidate genes homologous to EH in An. gambiae to confirm their contributions to Plasmodium development. Similar to the results of AUDA treatment, the silencing of EH significantly reduced oocyst numbers. These results imply that specific eicosanoids in An. gambiae can have either agonist or antagonistic roles on malaria parasite survival in the mosquito host.
Applying the science of learning to the teaching and learning of surgical skills: The basics of surgical education

The changing climate of surgical education has led to a renewed interest in the process of learning. Research from the fields of cognitive and educational psychology, neuroscience, sociology, and behavioral economics have clear implications for the teaching and learning of psychomotor skills. This article summarizes how key learning theories impact the field of surgical education and proposes practical tips, supported by the science of learning, that can be applied to optimize resident and fellow education.
The Role of Health Concerns in Phishing Susceptibility: Survey Design Study

Background: Phishing is a cybercrime in which the attackers usually impersonate a trusted source. The attackers usually send an email that contains a link that allows them to steal the receiver’s personal information. In the United States, phishing is the number one cybercrime by victim count according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s 2019 internet crime report. Several studies investigated ways to increase awareness and improve employees’ resistance to phishing attacks. However, in 2019, successful phishing attacks continued to rise at a high rate Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of personality-based antecedents on phishing susceptibility in a health care context. Methods: Survey data were collected from participants through Amazon Mechanical Turk to test a proposed conceptual model using structural equation modeling. Results: A total of 200 participants took part. Health concerns, disposition to trust, and risk-taking propensity yielded higher phishing susceptibility. This highlights the important of personality-based factors in phishing attacks. In addition, females had a higher phishing susceptibility than male participants Conclusions: While previous studies used health concerns as a motivator for contexts such as sharing personal health records with providers, this study shed light on the danger of higher health concerns in enabling the number one cybercrime.
Compigorithm: An Interactive Tool for Guided Practice of Complexity Analysis

It is essential that students learn to write code that is not only correct, but also efficient. To that end, algorithmic complexity analysis techniques, such as Big-O analysis, are typically an important part of courses on algorithm design. However, students often hold fundamental misconceptions about how Big-O analysis works. This paper presents Compigorithm, an interactive tool for helping students practice Big-O analysis. Compigorithm scaffolds student learning by breaking down the analysis process into five concrete steps and walking students through each of these steps. When students make mistakes, they are provided with automated hints and allowed to re-attempt until they get the correct answer. Compigorithm was piloted in an introductory algorithms course and evaluated using a controlled experiment. The experimental group trained by analyzing algorithms using Compigorithm, while the control group analyzed the same algorithms by hand. On the subsequent post-test, the experimental group outperformed the control group by a significant margin (p
Using Improvement Science to (Re)Design Leadership Preparation: Exploring Curriculum Change Across Five University Programs:

In this article, we describe the challenges faced by a network of universities embarking on program improvement to navigate the inclusion of powerful learning experiences (PLEs) in existing curricu...
A Systematic Review of Literature: Alternative Offender Rehabilitation—Prison Yoga, Mindfulness, and Meditation:

For years, jails and prisons have been looking for ways to lower their health care costs. In addition, they have been looking for ways to reduce violence behind walls and reduce recidivism rates po...
Warm, Sweetened Milk at the Twilight of Immunity - Alzheimer's Disease - Inflammaging, Insulin Resistance, M. paratuberculosis and Immunosenescence

