cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Developing the ngDVA 15m composite reflector concept

The Next Generation Very Large Array (ngVLA) project to replace the VLA telescope in New Mexico is just beginning. As a part of the initial Community Studies phase, we have contributed the concept design of a 15m feed-low wheel and track design. This telescope, the Next Generation Dish Verification Antenna 15m (ngDVA-15) follows on from the DVA-1 and DVA-2 antennas developed at the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory (DRAO) between 2012 and the present day. This paper will concentrate on the design and optimization process for the ngDVA-15 back-up structure. Topology and free-size optimization were used to develop the initial design concepts. Both methods helped to steer the back-up structure in the initial design phase, but ultimately engineering intuition also played a role. Topology optimization can lead directly to useful solutions in some cases but hardware and software limitations still limit the physical size of the model. Also, topological routines cannot yet correctly model truss-type networks with no moment transfer at the joints, and optimizing structures with only gravitational loads proved to be challenging for the current generation of optimization routines. Size optimization was also used once the design was sufficiently refined. The initial stage of design involved minimization of reflector surface deflections under gravitational loads only. FEA modelling of surface deflections together with in-house developed fitting algorithms were used to determine primary surface accuracy. Surface accuracies of better than 80 microns RMS were achieved which met the initial design goal for telescope operation at 120GHz.
Measuring the Certainty of Probabilistic Rules

We begin by defining a general measure of certainty for discrete probabilistic rules. A discrete probabilistic rule is a statement about behavior that is composed of three parts: (1) a set of conditions c called the context or environment of the rule; (2) a countable set of possible outcomes Ω = {ω1,ω2,...,ω j ,...}; (3) a probability function P that assigns a probability P j to each outcome ω j in Ω.
The U.S. Supreme Court is about to re-evaluate how some states carry out lethal injections.

Next month, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a case which challenges Oklahoma’s use of “liquid fire” in executions. The drug – potassium chloride – is one of a cocktail of drugs currently used in some states to carry out death sentences, a cocktail that has led to botched executions. Nancy E. Millar comments on the upcoming case, which challenges the drug’s use under the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment. She writes that while it is impossible to predict what the Court will decide, its previous decisions and statements might provide some indication of how the justices are leaning.
Advanced age adversely affects chronic rhinosinusitis surgical outcomes.

Background Patient-specific and disease-specific factors shape the course of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and its response to treatment, with optimal management involving interventions tailored to these factors. Recent evidence suggests CRS inflammatory signatures depend on age. The objective of this study was to determine whether age also influences quality-of-life (QOL) and postoperative outcomes. Methods Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected QOL data from 403 adults with medically refractory CRS who underwent functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) at a tertiary care medical center between 2014 and 2018 was undertaken. Total and subdomain scores from the 22-item Sino-Nasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22) and the Short Form 8 Health Survey (SF-8) measure of general health completed at preoperative and postoperative visits were reviewed. Results Patients were divided into young (18 to 39 years, n = 100), middle-aged (40 to 59 years, n = 172), and elderly (≥60 years, n = 131) groups. Baseline total SNOT-22 scores differed between groups (p = 0.01), with middle-aged patients having the highest symptom burden and elderly patients having the lowest. Similar patterns were observed for SNOT-22 subdomains. Elderly patients reported smaller improvements and were less likely to achieve a minimally important clinical difference. CRS patients had worse SF-8 scores compared to the general population, and elderly patients were the least likely to match population norms following surgery. Age was an independent predictor of QOL outcomes after FESS. Conclusion Age may play a significant role in CRS pathophysiology, symptom burden, and surgical outcomes. Elderly patients report smaller improvements in disease-specific and general health QOL after surgery. CRS management in the elderly population should incorporate age-dependent differences in symptom burden and expectations into treatment algorithms.
l-Homoarginine supplementation prevents diabetic kidney damage.

l-homoarginine is an endogenous, non-proteinogenic amino acid that has emerged as a new player in health and disease. Specifically, low l-homoarginine levels are associated with cardiovascular diseases, stroke, and reduced kidney function. However, the role of l-homoarginine in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy (DN) is not known. Experiments were conducted in 6-week-old Ins2Akita mice supplemented with l-homoarginine via drinking water or mini osmotic pump for 12 weeks. Both plasma and kidney l-homoarginine levels were significantly reduced in diabetic mice compared to nondiabetic controls. Untreated Ins2Akita mice showed significant increases in urinary albumin excretion, histological changes, glomerular macrophage recruitment, the inflammatory cytokine KC-GRO/CXCL1, and urinary thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) excretion as an indicator of oxidative stress, along with a significant reduction in kidney nitrate + nitrite levels compared to control mice at 18 weeks of age. In contrast, l-homoarginine supplementation for 12 weeks in Ins2Akita mice, via either drinking water or mini osmotic pump, significantly reduced albuminuria, renal histological changes, glomerular macrophage recruitment, KC-GRO/CXCL1 levels, urinary TBARS excretion, and largely restored kidney nitrate + nitrite levels. These data demonstrate that l-homoarginine supplementation attenuates specific features of DN in mice and could be a potential new therapeutic tool for treating diabetic patients.
Predictors of reoperation after internal fixation of intra-articular distal humerus fractures:

