cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Block-wise Independent Component Analysis for Slow Flow Non-Contrast Ultrasound Imaging

Slow blood flow imaging has proven to be a difficult clinical problem. Imaging modalities, such as MR Angiography and Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound, attempting to solve this problem are expensive and time-consuming. Both eigen-based filters and spatial filters have been proposed to improve ultrasound power Doppler blood flow images. Block-wise methods and Independent Component Analysis (ICA) filters have each individually been previously shown to improve tissue clutter and noise suppression. Here, we aim to develop a Block-wise implementation of ICA to evaluate blood flow in ultrasound blood flow imaging. We show through phantom studies that by applying ICA in a block-wise manner, we see qualitative improvements as compared to other eigen-based filters applied in global and block-wise manners.
Transforming unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and multispectral sensor into a practical decision support system for precision nitrogen management in corn

Determining the optimal nitrogen (N) rate in corn remains a critical issue, mainly due to unaccounted spatial (e.g., soil properties) and temporal (e.g., weather) variability. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) equipped with multispectral sensors may provide opportunities to improve N management by the timely informing of spatially variable, in-season N applications. Here, we developed a practical decision support system (DSS) to translate spatial field characteristics and normalized difference red edge (NDRE) values into an in-season N application recommendation. On-farm strip-trials were established at three sites over two years to compare farmer’s traditional N management to a split-application N management guided by our UAV sensor-based DSS. The proposed systems increased nitrogen use efficiency 18.3 ± 6.1 kg grain kg N−1 by reducing N rates by 31 ± 6.3 kg N ha−1 with no yield differences compared to the farmers’ traditional management. We identify five avenues for further improvement of the proposed DSS: definition of the initial base N rate, estimation of inputs for sensor algorithms, management zone delineation, high-resolution image normalization approach, and the threshold for triggering N application. Two virtual reference (VR) methods were compared with the high N (HN) reference strip method for normalizing high-resolution sensor data. The VR methods resulted in significantly lower sufficiency index values than those generated by the HN reference, resulting in N fertilization recommendations that were 31.4 ± 10.3 kg ha−1 higher than the HN reference N fertilization recommendation. The use of small HN reference blocks in contrasting management zones may be more appropriate to translate field-scale, high-resolution imagery into in-season N recommendations. In view of a growing interest in using UAVs in commercial fields and the need to improve crop NUE, further work is needed to refine approaches for translating imagery into in-season N recommendations.
Feasibility of implementing a text-based symptom-monitoring program of endometrial, ovarian, and breast cancer patients during treatment.

To evaluate the feasibility of implementing systematic patient symptom monitoring during treatment using a smartphone. Endometrial [n = 50], ovarian [n = 70] and breast [n = 193] cancer patients participated in text-based symptom reporting for up to 12 months. In order to promote equity, patients without a smartphone were provided with a device, with the phone charges paid by program funds. Each month, patients completed the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and 4 single items assessing fatigue, sleep quality, pain, and global quality of life during the past 7 days rated on a 0 (low) –10 (high) scale. Patients’ responses were captured using REDCap, with oncologists receiving monthly feedback. Lay navigators provided assistance to patients with non-medical needs. Patients utilizing this voluntary program had an overall mean age of 60.5 (range 26–87), and 85% were non-Hispanic white. iPhones were provided to 42 patients, and navigation services were used by 69 patients. Average adherence with monthly surveys ranged between 75–77%, with breast patients having lower adherence after 5 months. The most commonly reported symptoms across cancer types were moderate levels (scores of 4–7) of fatigue and sleep disturbance. At 6 months, 71–77% of all patients believed the surveys were useful to them and their health care team. We established the feasibility of initiating and managing patients in a monthly text-based symptom-monitoring program. The provision of smartphones and patient navigation were unique and vital components of this program.
Predicting Clinical Skills in Graduate Health Sciences Applicants: A Systematic Review

Purpose The primary purpose of this systematic review was to investigate the ability of admission measures to predict clinical skills in graduate students from a variety of health sciences fields. ...
Can morally ignorant agents care enough

Theorists attending to the epistemic condition on responsibility are divided over whether moral ignorance is ever exculpatory. While those who argue that reasonable expectation is required for blam...
Socioeconomic disparities in incidents at toxic sites during Hurricane Harvey.