This article prosecutes a case against the zoonotic pathogen Mycobacterium avium ss. paratuberculosis (MAP) as a precipitant of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Like the other major neurodegenerative diseases AD is, at its core, a proteinopathy. Aggregated extracellular amyloid protein plaques and intracellular tau protein tangles are the recognized protein pathologies of AD. Autophagy is the cellular housekeeping process that manages protein quality control and recycling, cellular metabolism, and pathogen elimination. Impaired autophagy and cerebral insulin resistance are invariant features of AD. With a backdrop of age-related low-grade inflammation (inflammaging) and heightened immune risk (immunosenescence), infection with MAP subverts glucose metabolism and further exhausts an already exhausted autophagic capacity. Increasingly, a variety of agents have been found to favorably impact AD; they are agents that promote autophagy and reduce insulin resistance. The potpourri of these therapeutic agents: mTOR inhibitors, SIRT1 activators and vaccines are seemingly random until one recognizes that all these agents also suppress intracellular mycobacterial infection. The zoonotic mycobacterial MAP causes a common fatal enteritis in ruminant animals. Humans are exposed to MAP from contaminated food products and from the environment. The enteritis in animals is called paratuberculosis or Johne's disease; in humans, it is the putative cause of Crohn's disease. Beyond Crohn's, MAP is associated with an increasing number of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases: sarcoidosis, Blau syndrome, autoimmune diabetes, autoimmune thyroiditis, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis. Moreover, MAP has been associated with Parkinson's disease. India is one county that has extensively studied the human bio-load of MAP; 30% of more than 28,000 tested individuals were found to harbor, or to have harbored, MAP. This article asserts an unfolding realization that MAP infection of humans 1) is widespread in its presence, 2) is wide-ranging in its zoonosis and 3) provides a plausible link connecting MAP to AD.
Left atrial myxoma

Abstract A case of left atrial myxoma masquerading as a cardiomyopathy is presented; the unsuspected tumor was diagnosed by stop-action cardiac ultrasonography and echocardiography. The stop-action technique complements standard echocardiography by enhancing the delineation of anatomic and spatial orientation. It has previously been applied to congenital cardiac lesions and should prove to be a valuable noninvasive technique in the precatheterization evaluation of acquired heart disease as well.
Analysis of proteins differentially accumulated during potato late blight resistance mediated by the RB resistance gene.

Abstract The RB gene, cloned from the wild diploid potato species Solanum bulbocastanum, confers resistance against the late blight pathogen, Phytophthora infestans. We examined changes in the proteome of potato leaves in response to inoculation with P. infestans. A nearly isogenic system comprised of susceptible Solanum tuberosum cultivar ‘Katahdin’ and resistant transgenic potato (cv. ‘Katahdin’) carrying a single copy of RB was utilized for this study. Comparative proteomic analysis revealed the presence of only 12 protein spots with a significant difference (≥ twofold) in relative abundance in resistant and susceptible potato plants after inoculation with P. infestans. Five out of the 12 identified proteins have putative roles in photosynthesis and stress responses. Silencing of these genes in Nicotiana benthamiana had no impact on RB-mediated induction of the hypersensitive response (HR). However, we found that silencing of molecular chaperone HSP90 led to the inability of RB to induce the HR after recognition of the P. infestans effector IpiO in planta.
Parallel Programming with MatlabMPI

MatlabMPI is a Matlab implementation of the Message Passing Interface (MPI) standard and allows any Matlab program to exploit multiple processors. MatlabMPI currently implements the basic six functions that are the core of the MPI point-to-point communications standard. The key technical innovation of MatlabMPI is that it implements the widely used MPI ``look and feel'' on top of standard Matlab file I/O, resulting in an extremely compact (~100 lines) and ``pure'' implementation which runs anywhere Matlab runs. The performance has been tested on both shared and distributed memory parallel computers. MatlabMPI can match the bandwidth of C based MPI at large message sizes. A test image filtering application using MatlabMPI achieved a speedup of ~70 on a parallel computer.
Dynamic Load Balancing for Parallel Adaptive Mesh Refinement

Adaptive mesh refinement is a key problem in large-scale numerical calculations. The need of adaptive mesh refinement could introduce load imbalance among processors, where the load measures the amount of work required by refinement itself as well as by numerical calculations thereafter. We present a dynamic load balancing algorithm to ensure that the work load are balanced while the communication overhead is minimized. The main ingredient of our method is a technique for the estimation of the size and the element distribution of the refined mesh before we actually generate the refined mesh. Base on this estimation, we can reduce the dynamic load balancing problem to a collection of static partitioning problems, one for each processor. In parallel each processor could then locally apply a static partitioning algorithm to generate the basic units of submeshes for load rebalancing. We then model the communication cost of moving submeshes by a condensed and much smaller subdomain graph, and apply a static partitioning algorithm to generate the final partition.
A systematic method for the selection of a transport level protocol