BackgroundDespite good reported outcomes with open reduction and internal fixation of intra-articular distal humerus fractures, complication rates remain high. The objective of this work is to iden...
Thick credence and pragmatic encroachment

Pragmatic factors encroach on epistemic predicates not solely because the threshold for actionable belief may shift with an epistemic agent’s context, as an evidential Bayesian might insist, but also because what our inductive policy should be may shift with that context. I argue for this thesis in the context of imprecise probabilities, maintaining that the choice of the defining hyperparameter for an Imprecise Dirichlet Model for nonparametric predictive inference may correspond to the choice of an eager versus reticent inductive policy in a way that can be sensitive to stakes and other practical circumstances.
Ludic-HRI: Designing Playful Experiences with Robots

People are inherently playful, and playfulness matters not only when engaging in actual play but also in all other activities. Based on this, I propose using a ludic design approach as a means to broaden the design space for Human-Robot Interaction (HRI). In this paper, I discuss the application of ludic design in HRI and explore how ludic activities can act as a mechanism for achieving new understandings from people during their interactions with robots. Two projects, BubbleBot and Sketching Robot, are presented as cases of designing ludic activities with robots. In my work, I have investigated how people perceived robots by applying exploratory research through design methods in creating the ludic experiences. I am continuously learning from my design and exploring potential areas for designing robots while identifying new values and goals for having robots in our lives.
Intergration of evacuated tubular solar collectors with lithium bromide absorption cooling systems

Abstract By surrounding the absorber-heat exchanger component of a solar collector with a glass-enclosed evacuated space and by providing the absorber with a selective surface, solar collectors can operate at efficiencies exceeding 50 per cent under conditions of ΔT H T = 75° C m 2 /kW (ΔT = collector fluid inlet temperature minus ambient temperature, HT = incident solar radiation on a tilted surface). The high performance of these evacuated tubular collectors thus provides the required high temperature inputs (70–88°C) of lithium bromide absorption cooling units, while maintaining high collector efficiency. This paper deals with the performance and analysis of two types of evacuated tubular solar collectors intergrated with the two distinct solar heating and cooling systems installed on CSU Solar Houses I and III.
‘Disenchanted with the state’: confronting the limits of neoliberal multiculturalism in Colombia

The Colombian government’s embrace of multicultural policies in the 1990 s had far-reaching implications for black and indigenous struggles for self-determination and autonomy. In the context of wi...
Abstract 4403: Predicting therapeutic sensitivities from molecular interaction network rewiring of RUNX1-RUNX1T1 fusion

Cancer driver events are thought to converge on a subset of molecular systems that regulate the hallmark behaviors of cancer cells. However, the complexity of biological systems makes it difficult to evaluate the impact of individual mutations at the level of such cellular processes and behaviors. In order to overcome this, we propose to study the effects of cancer mutations by modeling them as perturbations to molecular network architectures, allowing network-based prediction of drug sensitivities. We first built the infrastructure to study protein-protein interaction network rewiring by variants by mapping different classes of variants onto edges of the PPI network using protein structure information. Mutations that cause a larger disruption to the underlying network architecture can create more vulnerabilities that can be used as drug targets. Therefore, in this project we decided to focus on fusion events which can interfere with many interactions of their parent proteins. In order to assess the disruption that can be caused by fusion events, we collected 2,699 cancer fusion proteins and demonstrated the centrality of their parents within a high confidence human PPI network of 12,047 proteins. This indicates that the parent proteins of fusion genes tend to interact with more protein partners and are more likely to display network topological properties suggesting a role in information transduction in molecular interaction networks. As leukemias are often impacted by chromosomal aberrations that can result in fusion and tend to harbor fewer somatic mutations than solid tumors, they provide a good setting to develop a network-based model to study fusion events in the context of drug responses. Therefore, we chose to study the RUNX1-RUNX1T1 translocation, t(8;21)(q22;q22), in AML which is thought to be a pre-leukemic event that can result in tumors after receiving additional mutations. This translocation replaces the transactivation domain of RUNX1 with most of the RUNX1T1 protein which changes its function as an essential transcriptional activator of hematopoiesis. In order to study the transcriptional effects of RUNX1-RUNX1T1 fusion on the underlying interactome network architecture, U937T cells induced with RUNX1-RUNX1T1 fusion were grown in triplicate and RNA was harvested prior to induction and at certain times post-induction. Wild type U937T cells with no perturbation serve as negative control. RNA sequencing was performed, followed by alignment of the reads to the reference genome. A differential gene expression analysis showed that 1,582 genes are differentially expressed in fusion induced cells versus wild type at FDR Citation Format: Kivilcim Ozturk, Hannah Carter. Predicting therapeutic sensitivities from molecular interaction network rewiring of RUNX1-RUNX1T1 fusion [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 4403.
Towards a Reconfigurable Bit-Serial/Bit-Parallel Vector Accelerator using In-Situ Processing-In-SRAM

