cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
First Crossing by Compound Poisson Processes

In this chapter we develop the distribution function of the first crossing times of compound Poisson processes, with different types of linear boundaries. The results have applications in inventory theory, in queuing theory, in insurance, reliability and more. Examples of applications will be given in the appropriate sections. One of the first papers on this subject is that of Perry et al. (1999).
A language in common: an approach to teaching the history of English

City University of New York students come from such varied backgrounds that it often seems the English language is the only thing they have in common. This article discusses how a course in the history of English can provide stories with which all such students can identify. The focus is on English speakers through the ages, considered in three main phases: European, Neo-European, and Non-European. The European begins with the ancient Germans and tells how some of them became the English, eventually achieving political dominance in Britain and a strong literary culture; but it also includes stories of subordinated working class and Celtic people. The Neo-European covers English-speaking expansion in North America and Australasia, emphasizing how diverse ordinary people developed new communities and new forms of speech. The Non-European includes indigenous peoples of the Neo-Europes, immigrants who came to the Americas under coercion from Africa, and peoples of the Anglophone colonies of exploitation. All ...
From a follower to a trendsetter: Hungary’s post-Cold War identity and the West

Abstract The article attempts to make sense of recent developments in Hungary's relationship with the EU and the US by explicating the logic behind the formation of its post-Cold War identity. The article's central theoretical argument derives from social identity theory (SIT) in social psychology which argues that social groups strive for positive distinctiveness and provides concrete hypotheses concerning the identity management strategies that groups use to enhance their relative position. Extrapolating the identity management techniques predicted by SIT to international politics, I suggest that states may enhance their relative standing by imitating more advanced states (strategy of social mobility), trying to displace the higher-ranked state (strategy of social competition), or finding a new arena in which to be superior (strategy of social creativity). The article argues that Orban's government post-2010 steps in domestic and foreign policy can be conceptualized as attempts to redefine Hungary's identity by moving away from the strategy of social mobility pursued since the end of communism towards the strategy of social creativity.
Meeting the Informational, Educational, and Psychosocial Support Needs of Persons Living With Dementia and Their Family Caregivers.

Background and objectives Meeting the unique and changing needs of individuals living with Alzheimer's disease and their family caregivers can be very challenging given the dynamic and often unpredictable nature of the disease. Effective programs are available to help families manage the challenges they will face. Research design and methods This article first describes the educational, information, and support needs of individuals living dementia and their family caregivers across all stages of Alzheimer's. Next, we describe the variety of services and program models targeted to the needs of individuals living with Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia and their families. Results These programs can help ensure that person- and family-centered care is maintained from time of first symptoms through end-of-life. Discussion and implications We end with our recommendations for maintaining person- and family-centered care through the provision of targeted information, education, and support to individuals and their families.
Transition Metal-Mediated and Metal-Catalyzed Carbon–Fluorine Bond Formation

The development of new C–F bond forming reactions from organotransition metal complexes has played a key role in advancing the field of fluorination chemistry and has allowed for improved access to fluorinated organic molecules of interest in medicine, materials, and agrochemicals. In this review, we describe the development of transition metal-mediated and metal-catalyzed fluorination methods over the past decade. Special attention is paid to the variety of organometallic mechanisms by which C–F bond formation can occur and the strengths and limitations of different approaches.
Isolation of Human Lymphocytes by Sedimentation

Boyum separated white blood cells from erythrocytes by aggregating red blood cells and sedimenting them (1964). The same procedure was further elaborated by Boyum and applied for bone marrow cell separations (1968). Several modifications of this procedure have been published. The principle is aggregation of erythrocytes by chemicals which do not affect white blood cells. Sedimentation of aggregated erythrocytes can be achieved without centrifugation at room temperature, and the cells remaining in the supernatant can be sedimented by low speed centrifugation. In the procedure described here, the aggregating agent is Ficoll, a polysaccharide preparation. Sodium metrizoate is added to Ficoll to increase its density, thus preventing sedimentation of nonaggregating white blood cells while permitting the sedimentation of aggregated erythrocytes. The blood sample is layered in a tube on the mixture of Ficoll and sodium metrizoate. The aggregated cells will rapidly settle to the bottom of the container. In less than an hour at room temperature, without centrifugation, the supernate will contain only white blood cells, accumulated at the interface.
TDRM: A peer-to-peer-based taxonomy data ring model

Peer-to-peer (P2P) networks are widely used due to their good scalability and robustness. This paper considers the characteristics of data sources which use some taxonomy hierarchies to classify and organize their data objects, combines P2P techniques, and proposes a P2P based taxonomy data ring model (TDRM). The model makes full use of the semantic information contained in taxonomy hierarchies, places the data objects having similar semantics together, and organizes them into one dimensional ring structure. Super-peers dynamically join the ring according to the requirement. The routing connections among super-peers are created, which are similar to Chord ring, thus a semantics based structured super-peer network is formed. Experiments show that the model has good scalability and search efficiency.
Priapism: treatment with corpus cavernosum to dorsal vein of penis shunts.