Hurricane Harvey facilitated exposure to various toxic substances and floodwater throughout the greater Houston metropolitan area. Although disparities exist in this exposure and vulnerable populations can bear a disproportionate impact, no research has integrated disparities in exposure to toxic incidents following Hurricane Harvey. The objective of this study was to analyze the relationship between flooding, socioeconomic status (SES), and toxic site incidents. Data on toxic site locations, reported releases, and flood water depths during Hurricane Harvey in the greater Houston area were compiled from multiple sources. A multivariable logistic regression was performed to predict the odds of a toxic site release by flooding at the site, SES and racial composition of the census tract. 83 out of 1403 toxic sites (5.9%) had reported releases during Hurricane Harvey. The proportion of toxic sites with reported incidents across increasing SES index quintiles were 8.35, 7.67, 5.14, 4.55, and 0.51, respectively. The odds of an incident were lower in the highest SES quintile areas (ORadj = 0.06, 95% CI: 0.01–0.42) compared to the lowest SES quintile. Flooding was similar at toxic sites with and without incidents, and was distributed similarly and highest at toxic sites located in lower SES quintiles. Despite similar flooding across toxic sites during Hurricane Harvey, areas with lower SES were more likely to have a toxic release during the storm, after accounting for number of toxic sites. Improving quality of maintenance, safety protocols, number of storm-resilient facilities may minimize this disproportionate exposure and its subsequent adverse outcomes among socioeconomically vulnerable populations.
Hierarchical Cluster Analysis Identifies Distinct Physiological States After Acute Brain Injury.

BACKGROUND Analysis of intracranial multimodality monitoring data is challenging, and quantitative methods may help identify unique physiological signatures that inform therapeutic strategies and outcome prediction. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that data-driven approaches can identify distinct physiological states from intracranial multimodality monitoring data. METHODS This was a single-center retrospective observational study of patients with either severe traumatic brain injury or high-grade subarachnoid hemorrhage who underwent invasive multimodality neuromonitoring. We used hierarchical cluster analysis to group hourly values for heart rate, mean arterial pressure, intracranial pressure, brain tissue oxygen, and cerebral microdialysis across all included patients into distinct groups. Average values for measured physiological variables were compared across the identified clusters, and physiological profiles from identified clusters were mapped onto physiological states known to occur after acute brain injury. The distribution of clusters was compared between patients with favorable outcome (discharged to home or acute rehab) and unfavorable outcome (in-hospital death or discharged to chronic nursing facility). RESULTS A total of 1704 observations from 20 patients were included. Even though the difference in mean values for measured variables between patients with favorable and unfavorable outcome were small, we identified four distinct clusters within our data: (1) events with low brain tissue oxygen and high lactate-to-pyruvate ratio-values (consistent with cerebral ischemia), (2) events with higher intracranial pressure values without evidence for ischemia (3) events which appeared to be physiologically "normal," and (4) events with high cerebral lactate without brain hypoxia (consistent with cerebral hyperglycolysis). Patients with a favorable outcome had a greater proportion of cluster 3 (normal) events, whereas patients with an unfavorable outcome had a greater proportion of cluster 1 (ischemia) and cluster 4 (hyperglycolysis) events (p < 0.0001, Fisher-Freeman-Halton test). CONCLUSIONS A data-driven approach can identify distinct groupings from invasive multimodality neuromonitoring data that may have implications for therapeutic strategies and outcome predictions. These groupings could be used as classifiers to train machine learning models that can aid in the treatment of patients with acute brain injury. Further work is needed to replicate the findings of this exploratory study in larger data sets.
United States v. Burns: Canada's Extraterritorial Extension of Canadian Law and Creation of a Canadian "Safe Haven" in Capital Extradition Cases

* Juris Doctor Candidate, May 2009, University of Miami School of Law. B.A., Rutgers University. I would like to dedicate this article to my parents, Paul and Denise Cortland, and to my brother, Matthew Cortland. They were my constant source of support throughout law school and continue to be my biggest fans! I would also like to thank Professor David Abraham for his advice and assistance. Despite his differing ideology on the subject matter of this article, he encouraged and challenged me throughout the writing process, and for that I am very grateful.
The role of estrophilin in estrogen action.

Publisher Summary This chapter examines the role of estrophilin in estrogen action. The synthesis of estradiol and hexestrol labeled with carrier-free tritium opened a new approach to the mechanism of estrogen action by permitting studies of what actually happens to the hornlone molecule in cells where it exerts its biologic effects. Differential centrifugation of homogenates of uteri, excised from immature or ovariectomized rats injected with physiologic amounts of tritiated estradiol, first indicated that there are two sites of estradiol binding within the uterine cell. The microsomal fraction of homogenates of young pig uterus, prepared in 0.25 M sucrose, has been found to contain estrogen receptor proteins, which, on extraction in phosphate buffer containing tritiated estradiol, yield two complexes, sedimenting in low-salt sucrose gradients at 3.5 S and 4.5 S, respectively. Transformation of the cytosol complex takes place on incubation with estradiol, estriol, diethylstilbestrol, hexestrol, and 17-ethynylestradiol, but not with 3-ethers, such as quinestrol. It is found that the nuclear responses after estradiol administration in vivo or exposure to estrophilin complex in vitro are remarkably similar, giving assurance that the interaction of isolated nuclei with estrophilin complex is an experimental system that can provide information relevant to the mechanism of estrogen action.
Role of noninvasive studies in risk stratification for sudden cardiac death