Vector accelerators can efficiently execute regular data-parallel workloads, but they require expensive multi-ported register files to feed large vector ALUs. Recent work on in-situ processing-in-SRAM shows promise in enabling area-efficient vector acceleration. This work explores two different approaches to leveraging in-situ processing-in-SRAM: BS-VRAM, which uses bit-serial execution, and BP-VRAM, which uses bit-parallel execution. The two approaches have very different latency vs. throughput trade-offs. BS-VRAM requires more cycles per operation, but is able to execute thousands of operations in parallel, while BP-VRAM requires fewer cycles per operation, but can only execute hundreds of operations in parallel. This paper is the first work to perform a rigorous evaluation of bit-serial vs. bit-parallel in-situ processing-in-SRAM. Our results show that both approaches have similar area overheads. For 32-bit arithmetic operations, BS-VRAM improves throughput by 1.3–5.0× compared to BP-VRAM, while BP-VRAM improves latency by 3.0–23.0× compared to BS-VRAM.
On the Meanings of Functional Play: A Review and Clarification of Definitions:

The term functional play is used widely and variably in serving young children developing with delays, affecting its use in research and practice. It also is confused with play as a functional goal...
Hormones and Color Change in Female White-Cheeked Gibbons, Nomascus leucogenys

Sexual dichromatism is a well-studied form of sexual dimorphism and is evident in a variety of taxa. Gibbons in the genera Nomascus and Hoolock are sexually dichromatic, with adult females having light or blonde pelage while adult males are black. All infants are born blonde, and all turn black at ca. 1–1.5 yr of age. Females then undergo a second pelage color change some time between the ages of 5 and 9 yr, when they attain their adult, blonde pelage. Here, we examine patterns of reproductive hormones (progesterone and estrone-3-glucuronide, or E1G) in 10 zoo-housed female white-cheeked gibbons (Nomascus leucogenys) during the maturation period. Females ranged in age from 2.8 to 9.8 yr during the time of sample collection. We used photographs of each female to estimate color on a five-point scale. We found a significant relationship between color and mean concentration of E1G (r = 0.69) but not between age and color (r = 0.16), or progesterone and color (r = 0.37). These results suggest a correlation between estrogen and color change in white-cheeked gibbons.
The Morbidity & Mortality Assessment Tool (MMAT): Design and Proof of Concept.

Abstract Background Morbidity and Mortality Conference (MMC) is a traditional quality assessment tool among surgical residencies to evaluate complications within their care and to integrate and educate best practices. Unfortunately, it is difficult to validate and measure loop closure as a result of MMC. This may result in repeating past mistakes or worse, becoming a meeting of anecdotal experiences. The goal of this study is to present results from a morbidity and mortality assessment tool (MMAT) which provides a means of measuring and tracking factors related to those surgical complications discussed within the MMC. Materials and Methods Three years of MMC presentations were organized into a database and further divided and organized into variables which included case by the class year of the presenting resident, service line, month the case was presented, and potential contributing factors. Contributing factors considered for each case were categorized as: Systems-Based, Direct Patient Care, and Interpersonal Communication. Contributing factors were assigned to cases by a review committee consisting of residents and faculty members. Results The lack of knowledge, technical error, lack of experience, lack of supervision, failure to communicate with team members were present in greater than 10% of the presented cases. There was a “July Effect” in the Trauma service, where there was a statistically significant difference between the percentage of cases presented that involved Failure to Communicate errors when compared with the remainder of the year. Conclusions MMAT allows longitudinal collection of data from each MMC to recognize patterns that facilitate improvements in systems of care and institutional memory.
Comparative effects of fluconazole, posaconazole, and isavuconazole upon tacrolimus and cyclosporine serum concentrations.

IntroductionCalcineurin inhibitors are commonly used in hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) patients to prevent graft versus host disease, but as CYP3A4 substrates they are frequently involve...
Occipital intermittent rhythmic delta activity (OIRDA) in pediatric focal epilepsies: A case series.

Abstract In this case series, we have identified an atypical pattern of OIRDA (Occipital intermittent rhythmic delta activity) on the electroencephalograms (EEGs) of three pediatric patients with self-limited focal epilepsies, including Childhood Epilepsy with Centrotemporal Spikes (CECTS), and Panayiotopoulos syndrome (PS). Previously, OIRDA was described as a symmetric sinusoidal occipital-maximal activity, often associated with childhood idiopathic generalized epilepsies, although it was also reported among other physiologic or pathological entities including focal epilepsy. We have observed in our case series that OIRDA, without prominent field effect, is lateralized or maximal on the hemispheric side ipsilateral to the more defining epileptiform discharges in these focal epilepsies. They also exhibit a notched morphology due to the intermixed sharp wave activities, although the sharp waves are not occurring repetitively. This report provides additional evidence that OIRDA can be associated with a spectrum of idiopathic focal epilepsies and may suggest a cortical origin of OIRDA in these patients as opposed to a hypothesized subcortical generator in patients with primary generalized absence epilepsy, even though further investigation is warranted for either hypothesis.
Fate of ammonia and implications for distribution system water quality at four ion exchange softening plants with elevated source water ammonia.