The authors present the results of a comparison between three transport layer protocols made for the US Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) in Dahlgren, Virginia. The three protocols considered are ISO/OSI 8073 (TP-4), Versatile Message Transaction Protocol (VMTP), and Express Transfer Protocol (XTP). A discussion of the services provided by each protocol and theoretical evaluation of the efficiency of the protocols are presented. It is concluded that VMTP is the most efficient in terms of network traffic. XTP is the most general of the three and provides the most services. TP-4 appears to be the least efficient and the most limited of the three transport protocols. >
An earthquake‐like magnitude‐frequency distribution of slow slip in northern Cascadia

[1] Major episodic tremor and slip (ETS) events with Mw 6.4 to 6.7 repeat every 15 ± 2 months within the Cascadia subduction zone under the Olympic Peninsula. Although these major ETS events are observed to release strain, smaller “tremor swarms” without detectable geodetic deformation are more frequent. An automatic search from 2006–2009 reveals 20,000 five-minute windows containing tremor which cluster in space and time into 96 tremor swarms. The 93 inter-ETS tremor swarms account for 45% of the total duration of tremor detection during the last three ETS cycles. The number of tremor swarms, N, exceeding duration τ follow a power-law distribution N ∝ τ−0.66. If duration is proportional to moment release, the slip inferred from these swarms follows a standard Gutenberg-Richter logarithmic frequency-magnitude relation, with the major ETS events and smaller inter-ETS swarms lying on the same trend. This relationship implies that 1) inter-ETS slip is fundamentally similar to the major events, just smaller and more frequent; and 2) despite fundamental differences in moment-duration scaling, the slow slip magnitude-frequency distribution is the same as normal earthquakes with a b-value of 1.
Dealing with the Diagnosis

How naming a medical malady can be both horrifying for new parents and a key to unlocking resources and care.
MEMS and Si-micromachined components for low-power, high-frequency communications systems

The next leap beyond the state of the art in multichip module (MCM) for communications systems is the development of a technology which can integrate high-frequency Si/Ge based active devices, advanced micromechanical (MEMS) devices and micromachined components into one wafer. Critical advancements based on new concepts at fundamental levels of circuit design are needed in order to replace the main components of a communication system front end such as the transfer switch, diplexer, RF amplifiers, mixers, IF filters, local oscillators and IF amplifiers by very small yet power efficient monolithic versions. This presentation will discuss the development of MEMS/Si micromachined components that can replace the passive components of an existing communication system. The emphasis of this presentation will be on the transfer switch and high-Q RF/IF filters and resonators.
Behind the scenes: How transnational firms are constructing a new international division of labor in media work

Abstract Predictions that work in fields such as computer programming, architecture, and graphic design will be globally sourced have raised the specter of job losses among skilled workers in high wage economies. One of the most interesting cases tied to this controversy is that of so-called “runaway” motion picture and television production from the traditional center of entertainment media production in Los Angeles to non-US satellite production centers. Although runaway production is an old complaint in the entertainment media industries, the production location decisions of media entertainment firms since the mid-1990s look considerably different than those in the 1980s when a similar alarm was raised. Among the critical differences are: (1) the location of an expanded range of production activities in regions outside the “headquarters” location of Los Angeles; (2) the ability of transnational firms to access multiple, self-organized and networked pools of skilled labor in production locations outside Los Angeles; and (3) the expanded role of the sub-national state in reducing the overall production costs of transnational firms, including those attendant to their use of skilled labor pools. The current controversy provides an opportunity to consider how transnational firms use international out-sourcing to address their need for high-skilled and specialized labor in the production process. It also contributes to the on-going theoretical debate over how transnational firms are combining the advantages to be derived from territorial agglomeration with those of substitutability of labor skills in multiple locations.
Dislocation evolution in metals during irradiation