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is one of the leading causes of mortality in developing countries. To prevent SCD, it is crucial to have effective tools for identifying patients at risk, given that there are now effective devices and medications that can prevent SCD. Two noninvasive electrocardiographic tools have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration and are being used clinically for identifying patients at risk for SCD: the signal-averaged electrocardiogram (SAECG) and T-wave alternans (TWA). This article reviews each of these approaches and includes a discussion of the mechanisms and a summary of the clinical studies published to date.
Syntax and Semantics, Neural Basis of

Based on evidence from aphasia and neuroimaging studies, elements of syntax and semantics appear to be neurologically isolable and have distinct time courses. Keywords: syntax; semantics; psycholinguistics; aphasia; functional neuroimaging
Public Library History on the Lewis and Clark Trail

The history of public libraries in the United States is not long. But what do current libraries know about their own history? To find out I drove the Lewis and Clark Trail to visit public libraries between St. Louis and the Pacific Ocean. The purpose of the research trip was to discover the historical knowledge that public libraries along the trail were able to share about themselves. Local history and genealogy proved to be very important in public libraries, while knowledge of their own history was less so. The libraries, however, did manage to blend their institutional histories with their current services.
The Role of Lipid Microdomains in Virus Biology

Many of the highly pathogenic viruses including influenza virus, HIV and others of world wide epidemiological importance are enveloped and possess a membrane around the nucleocapsid containing the viral genome. Viral membrane is required to protect the viral genome and provide important functions for attachment, morphogenesis and transmission. Viral membrane is essentially composed of lipids and proteins. While the proteins on the viral envelope are almost exclusively virally encoded, lipids, on the other hand, are all of host origin and recruited from host membrane. However, lipids on the viral membrane are not incorporated randomly and do not represent average lipid composition of the host membrane. Recent studies support that specific lipid microdomains such as lipid rafts play critical roles in many aspects of the virus infectious cycle including attachment, entry, uncoating, protein transport and sorting as well as viral morphogenesis and budding. Lipid microdomains aid in bringing and concentrating viral components to the budding site. Similarly, specific viral protein plays an important role in organizing lipid microdomains in and around the assembly and budding site of the virus. This review deals with the specific role of lipid microdomains in different aspects of the virus life cycle and the role of specific viral proteins in organizing the lipid microdomains.
A Field Guide to Cancellation of Debt Income

The United States is awash in a sea of debt. In the midst of the most severe recession since the Great Depression, loan delinquencies and charge-offs are at levels heretofore unknown in the modern financial era. Every loan charge-off and mortgage foreclosure has tax consequences. While the creditor most often claims a bad debt deduction or business related loss, the debtor generally must recognize gross income and pay income taxes on an amount roughly equal to the creditor’s loss, unless a special exception applies to exclude the debt relief from income. This article deals with the tax consequences to the debtor of the discharge of a debt for less than full payment. It first explain the origins and rationale for the rule, now codified in § 61(a)(12), that requires the inclusion of '[i]ncome from discharge of indebtedness.' The article then examines the various events that trigger recognition of income under § 61(a)(12). Following that discussion, the article deals with the manner in which the amount of income from discharge of indebtedness is computed. This part of the article also discusses the tax consequences to a business entity that issues an equity interests to a creditor to satisfy a debt. Finally, the article explores the myriad of statutory rules in §108 that permit nonrecognition income from discharge of indebtedness under particular circumstances, and the various ancillary consequences that follow from nonrecognition. Throughout, the article explores the relationship of income from discharge of indebtedness to realization of gain from the transfer of property to satisfy a debt by contrasting the tax consequences of transfers of property to discharge a debt with the consequences of discharge of a debt for less than full payment.
IMPAC - an Integrated Methodology for Propulsion and Airframe Control

NASA is actively involved in the development of enabling technologies that will lead towards aircraft with new/enhanced maneuver capabilities such as Short Take-Off Vertical Landing (STOVL) and high angle of attack performance. Because of the high degree of dynamic coupling between the airframe and propulsion systems of these types of aircraft, one key technology is the integration of the flight and propulsion control. The NASA Lewis Research Center approach to developing Integrated Flight Propulsion Control (IFPC) technologies is an in-house research program referred to as IMPAC - Integrated Methodology for Propulsion and Airframe Control. The goals of IMPAC are to develop a viable alternative to the existing integrated control design methodologies that will allow for improved system performance and simplicity of control law synthesis and implementation, and to demonstrate the applicability of the methodology to a supersonic STOVL fighter aircraft. Based on some preliminary control design studies that included evaluation of the existing methodologies, the IFPC design methodology that is emerging at the Lewis Research Center consists of considering the airframe and propulsion systems as one integrated system for an initial centralized controller design and then partitioning the centralized controller into separate airframe and propulsion system subcontrollers to ease implementation and to set meaningful design requirements for detailed subsystem control design and evaluation. This paper provides an overview of IMPAC and includes detailed discussion of the various important design and evaluation steps in the methodology.
IRREVERSIBLE HEMORRHAGIC SHOCK IN GERMFREE RATS