AbstractDeep and superficial dorsal vein to corpus cavernosum shunts successfully relieved priapism lasting 6 and 3½ days in 2 patients. Since the procedures are anatomically sound, require a small surgical field, do not require saphenous vein mobilization and cannot result in a urethrocutaneous fistula further, clinical trials are warranted. If this brief procedure is unsuccessful in relieving priapism corpus cavernosum to saphenous vein or corpus cavernosum to corpus spongiosum shunts can be accomplished without again preparing or positioning the patient.
Distributed Processing and Data Fusion in Dynamic Systems with Microsystem Sensor Networks

Distributed processing and control are critical to supports distributed intelligence and autonomy of multi-degree-of-freedom motion systems. Measurements and fusion of spatiotemporal physical quantities imply data-intensive computing and spatial distribution of computing resources to enable control and processing of large data sets from image and inertial sensors. We examine distributed and asynchronous processing nodes which process information independently deriving partial solutions. There are multiple sensing-and-processing nodes in each individual agent. Each node comprises solid-state or MEMS multi-degree-of-freedom sensors with ASICs which process and fuse data. On-node computing supports distributed processing. Adaptive bottom-up organization ensures data aggregation and data management with operation on sub-samples or hashed sets of large source datasets. Cooperative distributed processing is essential in centralized, decentralized and behavioral coordination. In the centralized organization, a central processor may not ensure adequacy. A network of semi-autonomous on-device processing sensors may interact to solve specific tasks and validate solutions. Problem allocation, partitioning, coordination and other tasks are implemented using software-and hardware-supported algorithms and protocols. This paper contributes to design of next generation of systems with distributed multi-node processing capabilities.
Gestational weight gain: an ounce of prevention is still worth a pound of cure.

Gestational weight gain (GWG) is an important factor in the antenatal management of pregnancy. Most obstetrics professional societies [1–5] address the issue of appropriate weight gain during pregnancy. Recommendations for GWG, however, have varied over the years, often without the benefit of sound scientific evidence, ranging from encouraging pregnant women to ‘eat for two’, to recommending minimal weight gain to prevent complications of pregnancy. In 1990 the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academy of Science in the United States convened a committee to recommend dietary intake and specific GWG recommendations with the goal of delivery of a healthy full-term infant of appropriate size [6]. The 1990 IOM committee noted that there was a positive relationship of both pre-pregnancy maternal weight and GWG with birthweight. Their recommendations were in part a response to the increased risk of the perinatal morbidity and mortality of infants with low birthweight related to poor GWG. The committee report advised an average GWG of 9.1–11.4 kg and advised against the then-current practice of limiting GWG to 4.5–6.4 kg. In 2009, in part because of the increase in numbers of overweight and/or obese people in the population and the lack of specific GWG guidelines for obese women (the 1990 committee recommended target for women with a BMI >29.0 was at least 6.8 kg), the IOM convened a committee to reexamine the GWG guidelines [7]. The results of the report were published in 2009 based on the evidence available at that time (see Table 1). A further goal was to recommend support for researchers to conduct studies on the determinants and impact of GWG, and pattern of weight gain on maternal and child outcomes. This, in the context of the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) hypothesis, has led to a substantial increase in the number of publications on GWG and impact on pregnancy outcomes over the last decade. Table 1 IOM 2009 gestational weight gain recommendations
The RhoGEF protein Plekhg5 regulates apical constriction of bottle cells during gastrulation.

ABSTRACT Apical constriction regulates epithelial morphogenesis during embryonic development, but how this process is controlled is not understood completely. Here, we identify a Rho guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) gene plekhg5 as an essential regulator of apical constriction of bottle cells during Xenopus gastrulation. plekhg5 is expressed in the blastopore lip and its expression is sufficient to induce ectopic bottle cells in epithelia of different germ layers in a Rho-dependent manner. This activity is not shared by arhgef3, which encodes another organizer-specific RhoGEF. Plekhg5 protein is localized in the apical cell cortex via its pleckstrin homology domain, and the GEF activity enhances its apical recruitment. Plekhg5 induces apical actomyosin accumulation and cell elongation. Knockdown of plekhg5 inhibits activin-induced bottle cell formation and endogenous blastopore lip formation in gastrulating frog embryos. Apical accumulation of actomyosin, apical constriction and bottle cell formation fail to occur in these embryos. Taken together, our data indicate that transcriptional regulation of plekhg5 expression at the blastopore lip determines bottle cell morphology via local polarized activation of Rho by Plekhg5, which stimulates apical actomyosin activity to induce apical constriction.
A College Knowledge Outreach Program for Latino Immigrant Parents: Process and Evaluation

