cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The impact of cine EPID image acquisition frame rate on markerless soft-tissue tracking

Purpose: Although reduction of the cine electronic portal imaging device (EPID) acquisition frame rate through multiple frame averaging may reduce hardware memory burden and decrease image noise, it can hinder the continuity of soft-tissue motion leading to poor autotracking results. The impact of motion blurring and image noise on the tracking performance was investigated. Methods: Phantom and patient images were acquired at a frame rate of 12.87 Hz with an amorphous silicon portal imager (AS1000, Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA). The maximum frame rate of 12.87 Hz is imposed by the EPID. Low frame rate images were obtained by continuous frame averaging. A previously validated tracking algorithm was employed for autotracking. The difference between the programmed and autotracked positions of a Las Vegas phantom moving in the superior-inferior direction defined the tracking error (δ). Motion blurring was assessed by measuring the area change of the circle with the greatest depth. Additionally, lung tumors on 1747 frames acquired at 11 field angles from four radiotherapy patients are manually and automatically tracked with varying frame averaging. δ was defined by the position difference of the two tracking methods. Image noise was defined as the standard deviation of the background intensity. Motion blurring and image noise are correlated with δ using Pearson correlation coefficient (R). Results: For both phantom and patient studies, the autotracking errors increased at frame rates lower than 4.29 Hz. Above 4.29 Hz, changes in errors were negligible with δ < 1.60 mm. Motion blurring and image noise were observed to increase and decrease with frame averaging, respectively. Motion blurring and tracking errors were significantly correlated for the phantom (R = 0.94) and patient studies (R = 0.72). Moderate to poor correlation was found between image noise and tracking error with R −0.58 and −0.19 for both studies, respectively. Conclusions: Cine EPID image acquisition at the frame rate of at least 4.29 Hz is recommended. Motion blurring in the images with frame rates below 4.29 Hz can significantly reduce the accuracy of autotracking.
Creation of transcatheter aortopulmonary and cavopulmonary shunts using magnetic catheters: feasibility study in swine.

Surgical shunts are the basic form of palliation for many types of congenital heart disease. The Glenn shunt (superior cavopulmonary connection) and central shunt (aortopulmonary connection) represent surgical interventions that could potentially be accomplished by transcatheter techniques. We sought to investigate the efficacy of using neodymium iron boron (NdFeB) magnetic catheters to create transcatheter cavopulmonary and aortopulmonary shunts. NdFeB magnets were machined and integrated into catheters. “Target” catheters were placed in the pulmonary arteries (PAs), and radiofrequency “perforation” catheters were placed in either the descending aorta (DAo) for central shunts or the superior vena cava (SVC) for Glenn shunts. The magnet technique or “balloon target” method was used to pass wires from the DAo or the SVC into the PA. Aortopulmonary and cavopulmonary connections were then created using Atrium iCAST covered stents. Magnet catheters were used to perforate the left pulmonary artery from the DAo, thereby establishing a transcatheter central shunt. Given the orientation of the vasculature, magnetic catheters could not be used for SVC-to-PA connections; however, perforation from the SVC to the right pulmonary artery was accomplished with a trans-septal needle and balloon target. Transcatheter Glenn or central shunts were successfully created in four swine.
VALIDATION OF SOME CURRENTLY USED INVALID NAMES OF DINOFLAGELLATES

Holotypes are designated to validate the names Symbiodinium goreaui, Symbiodinium kawagutii, Symbiodinium pilosum, Scrippsiella velellae, and Gloeodinium viscum (Dinophyceae).
Selection of Near-Fault Pulse Motions

AbstractEarthquake ground motions in the near-fault region frequently have intense, double-sided pulses in the velocity-time series that can be very damaging to structures. Many of these velocity pulses are attributed to the effects of forward directivity, which occurs when a fault ruptures toward a site. However, pulses are not always observed in the forward directivity region, and some pulses cannot be explained by forward directivity. The relative contribution of pulse-type motions to the overall seismic hazard should be considered when selecting records in a suite of design ground motions for a site in the near-fault region. This study uses a new scheme to classify records from an enhanced database of records from shallow crustal earthquakes that have the closest site-to-source distances less than 30 km with moment magnitudes greater than 6.0 as either pulse or nonpulse motions. The resulting database of 673 records from 52 earthquakes contains 141 pulses, including 74 explained well by forward direct...
MAGNETIC-FIELD INDUCED ORIENTATION AND ANISOTROPIC SUSCEPTIBILITY OF NORMAL ALKANES

Nonfunctionalized n-alkanes, a basic organic building block, are not commonly associated with magnetic behavior. To quantify magnetic field effects on wax crystals, synchrotron x-ray scattering was used to measure the angular distribution arising from competition between Brownian rotation and magnetic energy in a dispersion of uniform-sized n-alkane single crystals. Dramatic alignment of both axes occurred with a preference of the carbon-backbone plane to be {perpendicular} to {rvec H}. Diamagnetic anisotropies were obtained by quantitative analysis of the orientational distribution. {copyright} {ital 1998} {ital The American Physical Society}
Intracavity optogalvanic spectroscopy. An analytical technique for 14C analysis with subattomole sensitivity.