Evidence has been provided that a state of irreversible hemorrhagic shock can be induced in a bacteria-free environment in rats reared under germfree conditions. The response to bleeding, the duration of the hypotensive episode and the pathological changes were the same in the germfree and in normal stock rats. The findings are interpreted as evidence opposed to the concept that bacteria or bacterial products are implicated, as primary factors, in the pathogenicity of shock.
The Dynamical Evolution of the Short-Period Extrasolar Planet around υ Andromedae in the Pre-Main-Sequence Stage

We study the dynamical evolution of short-period planets in the multiple planetary system during the epoch of protostellar disk depletion. Through a detailed case analysis for the triple-planet system around υ Andromedae, we identify the necessary condition for the survival of its short-period planet b. In this study, we calculate the planets' orbit evolution including effects of the post-Newtonian potential of the host star, the potential of an evolving disk, and the potential due to the flattening of the star produced by the stellar rotation and the tide from the planet. At its present-day semimajor axis of 0.059 AU, the negligible eccentricity of planet b is most likely damped by the dissipation of the tidal perturbation induced by the star on the planet. But this process also leads to the heating of the planets' interior and probably the inflation of their sizes. If planet b once had an eccentricity greater than 0.1 at its present location, the tidal dissipation process would induce it to overflow its Roche lobe, lose its mass, and undergo an orbital expansion. Using this constraint, we reconstruct the eccentricity evolution of planet b. We find that even if planet b arrives at its present location on a nearly circular orbit, its eccentricity could have been excited by the sweeping secular resonances of two outer planets, c and d, during the disk depletion. In addition to the contribution from the disk potential, the resonant condition is also modified by the precession of planet b due to the post-Newtonian correction and rotational distortion of υ And's gravitational potential. Today, the former effect offsets the secular resonance, whereas the latter effect is weak. But during the depletion of the disk, precession due to the relativistic correction is outpaced by that due to the disk potential. The passage of the sweeping secular resonance near the surface of υ And cannot be avoided unless it had a sufficiently fast spin to provide a flattened shape with a finite quadrupole moment, which dominates the precession of the planet's orbit. Finally, we show that the survival of planet b requires its eccentricity to be low at all times, which would be possible only if the spin period of υ And was shorter than 2 days during the depletion of the disk.
TH‐D‐BRD‐06: Tumor Cell Survival Dependence On the Dose Delivery Modalities and a Statistical Model to Bridge in Vitro Results and the Clinical Outcome

Purpose: To study the influence on tumor cell survival from state of the art radiation therapy techniques and to model tumor cell survival after a 30 fraction 60 Gy treatment with the assumption of tumor cell intrinsic heterogeneity. Methods and materials: Fractions of 2 Gy radiation were delivered to H460, PC3 and MCF‐7 cells by Helical TomoTherapy (HT), 7 field radiation therapy (7F) simulating conventional IMRTdelivery, and 2 minute continuous dosedelivery (CDD), simulating recently developed volumetric rotational arc therapy (ie Elekta VMAT and Varian Rapid‐Arc). Cell survival was determined by Clonogenic assay. A statistic model that assumes the normal distribution of the relative cell survival was developed to predict the cell survival after 30 fractions of treatment.Results: The H460 and MCF‐7 cells showed strong dependency on the treatment modalities. The number of viable H460 cell colonies was 23.2% and 27.7% lower in group irradiated by CDD compared with HT and 7F respectively, the values were 36.8% and 35.3% for MCF7 cells. The differences between CDD and HT or 7F were not significant for PC3 cells. Statistical modeling indicates that instead of the several magnitudes of survival difference predicted by simple exponential extrapolation, the reduced tumor cell killing due to spatial and temporal modulation is in the range of 10% to 30% for a wide range of means and standard deviations in the model. Conclusions:Tumor cell survival may be strongly dependent on the dosedelivery pattern in a single 2 Gy fraction, but the difference did not expand exponentially with the increasing number of fractions if tumor cell heterogeneity was considered. The survival difference plateaus in such a way that may be difficult to observe for patient population with large heterogeneity. Continuous dosedelivery may still improve the tumorcontrol from intensity modulated radiation therapy.
High resolution thermometers for ground and space applications

Abstract High resolution thermometers with a resolution of 3 × 10 −10 K/√Hz have been flown on a space shuttle for studies of the phase transition of helium near the lambda point (2.1768K). This resolution was found to be degraded by a factor of 2.5 in space due to random heating by cosmic rays. Here we give a report of our program to understand and improve the noise performance for ground applications and to minimize the cosmic ray effects for space applications.
Low Cycle Fatigue of Unidirectional Laminates: Stress Ratio Effects

