cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Racial and Ethnic Differences in Out-of-Pocket Expenses among Adults with Diabetes.

Abstract Background Racial and ethnic minority groups have a higher prevalence of diabetes, increased risk for adverse complications, and worse health outcomes compared to Non-Hispanic Whites. Evidence suggests they also have higher healthcare expenses associated with diabetes care. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess racial and ethnic differences in out-of-pocket (OOP) costs among a nationally representative sample of adults with diabetes. Methods Cross-sectional study of 17,702 adults (aged ≥18 years) with diabetes from years 2002–2011 in the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Household Component. The outcome was OOP expenditures, and the primary predictor was race/ethnicity. Descriptive statistics summarized the sample population. Unadjusted mean values were computed to compare OOP expenses over time. A two-part model was used to estimate adjusted incremental OOP expenses. Results For the overall sample, OOP expenditures decreased significantly over time. In addition, compared to NHWs, racial and ethnic minority groups had significantly lower OOP costs per year when adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics, comorbid conditions, and time. NHBs paid $481 less than NHWs; Hispanics paid $591 less than NHWs; and individuals in the ‘Other’ racial/ethnic category paid nearly $645 less compared to NHWs (p Conclusions Racial/ethnic minority patients with diabetes had significantly less OOP expenses compared to NHWs, possibly due to differences in healthcare utilization. OOP expenses decreased significantly over time for all racial and ethnic groups. Additional research is needed to understand the factors associated with differences in OOP expenditures among racial groups.
Multiple Dimensions of Adaptations to Climate Change by Visitors to Vermont State Parks

Climate change is an increasingly important issue in Vermont and around the world, and has implications for many forms of outdoor recreation. The scientific and professional literature is illustrative of the ways participants in a number of outdoor recreation activities are adapting to climate change, including the ways in which these adaptations are likely to increase in the future. This study explores these issues as they apply to visiting Vermont state parks. Climate change models developed in the physical and natural sciences offer insights into future climate-related scenarios in the Vermont state parks (thereby helping to define the supply of state park recreation opportunities). We used social science to complement these models by examining how visitors may adapt to these changing conditions (thereby helping to define the demand for recreation in the state parks). We conducted an on-site survey of visitors to three representative state parks, describing a range of climate changerelated recreation conditions and asking respondents how they would adapt. Three types of adaptations were included in the study: 1) changes in the amount of use, 2) changes in the spatial and temporal patterns of use, and 3) changes in recreation activities. Study findings suggest that most climate-related changes included in the study will: 1) decrease the amount of use; 2) shift substantial amounts of use to more northerly parks and parks at higher elevations, and shift use to earlier and later in the conventional state park season; and 3) shift participation among the 10 recreation activities included in the study, though the pattern of these shifts is complex. Study findings suggest that visitors are likely to make substantial adaptations in their use of the Vermont state parks in response to climate change, and that state park management will also have to adapt accordingly. Subscribe to JPRA
Abstract 3964: Mesothelin targeting immunotoxin LMB-100 alters the profile of tumor-secreted proteins

Recombinant immunotoxins are antibody-based therapies that carry a bacterial toxin payload. LMB-100 is a next generation immunotoxin currently being tested in clinical trial. It targets the human cell surface antigen mesothelin (MSLN). MSLN is made by many solid tumors but has no expression in the parenchyma of vital organs. LMB-100 carries a Pseudomonas exotoxin payload that works by irreversibly modifying elongation factor-2 (EF-2), inactivating it and halting protein synthesis. To determine whether non-lethal doses of LMB-100 might inhibit tumor cell secretion of cytokines and growth factors that maintain the pancreatic cancer microenvironment, human pancreatic cancer cells were treated with LMB-100 and conditioned medium was assayed for tumor-secreted factors by ELISA and Luminex assays. Decreased levels of multiple secreted factors were detected including VEGF, PDGF, MMP-1, SPARC, and OPN. Conversely, levels of MIF, a stored cytokine released under stress conditions, increased dramatically upon LMB-100 treatment. To determine whether this also occurs in vivo, tumor-bearing athymic nude mice were treated with LMB-100 and levels of tumor-secreted factors in intratumoral fluid were measured. A statistically significant decrease in the same factors was found in treated mice compared to control mice. To determine whether these decreases in tumor-secreted factors could change the tumor microenvironment and alter the immune milieu, a mouse syngeneic model of pancreas cancer sensitive to LMB-100 was developed. LMB-100 treatment of this mouse cell model caused a statistically significant decrease in the angiogenesis factors VEGF and Angiopoietin-2 in conditioned medium. To determine if this also occurs in vivo, immune-competent mice bearing intraperitoneal or orthotopic tumors were treated with immunotoxin or vehicle then intratumoral fluid was assayed for secreted proteins contributed by both tumor and stromal cells. No detectable change in intratumoral fluid concentration was seen for VEGF, Antiopoietin-2 or a panel of 11 other secreted factors. In conclusion, LMB-100 does inhibit tumor cell production of secreted proteins, but this change is insufficient to alter the total concentration of secreted factors in the tumor microenvironment. Citation Format: Salma El-Behaedi, Rebekah Landsman, Michael Rudloff, Emily Kolyvas, Rakan AlBalawy, Christine Alewine. Mesothelin targeting immunotoxin LMB-100 alters the profile of tumor-secreted proteins [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3964.
Discrimination and Language