We show a new ultrasensitive laser-based analytical technique, intracavity optogalvanic spectroscopy, allowing extremely high sensitivity for detection of 14C-labeled carbon dioxide. Capable of replacing large accelerator mass spectrometers, the technique quantifies attomoles of 14C in submicrogram samples. Based on the specificity of narrow laser resonances coupled with the sensitivity provided by standing waves in an optical cavity and detection via impedance variations, limits of detection near 10−15 14C//12C ratios are obtained. Using a 15-W 14CO2 laser, a linear calibration with samples from 10−15 to >1.5 × 10−12 in 14C/12C ratios, as determined by accelerator mass spectrometry, is demonstrated. Possible applications include microdosing studies in drug development, individualized subtherapeutic tests of drug metabolism, carbon dating and real time monitoring of atmospheric radiocarbon. The method can also be applied to detection of other trace entities.
An Analysis of Task-Based Worker Self-Assessments of Force

Worker self-assessments are an important tool for assessing force and effort in physical work. This study uses maximal grip exertions on a dynamometer to calibrate the workers before rating various tasks' force requirements on a 0 to 10 visual analog scale. 78 workers were selected on 58 different jobs at an automotive assembly plant and asked to rate the separate tasks and the job as a whole. Their peak force ratings (6+2.5) were significantly higher than those estimated by trained observers (4.7+1.1), however they used a larger range of values on the force scale suggesting they were more sensitive to subtle changes. Worker ratings were also sensitive to Hand Activity Level (HAL) changes. Workers on the same job selected the same task to define peak force 86.4% of the time. In conclusion, worker self-ratings can be helpful tool in identifying tasks with high force requirements.
Characterization of highly sulfated cyclodextrins

A class of highly sulfated cyclodextrins (HS-CDs) was developed for enantiomeric separation of chiral compounds by capillary electrophoresis (CE). The HS-CDs were produced by a facile single-step direct sulfation of cyclodextrin using sulfur trioxide-trimethylamine complex in dimethylformamide. Characterization of the HS-CDs by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and by CE using a well-established indirect detection method indicated the species have very narrow heterogeneity in terms of degree of sulfation. Elemental analysis of the HS-alpha-, beta- and gamma-CDs showed that the average sulfate contents were 11, 12, and 13 per CD molecule, respectively. The 13C NMR of HS-CDs is consistent with the structural assignment of nearly complete sulfation at C-6 primary hydroxyl groups and partial sulfation at the C-2 secondary hydroxyls (>70%), while the C-3 hydroxyls remain unsubstituted. Enantiomeric separation by CE using the HS-CDs as chiral selectors showed that HS-alpha-, beta- and gamma-CDs complement each other by exhibiting different chiral selectivities, resulting in resolution of many chiral neutral, acidic and basic compounds of greatly varying structural features. The part of HS-CD that interacts with the guest molecule during complexation and, therefore, the receiving end of the cyclodextrin hydrophobic bucket was surrounded with largely regiospecifically substituted C-2 sulfates and intact C-3 hydroxyls, both at the equatorial positions. Such global regiospecific structural arrangement in HS-CDs provides differential diasteroisomeric complexation is proposed to be the principal contributing factor in the resolving racemates.
Democratic practices in teacher education and the elementary classroom

Abstract Democratic teacher education is occurring as one method of programmatic reform. This paper describes research that identifies effective democratic practices in a graduate teacher education program and the effects of that practice on the participants’ elementary classrooms. The practices of dialogue, negotiated content, constructivist roles, community and authentic assessment provide the structure and processes teachers need to make changes in their classroom. The changes teachers implement after participating in the program are varied, but student voice, participation and responsibility, and giving children more behavior and curricular choices are common. Teachers perceive that these democratic practices have a positive influence on children’s attitudes about school and learning.
EFFECTS OF CLIMATIC CHANGE AND CLIMATIC VARIABILITY ON THE THORNTHWAITE MOISTURE INDEX IN THE DELAWARE RIVER BASIN

The Thornthwaite moisture index is useful as an indicator of the supply of water in an area relative to the demand under prevailing climatic conditions. This study examines the effects of long-term changes in climate (temperature and precipitation) on the Thornthwaite moisture index in the Delaware River basim Temperature and precipitation estimates for doubled-CO z conditions derived from three general circulation models (GCMs) are used to study the response of the moisture index for steady-state doubled-CO 2 conditions and for gradual changes from present to doubled-CO 2 conditions. Results of the study indicate that temperature and precipitation under doubled- CO 2 conditions will cause the Thornthwalte moisture index to decrease, implying significantly drier conditions in the Delaware River basin than currently exist. The amount of decrease depends, however, on the GCM climatic-change scenario used. The results also indicate that future changes in the moisture index will be partly masked by natural year-to-year variability in temperature and precipitation.
Gunn effect and high-injection phenomenon in heterojunction bipolar transistors