Low cycle fatigue (LCF) of unidirectional glass/epoxy composite laminates is investigated. LCF conditions involve high loads that may reach up to 90 percent of the material ultimate strength. LCF has unique features that require some modifications to the existing fatigue models and engineering S-N curves. LCF characterization of polymer matrix composites (PMCs) is carried out to determine unique characteristics of the S-N curves corresponding to distinct loading conditions (e.g., stress ratios), LCF behavior of the PMCs studied is characterized by finite strains (1-3 percent), finite strain rates (0.05-10 s -1 ), and high property degradation rates, which are higher than those seen during high cycle fatigue of the glass/epoxy laminates.
Valence bond theory of narrow-band conductors

A diagrammatic valence bond (VB) theory is introduced for solids with one valence state per site, Coulomb intersite interactions, and nearest-neighbor electron transfers leading to a bandwidth 4 |t|. The VB method is applied to partly-filled regular segregated stacks of acceptors (A) and donors (D), which occur in all π-molecular organic conductors. The dimensions of the site representation for Ne = γN electrons or holes on N >Ne sites are found, each VB assignment is represented by a diagram, and the interconnection of these many-electron site functions due to electron transfers is also obtained diagrammatically. The resulting configuration interaction (CI) between all orbital assignments is solved exactly in subspaces of total spin, S. The complete thermodynamics of Ne = 4 electrons on chains of N = 4, 5, 6, and 7 sites are found for the Hubbard choice of on-site repulsion, U. The VB method extends the computation of the susceptibility χ(T) of partly-filled Hubbard models to the previously inaccessible regime U ∼ 4|t| which, however, is suggested by experiment. Comparison with absolute χ(T) data for TTF-TCNQ is slightly improved for U ∼ 4|t| = 0.56 eV. Extensions of the VB method to more realistic potentials, to other data, and to N → ∞ extrapolations are discussed.
Solvent signal suppression without phase distortion in high-resolution NMR

On presente une sequence d'impulsions NERO-1 pour la suppression des resonances sur une bande etroite de frequences dans un spectre RMN haute resolution
Embedding (p,p−1) graphs in their complements

A graphG is embeddable in its complement $$\bar G$$ ifG is isomorphic with a subgraph of $$\bar G$$ . A complete characterization is given of those (p,p−1) graphs which are embeddable in their complements. In particular, letG be a (p,p−1) graph wherep≧6 ifp is even andp≧9 ifp is odd; thenG is embeddable in $$\bar G$$ if and only ifG is neither the starK 1,p−1 norK 1,n ∪C 3 withn≧4.
Fabrication of 200-GHz f/sub max/ resonant-tunneling diodes for integration circuit and microwave applications

Room-temperature current densities of 1.3*10/sup 5/ A/cm/sup 2/ and peak-to-valley ratios of 2.5 have been achieved for resonant tunneling diodes (RTDs) in the GaAs/AlAs material system. The devices were fabricated in a microwave-compatible process using topside contacts and a semi-insulating substrate to allow device integration. Proton implantation creates a nonconducting surface compatible with high-frequency coplanar transmission lines and other passive microwave structures. >
Integration of a CAPP system and an FMS

Abstract This study investigates the integration of a Computer-Aided Process Planning (CAPP) system and a flexible manufacturing system (FMS). Specifically three activities are involved: (1) development of a variant CAPP system which helps the process planner prepare process plans based on KK3 codes and surface information, (2) integration of the CAPP system with an FMS, (3) study of the impact of alternate routing and/or alternate machine on the performance of the FMS so as to determine an “optimal” process plan. This paper discusses the methodology and presents some interesting observations. This study can be seen as a first step toward integrating CAPP and FMS.
Social cognition and language in children with specific language impairment (SLI).

Abstract This investigation examined the relationship between social pragmatics, social self-esteem, and language in children with specific language impairment (SLI) and in their age-matched peers (7–10 years). The children with SLI indicated significantly poorer social cognitive knowledge than their typically developing peers. They showed low social, but not academic self-esteem. They often used inappropriate negotiation and conflict resolution strategies. Their errors reflect some qualitative differences from those of the typically developing children (e.g., children with SLI use more nonverbal strategies, demonstrate passive/withdrawn behavior, etc.). Our data show that these children’s social pragmatic deficit is not causally related to their language impairment; the two problems are co-occurring. Further, the parents and teachers of the children with SLI indicated different views regarding these children’s social relations. Although the parents expressed major concerns about their children’s social competence, the teachers did not notice this problem. Learning outcomes: The reader will be able to summarize, critically analyze, and interpret the findings from existing research on social cognition and its relationship with language abilities in children with specific language impairment. Further, the reader will gain an understanding of the importance of applying intervention procedures that facilitate the use of language in different social situations, and the necessity of increasing parent–teacher communication in schools.
Are Pure Lateral Chest Deflections a Hallmark for Side Airbag Boundary Condition