Everywhere in the world people come to like and dislike various forms of language; frequently these linguistic preferences correspond to social foundations of cultural harmony or strife. Linguists have approached matters of linguistic discrimination in different ways, sometimes to preserve standard language usage, other times to distinguish friend from foe. Perceptions of linguistic discrimination also vary according to an individual's perspective. In the United States and South Africa, for example, there are histories of linguistic discrimination against blacks, whereas linguistic discrimination in India defies racial classification. By understanding the various ways people employ language as a means of discrimination, linguists and educators may ultimately support new policies that could enhance future prospects for greater linguistic harmony.
Neurologic Localization: Learning, Knowledge Representation, and Generalization by a Neural Network Model.

Abstract The cognitive process of neurologic localization was modeled with a neural network, trained on “real-world” data using error backpropagation learning. The task for the network involved learning an internal representation of the mapping from neurological examination findings to the CT scan lesion distribution implied by those findings in acute stroke cases. The ability of the trained network to localize neurologic exam findings to CT lesion patterns in cases on which it had not been trained was tested. The network showed definite, but limited, ability to generalize from its training experience. There was a tendency for generalization to improve with increasing numbers of hidden units. The possible reasons for the limitations of the performance of this model are discussed, and directions for further work are explored. A brief summary of some recent literature on the “generalization problem” in neural networks is presented.
Mino in Japan: The Infrared Telescope in Space

This Invited Lecture looks back twenty years and recalls the early professional career of Dr. Minoru (Mino) M. Freund, as seen through the eyes of the current Director for Science at NASA’s Ames Research Center. The focus is placed on Dr. Freund’s role on the Infrared Telescope Space, a joint Japan-NASA collaboration in the 1990s.
Functional Genetic Variation in the Anti-Müllerian Hormone Pathway in Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.

CONTEXT Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a highly heritable, common endocrine disorder characterized by hyperandrogenism, irregular menses, and polycystic ovaries. PCOS is often accompanied by elevated levels of anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH). AMH inhibits follicle maturation. AMH also inhibits steroidogenesis through transcriptional repression of CYP17A1. We recently identified 16 rare PCOS-specific pathogenic variants in AMH. OBJECTIVE To test whether additional members of the AMH signaling pathway also contribute to the etiology of PCOS. PARTICIPANTS/DESIGN Targeted resequencing of coding and regulatory regions of AMH and its specific type 2 receptor, AMHR2, was performed on 608 women affected with PCOS and 142 reproductively normal control women. Prediction tools of deleteriousness and in silico evidence of epigenetic modification were used to prioritize variants for functional evaluation. Dual-luciferase reporter assays and splicing assays were used to measure the impact of genetic variants on function. RESULTS We identified 20 additional variants in/near AMH and AMHR2 with significantly reduced signaling activity in in vitro assays. Collectively, from our previous study and as reported herein, we have identified a total of 37 variants with impaired activity in/near AMH and AMHR2 in 41 women affected with PCOS, or 6.7% of our PCOS cohort. Furthermore, no functional variants were observed in the 142 phenotyped controls. The functional variants were significantly associated with PCOS in our cohort of 608 women with PCOS and 142 controls (P = 2.3 × 10-5) and very strongly associated with PCOS relative to a larger non-Finnish European (gnomAD) population-based control cohort (P < 1 × 10-9). CONCLUSION The AMH signaling cascade plays an important role in PCOS etiology.
A Typology of Florida Fluted Points Using Landmark-based Geometric Morphometrics

ABSTRACTThis typology of Florida fluted points was created from 164 images of fluted-point bases using landmark-based geometric morphometrics (LGM). Three highly distinctive types were discriminated using the shapes of the point bases. LGM is a powerful method for discriminating shapes, so paying close attention to analytical details is crucial for meaningful analyses. In archaeology, LGM is in its relative infancy compared to its use in biology, and archaeologists have not settled on standard procedures for its use in artifact shape analysis. Several general issues in the use of LGM for artifact-shape discrimination are discussed and illustrated, especially the effects of sample size and the Pinocchio Effect, in which highly variable aspects of an artifact shape, such as the fluted point blade, can affect analyses in unintended ways. The choices made in creating this typology are discussed in detail and alternatives tested to show how choices can significantly change results and archaeological interpreta...
Synthesis and Characterization of Two New Copper Tellurites, Ba2Cu4Te4O11Cl4 and BaCu2Te2O6Cl2, in Supercritical H2O