The transferred-electron effect in the collector region of heterojunction bipolar transistors is investigated. Conditions necessary for observation of Gunn instabilities are analysed and it is shown that stability of the conventional III-V HBT is ensured by the Kirk effect which occurs at a similar threshold current density as the Gunn effect.
Saliency field map construction for region-of-interest-based color image querying

Spectral (color) and spatial (shape) features available in pictures are two significant sources of information for content-based retrieval of image databases. The developed adaptive shape transform approach originated from the premise that a two-dimensional (2-D) shape can be recovered from a set of Radon-transform-based projections. For search consistency, it is necessary to identify the region(s) of interest (ROI) before applying the Radon transform to the shape query. ROIs are detected automatically by means of saliency-map-based segmentation. The Radon transform packs the shape information of a 2-D object along the projection axes of known orientation, and generates a series of one-dimensional (1-D) functions from color channels for projection angles ranging from 0 to 180 deg. The optimal number of projections for a particular shape is determined by imposing the Kullback-Leibler divergence (KLD) distance measure as the similarity metric between the query and database images. The Radon transforms with the shortest and longest lengths yield the most distinctive shape attributes for the object classes being queried and enable the feature space to be invariant to translation and rotation in the spatial plane. The proposed algorithm is tested on a wide range of color images with complex shaped objects and different spatial resolutions. The KLDs between two images are calculated in the longest and shortest directions of the Radon transform, and then are summed together to find the similarity measure between the query and database pictures. Experimental results are close to those that a human observer expects. Further, the method is quite robust and it can account for high image noise (Shao and Celenk, 2001).
Effect of ionic liquid properties on lipase stabilization under microwave irradiation

Abstract Ionic liquids (ILs) as neoteric solvents and microwave irradiation as alternative energy source are becoming two important tools for many enzymatic reactions. However, it is not well understood what properties of ILs govern the enzyme stabilization, and whether the microwave irradiation could activate enzymes in ILs. To tackle these two important issues, the synthetic activities of immobilized Candida antarctica lipase B (Novozyme 435) were examined in more than twenty ILs through microwave heating. Under microwave irradiation, enhanced enzyme activities were observed when the enzyme was surrounded by a layer of water molecules. However, such enhancement diminished when the reaction system was dried. To understand the effect of IL properties, the enzyme activities under microwave irradiation were correlated with the viscosity, polarity and hydrophobicity (log P) of ILs, respectively. The initial reaction rates bear no direct relationship with the viscosity and polarity (in terms of dielectric constant and E T N ) of ILs, but have a loose correlation (a bell curve) with log P values. The enzyme stabilization by ILs was explained from aspects of hydrogen-bond basicity of anions, dissolution of the enzyme, ionic association strength of anions, and substrate ground-state stabilization by ILs.
The scientist is appointed an editor: Adjusting the journal collection at stages in a client’s career

Abstract A study of 66 biomedical scientists showed that few (four) maintained a level research output after being appointed to journal editorial boards. They were much more likely to have demonstrated a significant drop (− 31% average) or rise (+ 70% average) in the number of papers when three-year pre- and post-appointment periods were compared. Yet it is argued that these fluctuations do not justify either precipitous journal cancellations or freewheeling additions to the collection. In the 32 cases of declining output, editors maintained much (73%) of their original journal assortment even if this meant fewer repeat appearances in some journals. In the 30 cases of increasing output, the tendency to add new journals (+ 37%) with each new paper was tempered somewhat by repeat appearances in their original assortment. Nonetheless, for those times when the budget either demands or allows, most adjustments can be made involving two types of journals identified as swing outlets for these editor/authors.
Territoriality and the defence of predator-refuges in juvenile lizards

Abstract Juvenile Anolis aeneus lizards in clearings compete for foraging home-sites with a complex topography. Juveniles rapidly colonize and defend new artificial home-sites, and there is strong competition for home-sites from which the residents have been removed. The structure of preferred home-sites is important for the behavioural avoidance of important predators by juveniles. In the laboratory, juveniles prefer complex home-sites even when food is uniformly distributed and the use of complex home-sites by juveniles is significantly higher in the presence of potential predators. In the field and in the laboratory, predators have low success in capturing juveniles in complex home-sites. These results indicate that defence of predator-safe home-sites is probably an important function of juvenile A. aeneus territoriality.
Anonymity, monotonicity, and quota pair systems

Abstract We introduce the notion of a quota pair system and show that any social choice procedure, where there are exactly two alternatives and a fixed number of voters, satisfies anonymity and monotonicity if and only if it is uniquely determined by a quota pair system.
A Best Practice for Selecting Your QEP: Techniques for Facilitating Mission-Based Stakeholder Involvement in the Selection of the Institutional Quality Enhancement Plan

How can comprehensive community colleges serve students with diverse learning needs today while determining a single Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) to improve student learning? During the reaffirma...
Is low molecular weight heparin a neuroprotectant