As Latino immigrant families adjust to life in the U.S., they may experience individual and systems level barriers to meeting their children’s educational planning needs. In emerging immigrant communities, schools and social service agencies may not have all the resources and structures needed to serve Spanish-speaking parents. Thus, researchers and practitioners may need to consider partnership models to meet the needs of marginalized Spanish-speaking families. The article describes three stages in a community-based college knowledge educational outreach program for Latino parents: (1) needs assessment; (2) collaboration/implementation; and (3) evaluation. The educational outreach program was created and piloted for 27 Latino immigrant parents in two settings (middle school and community agency). The Bryan and Henry (2012) model for collaborative outreach for underserved populations was applied post-hoc to compare the pilot program with an ideal framework and identify possible improvements to the educational outreach program for Latino parents. Implications for program content and the process of community partnering are discussed.
The Political Economy of the American Frontier

This book offers an analytical explanation for the origins of and change in property institutions on the American frontier during the nineteenth century. Its scope is interdisciplinary, integrating insights from political science, economics, law and history. This book shows how claim clubs - informal governments established by squatters in each of the major frontier sectors of agriculture, mining, logging and ranching - substituted for the state as a source of private property institutions and how they changed the course of who received a legal title, and for what price, throughout the nineteenth century. Unlike existing analytical studies of the frontier that emphasize one or two sectors, this book considers all major sectors, as well as the relationship between informal and formal property institutions, while also proposing a novel theory of emergence and change in property institutions that provides a framework to interpret the complicated history of land laws in the United States.
Unanticipated Uses of the Global Positioning System

Global Positioning System (GPS) instruments are routinely used today to measure crustal deformation signals from tectonic plate motions, faulting, and glacial isostatic adjustment. In parallel with...
Use of Medication Error Simulations in Continuing Professional Education to Effect Change To Practice.

Introduction: A novel continuing professional education CPE training program and simulation were used to teach pharmacists and pharmacy technicians about continuous quality improvement and how to identify, report, and communicate information regarding medication related errors using root cause analysis. Methods: Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians attending a statewide pharmacy association meeting voluntary attended a CPE training program and simulation. During the simulation, learners investigated and identified medication related errors in three different pharmacy settings. A collection of items found at each pharmacy and audio recordings were used by learners to identify the medication related error. After each simulation, facilitators led a debriefing to discuss the learners’ experiences. Data was collected using online surveys. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were used to analyze the data. Results: Fourteen months following the program, 15 of the 67 participants responded to an anonymous survey. Of the 15 responding participants, 73.3% (11/15) were confident or very confident they could establish or maintain a high-quality continuous quality improvement plan at their practice site. Sixty percent (9/15) felt the experience reinforced their current practices, 13.3% (2/15) had implemented changes to their practice, and 13.3% (2/15) felt they needed more information before considering changes to their practice. Reported barriers to establishing a continuous quality improvement program were time constraints, 40.0% (6/15), system constraints, 26.7% (4/15), or lack of staff 20.0% (3/15). Conclusion: A CPE training program and simulation reinforced practice for pharmacy personnel, resulted in changes to practice, and positively increased participants’ confidence in establishing a continuous quality improvement plan in the workplace.
Targeting G1/S phase cell-cycle genomic alterations and accompanying co-alterations with individualized CDK4/6 inhibitor–based regimens

BACKGROUNDAlthough CDK4/6 inhibitors are an established treatment for hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancers, their benefit in other malignancies remains limited.METHODSWe investigated factors associated with clinical outcomes from CDK4/6 inhibitor-based therapy among patients with G1/S phase cell-cycle alterations (CDK4/6 amplifications, CCND1/2/3 amplifications, or CDKN2A/B alterations).RESULTSOverall, 2457 patients with diverse solid tumors that underwent clinical-grade, next-generation sequencing (182-465 genes) and therapy outcome of (non-breast cancer) patients treated with matched CDK4/6 inhibitors were analyzed. G1/S phase cell-cycle alterations occurred in 20.6% (507 of 2457) of patients; 99% of those patients (n = 501) harbored ≥1 characterized co-alteration (median, 4; range, 0-24). In 40 patients with G1/S phase cell-cycle alterations given CDK4/6 inhibitors as part of their regimen, significantly longer median progression-free survival (PFS) was observed when CDK4/6 inhibitor-based therapies matched a larger proportion of tumor alterations, often because CDK4/6 inhibitors were administered together with other drugs that were matched to genomic co-alterations, hence achieving a high matching score (high vs. low [≥50% vs. <50%] matching score, PFS, 6.2 vs. 2.0 months, P < 0.001 [n = 40] [multivariate]) and higher rate of stable disease ≥6 months or an objective response (57% vs. 21%, P = 0.048).CONCLUSIONIn summary, in cell-cycle-altered cancers, matched CDK4/6 inhibitors, as part of an individualized regimen targeting a majority of genomic alterations, was independently associated with longer PFS.TRIAL REGISTRATIONClinicalTrials.gov NCT02478931.FUNDINGJoan and Irwin Jacobs Fund, National Cancer Institute (P30 CA023100, R01 CA226803), and the FDA (R01 FD006334).
Concerning a seemingly intractable feature of the accountability gap