Two new compounds containing tellurite building blocks coordinated to copper and barium atoms have been isolated from hydrothermal solvents. A new layered compound, Ba2Cu4Te4O11Cl4 (I), has been obtained by reacting BaCl2·2H2O, CuO, and Te(OH)6 in NH4Cl solution at 375 °C for 4 days. Green, platelike crystals of I crystallize in the centrosymmetric space group, P1, with a = 9.275(2) A, b = 12.135(2) A, c = 9.263(2) A, α = 98.23(3)°, β = 108.35(3)°, γ = 110.90(3)°, and Z = 2. The compound contains two types of layers, one based on copper oxides linked by Te4O11 groups, and the other based on Cu2Cl4 units. The tellurium atoms adopt the common TeO3+1 units or TeO3 pyramids, and the oxygen-coordinated copper atoms adopt a square planar CuO4 arrangement. Dark green, prismatic crystals of BaCu2Te2O6Cl2 (II) were obtained by reacting BaCl2·2H2O, Cu2O, and Te(OH)6 in NH4Cl solution at 375 °C for 18 h. Compound II was refined in the acentric monoclinic space group, P21 (a = 7.434(2) A, b = 7.448(2) A, c = 8.271(2...
Using reward/utility based impact scores in partitioning

Reinforcement learning with reward shaping is a well-established but often computationally expensive approach to multiagent problems. Agent partitioning can assist in this computational complexity by treating each partition of agents as an independent problem. We introduce a novel agent partitioning approach called Reward/Utility-Based Impact (RUBI). RUBI finds an effective partitioning of agents while requiring no prior domain knowledge, provides better performance by discovering a non-trivial agent partitioning, and leads to faster simulations. We test RUBI in the Air Traffic Flow Management Problem, where there are simultaneously tens of thousands of aircraft affecting the system and no intuitive similarity metric between agents. When partitioning with RUBI in the ATFMP, there is a 37% increase in performance, with a 510x speed up per simulation step over non-partitioning approaches.
Livestock dynamics under changing economy and climate in Mongolia

Abstract Livestock is a key variable in understanding the complex relationships of coupled natural and human systems for pastoralist societies. We used a Two-Stage Dynamic Model to examine the dynamics of livestock in terms of sales, self-consumption, and stocking in Mongolia in recent decades. While Mongolian pastoralists remain largely in the subsistence economy stage, herders do respond to market factors such as current and expected prices, substitute food prices and debt to help guide their choices and behaviors to maximize the economic value of their livestock. Our results also find that the livestock is very vulnerable to natural disasters. Providing a better capital market and livestock market could be the most essential factor to facilitate the economic transition of Mongolia from a subsistence pastoral economy to a market economy and to increase the welfare of herders in Mongolia. Improved public supports, including climate-based livestock insurance, enhancement of infrastructure animal shelter, better capital markets, increased availability of weather information, and improved winter protection, are critical components to a sustainable level of livestock production.
Cortical Stimulation Induces Network-Wide Coherence Change In Non-Human Primate Somatosensory Cortex *

Stimulation of the cortex can modulate the connectivity between brain regions. Although targeted neuroplasticity has been demonstrated in-vitro, in-vivo models have been inconsistent in their response to stimulation. In this paper, we tested various stimulation protocols to characterize the effect of stimulation on coherence in the non-human primate cortex in-vivo. We found that the stimulation latency, the state of the cortex during stimulation, and the stimulation site all affected the modulation of cortical coherence. We further investigated features of a resting-state network that could predict how a connection is likely to change with stimulation.
Myocardial degeneration in congenital heart disease. Comparison of morphologic findings in young and old patients with congenital heart disease associated with muscular obstruction to right ventricular outflow.

A comparison is made of electron microscopic findings in operatively resected crista supraventricularis muscle from 11 patients aged 1 to 5 years (Group 1) and from 8 patients aged 30 to 53 years (Group 2) with congenital heart disease associated with muscular obstruction to right ventricular outflow. Of the 11 patients In Group 1, none had cardiac failure or arrhythmias preoperatively; 2 patients died after operation, both of consequences of unrelieved right ventricular hypertension, and the others did well postoperatively. In contrast, five of the eight patients in Group 2 had right ventricular failure preoperatively; three had clinically significant arrhythmias and three died after operation (two of low cardiac output and one of arrhythmias). Changes of hypertrophy (cells over 20 μ In diameter, lobulated nuclei, multiple intercalated discs, dilated T tubules and increased numbers of ribosomes) were present in both groups but were more prominent in the older patients. Marked interstitial fibrosis, cellular atrophy, myofibrillar disorganization, myelin figures, myofibrillar lysis, proliferation of smooth ehdoplasmic reticulum, lipid deposition, spherical microparticles associated with the plasma membranes of the muscle cells, intracytoplasmic junctions and thickening of the basal laminae of the muscle cells were entirely absent in the younger patients, although common in the patients over 30 years old. Other changes common in Group 2 (cellular disorganization, intramitochondrial glycogen and abnormal Z bands) were infrequent in Group 1. The relation of these morphologic alterations to right ventricular failure and arrhythmias are discussed. Ultrastructural changes of severe degeneration in the patients over 30 years old reflect the stresses of prolonged right ventricular hypertrophy and hypoxia and correlate with clinical cardiac dysfunction.
Socioeconomic factors associated with virologic suppression in children and adolescents living with HIV in Lilongwe, Malawi