This communication reports the results of investigations on the effect of low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) on intraneuronal calcium release, and considers its possible relevance to the treatment of ischemic stroke. It previously was shown that intraneuronal injection of conventional heparin (MW 12,000) in vitro prevents glutamate-induced calcium release from intracellular stores through its blocking action on IP3 (inositol-1,4,5-triphosphate) receptors, and thus interferes with events occurring in the ischemic cascade. In the experiments reported herein, a LMWH of MW 4500 was shown to have these same effects when injected into a Purkinje cell in an in vitro cerebellar slice preparation, and also when administered externally (bath application). By contrast, conventional heparin works only when injected into the cell; bath application has no effect. The results are interpreted to mean that the larger conventional heparin molecule cannot pass through the cell membrane, while the smaller LMWH molecule does indeed enter the cell. In a clinical trial, LMWH begun within 48 hours of ischemic stroke onset in humans improved outcome at 6 months; conventional heparin given in a similar trial was without benefit. That one anticoagulant was beneficial while another failed suggests the possibility that the difference was independent of effect on the clotting system. The experimental data herein reported support the view that LMWH may benefit stroke victims by an action directly cytoprotective against the consequences of neuronal ischemia.
Automatic processing: Effects of temperature and time changes on the sensitometric properties of light-sensitive films

The effects of changes in the processing temperature and time of automatic processors were studied with three light-sensitive Kodak films: (1) blue-sensitive X-Omat RP film, (2) green-sensitive T-Mat G film, and (3) ultraviolet-sensitive X-Omat duplicating film. Speed and inherent contrast were derived for each of the three films from sensitometric curves at six different temperatures and at five different processing times. The T-Mat G film (T-grain technology) was comparatively less sensitive than conventional films (X-Omat RP) to increases in processing temperature or time. Unlike dental intraoral films, which cannot be processed at low processing time or temperature, the light-sensitive films were of archival storage quality even at a low processing time of 2.5 minutes or at a low processing temperature of 21 degrees C. Therefore the processing time of an automatic processor may be decreased for light-sensitive films.
A descriptive analysis of light vehicle-heavy vehicle interactions using in situ driving data.

Abstract Two recently completed on-road in situ (naturalistic) data collection efforts provided a large data set in which to conduct an examination of crashes, near-crashes, and crash-relevant conflicts (referred to as critical incidents throughout this paper) that occurred between light vehicles (LV) and heavy vehicles (HV). Video and non-video data collected during the two studies were used to characterize critical incidents that were recorded between LV and HV drivers. Across both studies, 210 LV–HV critical incidents were recorded. Of these, 78% were initiated by LV drivers, while the remaining 22% were initiated by HV drivers. Aggressive driving, on the part of the LV driver, was found to be the primary Contributing Factor for LV driver-initiated incidents. For HV driver-initiated incidents, the primary Contributing Factor was poor driving techniques. These results suggest that future efforts at addressing LV–HV interaction incidents should include focusing on aggressive LV drivers. Additionally, it is recommended that HV drivers might benefit from improved driver training that includes instruction on defensive driving skills. The in situ methodology provides an alternative to traditional crash databases, developed from police accident reports, for studying crash causation and driver behavior.
Protein factors in pre-mRNA 3′-end processing

Most eukaryotic mRNA precursors (premRNAs) must undergo extensive processing, including cleavage and polyadenylation at the 3'-end. Processing at the 3'-end is controlled by sequence elements in the pre-mRNA (cis elements) as well as protein factors. Despite the seeming biochemical simplicity of the processing reactions, more than 14 proteins have been identified for the mammalian complex, and more than 20 proteins have been identified for the yeast complex. The 3'-end processing machinery also has important roles in transcription and splicing. The mammalian machinery contains several sub-complexes, including cleavage and polyadenylation specificity factor, cleavage stimulation factor, cleavage factor I, and cleavage factor II. Additional protein factors include poly(A) polymerase, poly(A)-binding protein, symplekin, and the C-terminal domain of RNA polymerase II largest subunit. The yeast machinery includes cleavage factor IA, cleavage factor IB, and cleavage and polyadenylation factor.
Clinical reasoning during simulation: Comparison of student and faculty ratings

A recently developed tool, the Lasater Clinical Judgment Rubric (LCJR), was used to evaluate nursing students’ clinical reasoning during simulated patient care scenarios. For two semesters, students and nursing faculty completed the clinical reasoning tool after participating in and observing students’ reactions to simulated emergent patient simulations. Scores were compared between nursing students and faculty and between programs, associate (AS) and baccalaureate of science (BS). Students’ scores differed statistically based on program, BS means greater than AS, but student and faculty ratings were rarely significantly different. Additional research across multiple programs for a larger sample size and additional testing of the clinical reasoning tool are needed. To promote more realistic self-appraisals, students may need more opportunities to self-assess clinical reasoning behaviors in conjunction with feedback on performance from faculty throughout the nursing program.
Presidential Power over Supreme Court Decisions