Abstract Hard water and elevated ammonia are problems for many United States groundwater drinking water utilities, and some utilities, particularly those in the Midwest, face both challenges. Ion (cation) exchange (IX) is a common treatment technique for hardness reduction (i.e., softening) and may be used to remove ammonia as well, but these constituents may compete in IX and impact overall treatment performance. Few data have been reported on the impact on ammonia concentrations when using IX for softening in full-scale systems. This study investigated four full-scale groundwater treatment plants in Illinois that practice IX for softening (raw water hardness > 220 mg/L as CaCO3) and have elevated groundwater ammonia concentrations (> 2 mg N/L). Sampling throughout the year revealed consistent finished water hardness levels but variable ammonia concentrations. Ammonia removal varied and depended on how much water had been treated since the last regeneration. High ammonia removal (sometimes > 90%) occurred in the first half of the IX service cycle, while effluent ammonia concentrations increased compared to the influent (sometimes > 200%) towards the end of the IX cycle (total length 50,000-92,000 gallons [190-350 m3]). Ammonia removal efficiency varied among the plants, but the overall trends were similar. Because variable ammonia concentrations may make it difficult to produce a consistent total chlorine residual, they can negatively impact disinfection and water quality in the distribution system. Ammonia concentrations should be considered when designing softening systems to determine regeneration frequency, develop blending strategies, or include an alternative ammonia treatment process before IX softening to produce a more stable and consistent finished water.
Trust in Founders

We document that labor relationships at founder firms are less acrimonious than at non-founder firms. Founder-firms are less likely to be unionized and employees at non-unionized founder-firms are less likely to attempt to unionize. Further, among firms that are unionized, labor at founder-firms are less likely to strike. Finally, employees of founder firms are much less likely to file unfair labor practice complaints with the NLRB. These results also hold for firms that are run by the family members of founders. Unobserved heterogeneity does not appear to drive the results. The results reveal the valuable role of employee trust in founders.
Adaptive Few-Shot Learning PoC Ultrasound COVID-19 Diagnostic System.

This paper presents a novel ultrasound imaging point-of-care (PoC) COVID-19 diagnostic system. The adaptive visual diagnostics utilize few-shot learning (FSL) to generate encoded disease state models that are stored and classified using a dictionary of knowns. The novel vocabulary based feature processing of the pipeline adapts the knowledge of a pretrained deep neural network to compress the ultrasound images into discrimative descriptions. The computational efficiency of the FSL approach enables high diagnostic deep learning performance in PoC settings, where training data is limited and the annotation process is not strictly controlled. The algorithm performance is evaluated on the open source COVID-19 POCUS Dataset to validate the system's ability to distinguish COVID-19, pneumonia, and healthy disease states. The results of the empirical analyses demonstrate the appropriate efficiency and accuracy for scalable PoC use. The code for this work will be made publicly available on GitHub upon acceptance.
Female teachers' child abuse reporting role in Oman: Results from focus groups.

Abstract Background Schoolteachers are in a good position to identify and report suspected child abuse and neglect cases; however, they still fail to report all the cases. Recently, the Sultanate of Oman, which is a collectivistic culture, mandated schoolteachers to report any suspected case. However, there is a lack of evidence known to us about the factors associated with Omani teachers' reporting behavior. Such evidence is needed to inform the interventions that are designed to enhance teachers' reporting behavior. Objective The current study was designed to address this gap by exploring the factors that affect Omani schoolteachers reporting behavior of suspected child abuse and neglect cases. Participants and setting A total of 26 participants were recruited from five basic education schools in the Muscat governorate in Oman. Methods This is a descriptive qualitative study. Five focus group discussions were conducted. Thematic coding was used for data analysis. Results Three themes were discerned from the data analysis. The factors that affect Omani schoolteachers as described by the participants were: 1) reporting within an environment of educational resource scarcity; 2) reporting within an environment of competing female social roles and their professional reporting role; and 3) reporting within an environment of complex and diverse abuse and neglect cases. Conclusions Our findings highlight the role of culture in reporting behavior. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
Geology and Geophysics of the Amerasian Basin

The deeper Arctic Ocean is conveniently divided into two unequal portions. The Amerasian Basin is the larger. It is separated from the smaller Eurasian Basin by the Lomonosov Ridge, a feature that forms a prominent backbone for the deeper Arctic Ocean (Fig. 1).
Regulation of the coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor (CAR) during epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT)