Abstract Physical models are developed for the evolution of the dislocation density in metals subject to irradiation at elevated temperatures. Two basic processes are shown to account for the experiment observations: the generation of dislocation line length takes place by the Bardeen-Herring mechanisms, whereas dislocation loss can be described in terms of dislocation dipole annihilation. Only two microstructural parameters, namely the mesh length and the bias variance, need to be introduced and adjusted in order to reproduce the experimental observations on dislocation evolution in austemtic stainless steels.
Determinants of State Air-Quality Management: A Comparative Analysis:

During the 1990s, greater effort will be devoted to state implementation of federal environmental policies. At the present time, however, we still do not know a great deal about the conditions that promote or inhibit state environmental management. The following study assesses the influence of four categories of factors on state air-quality enforcement in the 1980s. It suggests that federal enforcement (though declining in influence relative to other factors) was the single most important factor shaping states' air-quality enforcement in the 1980s. What this means is that it may be important to continue the tradition of an active federal regulatory role to maintain the political viability of state environmental management agencies in the 1990s.
Crystalline Cholera Toxin and Toxoid

The exo-enterotoxin of Vibrio cholerae has been obtained in crystalline form. A solution of the crystalline protein was equal in potency to the parent pure toxin in both choleragenicity and skin reactivity. Crystals of the natural toxoid, choleragenoid, resemble those of the toxin in appearance. A solution of crystalline choleragenoid was equivalent to the parent preparation in the flocculation test.
Use of brief interventions for drug abusing teenagers within a middle and high school setting.

BACKGROUND: Promising and encouraging results have been recently reported on the use of briefer interventions for adolescent drug abusers. Because middle- and high-school-based drug abuse intervention programs have grown in popularity over the past several decades, the use of brief interventions (BIs) in school settings merits consideration. METHODS: We review several clinical and school contextual issues pertaining to the scientific efficacy, feasibility, and application of BIs for students who are abusing drugs. RESULTS: Several advantages for employing BIs in a school setting are identified, including the relatively high base rate of students with mild-to-moderate drug involvement and the likelihood that school counselors can readily learn BI techniques. Caveats of implementing BIs include practical, systemic, and clinical barriers. CONCLUSIONS: Despite concerns, schools are a viable setting in which to screen youth for drug abuse problems and to conduct a BI.
Human Discrimination of Auditory Duration

A series of experiments measured human ability to discriminate between durations of auditory signals presented in a noise background. Independent variables were the signal voltage, the “base” duration T, and the increment duration ΔT. Separate experiments assessed the effect of each of these on discrimination. A decision‐theoretical model is presented, based on a “counting mechanism,” which operates on impulses generated over the relevant durations. The source of these impulses is assumed to be random. Limitations on performance come from uncertainty regarding the end points of the time interval and from limited memory. The decision processes underlying the model are presented as a general theory of duration discrimination.
A Wyner Ziv Codec for Correlated Vector Sources

In this paper we consider lossy coding of vector source x isin R N which is correlated with vector source y isin RN , known at the decoder. The general non-linear mapping between y and x capturing the correlation between the two sources can be approximated through a linear model y = Hx + n in which n is independent of x. We propose a compression scheme, namely, distributed adaptive compression (DAC). The DAC algorithm is inspired by the optimal solution for Gaussian sources and requires computation of the conditional Karhunen-Loeve transform (CKLT) of the data at the encoder. Viewing the dependency model as a fictitious communication channel we utilize linear minimum mean square error (LMMSE) equalizer at the decoder, to convert the original vector source coding problem into a set of manageable scalar source coding problems. Furthermore, inspired by bit loading strategies employed in wireless communication systems, we propose a rate allocation policy which minimizes the decoding error rate under a total rate constraint
SEED-Config: a tool for conceptual structural design in a collaborative building design environment