The authors put forward an interesting response to detractors of black box algorithms. According to the authors, what is of ethical relevance for medical artificial intelligence is not so much their transparency, but rather their reliability as a process capable of producing accurate and trustworthy results. The implications of this view are twofold. First, it is permissible to implement a black box algorithm in clinical settings, provided the algorithm’s epistemic authority is tempered by physician expertise and consideration of patient autonomy. Second, physicians are not expected to possess exhaustive knowledge or understanding of the algorithmic computation by which they verify or augment their medical opinions. The potential of these algorithms to improve diagnostic and procedural accuracy alongside the quality of patient decision-making is undoubtedly a boon to modern medicine, but blind deference to them is neither feasible nor responsible, as several logistical and ethical quagmires noted by the authors still remain inherent in algorithmic software. I concur …
SAPIENS: A 64-kb RRAM-Based Non-Volatile Associative Memory for One-Shot Learning and Inference at the Edge

Learning from a few examples (one/few-shot learning) on the fly is a key challenge for on-device machine intelligence. We present the first chip-level demonstration of one-shot learning with Stanford Associative memory for Programmable, Integrated Edge iNtelligence via life-long learning and Search (SAPIENS), a resistive random access memory (RRAM)-based non-volatile associative memory (AM) chip that serves as the backend for memory-augmented neural networks (MANNs). The 64-kb fully integrated RRAM-CMOS AM chip performs long-term feature embedding and retrieval, demonstrated on a 32-way one-shot learning task on the Omniglot dataset. Using only one example per class for 32 unseen classes during on-chip learning, SAPIENS achieves 79% measured inference accuracy on Omniglot, comparable to edge software model accuracy using five-level quantization (82%). It achieves an energy efficiency of 118 GOPS/W at 200 MHz for in-memory L1 distance computation and prediction. Multi-bank measurements on the same chip show that increasing the capacity from three banks (24 kb) to eight banks (64 kb) improves the chip accuracy from 73.5% to 79%, while minimizing the accuracy excursion due to bank-to-bank variability.
Do we still need to be concerned about postsurgical opioid prescribing

In an effort to expedite the publication of articles, AJHP is posting manuscripts online as soon as possible after acceptance. Accepted manuscripts have been peer-reviewed and copyedited, but are posted online before technical formatting and author proofing. These manuscripts are not the final version of record and will be replaced with the final article (formatted per AJHP style and proofed by the authors) at a later time.
On the Most Likely Convex Hull of Uncertain Points

Consider a set of points in d dimensions where the existence or the location of each point is determined by a probability distribution. The convex hull of this set is a random variable distributed over exponentially many choices. We are interested in finding the most likely convex hull, namely, the one with the maximum probability of occurrence. We investigate this problem under two natural models of uncertainty: the point (also called the tuple) model where each point (site) has a fixed position s i but only exists with some probability π i , for 0 < π i ≤ 1, and the multipoint model where each point has multiple possible locations or it may not appear at all. We show that the most likely hull under the point model can be computed in O(n 3) time for n points in d = 2 dimensions, but it is NP–hard for d ≥ 3 dimensions. On the other hand, we show that the problem is NP–hard under the multipoint model even for d = 2 dimensions. We also present hardness results for approximating the probability of the most likely hull. While we focus on the most likely hull for concreteness, our results hold for other natural definitions of a probabilistic hull.
Pregnancy-associated cardiomyopathy in survivors of childhood cancer.

Purpose Current information regarding pregnancy-associated cardiomyopathy among women treated for childhood cancer is insufficient to appropriately guide counseling and patient management. This study aims to characterize its prevalence within a large cohort of females exposed to cardiotoxic therapy.
The Role of Organizational Climate Conditions in Enhancing the Desirability of Salesperson Rewards

This paper examines how salespersons’ perceptions of organizational climate affect their desirability of available extrinsic and intrinsic rewards. Since climate can be controlled by the organization, desirability of rewards can be increased by appropriately adjusting organizational factors. Results indicate that a number of organizational climate dimensions do influence the importance that salespersons attach to various rewards.
Dam Safety Mobilization

The history of dam failures in this country serves as a reminder of the hazard potential posed by these structures. In 1889 a Johnstown, Pennsylvania, dam failure resulted in 2,209 deaths. The failure of the St. Francis Dam in Los Angeles County in 1928 resulted in a loss of over 400 lives, ranking close to the toll of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire. The failure of a Buffalo Creek, West Virginia, mine tailing dam in 1972 caused some 125 deaths. The 1976 Teton Dam collapse resulted in 11 deaths and some $1 billion worth of damages. In total, between 1970 and 1980 dam failures and related flooding resulted in some 500 deaths and $2 billion worth of losses and damage (U.S.Senate, Committee on Environment and Public Works,1983,33–34).
Woodcock-Johnson III: Test of Cognitive Abilities and Achievement