To identify social and economic factors that correlate with virologic suppression (VS) in children and adolescents living with human immunodeficiency virus (CALHIV) after initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART). This was a retrospective cohort study of patients under 20 years of age initiating ART at a single site in Lilongwe, Malawi between January 2016 and September 2018. Baseline clinical and socioeconomic variables were abstracted from the site’s electronic medical records and these were compared to documented VS. A total of 327 CALHIV were initiated on ART at this site during the study period, with a median age of 7.5 years; 47% were female. Of the 308 patients that fulfilled inclusion criteria, 109 (35%) had documented VS within 8 months of ART initiation. With multiple logistic regression, the only socioeconomic variable independently associated with VS was using a personal vehicle to travel to clinic visits (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.80, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.16–6.76) and this association was stronger in the subgroup of children under 5 years old (aOR 4.52, 95% CI 1.24–16.4). Compared to those aged 5 to 19 years, a significantly higher proportion of subjects under 5 years old died during the 8 months after ART initiation (1.6% vs 9.8%, p = 0.001). Mode of transport to clinic was independently associated with documented VS for this cohort of CALHIV. Ongoing research to further identify key social factors associated VS for CALHIV will be important for achieving the third of the UNAIDS’ 90–90–90 targets.
Suspect and Nontarget Screening for Contaminants of Emerging Concern in an Urban Estuary.

This study used suspect and nontarget screening with high-resolution mass spectrometry to characterize the occurrence of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in the nearshore marine environment ...
Gene Expression Profiling Prognostication of Posterior Uveal Melanoma: Does Size Matter?

Purpose Investigate the influence of tumor size by American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage, Collaborative Ocular Melanoma Study (COMS) size, tumor largest basal diameter (LBD), and tumor thickness on prognostication by gene expression profiling (GEP) class. Design Two-center retrospective study. Participants Two hundred fifteen consecutive patients diagnosed with posterior uveal melanoma over a 5-year period who were evaluated with prognostic fine-needle aspiration biopsy at the time of primary treatment. Methods Patient demographics, tumor clinical size, AJCC stage, COMS size, GEP class, presence of metastasis, and mortality data were collected. Metastasis-free-survival (MFS) was defined as time to metastasis or death from any cause. Comparisons were made using Pearson chi-square tests or Fisher exact tests for categorical factors, and t tests or Kruskal–Wallis tests for continuous measures. Cox proportional hazards models were fit to identify whether size measurements increased the prognostic discrimination index (C-statistic). Main Outcome Measures Metastasis-free-survival. Results The average follow-up interval was 22.0 months (range, 12.0–37.0 months). Eighty-nine tumors were class 1A, 48 class 1B, and 78 class 2. Twenty-one patients developed metastatic disease detected by surveillance and confirmed by liver biopsy. Three-year MFS was 96% for class 1 and 63% for class 2. Five-year MFS was 96% for class 1 and 49% for class 2. All size measures significantly improved prognostic discrimination index by GEP class, as shown by increase in the C-statistic with addition of size variables (C-statistic 0.750 GEP alone, 0.830 GEP with AJCC [P = 0.016], 0.822 GEP with COMS [P Conclusions Incorporation of tumor size enhances the prognostic discrimination index of the GEP test in patients with posterior uveal melanoma. All size tumor parameters are equivalent in their ability to enhance GEP prognostication.
Solid 3D Li–S Battery Design via Stacking 2D Conductive Microporous Coordination Polymers and Amorphous Li–S Layers

To make a lithium–sulfur (Li–S) battery practical, not only high gravimetric energy capacity is important, but also high volumetric energy capacity will be required. The currently explored Li–S cat...
Discrimination of simultaneous psychological and physical stressors using wristband biosignals.