4592 CAR is the major receptor for subgroup C adenoviruses and therefore an important factor for the success of many adenovirus-based anti-cancer treatments. CAR is a transmembranic protein that takes part in the formation of the apical junctional complex. Loss of CAR expression in human cancers occurs frequently, in particular in high-grade tumors. We are investigating the molecular mechanisms regulating CAR expression in human malignancies in order to develop strategies to increase the efficacy of adenovirus-based therapies through pharmacological restoration of receptor expression. We examined alterations of CAR expression in mouse E4 skin cancer cells and the nontransformed mouse mammary gland epithelial cell line NmuMG during TGF-β induced EMT. TGF-β treatment of these cells resulted in down-regulation of CAR protein and mRNA expression which was mirrored by a dramatic reduction in infectivity with a luciferase-expressing, non-replicating adenovirus. To further characterize the nature of this regulation, we cloned the promoter regions of the human and mouse CAR gene. Using 5’ RACE, the transcriptional start sites in the TATA-less promoter were identified. The role of regulatory elements in the promoter region for repression of CAR transcription following EMT was characterized. Mutation or deletion of these elements restored CAR promoter activity in cells that had undergone EMT. Transcription factors were identified as candidates for mediating TGF-β dependent transcriptional repression of CAR in epithelial cells undergoing EMT.
Connecting Teacher Beliefs Research and Policy

This chapter illustrates why the examination of teacher beliefs is important in light of forthcoming and accepted educational policies. We discuss the interface between beliefs research and policy, propose a guiding model that links policy and teacher beliefs research, and suggest different research approaches in the context of this model.
Abstract 15985: Liver Transplantation Does Not Reverse Cirrhotic Cardiomyopathy

Background: Cirrhotic cardiomyopathy (CCM), a frequent finding in patients with end stage liver disease (ESLD), presents with diastolic dysfunction (DD), hyperdynamic state, and prolonged corrected QT interval (QTc). Liver transplantation (LT) is thought to be the only treatment for CCM. The aim of our study is to assess the reversibility of CCM after LT. Methods: We retrospectively assessed the data of 82 patients collected from the Cleveland Clinic LT database between the years 2007 to 2008 that had an echocardiogram (TTE) and an EKG pre and post-LT. The clinical characteristics were obtained from the electronic record and all EKG and TTE were analyzed by 2 independent observers in the standard manner. The frequency of CCM criteria in ESLD patients was compared with 74 matched controls with no history of liver disease. Results: The median age of patients was 57 years (IQR 19 to 72), 72% were males and 85% were Caucasian. The median time between LT and post-LT testing was 4 years (IQR 0.1 to 6). Compared...
Spray deposition process study of SnO2silicon solar cells using orthogonal experimental design

Abstract With the “orthogonal experimental design” (OED), the dependence of conductivity and transparency of tin oxide films and open circuit voltage V oc of SIS solar cells on the spray deposition process factors was studied. The OED technique was found to be a powerful method for realizing the best factor combination. Using OED, curves were obtained which clearly depict the effects of each factor on the SIS characteristics. The results of the experiments also illustrate exactly which variation in fabrication technique most affects the sheet resistance, V oc , and film transparency. Under the optimal combination of conditions, a thin film doped with NH 4 F was obtained, with about 90% transmission and a sheet resistance of about 80 Ω/□, along with an SIS structure with a V oc of about 0.61 V.
Cytogenetic and Physical Chromosomal Maps: Integration

It is now possible to link a cytogenetic location directly with the sequence of the human genome. This is accomplished by using a toolset consisting of high-resolution fluorescent in situ hybridization-mapped and sequenced bacterial artificial chromosome clones distributed at 1–2 Mb intervals across the genome. This toolset is available from a commercial repository and is searchable in publicly available databases cross-referenced to extant information on cancer-associated chromosomal aberrations. Keywords: cytogenetics; bacterial artificial chromosomes; fluorescent in situ hybridization; genome sequence; database
X-ray-scattering study of the charge-density-wave structure in NbSe 3 in high magnetic fields

An upper bound of $\ensuremath{\Delta}q/ql~2.5\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$ on the magnetic-field-induced shift of the wave vector of the low-temperature charge-density wave in ${\mathrm{NbSe}}_{3}$ is established by high-resolution x-ray diffraction in magnetic fields up to 10 T. The charge-density-wave order parameter is also magnetic-field independent, to within 10%. These limits are discussed in the context of magnetotransport experiments on ${\mathrm{NbSe}}_{3}$ as well as theoretical models that had predicted a magnetic-field dependence of the charge-density-wave structure.
Compliance with contraceptives and other treatments

Objective: To define some of the issues unique to compliance with oral contraceptives, and some comparisons with other preventive and therapeutic treatments. Data Sources: Reports of compliance with medical treatment were used, with a focus on studies using microelectronic monitoring to assess compliance. Studies included the general population and a variety of demographically different groups. Methods of Study Selection: Twenty-nine studies of medication compliance (including surveys and clinical trials with specific interventions), across a broad range of medical disorders, were selected for comparison with reports of oral contraceptive compliance. Tabulation, Integration, and Results: Rates of compliance with contraceptive methods are low, but differ little from rates of compliance with other medical treatments. Several questions might be used to ascertain the likelihood that an individual is willing to use an oral contraceptive as prescribed (eg, willingness to take a daily pill, to return for follow-up, and to report adverse effects). Conclusions: Studies of a variety of medical disorders have shown that no consequence is so severe that all patients can be assumed to comply with the prescribed treatment plan. Inadequate compliance often diminishes treatment efficacy, which suggests the need for alternative methods that do not require daily compliance.
Shock-wave formation in flowing bubbly mixtures by steepening of compression waves