The Woodcock-Johnson III (Woodcock, McGrew, & Mather, 2001) consists of two conormed batteries: the WJ III Test of Cognitive Abilities (WJIII COG) and the WJ III Tests of Achievement (WJ III ACH). When used together, these batteries provide a comprehensive framework for evaluating and exploring the relationships and interactions among cognitive abilities and academic performance for individuals between the ages of 2 and 90+ years. The WJ III is based on the principle of selective testing; the examiner administers only the tests most relevant to the referral questions. Keywords: ability-achievement discrepancies; cognitive abilities; compuscore; learning disabilities
Sensitivity of a GCM Simulation to Inclusion of Inland Water Surfaces

Abstract A land surface model that includes a subgrid parameterization for inland water (lake, swamp, marsh) was coupled to a modified version of the NCAR CCM2. The coupled model was run for 5 yr with and without inland water subgrid points to determine the importance of inland water for global climate simulation. In July, the inclusion of these water bodies resulted in a spatially consistent signal in which high inland water regions were 2°–3°C cooler, had increased latent heat flux (10–45 W m−2), and decreased sensible heat flux (5–30 W m−2) compared to the simulation without these water bodies. These changes were statistically significant in the lake region of northwest Canada, the Great Lakes region of North America, the swamp and marsh region of the Siberian lowlands, and the lake region of East Africa, but were not significantly different in the swamp and marsh region of Finland and northwest Russia. The effect on Northern Hemisphere January air temperature was difficult to interpret due to large in...
Coefficients of chiral perturbation theory

Based on an effective chiral theory the 10 coefficients of ChPT are predicted. There is no new parameter. The current quark masses, m_{\eta}, f_{K}, and f_{\eta} are determined too.
Photoinduced conformational changes in DNA by poly(vinyl alcohol) carrying a malachite green moiety for protecting DNA against attack by nuclease

Light is a highly advantageous means of specific cell targeting. Though targeted gene delivery is an important characteristic of an ideal delivery vehicle, there has been little effort to develop a photoresponsive vector. Among nonviral vectors, cationic substances interact effectively with negatively charged DNA. With this property in mind, we designed copolymers of poly(vinyl alcohol) carrying a malachite green moiety (PVAMG) with different molecular weights. Though PVAMG has no affinity for DNA in the absence of light, it undergoes photoionization in the presence of light to afford cationic DNA binding sites. The DNA–PVAMG complex was investigated with respect to DNA conformational changes and its protective nature, which are important properties for nonviral vectors. PVAMG irradiation promoted DNA conformational transitions from coils to partial globules to compacted globules. The complex had a protective effect against DNase I after PVAMG irradiation, while DNA was degraded under dark conditions. The effect on DNA transition and the protective nature were sensitive to the molecular weight of PVAMG. The data regarding binding constants and binding mode provided insight into the structure of the DNA–PVAMG complex. To withstand DNase I attacks, complexation results in the compaction of DNA, which is further covered with PVAMG.
Gall-Insect Community on Big Sagebrush Varies with Plant Size but not Plant Age

There is astounding variation in the abundance and diversity of insect herbivores among plant individuals within plant species in natural systems. One of the most well studied hypotheses for this pattern, the plant architecture hypothesis, suggests that insect community patterns vary with plant structural complexity and plant traits associated with structure. An important limitation to our understanding of the plant architecture hypothesis has been that most studies on the topic confound plant size and plant age. This occurs because, for most plant species, larger individuals are older individuals. This is a limitation because it prevents us from knowing whether insect community patterns are more dependent on traits associated with plant size, like resource quantity or plant apparency, or traits associated with plant age, like ontogenetic changes in phytochemistry. To separate these effects, we characterized galling insect communities on sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata)-a shrub in which age and size are not tightly correlated. We identified gall insects and recorded morphological measurements from 60 plants that varied separately in size and age. We found that plant size explained significantly more variation in insect gall abundance and species richness than did plant age. These results suggest that processes supporting the plant architecture hypothesis in this system are driven primarily by plant size and not plant age per se. Resource qualities associated with host-plant ontogeny may be less important than resource quantity in the assembly of herbivorous insect communities.
Hydrogenation & Isomerization of Alkenes

Alkenes are isomerized by complexes of late, second or third series transition metals. This occurs either by successive β-hydride abstraction reactions or, more rarely, by a π–allylic mechanism. Both decyclization and annulation reactions of strained, cyclic hydrocarbons are catalyzed by these complexes. Palladium complexes are active catalysts for the Cope- and Claisen rearrangements. Homogeneous, catalytic hydrogenation can occur via three possible routes. Ruthenium complexes catalyze transfer hydrogenation. Catalyst modifications can be made to minimize by-product formation during hydrogenation or deuteriation. Keywords: cyclization and annulation; hydrido complexes; iridium complex catalysts; mechanisms; rhodium complex catalysts; ruthenium complex catalysts; sigmatropic rearrangements; tertiary phosphine complexes
nu(3) vibrational ladder of SF(6).