Abstract Background and objective: In this work, we address the problem of detecting and discriminating acute psychological stress (APS) in the presence of concurrent physical activity (PA) using wristband biosignals. We focused on signals available from wearable devices that can be worn in daily life because the ultimate objective of this work is to provide APS and PA information in real-time management of chronic conditions such as diabetes by automated personalized insulin delivery. Monitoring APS noninvasively throughout free-living conditions remains challenging because the responses to APS and PA of many physiological variables measured by wearable devices are similar. Methods: Various classification algorithms are compared to simultaneously detect and discriminate the PA (sedentary state, treadmill running, and stationary bike) and the type of APS (non-stress state, mental stress, and emotional anxiety). The impact of APS inducements is verified with commonly used self-reported questionnaires (The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI)). To aid the classification algorithms, novel features are generated from the physiological variables reported by a wristband device during 117 hours of experiments involving simultaneous APS inducement and PA. We also translate the APS assessment into a quantitative metric for use in predicting the adverse outcomes. Results: An accurate classification of the concurrent PA and APS states is achieved with an overall classification accuracy of 99% for PA and 92% for APS. The average accuracy of APS detection during sedentary state, treadmill running, and stationary bike is 97.3, 94.1, and 84.5%, respectively. Conclusions: The simultaneous assessment of APS and PA throughout free-living conditions from a convenient wristband device is useful for monitoring the factors contributing to an elevated risk of acute events in people with chronic diseases like cardiovascular complications and diabetes.
Uniform asymptotic expansions for the Whittaker functions $M_{\kappa,\mu}(z)$ and $W_{\kappa,\mu}(z)$ with $\mu$ large

Uniform asymptotic expansions are derived for Whittaker's confluent hypergeometric functions $M_{\kappa,\mu}(z)$ and $W_{\kappa,\mu}(z)$, as well as the numerically satisfactory companion function $W_{-\kappa,\mu}(ze^{-\pi i})$. The expansions are uniformly valid for $\mu \rightarrow \infty$, $0 \leq \kappa/\mu \leq 1-\delta <1$, and for $0 \leq \arg(z) \leq \pi$. By using appropriate connection and analytic continuation formulas these expansions can be extended to all unbounded nonzero complex $z$. The approximations come from recent asymptotic expansions involving elementary functions and Airy functions, and explicit error bounds are either provided or available.
Foreword: Outsiders Inside the Beltway: Latcrit XIV - Critical Outsider Theory and Praxis in the Policymaking of the New American Regime

A substantive foreword to the symposium book for the Fourteenth Annual Latino/Latina Critical Legal Theory Scholarship Conference hosted by the American University Washington College of Law. The foreword includes information about the conference theme, its planning and execution, and includes excerpts from the presentations of a number of prominent plenary and keynote speakers, including Congresswoman Linda Sanchez (D-CA), Caroline Fredrickson (the executive director of the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy), Robert Raben (the president of the Raben Group), Jarrett Barrios (the president of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation), Prof. Jenny Rivera (professor of law and director of the Center on Latino and Latina Rights and Equality at CUNY Law School), Prof. Tanya Kateri Hernandez (the Fifth Annual Jerome McCristal Culp Memorial Lecturer and professor of law at Fordham University), Dean Claudio Grossman (the Raymond I. Geraldson Scholar for International and Humanitarian Law and the Dean of the American U. Washington College of Law); and U.S. District Judge Ricardo Urbina.
Equity-Oriented Conceptual Framework for K-12 STEM literacy

We introduce a conceptual framework of K-12 STEM literacy that rightfully and intentionally positions each and every student, particularly minoritized groups, as belonging in STEM. In order to conceptualize the equity-based framework of STEM literacy, we conducted a systematic review of literature related to STEM literacy, which includes empirical studies that contribute to STEM literacy. The literature on the siloed literacies within STEM (i.e., science, technology, engineering, and mathematics literacy) also contributed to formulate the necessity of and what it means to develop STEM literacy. The Equity-Oriented STEM Literacy Framework illuminates the complexities of disrupting the status quo and rightfully transforming integrated STEM education in ways that provide equitable opportunities and access to all learners. The Equity-Oriented STEM Literacy Framework is a research-based, equity and access-focused framework that will guide research, inform practice, and provide a lens for the field that will ensure each and every student, especially minoritized students, develop, and are developing STEM literacy.
Unique Challenges in the Diagnosis and Management of the Pediatric IBD Patient

Pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (PIBD) has its own unique diagnostic and management challenges. As with adults, the differential diagnosis is broad but is made based on clinical signs, symptoms, laboratory testing, imaging, and endoscopy. Growth failure/poor weight gain is a frequent presentation in pediatric IBD and is multifactorial in etiology, resulting from malabsorption at the inflammatory site, direct effects of cytokines, and hormone imbalances. The Paris Classification system for PIBD takes growth delay into account, as well as disease location and behavior. Treatment consists of medical, surgical, and (unique to PIBD) nutritional. Several diets have been used in the treatment of PIBD with varying degrees of success. These include exclusive enteral nutrition (EEN), specific carbohydrate diet (SCD), IBD-AID, and Crohn’s disease elimination diet (CDED). A number of health maintenance issues must be addressed in the pediatric IBD population. Immunizations are important to this group and should generally be given, although live vaccines must be avoided for those on immunosuppressive medications. Psychosocial well-being is an important part of overall health, and PIBD patients are particularly vulnerable to adjustment issues, drugs and alcohol, and psychopathology including anxiety and depression. The transition process from pediatric to adult gastroenterology usually occurs in the early twenties. Despite evidence of their utility, transition clinics and transition readiness questionnaires are still underutilized. Very early-onset IBD (VEO-IBD) is a subset of IBD occurring in children under age 6; it is frequently aggressive, more often has a genetic basis, and may require distinct treatments.
SU‐E‐T‐243: Design of a Novel Testing Port for Radiation Protection and Shielding Measurements