For thoracic and abdominal injury risk during blunt lateral impact, deformation (deflection) has been identified as an injury metric. With stationary biological test subjects, this metric has been obtained uniaxially from depth-limited impactors [1] and from post-experiment digitization of videography [2]. In sled experiments, deflection has been measured by videography of innovative marker sets [3] and by chestband transducers [4]. With the chestband, resistive strain gage time traces are recorded and reconstructed into closed contours representing the thoracic or abdominal circumference in the transverse plane. The resulting contours reveal thoracoabdominal deformation patterns in two dimensions. These patterns are important for side airbag interactions as they induce complex posterolateral deformations [5].© 2010 ASME
An overview of the UK Department of Trade and Industry's (DTI's) programme in solar energy

Abstract The UK Government has been supporting research, development and promotion of solar energy since 1977. In the early years most of the work was directed towards passive solar design (PSD) and solar thermal systems for water and central heating, referred to simply as active solar systems. In 1984 work on active solar systems was curtailed but the passive solar programme continued through the 1980s. It has now culminated in the Energy Design Advice Scheme (EDAS) to promote and encourage the application of low energy design techniques studied within the DTI programme. Between 1991 and 1993 all the solar technologies were reviewed and some specific projects were carried out on the application of PV systems in buildings. These looked at the overall potential in the UK as well as the problems of integrating PV into building cladding components, and the connection of such systems to the electricity distribution grid. As a result of the reviews, in 1994 the programme gained a broader remit and now includes four distinct sectors; passive solar design, photovoltaics, active solar, and photoconversion. Research work and promotion of the results is now being carried out in all these areas. This article summarises the history of the DTI's solar programme within the context of the wider New and Renewable Energy Market Enablement programme. It goes on to describe the aims and objectives of the current programme as well as describing some recently completed and ongoing projects.
Third and fourth year medical students' attitudes about and experiences with callousness: the good, the bad and the ambiguous.

Background This study solicits third and fourth year medical students' attitudes about and experiences with callousness. Methods Medical students were asked to respond to an on-line survey assessing demographic information, their experiences with seeing callousness modeled by mentors and their attitudes about callousness. Participants included 74 students roughly split on gender and year in school. Results A 2 x 2 between-subjects MANOVA was conducted (dependent variables--attitudes about and experiences with callousness; independent variables--gender and year in school). Significant results were found for gender; follow-up analyses revealed that women hold more unfavorable attitudes about callousness than men. Although students generally regarded callousness as undesirable, they reported seeing callousness modeled by their mentors 20% of the time across a variety of situations. Conclusions Students' attitudes about callousness are negative; women's attitudes are more negative than men's. Despite this, students (regardless of their demographic variations) regularly see it modeled by their mentors. Some students' narrative responses suggest they think being callous toward patients and colleagues can serve them well in some situations. The authors offer several questions to motivate further empirical and ethical inquiry into callousness and urge medical educators to consider its influence on students' conceptions of professionalism.
Civil Service Reform: The Case of Georgia

In 1996, the State of Georgia passed the Merit System Reform Act, which made dramatic changes to the traditional civil service system in the state. These reforms included placing all newly hired civil servants in positions that were “at will” and greatly decentralized responsibility for recruitment and classification to individual operating agencies. The role of the central personnel office changed from that of a regulating agency ensuring that merit principles were followed to a consulting service organization designed to encourage best practices. This article examines these changes as manifestations of a “managerialist” ideology more concerned with empowering managers for the sake of greater efficiency than with protecting individual employee rights.
Nearest-neighbor image model

We propose a novel, adaptive model for image representation. The model places image pixels on the nodes of a two-dimensional nearest-neighbor graph. Edge weights for the graph depend on the image of interest, and can be determined by solving a corresponding least-squares problem. The proposed model is shown to provide an efficient image representation well-suited for image compression.
Sûreté des réacteurs rapides à gaz ou à métal fondu

La surete est un des enjeux majeurs pour les futurs reacteurs nucleaires de quatrieme generation. La surete des installations nucleaires de puissance s'appuie en particulier sur un bon equilibre entre les mesures destinees a prevenir tout endommagement severe du coeur, et celles destinees a en limiter les consequences eventuelles. Les caracteristiques specifiques des reacteurs modulaires a haute temperature permettent d'envisager une approche de surete differente dans laquelle les consequences d'un endommagement severe du coeur n'auraient pas a etre considerees car un tel accident est quasiment impossible. L'application d'une approche analogue aux reacteurs a neutrons rapides est beaucoup plus delicate etant donne les caracteristiques intrinseques de ce type de reacteurs. A titre exploratoire, une tentative a toutefois ete faite, limitee a l'evacuation de la puissance residuelle d'un reacteur rapide refroidi au gaz.
Trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid and fluorodinitrobenzene: Probes to study local anesthetic effects in cell membranes