From an analysis of the high-resolution spectrum of the 3ν3 manifold of SF6, we have determined the anharmonicity constants to be (in reciprocal centimeters) X33 = −1.7426, G33 = 0.9188, and T33 = −0.24635. By using these constants, one can for the first time to our knowledge accurately predict the energies of the lower-vibrational sub-levels of the ν3 ladder and determine the pathways for multiple-photon absorption.
Unexpected Severe LVH in the Elderly: Consider Fabry's Disease

To avoid this dilemma,the diagnosis of ACVF should be considered inpatients with LVH and/or HNCM. Echocardio-graphy is useful for the preliminary diagno-sis of ACVF and it has been reported that abinary appearance of the left ventricular (LV)myocardium represents a sensitive and spe-ciﬁc diagnostic hallmark.
Effects of neurotoxic and neuroprotective agents on peripheral nerve regeneration assayed by time-lapse imaging in vivo

A direct histological assay of axonal regeneration would have many advantages over currently available behavioral, electrophysiological, and radiometric assays. We show that peripheral sensory axons marked with the yellow fluorescent protein in transgenic mice can be viewed transcutaneously in superficial nerves. Degenerating and regenerating axons can be followed in live animals with a dissecting microscope and then, after fixation, studied at high resolution by confocal microscopy. Using this approach, we document differences in regenerative ability after nerve transection, crush injury, and crush injury after a previous “conditioning” lesion. We also show that the chemotherapeutic drug vincristine rapidly but transiently blocks regeneration and that the immunosuppressive drug FK506 modestly enhances regeneration. Moreover, FK506 nearly restores normal regenerative ability in animals treated with submaximal doses of vincristine. Because neuropathy is the major dose-limiting side effect of vincristine, we propose that its efficacy could be enhanced by coadministration of FK506 analogs that are neuroactive but not immunosuppressive.
The challenge of gamma ray burst observations

Gamma-ray bursts, energetic emissions of high-energy photons of astrophysical origin, have posed a continuing puzzle for astronomers. As Leonard discusses in his Perspective, recent observational results are confirming that the gamma-ray bursts originate well outside our galaxy but, at the same time, offer new challenges to theorists trying to explain the mechanism of emission. Leonard discusses work recently presented at the 192nd meeting of the American Astronomical Society (7 to 12 June 1998).
Cryopreservation and transplantation of sexually immature gonads of rainbow trout

The objective of this investigation was to cryopreserve sexually immature gonads of rainbow trout (RBT). Gonads from juvenile male or female RBT were cryopreserved and stored in liquid nitrogen. Individual testes were thawed and surgically transplanted to isogenic male trout; individual ovaries were autografted. Four weeks following transplantation, all male fish were injected with salmon pituitary extract for 8–10 weeks. The transplanted testis was present in 5 of 8 animals in replicate 1 and in 3 of 6 animals in replicate 2. Fertility of sperm obtained from individual testes in replicate 2 was evaluated by in vitro fertilization. Sperm from the intact control testes had a fertilization rate of 95±3% (mean ± SEM), and sperm from transplanted testes had a fertilization rate of 78±7%. Ovaries that were frozen in liquid nitrogen, thawed and autografted to an ectopic site were not present at five months following surgery.
A Comparison of uninformed and informed death penalty opinions: A replication and expansion

This study examines the influence on death penalty opinions of participating in a college class on the death penalty. Students in the class (the experimental group) and in another class offered at the same time (the control group) were asked to complete a questionnaire regarding their attitudes toward capital punishment at the beginning and at the end of the semester. They were also asked factual questions that measured their knowledge about capital punishment. Overall, the results of the study suggest that both groups were not well informed during the pretest measure. However, at the end of the semester, the group enrolled in the death penalty class were more knowledgable, less supportive of the death penalty based on general/absrtact questions, and more likely to favor alternatives to capital punishment than were the students in the control group.
Child age and caseworker attention in child protective services investigations

Infants and toddlers are at increased risk for severe/fatal abuse, often at the hands of male perpetrators. This paper examined whether child maltreatment cases involving younger children receive more casework services, overall caseworker activity (e.g., home visits, phone contacts), and are more likely to be substantiated, particularly if a male perpetrator is involved. The randomly selected sample consisted of 293 child abuse and neglect reports in a large county in Western New York in 1993. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that younger children generally receive more overall services and caseworker activity, and that while age makes a significant contribution after the decision has been made to substantiate a case, it does not have the same effect on the initial decision of whether or not to substantiate. Gender of the perpetrator did not reliably predict caseworker attention.
Extraparticle diffusional effects in gel permeation chromatography. I. Theory