Abstract SEED-Config is a design environment intended to assist structural designers in collaboratively exploring and extending the design buildings. Its purpose is to help designers in rapidly synthesizing alternative structural design solutions at the conceptual level to the point where the structural concept is supportive of the overall design and possible conflicts are explored and resolved. The SEED-Config prototype consists of four subsystems. The Design Information Repository is built upon an information model that exploits the hierarchical nature of building descriptions to represent design information. It can save an overall design or parts of a design to a case library, thus supporting case-based reasoning. The Design Knowledge Manager allows for the browsing, editing, selecting and applying of technology nodes which encapsulate structural design knowledge. The Classification Reference Manager allows for the definition, management, inference and querying of classifications which are used to classify and index design solutions as they are generated. The Geometric Modeler reasons about topology and geometry.
ONE YEAR FOLLOW-UP OF NUTRITION EDUCATION FOR HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIC CHILDREN† 581

The efficacy of an innovative home-based, physician-initiated parent-child autotutorial nutrition education program (PCAT) and of standard nutrition counseling for hypercholesterolemic children were evaluated. Two-hundred-sixty-one 3.9-9.9 year old children with elevated LDL cholesterol(LDL-C) levels were randomly assigned to one of the nutrition interventions, or to an At-Risk Control group. A Not-At-Risk Control group of children with normal cholesterol levels was also recruited (n=81). The change in knowledge of heart healthy foods, dietary intake, and (for the At-Risk groups only) blood lipid levels were evaluated at 3, 6 and 12 months post-baseline. The PCAT group exhibited a significant initial increase in knowledge of heart healthy foods, which was fully retained. The PCAT and Counseling groups lowered their total fat and saturated fat intake throughout the year. The PCAT group's decrease in LDL-C level at 3 months reached borderline significance, when compared to the At-Risk Control group. This trial demonstrated that knowledge and dietary change can be affected and retained via an innovative home-based nutrition intervention for children, though some form of ongoing intervention may be necessary to produce lasting decreases in LDL-C level.
National Emphysema Treatment Trial redux: accentuating the positive.

Objective Under the Freedom of Information Act, we obtained the follow-up data of the National Emphysema Treatment Trial (NETT) to determine the long-term outcome for "a heterogeneous distribution of emphysema with upper lobe predominance," postulated by the NETT hypothesis to be optimal candidates for lung volume reduction surgery. Methods Using the NETT database, we identified patients with heterogeneous distribution of emphysema with upper lobe predominance and analyzed for the first time follow-up data for those receiving lung volume reduction surgery and those receiving medical management. Furthermore, we compared the results of the NETT reduction surgery group with a previously reported consecutive case series of 250 patients undergoing bilateral lung volume reduction surgery using similar selection criteria. Results Of the 1218 patients enrolled, 511 (42%) conformed to the NETT hypothesis selection criteria and received the randomly assigned surgical or medical treatment (surgical = 261; medical = 250). Lung volume reduction surgery resulted in a 5-year survival benefit (70% vs 60%; P = .02). Results at 3 years compared with baseline data favored surgical reduction in terms of residual volume reduction (25% vs 2%; P P P Conclusions Patients most likely to benefit from lung volume reduction surgery have heterogeneously distributed emphysema involving the upper lung zones predominantly. Such patients in the NETT trial had results nearly identical to those previously reported in a nonrandomized series of similar patients undergoing lung volume reduction surgery.
Latent Herpes Simplex Virus Infections in Sensory Ganglia of Mice After Topical Treatment with Adenine Arabinoside and Adenine Arabinoside Monophosphate

Abstract Adenine arabinoside (Ara-A) and Ara-A monosphosphate (Ara-AMP) ointments were able to prevent the fatal outcome of herpes simplex virus (HSV)-induced skin infection of the lumbosacral area in hairless mice. Ara-A and Ara-AMP had no irritating effect on the skin, but in a number of animals a protracted healing time of the skin lesions after the treatment was observed. The compounds conferred only a partial protection against the establishment of latent HSV infection in the spinal root ganglia of the treated animals. The immune response, as judged from levels of HSV-specific neutralizing serum antibody titers, was not impaired by the antiviral treatment.
Occupant Restraint Preferences of Individuals Traveling in Motor Vehicles While Seated in Their Wheelchairs