The interaction of local anesthetics with intact erythrocytes was studied by monitoring the extent of reaction of phospholipids with trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid and fluorodinitrobenzene. Incubating erythrocytes with local anesthetics increases the amount of phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylserine available for reaction with trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid and fluorodinitrobenzene. The order of potency of the local anesthetics corresponded to that reported for blocking nerve conduction: dibucaine> tetracaine>butacaine>lidocaine>procaine. Treatment of intact erythrocytes with 1mm tetracaine at 37°C allows 4–5% more of the phosphatidylethanolamine to react with trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid as compared to control cells. Treatment with tetracaine has no effect at 0°C, a temperature at which there is only limited partitioning of the anesthetic into the bilayer. Kinetic analysis of the reaction with trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid showed that the increased number of reactive phosphatidylethanolamine molecules are located mainly on the outer half of the erythrocyte membrane. Tetracaine also increases the number of phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylethanolamine molecules in the erythrocyte membrane which are available to react with the penetrating probe fluorodinitrobenzene. The reaction with PE is increased from 67 to 77% and the reaction of PS is increased from 44 to 57%. Thus tetracaine affects both halves of the lipid bilayer.
Reading the Fossils of Faith: Thomas Henry Huxley and the Evolutionary Subtext of the Synoptic Problem

In a book loaded with metaphors of assault and retaliation, Andrew Dickson White's A History of the Warfare of Science with Theology in Christendom saved one of the best for Darwin. “Darwin's Origin of Species,” we are told, came “into the theological world like a plough into an ant-hill. Everywhere those thus rudely awakened from their old comfort and repose had swarmed forth angry and confused.” For White, the sometimes frenzied post-Darwinian controversies over providential design and divine creation were simply the latest episodes in an all-out struggle between theology and science that stretched back beyond Galileo's cheerless encounters with the Catholic Church. Though the voices may have been different, the song remained the same. Despite its continuing presence in the popular media, contemporary historians of religion and science now regard White's warfare thesis as an artifact of the constantly shifting relationships between these two cultural fields rather than a viable analysis of their engagement. The fundamental problem with the conflict model is that it is a bit like performing heart surgery with a Phillips head screwdriver: it is simply too blunt of an instrument for getting at the all-too-crucial particulars. As a result, it is likely to do more harm than good. To see why, consider what James Moore has called the “religious filiation” of Charles Darwin's evolutionary thought.
The Power of Congress over Courts in Nonfederal Cases

This paper’s focus is on the perennially interesting question of the power of Congress to expand the jurisdiction of the federal courts. The problem is first considered indirectly, as the general subject of national power over state-court jurisdiction in nonfederal cases is considered. The underlying problem is then examined in its more familiar context, in which Congress confers jurisdiction upon federal courts over state-law cases. Here, the effort is to show not merely that theory developed for the former context can be generalized to extend to the latter, but that the theory is simply part of a more general theory of the power of Congress which has long been substantially, if implicitly, understood.
Root canal morphology of mandibular first and second premolars.

Abstract A total of 1,393 first and 938 second mandibular premolars were radiographically examined and mechanically probed to determine the percentage of these teeth which had more than one root canal. A second or third canal existed in at least 23.1 per cent of the first mandibular premolars and in at least 12.1 per cent of the second mandibular premolars.
Progressive subtalar joint dislocation and limb-length inequality. An unusual case

Subtalar joint dislocation is a rare entity, accounting for only 1% of all traumatic dislocations. The authors report a case of an adolescent with gradual lateral subluxation of an anatomically abnormal subtalar joint with no history of trauma, an extremely rare presentation. The patient also had a congenitally short limb. The patient underwent llizarov leg lengthening along with multiple surgeries of the subtalar joint. The choice of the Ilizarov technique to lengthen the leg and realign the subtalar joint in this case is discussed.
Multiobjective analysis in modeling the petrochemical industry

Abstract The structuring of the petrochemical industry has been considered both as a single objective and as a multiobjective problem. Three objective functions have been considered: The maximization of the thermodynamic availability change, the minimization of the lost work and the minimization of the feedstock consumption. The first two objectives aim at structuring the industry for “optimum” energy utilization, while the third aims at the optimum utilization of raw materials. The single objective analysis provided three optimum structures that constitute bounds of the actual performance of the petrochemical industry. The multiobjective analysis on the other hand provides the process designer a set of alternative solutions and subjective criteria have to be used in order to select the “best”.
Trigeminal high-frequency stimulation produces short- and long-term modification of reflex blink gain