A systems approach is applied to the analysis of chromatogram resolution dispersion, or zone broadening, in gel permeation chromatography (GPC). Three possible sources of dispersion are considered; these are: the packed columns; the empty tubing between pump and columns, columns and detector, etc.; and the detection system, viz., the differential refractometer cell. It is shown that empty tubing can contribute significantly to the degree of dispersion and to skewness of elution curves and that this dispersion should depend on molecular weight of solute (polymer) and diameter and length of the tubing. The importance of dispersion in the empty tubing is compared with that in the packed columns and refractometer cell.
Measuring computer software reliability

Abstract Under certain conditions, traditional hypothesis-testing techniques may be used as a management tool by software developers or software purchasers who wish to insure that their packages have some specified reliability level. These conditions are: (1) the existence of independent collections of test data, (2) a way of determining the correctness of processing of these collections, and (3) a way of randomly selecting test data. Two basic approaches have been described. In a fixed sample size test, the user decides on the reliability desired. He can then determine the number of test cases which must be examined and the acceptance/rejection criteria. In a sequential test, the desired reliability level is again pre-determined, but samples are tested one at a time until an accept/reject decision can be made. Experiments with a large amount of error data derived from six separate systems indicate that reliability results derived from these models are consistent with actual reliability figures. Most current acceptance procedures are based on a naive assumption that a large program can be exhaustively tested and delivered in an error-free condition. Because these expectations cannot be fulfilled, the manager of a software development project or the purchaser of a software product is provided with no quantitative information on which to base an acceptance decision and is thus forced to make these decisions based mostly on intuition and his own experience in similar situations. These models allow one to replace these intuition-based decisions with quantitatively-based decisions and thus constitute an important contribution to the science of management of software development efforts.
Demonstrating the Correspondence Bias

The authors describe a classroom-based demonstration of the correspondence bias—the tendency for observers to make dispositional attributions for an actor’s behavior. The demonstration is memorable...
Self organizing maps for monitoring parameter deterioration of DC and AC motors

A novel method for the detection of faults in DC and AC motors using Kohonen Networks (Self Organized Maps) is presented in this paper. The advantage of this technique is that it only requires input samples to perform the training of the network, a difference from other Neural Network architectures that need both inputs and outputs to perform the training. This technique generates fault maps based only on the inputs that are received from the motor under test. The maps can be used to clearly identify different types of faults in DC and AC motors since similar faults generate the same type of map. The main advantages of this technique are that it can be used to test motors in real time and on-site, without having to disconnect the motor for testing. The technique can be applied for testing motors used in production lines without having to stop operation for testing.
Primates of All Types Swing Through the Pages of The Anatomical Record

Painting of a spider monkey (Ateles) in an arboreal setting, gripping tree branches with hands, feet, and prehensile tail. Superimposed is a radiograph of a spider monkey (Ateles) tail (USNM 536100). The original painting is in acrylic, by Tim D. Smith. A special thanks to Leo W. Smith for allowing us to use his bedroom wall mural for the cover of this issue.
The effect of molecular polarity on nem/catic phase stability in 12-vertex carboranes

Weakly polar–polar isosteric pairs of 12-vertex p-carborane [closo-1,12-C2B10H12] (1[12]) and monocarbaborate [closo-1-CB11H12]− (2[12]) nematic liquid crystals, in which the difference in the calculated molecular dipole moment is 11.3 D, were synthesised, and the effect of the dipole moment on nematic phase stability was investigated. The trend observed for the 12-vertex series ([12]) was identical to that of the previously investigated 10-vertex series ([10]) containing [closo-1,10-C2B8H10] (1[10]) and [closo-1-CB9H10]− (2[10]): the uniform increase in the molecular dipole moment in the pairs of mesogens does not correspond to a uniform change in the clearing temperature, TNI. This demonstrates the role of a remote substituent in modulating the intermolecular dipole–dipole interactions. The magnitude of such interactions was calculated (using density functional theory methods) for a pair of polar (2[12]d–2[12]d) and an analogous pair of weakly polar (1[12]d–1[12]d) molecules. All results for the 12-vert...
EFFECTS OF PACKAGING ATMOSPHERE AND ORGANIC CONTAMINATION ON 980 nm LASER DIODE RELIABILITY

Diode lasers at 980 nm are a favored power source for Er-doped fiber amplifiers. Conditions of amplifier deployment require that the laser pumps be hermetically sealed and reliable for >105 hr. Many amplifier systems currently under design or test require >70 mW of fiber coupled power (Po), which corresponds to very high facet power densities in excess of five megawatts/cm2.
A general distributed scalable grid scheduler for independent tasks