I calculate U.S. presidents’ power and power use concerning the ideological direction of U.S. Supreme Court decisions through their ability to appoint replacements to the Court, over the period 1946 through 2001. I test hypotheses concerning factors affecting appointment power and power use, and examine their effect on Senate confirmation votes. Of nine presidents, four have had the ability to affect the direction of more than 25 percent of Court decisions for sustained periods of time. Strongly ideological power use in appointment is found for four also. Senate confirmation votes have tended to be more favorable when the president has more appointment power.
Increasing the effectiveness of radioactive iodine therapy in the treatment of thyroid cancer using Trichostatin A, a histone deacetylase inhibitor

Abstract Background. Radioactive iodine is used to identify and treat recurrent and metastatic thyroid cancer of follicular cell origin. Between 30% and 40% of thyroid cancers are either resistant or become resistant to sadioactive iodine. Increased sodium-iodide symporter (NIS) and decreased Pendrin (PDS) activity may be associated with increased radioactive iodine effectiveness. In this investigation the effects of Trichostatin A (TSA), a histone deacetylating inhibitor, on human thyroid NIS and PDS gene expression was investigated. Method. Cell lines from papillary, Hurthle, and follicular cell carcinomas were treated with TSA for 72 hours at concentrations up to 100 ng/mL. NIS and PDS gene expression was determined using quantitative RT-polymerase chain reaction. Results. NIS messenger RNA expression in cell carcinomas was increased 107- (1.8-307) and 217- (5.7-408) fold in papillary, 39- (20-63) and 58- (37-80) fold in Hurthle, and 459- (178-810) and 781- (412-1229) fold in follicular after treatment with 50 and 100 ng/mL of TSA, respectively. PDS messenger RNA expression in cell carcinomas was decreased 0.22- (0.05-0.45) and 0.27- (0.09-0.47) fold in papillary, 0.53- (0.46-0.60) and 0.54- (0.44-0.64) fold in Hurthle, and 0.32- (0.26-0.39) and 0.56- (0.47-0.64) fold in follicular, after the same treatment. Conclusions. In thyroid cancer cell lines, TSA dramatically increased NIS gene expression and reduced PDS expression. The increased NIS expression and reduced PDS expression may make radioiodine therapy more effective in patients with thyroid cancer, especially when the tumors have no or low uptake of radioiodine. (Surgery 2002;132:984-90.)
Effects of Dynamic Step-Step Repulsion and Autocatalysis on the Morphology of Etched Si(111) Surfaces

Steady-state morphologies of ${\mathrm{NH}}_{4}\mathrm{F}$-etched Si(111) surfaces were investigated with scanning tunneling microscopy and kinetic Monte Carlo simulations. In stirred solutions, dynamic step-step repulsion, which is mediated by small etch pits, leads to the production of surfaces that are significantly smoother than the equilibrium limit as evidenced by terrace width distributions. In unstirred solutions, surfaces with a low density of steps show profound step bunching, while those with a high density of steps do not. This effect is attributed to step-step attractions mediated by spatially localized autocatalytic reactions.
Cryofocusing in the combination of gas chromatography with equilibrium headspace sampling

When headspace gas chromatography utilizing capillary columns is used for trace analysis, sample enrichment is often needed. This involves splitless sample injection of fairly large gas volumes and relatively long sampling times. As a result of this, the band of the sample vapor may be too large causing peak distortion and poor resolution. This problem can be easily overcome by the use of cryogenic trapping. While this can be accomplished by cooling the whole column to subambient temperature during sample introduction, a more convenient way is to utilize part of the first coil of the capillary column as a cryogenic trap. The paper discusses the theoretical background and instrumentation of cryogenic trapping and demonstrates the possibilities through a number of examples.
Hybrid organic-inorganic derivatives of layered double hydroxides and dodecylbenzenesulfonate: Preparation and adsorption characteristics

Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) are anionic clays that can be synthesized under laboratory conditions. In this study, different LDHs were synthesized by a coprecipitation method, with the parent products and calcined derivatives evaluated for their ability to adsorb the anionic surfactant, dodecylbenzenesulfonate (DBS). Adsorption isotherms for DBS retention on LDHs were typical L-type curves, with adsorption data conforming to a simple Langmuir equation. Langmuir maximum adsorption of DBS on calcined-LDH was significantly higher than that on uncalcined-LDHs. Organo-LDHs were also synthesized by incorporating DBS into LDHs via ion-exchange, reconstruction of calcined-LDH and in-situ synthesis methods. X-ray diffraction analysis of organo-LDHs revealed that DBS was intercalated into LDHs with the mono-layer DBS molecules oriented perpendicularly to LDH surfaces. Intercalation of DBS into LDHs decreased surface area according to BET analysis. The adsorption capacities of organo-LDHs for trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachloroethylene (PCE) were substantially greater than the original LDH materials. Adsorption of organic compounds by organo-LDHs was due to a partitioning mechanism.
Nitride-Based Thin-Film Cold Cathode Emitters