A survey among 127 wheelchair users was conducted to characterize wheelchair occupant restraint usage patterns, restraint deficiencies, user characteristics, and essential wheelchair occupant restraint design parameters for when individuals travel in motor vehicles while seated in their wheelchairs. Survey respondents value independent travel and seem generally interested in the use of an occupant restraint system that is attached to the wheelchair frame and that can be used independently by the wheelchair user without caregiver or vehicle driver assistance. Results of the survey further indicate that despite the relatively high percentage of respondents who are attempting to travel safely (78.8%), almost half of these wheelchair users have experienced injury or compromised wheelchair balance while traveling in motor vehicles.
Estimation of association constants of 42 monoclonal antibodies to human IgG epitopes using a fluorescent sequential-saturation assay.

Abstract We measured the association constant (Ka) for 42 murine monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to human IgG epitopes. Included are antibodies, previously evaluated in an IUIS/WHO collaborative study, to various epitopes on the four subclasses of human IgG — IgG Fc, IgG Fab, kappa, and lambda — and to selected IgG allotopes [1]. We used a sequential-saturation immunofluorescent assay and interactive computer program to determine the Ka by Scatchard analysis. Kas ranged from unmeasurably low by this method (∼106L/M) to 3.8 × 109 L/M. Some class specific MAbs had large Ka differences for different subclasses and some subclass specific MAbs had large Ka differences for molecules of the same subclass but of different light-chain types.
Pascal, the Pensées, and the figure of the lamb: A physiognomy

The interest in the Pensees comes from the contradictory nature of Pascal's work as being exemplary of a text in the general sense given the term due to its resistance to a unified, closed interpretation and where there exists, instead, a continual play of reversals. The Pensees is a work of instruction through contradiction where the role of physiognomy in the understanding of sentiment and truth needs to be examined. When the seventeenth-century French scientist, mathematician, and thinker Blaise Pascal (1623–1662) elaborates a method for resolving contradictions between the Old and New Testaments, he discusses Old Testament figures of Christ in terms of the human body. While positing a certain equivalence between the two testaments and that between the body and the soul, the metaphors of this spiritual exegesis become paradoxically more physical. In the Scriptures, one seeks the figure of the Author, of the Christian God, and from the body of Christ one can uncover it. To elucidate Pascal's understanding of the body of Christ, one will consider certain aspects of physiognomics operative in the seventeenth century, namely those outlined by Giovanni Battista della Porta in his De humana physiognomonia (1586).
Integrated general education: A brief look back

By tracing the historical roots of general education, we can make many of our current issues and problems in general education more understandable. This chapter is an overview of historical trends that have taken general education from the concept of a unified curriculum with no distinction between “specialized” and “general” education to the current distribution requirement that many institutions use.
Connections of the anterior commissure in the pigeon (Columba livia).

1 The projections of the anterior commissure of the pigeon (Columba livia) were studied experimentally using the Fink-Heimer methods. The anterior commissure was sectioned immediately to one side of the midline, and animals sacrificed from 2 to 17 days post-operatively. 2 The anterior commissure divides into two major fascicles on crossing the midline: a relatively diffuse anterior medial branch (or pars bulbaris), and a more compact laterally directed posterior branch (the pars temporalis). 3 The pars bulbaris passes rostrally medial to the lateral forebrain bundle (FPL), terminating, in course, in an area ventrolateral to the nucleus accumbens, the lobus parolfactorius, the dorsal portions of the olfactory tubercle, and in restricted regions on the medial edge of PA, neostriatum, and hyperstriatum ventrale. At the rostral end of the telencephalon the pars bulbaris converges with the pars temporalis in the region of the hyperstriatum intercalatus superior (HIS). 4 The pars temporalis of the anterior commissure terminates in the anterior one-third of the contralateral archistriatum. Numerous fibers leave the archistriatum and follow two separate trajectories: a dorsolaterally projecting pathway terminating in the temporo-parieto-occipital corticoid area (TPO of Edinger 1903), which continues anterolaterally to HIS; a ventrolateral rostrally directed path which parallels the tractus fronto-archistriaticus, terminating in the deep layers of the piriform cortex. At rostral levels this latter bundle turns dorsally to merge with the anteromedial and dorsolateral trajectories in the region of HIS. 5 The pattern of termination in the archistriatum indicates the presence of several discrete subnuclei within the anterior archistriatum. A tentative terminology is suggested for the major subdivisions of the anterior archistriatum. There were no commissural projections to those specific sensory neuronal fields in direct receipt of thalamic efferents such as the ectostriatum, Field L or the visual wulst.
Reciprocal relationship between mouse germ-cell mutagenesis and basic genetics: from early beginnings to future opportunities.