We consider non-preemptively scheduling a bag of independent mixed tasks (hard, firm and soft) in computational grids. Based upon task type, we construct a novel generalized distributed scheduler (GDS) for scheduling tasks with different priorities and deadlines. GDS is scalable and does not require knowledge of the global state of the system. It is composed of several phases: a multiple attribute ranking phase, a shuffling phase, and a task-resource matched peer to peer dispatching phase. Results of exhaustive simulation demonstrate that with respect to the number of high-priority tasks meeting deadlines, GDS outperforms existing approaches by 10%-25% without degrading schedulability of other tasks. Indeed, with respect to the total number of schedulable tasks meeting deadlines, GDS is slightly better. Thus, GDS not only maximizes the number of mission-critical tasks meeting deadlines, but it does so without degrading the overall performance. The results have been further confirmed by examining each component phase of GDS. Given that fully known global information is time intensive to obtain, the performance of GDS is significant. GDS is highly scalable both in terms of processors and number of tasks-indeed it provides superior performance over existing algorithms as the number of tasks increase. Also, GDS incorporates a shuffle phase that moves hard tasks ahead improving their temporal fault tolerance. Furthermore, since GDS can handle mixed task types, it paves the way to open the grid to make it amenable for commercialization. The complexity of GDS is O(n^2m) where n is the number of tasks and m the number of machines.
Wave Propagation in Layered Cylindrical Structures Using Finite Element and Wave Tracing Analysis

Abstract : In this study, acceleration responses of layered cylindrical structures are obtained using finite element analysis (FEA) and wave tracing technique. The wave tracing technique implies a direct application of the wave propagation equation which includes propagating wave and its reflections at the interfaces due to effect of impedance differences in layered structure. Wave tracing clearly supported FEA results which had showed that interference between applied impact and reflected waves affects wave propagation both negatively and positively depending on material combinations of the structure. The study showed that structures made in order of high-low-high impedance materials reduce magnitude of acceleration responses compared to homogeneous structures made of only high impedance material when there is no interference. While structures made in the order of lowhigh- low impedance materials reduce magnitude of acceleration responses compared to homogeneous structures made of only low impedance material with and without the interference. Furthermore, FEA results showed that structures made of high-low-high impedance materials reduce high frequency accelerations compared to homogeneous high impedance material structures. These results were experimentally verified with the previously reported results.
Endoscopic balloon dilation of esophageal strictures in children.

A total of 17 patients, ages 3 weeks to 141/2 years, had 20 esophageal strictures develop after repair of esophageal atresia (9 strictures); primary gastroesophageal reflux (3 strictures); Nissen fundoplication (4 strictures); epidermolysis bullosa congenita dystrophica (1 stricture); congenital esophageal stenosis (2 strictures); or colonic interposition (1 stricture). These strictures were treated with 132 endoscopic balloon catheter dilations (average, 6.6/patient, range, 1 to 24) during a period of 42 months (average, 8 months; range, 2 to 42 months). Fifteen of the 17 patients are now asymptomatic. Thirteen of the 17 patients had documented reflux esophagitis and were also medically treated. The two residually symptomatic patients included a patient with severe proximal esophagitis secondary to epidermolysis bullosa congenita dystrophica who had only a temporary response to dilations and another patient with a tight Nissen fundoplication who did not improve after dilation but is now asymptomatic after corrective surgery. The 10 patients with tracheoesophageal fistula repair were asymptomatic within 3 to 21 months (average, 10.8 months). Only one patient had perforation develop as a result of the procedure. Sixteen of 17 patients had the procedures performed as outpatients. All patients were given oral feedings throughout the course of dilation and had normal growth.
Nano manipulation and assembly using AFM

Summary form only given. The main problem of nanomanipulation and nanoassembly using atomic force microscopy (AFM) is its lack of real-time visual feedback during manipulations. Fortunately, this problem has been overcome by our recently developed augmented reality system which includes a "videolized" AFM imaging system and a haptic feedback system. The "videolized" AFM means that the operator through movie like AFM images can monitor the changes of nano environment during the nanomanipulation in real time. The "videolized" AFM is achieved by locally updating the AFM image in real-time based on the interactive force information obtained in real-time by AFM during the manipulation. The augmented reality system can provide both "videolized" real-time visual feedback and real-time force feedback. An operator can feel the interactive forces and observe the real-time changes of the nano environment during the nano manipulations. Furthermore, the mechanical properties of an AFM cantilever directly affect the results of nano manipulations. The tip of a soft cantilever that is good for imaging can easily slip over a nano object. An active control of the AFM cantilever has been integrated in the augmented reality enhanced nano manipulation system. Via the piezo layer on the cantilever surface the AFM cantilever can be dynamically controlled in order to obtain proper mechanical properties for its operations. In this presentation, the theoretical foundation as well as the development of the augmented reality enhanced AFM would be discussed. The experimental results of utilizing the augmented reality enhanced AFM for the manipulation and assembly of nano particles, nano wires, and DNA molecules are also be presented