Cold cathodes have been fabricated using two different nitride structures as a thin film emitting layer. The AlN and graded AlGaN structures are prepared by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) on an n-type 6H-SiC substrate. Individual aluminum grids are perforated with an array of either 1, 3, or 5μm holes through which the emitting surface is exposed. After device fabrication, a hydrogen plasma exposure was found to be necessary to activate the cathode. The devices have displayed a limited lifetime and a small percentage of the devices operate, although half of the devices with 5μm holes functioned. The highest measured collector currents are 0.1μA for AlN and l0nA for AlGaN at grid voltages of 110V and 20V, respectively. The grid currents are typically 10 to 104 times the collector currents.
A GIS/MMP-Based Coordination Model and its Application to Distributed Environmental Planning:

There is no mystery as to why people coordinate or cooperate. In a distributed problem-solving environment, self-interested problem solvers coordinate to improve their own self-interests, and to achieve collective goals. However, despite the prevalence of this paradigm of coordination through self-interest in human society, coordination remains a poorly understood phenomenon. Because in part of this status quo, computer technology in general has been conventionally developed to support people's individual work. Computer systems have been built for and used by people to pursue their own isolated tasks. The GIS/MMP-based (geographic information system and multiobjective mathematical programming) coordination model presented in this paper is among the recent efforts to remedy this deficiency. As a prototype organizational decision support system, it provides a framework in which self-interested problem solvers can operate independently but coherently. The case study demonstrated its capability to facilitate ...
A Study of Design Fixation, Its Mitigation and Perception in Engineering Design Faculty

The bridge between engineering design and cognitive science research is critical to understand the effectiveness of design methods as implemented by human designers. The study reported in this paper evaluates the effects of design fixation in a group of engineering design faculty, and also provides evidence for approaches to overcome design fixation. Three conditions are compared, a control, a fixation group whom were provided with an example solution, and a defixation group whom were also given materials to mitigate their design fixation. Measures include indicators of design fixation and participant perceptions. The study demonstrates that the engineering design faculty show statistically significant evidence of design fixation, but only partially perceive its effects. This study also indicates that design fixation can be mitigated. The group of participants in this study, due to their background in engineering design research and experience with student design teams, was expected to have more accurate perceptions or awareness of design fixation than the typical participant. Understanding the incongruities between participant perceptions and quantitative design outcomes are particularly of interest to researchers of design methods. For this study, clear evidence exists that designers, even those that study and teach design on a regular basis, do not know when they are being influenced or fixated by misleading or poor information. DOI: 10.1115/1.4001110
Evaluation of uricult dip slide in two hospital populations

The Uricult dip slide was compared to traditional methods of bacterial isolation and quantitation in two different hospital wards. In a chronic care ward for patients with spinal cord injuries, the correlation of the dip slide and pour plate results was 96 per cent; there were very few specimens which had colony counts between 10(4) and 10(5) per ml. In a busy emergency room, the correlation between the dip slide and quantitative loop techniques was 75 per cent. In this population 18 per cent of the dip slide and 2l per cent of the calibrated loop cultures yielded colony counts between 10(4) and 10(5) per ml., and most of these cultures contained a mixture of bacteria. The results show that the Uricult dip slide performs well under ideal conditions. The dip slide can alleviate, but not eliminate, the problem of mixed bacterial growth at 10(4) to 10(5) colones per ml. The usefulness of the slide must be assessed in relation to the patient population and clinical situation in which it is to be employed.
Effectiveness of asking anticipated regret in increasing HPV vaccination intention in mothers.

Objective To determine the effectiveness of asking Anticipated Regret Questions (ARQ) and risk presentation format on enhancing attitudes and behavioral intentions of mothers to have their daughters receive the HPV vaccine. Design The study used a 2 × 2 between-subjects factorial design with a no message control, involving 2 anticipated regret conditions (asked or not asked) and HPV risk presentation format (text only or graphical presentation of risk). Data were collected from a national sample of 320 mothers of girls ages 11-16. Main outcome variables The primary outcome variable was mothers' intention to vaccinate their daughters with all 3 doses of the HPV shots. Message involvement, perceived ease of message comprehension, and health beliefs regarding HPV infection and the HPV vaccine were also measured. Results and conclusions Results indicated there was a significant interactive effect of asking anticipated regret and risk presentation format on message involvement and behavioral intention. ARQ positively influenced behavioral intention only among mothers exposed to the graphical presentation of HPV-related statistics. This effect was mediated by message involvement. Thus, the combined effect of the graphical message and anticipated-regret questions on behavioral intentions was mediated by increased emotional involvement with the information concerning cervical cancer and HPV vaccination. These findings are consistent with the view that the formation of health-behavior intentions often involves the interplay of both affective and cognitive processing.
Permanence and change : Psychosocial factors in the outcome of adolescent pregnancy

Past work suggests that stressful life changes and the availability of social support exert opposing effects on the health of adolescent mothers and their infants. We have developed a theoretical perspective in which the effects of both stressful and protective social factors are viewed as acting on health through their capacity to either undermine or sustain an individual's sense of permanence and continuity in life experience. To examine this hypothesis, a population of 89 unmarried, pregnant adolescents were studied to ascertain psychosocial influences on maternal and infant health outcomes. This paper reports a cross-sectional analysis of perinatal complications and psychological well-being as they relate to a variety of psychosocial variables, including stressful life events, social network support and a questionnaire measure of the sense of permanence. Multivariate analyses indicate that while life events and social support had effects in the expected directions, the sense of permanence constituted an important, additional factor in the effects of social experience on pregnancy outcomes.
Course, outcome and impact on the community