Purpose: The majority of radiation shielding research utilizes Monte Carlo simulation because of the difficulty in eliminating secondary radiations from measurements. We have designed a test port into a primary barrier of our newest vault to allow for shielding measurements while ensuring adequate protection to the public and staff during normal machine operation. This port allows for measurement of attenuation values of shielding materials, differential dose albedos, and radiation scatter fractions. Methods: The vault design utilized the maze as part of a compound primary barrier. The test port is contained within the maze and is centered along isocenter. The inner 30 cm has a 20×20 cm2 opening, while the remaining length has a 30×30 cm2 opening. The block that contains the port has a density of 200 pcf to minimize internal scatter. The 30×30 cm2 opening is occupied by removable 215 pcf concrete blocks. The innermost and outermost blocks activate an interlock wired into the beam-enable loop. This disallows beam-on in treatment mode if the interlock isn’t closed. The interlock can be overridden in service mode, or by-passed via an override switch in case of circuit failure. Results: The test port was installed in August. The beam is disabled when the interlock is tripped. Measurements taken when the primary beam is not incident on the port are indistinguishable from background. Ambient dose levels surrounding the vault with the designed shielding blocks in place are all within allowable limits for occupational workers. Conclusions: We have designed and installed a unique testing port for radiation protection and shielding measurements. This port is appropriately interlocked and designed to mitigate any risks of incidental exposure to staff or members of the public. The test port design allows measurements with “good geometry” and efficient removal of contaminating sources of radiation present in many shielding measurements. Daniel Harrell and Jim Noller are employees of Shielding Construction Solutions, Inc, the shielding construction company that built the vault discussed in this abstract. Manjit Chopra is an employee of Universal Minerals International, Inc, the company that provided the aggregates for the high density concretes used in the vault construction.
Wages of Synergy: Advanced Production Techniques and Pollution Prevention

This article empirically examines whether a relationship exists between manufacturing facilities' adoption of advanced production techniques (e.g., total quality management, lean production, agile manufacturing, and high-performance production) and of pollution prevention. The facility-level data on the use of advanced production techniques were gathered through a survey, to which U.S. Environmental Protection Agency data on these facilities' source reduction and recycling efforts were added. Through multivariate analyses, the facilities' adoption of pollution prevention was related to their use of advanced production techniques. The results indicated that source reduction, but not recycling, efforts are positively associated with facilities' overall use of advanced production techniques.
Apple Diversity Report Card for the Twentieth Century: Patents and Other Sources of Innovation in the Market for Apples

Contrary to popular belief, the twentieth century was a good one for commercial apple varietal diversity. As measured by availability in commercial nursery catalogs, significant gains were made in both absolute number of apple varieties and the available number of pre-1900 historic varieties. In 1905, an estimated 420 different apple varieties were commercially available, approximately 390 of which dated from the 19th century or earlier. By 2000, 1469 different apple varieties were offered in commercial catalogs, at least 435 of which were pre-1900 century varieties. And, if one counts apple varieties maintained in the USDA orchards as commercially available (one can obtain scions by making a simple on-line request), hundreds more apples, including many historic varieties, can be added to the count. Most importantly, the data collected reveals the sources of diversity gains in the twentieth century, including an analysis of the percentage of varieties resulting from patented innovation, non-patented local innovation, preservation of old varieties, and importation. Although patented apples constitute a relatively small percentage of available varieties, they exhibit stunningly high commercialization rates and surprisingly low obsolescence rates. A unique list of all patented apples, their varietal names, and present availability is included in an appendix.
Lack of correlation between catecholamine effects on cyclic adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate and gluconeogenesis in isolated rat liver cells.

Abstract Isolated liver cells from fasted female rats synthesized glucose in the presence of alanine, lactate, and pyruvate. Epinephrine, norepinephrine, and phenylephrine stimulated gluconeogenesis whereas isoproterenol and salbutamol had no effect on gluconeogenesis from lactate. d- and l-Propranolol had no effect on epinephrine-stimulated gluconeogenesis but blocked cyclic adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate (cyclic AMP) accumulation due to epinephrine. Phentolamine had little effect on epinephrine-stimulated cyclic AMP accumulation of gluconeogenesis by liver cells. Phenoxybenzamine also had no effect on epinephrine-stimulated cyclic AMP accumulation but did slightly reduce gluconeogenesis due to epinephrine. Low concentrations of dihydroergotamine decreased epinephrine- and norepinephrine-stimulated gluconeogenesis but did not alter that due to dibutyryl cyclic AMP or glucagon. Dihydroergotamine did not reduce the increase in cyclic AMP accumulation due to epinephrine. Isoproterenol alone increased cyclic AMP but did not stimulate gluconeogenesis nor block the effect of epinephrine. Cycloheximide and dactinomycin did not inhibit epinephrine-stimulated gluconeogenesis by the cells. The fairly rapid onset of epinephrine stimulation of gluconeogenesis and the results with inhibitors suggest that RNA and protein synthesis are not required for the epinephrine action. The data also indicate that the increase in cyclic AMP accumulation due to epinephrine is apparently unrelated to its stimulation of gluconeogenesis in rat liver cells.
Neurofilament Immunoreactivity in Myenteric Neurons Differs From That Found in the Central Nervous System