The scientific foundations for several mammalian germ-line mutagenesis tests in common use today were laid in the 1930s, 1940s, and early 1950s. Subsequent developments in the field have had multiple objectives: detection of mutagenicity of environmental agents (which has led to the development of numerous methodologies), identification of biological and physical factors that affect mutation yield, analysis of the structural nature of the genetic alterations, and assessment of the organismic effects of various types of mutations. Mutagenesis studies have made numerous contributions to basic genetics by generating mutant types that led to elucidation of sex-determining mechanisms in mammals; formulation of the single-active-, or inactive-, X-chromosome hypothesis; correlation of genetic and cytological maps; discovery of genetic ''imprinting'' phenomena; study of developmental pathways and cell lineages, etc. Particularly useful are sets of complexly overlapping deletions that have been recovered in radiation mutagenesis studies, propagated in breeding stocks, and genetically analyzed; these have constituted prerequisites for molecular genetic studies aimed at development of the DNA structure-function relationships for important genomic regions. Mutagenesis experiments have also served to identify mutagens that are particularly effective in inducing specific types of genetic lesions desired for basic studies. Reciprocally, basic genetics has contributed to the development ofmore » mutagenesis tests and has enhanced the value of the specific-locus test by adding to its quantitative capabilities the capability for qualitatively characterizing the actions of mutagens.« less
Business Regulations and Private Domestic Investment in Africa

In this article, the author seeks to complement the perception-based studies by utilizing the objective measures from the Doing Business project to analyze the relationship between business regulations and private domestic investment in Africa. He reports evidence that reforms in business regulations affecting contract enforcement, tax administration, firm entry, labor markets, and the private sector as a whole positively affect private domestic investment in Africa. These findings are important for assisting policy makers in creating a business regulatory environment that promotes domestic private investment and thereby encourages economic growth in Africa.
Assessment of the multimedia mitigation of radon in New York.

Although not yet implemented, the 1996 amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act instructed the states (or local water suppliers) to address radon concentrations in community water systems (CWS). As an alternative to reducing waterborne radon concentrations in the CWS to the maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 11 Bq L -1 , states (or individual CWS) would be permitted to develop a multimedia mitigation (MMM) program, which allowed a greater concentration (148 Bq L -1 ) of waterborne radon in the CWS, if it could be shown that an equivalent health risk reduction could be achieved by reducing indoor radon concentrations. For a MMM program to be acceptable, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency required the health-risk reduction attained through mitigations and radon-resistant new construction (RRNC) to offset the increased health risk due to radon in community water systems above the MCL of 11 Bq L -1 . A quantitative assessment indicates that the reduction in health risk currently achieved in New York State through radon mitigations and RRNC exceeded the increase in risk associated with an alternative MCL of 148 Bq L -1 . The implementation of a MMM program in New York would result in an overall reduction in the health risk associated with exposure to radon.
Cure Levels, Processing Methods and Meat Source Effects on Low-fat Frankfurters

Frankfurters were manufactured from lean meats (100% beef and 50:50 beef-pork) to contain reduced levels of fat (about 1.3%). A curing solutibn was added to yield 160% of fresh meat weight. Three processing methods, coarse ground tumbled, fine ground tumbled and fine ground emulsified were used. All products were cooked in live steam to 71°C internal temperature. Product yields, penetrometer values, color, chemical composition, caloric content and added water were evaluated. Emulsified frankfurters from 50:50 beef-pork mixtures at 160% cure had texture similar to conventional product as well as increased (P<0.05) yields, acceptable color and 74% fewer calories.