Recent studies have indicated the pernicious nature of dysthymia; its low-grade chronicity probably contributes most to the problem of under-treatment and misdiagnosis. A high prevalence of morbidity and comorbidity is associated with dysthymia: major depression, alcoholism, anxiety and personality disorders are present in the vast majority of sufferers. It is also very unusual for people with dysthymia to not develop superimposed episodes of major depressive disorder, resulting in a longer time to recover and high rates of recurrence and chronicity. Approximately 3.1% of the population have dysthymia including children and adolescents who, like adults, exhibit a higher risk for new episodes of depressive illness if they have this disorder. Children and adolescents with depressive illnesses have higher rates of scholastic failure and school-related problems. Dysthymia can affect every aspect of a person's quality of life including relationships with significant others, earning potential and, most importantly, mental and physical well-being. Available data is not yet sufficient to differentiate dysthymia as a disease entity from the other depressive disorders such as major depression or double depression, or to conclude to what extent dysthymia should be thought of as a personality disorder. However, the DSM-IV Mood Disorders Field Trial results help identify new criteria for the DSM-IV Appendix. The relationship between dysthymic disorder and major depression needs more definition, especially in regard to course and severity, so that an accurate diagnosis can lead to expeditious and appropriate treatment.
The mechanism for the long-wave instability in thin liquid films

A physical mechanism for the long-wave instability of thin liquid films is presented. We show that the many diverse systems that exhibit this instability can be classified into two large groups. Each group is studied using the model of a thin liquid film with a deformable top surface flowing down a rigid inclined plane. In the first group, the top surface has an imposed stress, while in the other, an imposed velocity. The proposed mechanism shows how the details of the energy transfer from the basic state to the disturbance are handled differently in each of these cases, and how a common growth mechanism produces the unstable motion of the disturbance.
Does reversal of ischemia on diffusion-weighted imaging reflect higher apparent diffusion coefficient values?

This study investigated whether ischemia on diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) that reverses has higher apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs). A patient treated with thrombolytics was evaluated with serial magnetic resonance imaging studies before treatment, at 3 and 14 days and at 4 weeks. A 100.01-cm3 left frontoparietal stroke on baseline DWI was only 18.11 cm3 (18%) on 4-week fluid attenuated inversion recovery. The mean ADC was 7.43 x 10(-3) mm2/s in the 6 regions that reversed and 7.31 x 10(-3) mm2/s in the 6 regions that persisted (P < .036). With thrombolytic treatment, large ischemic lesions on DWI may reverse, and these areas display higher mean ADCs.
High-pressure volumetric measurements near a smectic-nematic-isotropic triple point.

High-pressure volumetric measurements were used to investigate the importance of short-range smectic fluctuations in the nematic-isotropic transition. Three members of the homologous series of di-alkylazoxybenzenes were chosen as samples, since the nematic range varies considerably in these compounds. The investigation was aided by the discovery of a smectic-A--nematic--isotropic triple point at elevated pressure in the ninth member of the series. Theoretical work on pretransitional effects in the isotropic phase is not very useful in describing the effect of large smectic fluctuations on the nematic-isotropic transition itself. However, one recent theoretical proposal argues that the volume change at this transition should increase due to the presence of short-range smectic order, and our experimental results confirm this prediction.
Sulfur doping in a-SiSx:H

Abstract The group VI element, sulfur, is an inefficient donor in a-Si:H. Unlike phosphorus doping, a portion of the sulfur-related donors is passivated by hydrogen in the annealed state. This passivated portion can be rendered electrically active by optical excitation. The compensation by sulfur donors of the p-type conductivity obtained with diborane in a-Si:H provides additional evidence of the role of sulfur as a donor. By adding equal amounts of diborane and hydrogen sulfide in the plasma, the dark conductivity at room temperature can be reduced by one to two orders of magnitude compared to the corresponding p-type a-Si:H with the same boron concentration. In these partially compensated samples the absorption due to deep defects, as measured by photothermal deflection spectroscopy, is reduced and the Urbach edge becomes steeper and shifts to higher energy. In related experiments, phosphorus doping produces conductive n-type samples in a-SiS x :H for sulfur concentrations as high as 10 at.%.
Mutation of MSH3 in endometrial cancer and evidence for its functional role in heteroduplex repair.