Abstract The formation and propagation of shock waves in a two-component flowing bubbly mixture has been investigated experimentally. The structure of shock waves formed by steepening of compression waves is compared with the corresponding features of shocks produced spontaneously in shock tubes. Experimentally determined values of the speed of propagation of the shock compare favorably with the Hugoniot relationship based upon a homogeneous two-phase model. The effect of the gravitational and frictional pressure gradients on the shock characteristics is also examined.
Design Of Optical Multilayer Coatings At NRCC

Programs for the design of optical multilayer systems at the NRCC are based on analysis, refinement, comprehensive search, gradual evolution and on the minus filter, flip-flop and inverse Fourier transform methods. For the purpose of this paper they have been used to design layer systems with one particular spectral transmittance curve. However, they can be applied to a wide variety of problems. Their advantages and limitations are compared and contrasted.
Dynamics of dry matter production in a mixed-grass prairie in western North Dakota.

Above- and belowground biomass of primary producers were estimated by the harvest method on 10 dates in 1969 in a mixed-prairie grassland. A range of estimates of above- and belowground net primary production is established using several methods of calculation. The range for aboveground production is 240 to 302 g·m-2 and 931 to 1221 g·m-2 for belowground production. Correlation analysis indicated that above- and belowground biomass dynamics are significantly (α≦0.05) related to air and soil temperature, soil water, precipitation, and vapor pressure deficit. Analysis of energy flow through primary producers indicates a net storage of energy in the standing dead, litter, and belowground compartments. Accumulation in the standing dead was 63% of inputs, in the litter 8%, and belowground 37%. Belowground decomposition was 57% of belowground production and the same value aboveground was 50%.
XIAP regulates DNA damage-induced apoptosis downstream of caspase-9 cleavage.

Abstract The IAP (inhibitor ofapoptosis) family of anti-apoptotic proteins regulates programmed cell death. Of the six known human IAP-related proteins, XIAP is the most potent inhibitor. To study the mechanistic effects of XIAP on DNA damage-induced apoptosis, we prepared U-937 cells that stably overexpress XIAP. The results demonstrate that XIAP inhibits apoptosis induced by 1-[β-d-arabinofuranosyl]cytosine (ara-C) and other genotoxic agents. XIAP had no detectable effect on ara-C-induced release of mitochondrial cytochrome c and attenuated cleavage of procaspase-9. In addition, we show that ara-C induces the association of XIAP with the cleaved fragments of caspase-9 and thereby inhibition of caspase-9 activity. The results also demonstrate that ara-C induces cleavage of procaspase-3 by a caspase-8-dependent mechanism and that XIAP inhibits caspase-3 activity. These results demonstrate that XIAP functions downstream of procaspase-9 cleavage as an inhibitor of both proteolytically processed caspase-9 and -3 in the cellular response to genotoxic stress.
Temperature dependence of the photorefractive properties of BaTiO3

Abstract We present the results of two-wave mixing experiments1 performed in the temperature range between 20 and 125°C with BaTiO3, crystals grown at Hughes. We determine the temperature dependence of the two-wave mixing gain and we study the variation with temperature of the response time for an intensity close to 1 W/cm2 and a grating wavelength of 0.8 μm. Our experiments demonstrate that the high two-wave mixing gain typical of BaTiO3, at room temperature can be preserved up to 125°C while the response time is strongly improved with respect to its room temperature value (Figures 1 and 2). This implies a twentyfold increase in the sensitivity of BaTiO3. Recent experiments aimed at further increasing the sensitivity will be discussed.
On the Zero-inequivalence Problem far Loop Programs

Abstract The complexity of the zero-inequivalence problem (deciding if a program outputs a nonzero value for some nonnegative integer input) for several simple classes of loop programs is studied. In particular, we show that the problem is NP-complete for L1-programs with only one input variable and two auxiliary variables. These are programs over the instruction set x ← 0, x ← x + 1, x ← y, do x … end, where do-loops cannot be nested. For K1-programs, where the instruction set is x ← x + 1, x ← x ∸ 1 , do x … end, zero-inequivalence is NP-complete even for programs with only one input variable and one auxiliary variable. These results may be the best possible since there is a class of programs which properly contains two-variable L1-programs and one-variable K1-programs with a polynomial time decidable equivalence problem. Addition of other constructs, e.g., allowing K1-programs to use instruction x ← x + y, makes the zero-inequivalence problem undecidable.
Gag-Positive Reservoir Cells Are Susceptible to HIV-Specific Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte Mediated Clearance In Vitro and Can Be Detected In Vivo