Neurofilaments are 10-nm diameter protein fibers found within neurons and are composed predominantly of a triplet of polypeptides usually referred to as low-, medium-, and high-molecular-weight subunits. We describe the results of a study of myenteric plexus neurons using a panel of neurofilament triplet protein antibodies and indirect immunofluorescence techniques. Polyclonal antibodies to each of the three neurofilament subunits reliably stained myenteric neurons and their processes, indicating the presence of all three proteins in these cells. However, several well-characterized monoclonal antibodies to epitopes on high- and medium-molecular-weight subunits showed immunoreactivity in brain tissue but not in myenteric neurons and their processes. Some of the antibodies that do not stain recognize only phosphorylated epitopes, indicating that the level of neurofilament phosphorylation is very low in enteric neurons. Other antibodies that are not thought to be sensitive to the level of neurofilament phosphorylation show reduced or no staining of enteric neurons, suggesting the presence of immunologically distinct neurofilaments in these cells. These results suggest the presence of modified neurofilament structures in enteric neurons, possibly reflecting their unique mechanical character within the moving intestinal wall.
Kindred Ethics: Leopold and Badiou, Ecocriticism and Theory

“Kindred Ethics” discusses the similar objections expressed in Aldo Leopold’s “The Land Ethic” and Alain Badiou’s Ethics: An Essay on the Understanding of Evil. Both men oppose formulaic, procedural ethics that render thinking and consciousness unnecessary. Although the role of post-structuralist theory in ecocriticism has generated much contentious debate, the juxtaposition of these two texts—one a pillar of environmental writing and the other the work of a contemporary French theorist—demonstrates that environmental writing and theory share some common ground. Bearing the kinship of these texts in mind, this article also argues that the supposed rift between ecocriticism and theory is a fabrication: that is, both the urgent drive to “theorize ecocriticism” and the equally passionate desire to preserve its “untheorized” purity are founded upon myths that an examination of the history of the field overturns. In concluding, “Kindred Ethics” points out that in addition to being informed by post-structuralist theory from its very origins, ecocriticism should be understood as a theory in its own right—one that challenges anthropocentrism, scrutinizes setting, and utilizes narrative scholarship as an important form of archival research.
Complete Systems of Commuting Observables

In this chapter it is explained that the question of what constitutes a complete system of commuting observables is not a mathematical question but can only be answered by experiment.
Products of Kernel Functions and Module Tensor Products

In the present paper, we relate the functional Hilbert space generated by the product of two kernel functions on a bounded domain Ω ⊂ ℂn, to the module tensor product of the spaces generated by the factor kernel functions over the algebra of holomorphic functions on neighborhoods of Ω. The point of our results is that the first space is generated in a purely analytic manner, while the second is constructed in a purely algebraic fashion.
Adaptive tuning topologies to overcome losses in matching circuits for small antennas

Mobile devices are used in unpredictable dynamic environments making favorable antenna performance a challenge, thus reconfigurable matching circuits are of interest. Existing tuning topologies seek to minimize |S11| of the matching circuit. While this is suitable for less demanding situations, such a network can potentially maximize circuit losses in aggressively agile systems. This paper, presents an understanding of circuit loss mechanisms and recommends tuning topologies which maximize efficiency for agile tuning systems. It is demonstrated that proper sensing with directional couplers are necessary to maximize the power delivered to the load. Mechanical tuning methods are presented as a way to realize agile tuning with low losses.
Ultrastructure of Glomerulus and Juxtaglomerular Apparatus

The sections in this article are: 1 Glomerulus 1.1 Cells 1.2 Extracellular Matrices 1.3 Biosynthetic Features 1.4 Ultrafiltration Unit 1.5 Permeability Characteristics 1.6 Glomerular Polyanions: Structure and Function 1.7 Role of Sialoglycoproteins 1.8 Morphometric Studies 1 2 Juxtaglomerular Apparatus 2.1 Polar Cushion 2.2 Afferent and Efferent Arterioles 2.3 Macula Densa 2.4 Peripolar Cells 2.5 Structural—Functional Relationships
Widely tunable spectrum translation and wavelength exchange by four-wave mixing in optical fibers