Many human tumours have length alterations in repetitive sequence elements1. Although this microsatellite instability has been attributed to mutations in four DNA mismatch repair genes in hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) kindreds2,3, many sporadic tumours exhibit instability but no detectable mutations in these genes4–6. It is therefore of interest to identify other genes that contribute to this instability. In yeast, mutations in several genes, including RTH and MSH3, cause microsatellite instability7–11. Thus, we screened 16 endometrial carcinomas with microsatellite instability for alterations in FEN1 (the human homolog of RTH) and in MSH3 (refs 12–14). Although we found no FEN1 mutations, a frameshift mutation in MSH3 was observed in an endometrial carcinoma and in an endometrial carcinoma cell line. Extracts of the cell line were deficient in repair of DNA substrates containing mismatches or extra nucleotides. Introducing chromosome 5, encoding the MSH3 gene, into the mutant cell line increased the stability of some but not all microsatellites. Extracts of these cells repaired certain substrates containing extra nucleotides, but were deficient in repair of those containing mismatches or other extra nucleotides. A subsequent search revealed a second gene mutation in HHUA cells, a missense mutation in the MSH6 gene. Together the data suggest that the MSH3 gene encodes a product that functions in repair of some but not all pre-mutational intermediates, its mutation in tumours can result in genomic instability and, as in yeast, MSH3 and MSH6 are partially redundant for mismatch repair.
Clinical evaluation of the Technicon Stat/Ion system

1. We describe our evaluation of the Technicon Stat/Ion, an instrument which performs sodium, chloride and bicarbonate analysis simultaneously. 2. All four of the assays resulted in linear response over the entire clinical range with insignificant carryover between specimens. 3. Precision studies for within-run variation were: sodium 0.3%, potassium 0.7%, chloride 0.5% and bicarbonate 1.6%. Day-to-day precision was similar to the within-run precision. 4. Comparison methods for sodium, potassium, chloride and bicarbonate utilizing flame photometry, chloridometry and titration of released carbon dioxide respectively showed the following linear regression and correlation coefficients: sodium y = 0.96 + 5.5 (α = 0.988) potassium y = 1.01x + 0.0 (α = .996) chloride y = 0.99x + 1.0 (α = .993) bicarbonate y = 1.0x + 1.2 (α = .969).
Tropospheric Relative Diffusion Observations

Abstract Data on relative on relative atmospheric diffusion, that is, the spreading by diffusion of puffs or particle pairs (e.g., of balloons) relative to their mutual center of mass, are reexamined. Richardson (1926) proposed his well-known law, K = 0.2σ4/3;, on the basis of an early collection of such data. More recently, much more extensive data sets have been studied which include relative diffusion data over far greater range of σ values. Further relative diffusion data sources are combined with these and, by classifying these data in various ways, it is shown that they suggest the relation σ∝l3/2;, in agreement with previous results including Richardson's, over the range 2 ≤ t ≤ 103 s. There is good evidence of slower diffusion in the range generally corresponding to the spectral “gap.” For still greater values of t the data are not inconsistent with a second accelerated diffusion regime, displaced by approximately one order of magnitude in σ.
Neutropenia Following Acute Chlorpromazine Ingestion

A 5-year-old child is reported who, after an acute ingestion of chlorpromazine, developed an absolute neutropenia. The neutrophil count reached its nadir (210 cells/mm3) at 45 h postingestion. The child recovered and had a normal white blood cell count 17 d after ingestion. While neutropenia and agranulocytosis are not uncommon with chronic chlorpromazine therapy, neutropenia following an acute ingestion is unique but predictable in view of chlorpromazine's toxic effects on white cells. A white blood cell count on presentation of an acute chlorpromazine ingestion and at 24-48 h postingestion should allow detection of patients at risk for acute chlorpromazine-induced neutropenia.
Randomized Double-Blind Trial of Prophylactic Oral Minocycline and Topical Tazarotene for Cetuximab-Associated Acne-Like Eruption

Purpose To evaluate the ability of either oral minocycline, topical tazarotene or both, to reduce or prevent cetuximab-related acneiform rash when administered starting on day 1 of cetuximab therapy. Patients and Methods Metastatic colorectal cancer patients preparing to initiate cetuximab were randomly assigned to receive daily oral minocycline or placebo, and to receive topical tazarotene application to either left or right side of the face. Both therapies were administered for 8 weeks. Results Forty-eight eligible patients were randomly assigned to minocycline (n = 24) or placebo (n = 24). Total facial lesion counts were significantly lower in patients receiving minocycline at weeks 1 through 4. At week 4, a lower proportion of patients in the minocycline arm reported moderate to severe itch than in the placebo arm (20% v 50%, P = .05). Facial photographs, obtained at week 4, were reviewed for rash global severity. Patients in the minocycline arm trended toward lower frequency of moderate to severe ras...
Correlates of speaking skills in the United States: A national assessment

A nationally representative sample of 21 to 25 year olds completed eight speaking tasks. A composite measure of task accomplishment was derived from ratings of the speakers’ performances and this was correlated with a variety of demographic and personal characteristics. Using liberal estimates of speaking skills the data suggest that approximately 15 to 20% of the population of 21 to 25 year olds cannot adequately communicate orally, at least on the sorts of tasks used in this assessment. Results further suggest that speaking proficiency is inversely related to minority status and positively related to education, father's education, availability of literacy materials in the home in high school years, occupational status, age, proficiency in reading, document utilization, computing, and prose literacy, political activity, and community involvement.