Resting CD4+ T cells infected with HIV persist in the presence of suppressive anti-viral therapy (ART) and are barriers to a cure. One potential curative approach, therapeutic vaccination, is fueled by recognition of the ability of a subset of elite controllers (EC) to control virus without therapy due to robust anti-HIV immune responses. Controllers have low levels of integrated HIV DNA and low levels of replication competent virus, suggesting a small reservoir. As our recent data indicates some reservoir cells can produce HIV proteins (termed GPR cells for Gag-positive reservoir cells), we hypothesized that a fraction of HIV-expressing resting CD4+ T cells could be efficiently targeted and cleared in individuals who control HIV via anti-HIV cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL). To test this we examined if superinfected resting CD4+ T cells from EC express HIV Gag without producing infectious virus and the susceptibility of these cells to CTL. We found that resting CD4+ T cells expressed HIV Gag and were cleared by autologous CD8+ T cells from EC. Importantly, we found the extent of CTL clearance in our in vitro assay correlates with in vivo reservoir size and that a population of Gag expressing resting CD4+ T cells exists in vivo in patients well controlled on therapy.
Rapid kinetic studies of calmodulin interactions with calcium and troponin I as monitored by anthroylcholine fluorescence.

Abstract Anthroylcholine was utilized as an extrinsic fluorescent probe in rapid kinetic studies of calcium dissociation from calmodulin (koff = 10 S−1) and the calmodulin-troponin I complex (koff = 6 S−1). At concentrations lower than 70 μM, the mechanism of dye binding agreed with the simple kinetic scheme in which the dye binds exclusively to the respective calcium complexes of calmodulin and calmodulin-troponin I. The sensitivity of anthroylcholine also made possible the estimation of values for the association (1.0 ± 0.8) × 108 M −1 S−1) and dissociation rate constants (2 ± 170 S−1) for troponin I binding to the calcium4-calmodulin complex.
Inhibition of serous exudation and tumor cell proliferation in peritoneal cavities of mice given cortisone.

Summary and CommentThe results as a whole indicate that the treatment with cortisone impaired the growth of intraperitoneally implanted Sarcoma 180 cells, as was shown by morphological abnormalities in the tumor cells of treated animals, by a decrease in the number of tumor cells present in the peritoneal exudate, and by the lack or scarcity of serosal implants. This effect was not due to direct contact between cortisone and tumor cells, since i.p. treatment was not more efficient than s.c. injections. Furthermore, tumor cells of cortisone-treated mice grew freely when transferred into new hosts. Hence, it seems reasonable to suppose that the cortisone influenced the tumor cells only indirectly by changing their environment unfavorably. The essential change appeared to consist in a suppression of the serous exudate which is induced by the presence of tumor cells in the peritoneal cavity and constitutes a necessary condition for their growth and implantation. The scarcity or lack of serous fluid in spite o...
Texture analysis using genetic algorithms and partially ordered Markov models

When using approaches for solving imaging problems such as maximum likelihood or a Bayesian decision rule, massive amounts of data are involved. In order to make the implementation on computers attainable and not overly CPU-intensive, approximations to optimal solutions are often chosen, or nonoptimal solutions sought. In this paper we present a novel solution to the problem of solving for a maximum a posteriori estimator that uses genetic algorithms to search the solution space and a new statistical model called partially ordered Markov models (POMMs). We apply the procedure to the problem of parameter fitting to stochastic models for texture. POMMs are a subclass of Markov random fields that have been shown to offer computational advantages over general Markov rnadom fields. POMMs are based on partial orderings of the lattice array. Among other properties, these models have an exact closed-form joint distribution. We show that POMMs can be used successfully for parameter fitting to texture data. A genetic algorithm is used for approximation of a solution of the maximum likelihood estimator. We also show simulated textures representing samples of the solutions found.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Three-Dimensional Flow Field Measurements in a Radial Inflow Turbine Scroll Using LDV

The results of an experimental study of the three-dimensional flow field in a radial inflow turbine scroll are presented. A two-color LDV system was used in the measurement of three orthogonal velocity components at 758 points located throughout the scroll and the unvaned portion of the nozzle. The cold flow experimental results are presented for through-flow velocity contours and the cross velocity vectors.
Friend or Foe? Turning a Host Defense Protein Into a Pathogen's Accomplice

Cystatins are cysteine protease inhibitors that are at the front-line of defense against pathogens that secrete proteases as virulence factors. In this issue, Vincents et al. (2008) reveal how the bacterial protease IdeS from Streptococcus pyogenes hijacks normal cystatin C function to convert it into a cofactor that enhances proteolytic destruction of host-defense antibodies.
Sustained vascular endothelial growth factor delivery enhances angiogenesis and perfusion in ischemic hind limb