Reflex blinks provide a model system for investigating motor learning in normal and pathological states. We investigated whether high-frequency stimulation (HFS) of the supraorbital branch of the trigeminal nerve before the R2 blink component (HFS-B) decreases reflex blink gain in alert rats. As with humans (Mao JB, Evinger C. J Neurosci 21: RC151, 2001), HFS-B significantly reduced blink size in the first hour after treatment for rats. Repeated days of HFS-B treatment produced long-term depression of blink circuits. Blink gain decreased exponentially across days, indicating a long-term depression of blink circuits. Additionally, the HFS-B protocol became more effective at depressing blink amplitude across days of treatment. This depression was not habituation, because neither long- nor short-term blink changes occurred when HFS was presented after the R2. To investigate whether gain modifications produced by HFS-B involved cerebellar networks, we trained rats in a delay eyelid conditioning paradigm using HFS-B as the unconditioned stimulus and a tone as the conditioned stimulus. As HFS-B depresses blink circuits and delay conditioning enhances blink circuit activity, occlusion should occur if they share neural networks. Rats acquiring robust eyelid conditioning did not exhibit decreases in blink gain, whereas rats developing low levels of eyelid conditioning exhibited weak, short-term reductions in blink gain. These results suggested that delay eyelid conditioning and long-term HFS-B utilize some of the same cerebellar circuits. The ability of repeated HFS-B treatment to depress trigeminal blink circuit activity long term implied that it may be a useful protocol to reduce hyperexcitable blink circuits that underlie diseases like benign essential blepharospasm.
Tumor Suppression by p53: Is Apoptosis Important or Not?

The mechanisms by which p53 suppresses tumor growth remain ill defined. In this issue of Cell Reports, Timofeev et al. (2013) and Valente et al. (2013) reveal context-dependent contributions of p53-dependent apoptosis to its tumor-suppressive function.
Case report: delirium due to a diltiazem-fentanyl CYP3A4 drug interaction.

Abstract Introduction Fentanyl and diltiazem are frequently used medications. Diltiazem inhibits cytochrome P450 3A4 isoenzymes. This can suppress fentanyl metabolism. Method We present a case of delirium after coadministration of fentanyl and diltiazem. Discussion Cautious use is warranted while concomitantly administering fentanyl and diltiazem as this can potentiate fentanyl toxicity. Other 3A4 inhibitors include ketoconazole, erythromycin, nefazodone, ritonavir, delavirdine, aprepitant and imatinib. Psychosomatic medicine psychiatrists, pain and palliative care physicians and cardiologists in particular should be aware of this interaction.
Common Ground: The Relational Dimensions of Mindfulness and Psychotherapy

This article explores the importance of the relationship between a teacher of meditation and his or her student. Mindfulness meditation is receiving a lot of attention in the psychotherapy literature currently. It is generally viewed as a technique that is taught in groups and then practiced individually by clients or participants. What does not appear to be generally understood is that the teaching and learning of meditation is understood in Eastern traditions as intimately related to the relationship that develops between the teacher and student. This, in fact, is very similar to what we are coming to understand about the importance of the therapeutic relationship to the outcome of therapy, regardless of technique or orientation of the therapist. Personal experiences of the author in a relationship with a meditation teacher are compared with those from a psychoanalytic therapy experience. Meditation is construed from this perspective not only as a technique that is learned and practiced but also as an i...
Sea water consumption by two strains of mice

Deux especes de souris (IHB et A) vecurent 1 an avec un regime d'eau de mer ad libitum et d'aliments secs. La haute osmolarite urinaire, la capacite elevee de concentrer le sodium et l'absence de diarrhee furent des facteurs qui leur permirent de supporter ce regime experimental.
Demographic characteristics in adult paternity for first births to adolescents under 15 years of age

Abstract Purpose: To examine parental demographic characteristics by adult (≥ 20 years at baby’s conception) and teenage ( Methods: This was a population-based, retrospective cohort analysis of all 12,317 very young adolescent mothers residing in California with a first singleton live birth during 1993–1995. Risks for adult, compared to teenage, paternity were evaluated using multivariate logistic regression. Results: Adult fathers, responsible for 26.7% of births to very young adolescents, were a mean of 8.8 years older than the mother. The risk factors for adult compared to adolescent paternity were as follows: father’s educational attainment of at least 3 years below that considered adequate for his age [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 8.34], father’s (AOR = 2.46) or mother’s (AOR = 1.36) educational attainment 1–2 years below that considered adequate for their age, mother’s birthplace outside the United States (AOR = 3.12), and father’s Hispanic ethnicity (AOR = 1.60) or African-American race (AOR = 1.50). Conclusions: Adult fathers were responsible for over one quarter of the births in our study. Adolescent pregnancy prevention focusing on younger adolescents must programmatically address adult paternity. Variations in adult paternity patterns across cultural groups suggest that we need further study of the role that cultural beliefs and practices play in very young adolescent pregnancy.
The measurement of strain fields by X-ray topographic contour mapping

Abstract An X-ray topographic method is described for measuring the magnitude of the components of the strain tensor as a function of position in single crystal specimens. Several variants of the technique are described for use with monochromatic or white X-radiation. Results are reported for some components of the deformation field surrounding a precipitate of β-NbH. Possible applications of contour mapping are discussed.