Summary form only given. Wavelength conversion has been the subject of much research in recent years. Various methods have been studied with use of optical nonlinearities in either semiconductors or fibers. We introduce a novel technique based on four-wave mixing (FWM) in fibers, which has the potential for achieving unit conversion efficiency. It involves only spectrum translation, not inversion or phase conjugation. It is widely tunable and can, in principle, shift wavelengths by tens and even hundreds of nanometers. It can also perform a novel optical function, namely, complete exchange of optical power between two wavelengths.
Imagining Ourselves in Children’s Literature: Power Dynamics and Epistemologies amid the Pages and in the Classroom

This critical literary analysis aims to investigate depictions of schooling within children’s literature, including classroom power dynamics as well as how knowledge is defined and the role it plays therein. I aim to understand the ways in which these depictions of schooling affect our collective constructions of education as well as the ontological and epistemological ‘truths’ that are upheld as a result. Literature must not be underestimated for its ability to influence a collective social vision of the world in the minds and lives of its readers. As such, educators and young people alike must be cognizant and critical of the messages conveyed through children’s literature as such messages have a hand in shaping collective understandings of the intellectual and social possibilities available to us within the sphere of our own lives.
1 – TRANSPOSON MUTAGENESIS OF Escherichia coli

This chapter describes the transposon mutagenesis of Escherichia coli. A transposon is a genetic entity that promotes its own movement or transposition; it can insert as a discrete segment of DNA into many different sites in the genome. Such elements are understood on a molecular level as insertion sequences (IS elements). IS elements were first found in studies of gene expression in
Prehospital spirituality: how well do we know ambulance patients?

Objective: To assess the religious spirituality of EMS personnel and their perception of the spiritual needs of ambulance patients. Methods: Emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics presenting to an urban, academic emergency department (ED) were asked to complete a three-part survey relating to demographics, personal practices, and perceived patient needs. Their responses were compared to those of ambulance patients presenting to an ED during a previous study period and administered a similar survey. Results: A total of 143 EMTs and 89 paramedics returned the surveys. There were 161 (69.4%) male and 71 (30.6%) female respondents with a median age range of 26–35 years old. Eighty-seven percent believed in God, 82% practiced prayer or meditation, 62% attended religious services occasionally, 55% belonged to a religious organization, 39% felt that their beliefs affected their job, and 18% regularly read religious material. This was similar to the characteristics of ambulance patients. However, only 43% felt that occasionally ambulance patients presented with spiritual concerns and 78% reported never or rarely discussing spiritual issues with patients. Contrastingly, >40% of ambulance patients reported spiritual needs or concerns at the time of ED presentation, and >50% wanted their providers to discuss their beliefs. Twenty-six percent of respondents reported praying or meditating with patients, while 50% reported praying or meditating for patients. Females were no more religious or spiritual than males, but were more likely to engage in prayer with (OR = 2.38, p = 0.0049) or for (OR = 6.45, p <0.0001) patients than their male counterparts. Conclusion: EMTs and paramedics did not perceive spiritual concerns as often as reported by ambulance patients, nor did they commonly inquire about the religious/spiritual needs of patients.
Correspondence Between Adolescent Report and Parent Report of Psychiatric Diagnostic Data

ABSTRACT Objective To examine the degree of agreement between parent and adolescent report of major psychiatric disorders in the adolescent (14 to 18 years of age). Method A total of 281 parent-adolescent pairs were interviewed separately regarding psychopathology in the adolescent. Results The k values for parent-adolescent agreement on the disorders ranged from. 19 for alcohol abuse/dependence to .79 for conduct disorder, with an average k of .42. Excellent agreement was found for conduct disorder and the core symptom of anorexia; good agreement was found for separation anxiety disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, substance abuse/dependence, and the core symptom for bulimia; poor agreement was found for major depression, dysthymia, anxiety disorders other than separation anxiety, alcohol abuse/dependence, and the infrequent core symptoms of bipolar and obsessive-compulsive disorders. Parent-adolescent agreement was not influenced by gender, current adolescent age, parental education level, disorder onset age, or severity of disorder. Conclusions For detecting cases of adolescent psychopathology, there are clear advantages to the current consensus position that combines adolescent and parent report, especially for externalizing disorders. However, if forced to choose one informant, assessing the adolescent will result in the detection of more diagnosed cases. J. Am. Acad. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry, 1997, 36(5):610–619.
Effect of Hop Leaf Morphology on Two spotted Spider Mite

Hop leaves vary significantly ( P ≤ 0.005) in moisture content and in ventral gland and hair density. These leaf characteristics and leaf area are significantly related to oviposition rates, developmental rates, and sex ratio of Tetranychus urticae Koch. Oviposition increased on leaves with a high density of hairs. More female progeny were produced on leaves with dense pubescence. Development time of immature mites was slowed on leaves with a high density of hair and on leaves with low moisture content. These relationships were most pronounced on leaves of ‘Talisman’ variety. Migrating mites showed a significant ( P ≤ 0.05) preference for ‘Comet’, when given a choice among ‘Comet’, ‘L-16’, ‘Puggle’, ‘Cascade’, and Talisman. No significant relationship was found between migratory preference and leaf area, moisture content, hair density, or gland density.