We hypothesized that sustained delivery of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) using a polymer [85:15 poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLG)] would enhance angiogenesis and improve perfusion of ischemic tissue. C57BL/6J mice (n = 20/group) underwent unilateral hind limb ischemia surgery and were randomized to groups of no scaffold implantation (∅-Implant), unloaded scaffold implantation (Empty-PLG), or implantation of scaffolds incorporating 3 μg of VEGF165 (PLG-VEGF). Endpoints included laser Doppler perfusion imaging (LDPI, ischemic/nonischemic limb, %), local vessel counts, immunohistochemistry for CD31, and α-smooth muscle actin. In vitro release kinetics of VEGF from PLG was also measured. PLG-VEGF resulted in improved lower extremity perfusion vs. controls as measured by LDPI% at 7, 14, 21, and 28 days (p < 0.05). PLG-VEGF was associated with significantly greater percentage of vessels staining for CD31 and α-smooth muscle actin compared to the Empty-PLG or ∅-Implant (p < 0.05 for both). The PLG-VEGF scaffolds resulted in sustained VEGF delivery, improved tissue perfusion, greater capillary density, and more mature vasculature compared to the controls. The sustained-release PLG polymer vehicle is a promising delivery system for therapeutic neovascularization applications.
Reflection on the origins of recycling: a Paleolithic perspective

An international gathering of about 50 archaeologists convened at Tel-Aviv University on October 7–10, 2013 for a research workshop entitled “The Origins of Recycling: A Paleolithic Perspective,” w...
A Brief Report on How Impossible Scores Affect Smoothing and Equating

Equating under the external anchor design is frequently conducted using scaled scores on the anchor test. However, scaled scores often lead to the unique problem of creating zero frequencies in the score distribution because there may not always be a one-to-one correspondence between raw and scaled scores. For example, raw scores of 17 and 18 may correspond to scaled scores of 150 and 153, thereby creating zero frequencies for scaled scores of 151 and 152. These gaps in the frequency distribution may adversely affect smoothing and equating. This study examines the effect of these zero frequencies on log-linear smoothing of score distributions and final equating results. Results suggest that although smoothing is significantly affected by the presence of these zero frequencies, the impact on the actual equating results is minimal.
Tritrichomonas foetus: Partly defined cultivation medium for study of the purine and pyrimidine metabolism

Abstract A partly defined medium was successfully designed for the cultivation of Tritrichomonas foetus, an anaerobic protozoan parasite of cattle. The medium consists of hypoxanthine, uracil, and thymidine as the sole precursors of nucleotides in T. foetus. Elimination of any one of the three precursors from the medium led to cessation of T. foetus growth. The information provided by this medium verifies our previous observations that T. foetus is incapable of de novo purine and pyrimidine synthesis, that hypoxanthine can be converted to AMP and GMP, that uracil is incorporated into all pyrimidine ribonucleotides including UDP-glucose—the precursor of glycogen synthesis, and that thymidine is the only precursor of TMP. The omission of folate from the medium, without affecting growth of T. foetus, also supports our previous finding that the parasite does not have functioning dihydrofolate reductase or thymidylate synthetase. The successful plating of T. foetus on agar plates incorporating the partly defined medium with near 100% plating efficiency makes it possible to isolate T. foetus mutants for further studies of purine and pyrimidine metabolism in this parasite.
The Planet on the Screen: Scales of Belonging in A. R. Ammons's Sphere

Sphere had the image of the whole earth, then for the first time seen on television, at its center. ... There was the orb. And it seemed to me the perfect image to put at the center of a reconciliation of One-Many forces. While I had had sort of philosophical formulations for the One-Many problem before, the earth seemed to be the actual body around which these forces could best be represented. So when I began Sphere, I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to kind of complete that process, that marriage of the OneMany problem with the material earth. (Set in Motion 103)
Raman and 29Si MAS NMR spectroscopy of framework materials containing three-membered rings

Abstract Raman and 29Si MAS NMR spectroscopies are evaluated for the identification of three-membered rings (3MR) in framework oxide materials. Raman and 29Si MAS NMR spectra from the 3MR-containing materials euclase, phenakite, clinohedrite, willemite, lovdarite, VPI-7, ZSM-18 and dipotassium zinc tetrasilicate are presented. The Raman spectra from these materials do not exhibit common bands representing vibrational modes assignable to individual 3MR. The dense beryllosilicate and zincosilicate minerals exhibit 29Si MAS NMR resonances indicative of silicon positioned in 3MR while the molecular sieves lovdarite and VPI-7 give 29Si MAS NMR resonances that can be assigned to silicons located at the center of “spiro-5” units that are constructed from two 3MR. Silicon atoms located in isolated 3MR in the molecular sieves ZSM-18 and dipotassium zinc tetrasilicate do not exhibit 29Si MAS NMR resonances that can be distinguished from those assigned to silicons residing in 4MR and larger. The 29Si MAS NMR spectra from the new materials VPI-8, VPI-9 and VPI-10 do not exhibit 29Si MAS NMR resonances indicative of “spiro-5” units. The presence of isolated 3MR in these materials cannot be ruled out from the 29Si MAS NMR spectroscopic results.