cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
m-Transportability: transportability of a causal effect from multiple environments

We study m-transportability, a generalization of transportability, which offers a license to use causal information elicited from experiments and observations in m ≥ 1 source environments to estimate a causal effect in a given target environment. We provide a novel characterization of m- transportability that directly exploits the completeness of do-calculus to obtain the necessary and sufficient conditions for m-transportability. We provide an algorithm for deciding m- transportability that determines whether a causal relation is m-transportable; and if it is, produces a transport formula, that is, a recipe for estimating the desired causal effect by combining experimental information from m source environments with observational information from the target environment.
Synthetic biology approach for the development of conditionally replicating HIV-1 vaccine.

While the combined antiretroviral therapy has resulted in a significant decrease in HIV‐1 related morbidity and mortality, the HIV‐1 pandemic has not been substantially averted. To curtail the 2.4 million new infections each year, a prophylactic HIV‐1 vaccine is urgently needed. This review first summarizes four major completed clinical efficacy trials of prophylactic HIV‐1 vaccine and their outcomes. Next, it discusses several other approaches that have not yet advanced to clinical efficacy trials, but provided valuable insights into vaccine design. Among them, live‐attenuated vaccines (LAVs) provided excellent protection in a non‐human primate model. However, safety concerns have precluded the current version of LAVs from clinical application. As the major component of this review, two synthetic biology approaches for improving the safety of HIV‐1 LAVs through controlling HIV‐1 replication are discussed. Particular focus is on a novel approach that uses unnatural amino acid‐mediated suppression of amber nonsense codon to generate conditionally replicating HIV‐1 variants. The objective is to attract more attention towards this promising research field and to provoke creative designs and innovative utilization of the two control strategies. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry
Monitoring Spent or Reprocessed Nuclear Fuel Using Fast Neutrons

Over the past few years a number of experiments have been carried out at LLNL with a scintillator array that has the ability to count individual MeV neutrons and γ-rays with nanosecond timing. It h...
Organic and inorganic speciation of particulate matter formed during different combustion phases in an improved cookstove.

Abstract Residential solid fuel combustion in cookstoves has established health impacts including bladder and lung cancers, cataracts, low birth weight, and pneumonia. The chemical composition of particulate matter (PM) from 4 commonly-used solid fuels (coal, dung, ambient/dry applewood, and oakwood pellets), emitted from a gasifier cookstove, as well as propane, were examined. Temporal changes between the different cookstove burn-phases were also explored. Normalized concentrations of non-refractory PM1, total organics, chloride, ammonium, nitrate, sulfate, and 41 particle-phase polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were measured using a High-Resolution Time-of-Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS) and a Thermal desorption Aerosol Gas chromatograph (TAG), respectively. Coal demonstrated the highest fraction of organic matter in its particulate emission composition (98%), followed by dung (94%). Coal and dung also demonstrated the highest numbers and concentrations of PAHs. While dry applewood emitted ten times lower organic matter compared to ambient applewood, a higher fraction of these organics was composed of PAHs, especially the more toxic ones such as benzo(a)pyrene (9.63 ng/L versus 0.04 ng/L), and benzo(b)fluoranthene (31.32 ng/L versus 0.19 ng/L). Data from the AMS demonstrated no clear trends for any of the combustion fuels over the different combustion phases unlike the previously reported trends observed for the physical characteristics. Of the solid fuels, pellets demonstrated the lowest emissions. Emissions from propane were below the quantification limit of the instruments. This work highlights the benefits of incorporating additional metrics into the cookstove evaluation process, thus enriching the existing PM data inventory.
The Effects of Fixed Ratio and Contingent Time on Human Lever-Pressing Behavior

Fixed ratio (FR), the schedule requirement on the instrumental response, and contingent time (CT), the amount of time the reinforcing response was available, were investigated in a human lever-pressing situation. Two levers, one programmed on a CRF schedule, and one on an FR schedule, produced the same reinforcer, points on a counter. Responding was more probable on the CRF lever when compared with the FR lever during baseline trials. In the contingency conditions, Ss were required to complete a requirement on the less probable instrumental response (FR lever) to gain access to the more probable reinforcing lever (CR lever). In Experiment I, increasing the amount of available CT (2, 5, 10, and 20 sec.) resulted in increased responding on the CRF lever and decreased responding on the FR lever. In Experiment II, increasing the FR requirements (FR 5, 10, 20, 40, and 80) resulted in less responding on the CRF lever and more responding on the FR lever. When CRF and FR lever presses were combined within each experiment, it was found that total responding was relatively constant across increases in the FR requirements and across increases in the amount of CT. This suggested that the effect of the two parameters under investigation is primarily upon the distribution of responses on the two levers and that the rate of responding is high and constant regardless of changes in the values of the parameters.
Plane-wave Sobel attribute for discontinuity enhancement in seismic images

ABSTRACTDiscontinuity enhancement attributes are commonly used to facilitate the interpretation process by enhancing edges in seismic images and providing a quantitative measure of the significance of discontinuous features. These attributes require careful preprocessing to maintain geologic features and suppress acquisition and processing artifacts, which may be artificially detected as a geologic edge. We have developed the plane-wave Sobel attribute, a modification of the classic Sobel filter, by orienting the filter along seismic structures using plane-wave destruction and plane-wave shaping. The plane-wave Sobel attribute can be applied directly to a seismic image to efficiently and effectively enhance discontinuous features or to a coherence image to create a sharper and more detailed image. Two field benchmark data examples with many faults and channel features from offshore New Zealand and offshore Nova Scotia demonstrate the effectiveness of this method compared with conventional coherence attrib...
Application of BPNN algorithm to learning high dimensional features for solving induction motor defect problems

In this study, the vibration signal is used to analyze the state of an induction motor, and the statistical method is used to extract the defect characteristics to enhance the knowledge base. However, the anomaly pattern recognition system is composed of the inverted neural network algorithm. The result of pattern recognition shows that the five-dimensional index is reliable and has no errors. In addition, the Levenberg-Marquardt network learning algorithm has the most excellent performance, with a recognition success rate of 100 % and a computer time of less than 0.001 seconds. The results can be provided to the operation and maintenance personnels to ensure the reliability and stability of the mechanical operation.
Dynamic Approaches — Applications: An Overview

Some applications of dynamic methodologies for process system reliability and safety analyses are described and the advantages and limitations of these methodologies are discussed.
Abstract 19797: Enhanced Engraftment of Mesenchymal Stem Cells With Pro-survival Factors Improves Outcome in the Infarcted Heart

Mesenchymal stem cells are under study as exemplary adult progenitor cells for repair of heart tissue injury. Many clinical studies utilizing MSCs are underway, however the ideal approach to prepare these cells in vitro, and deliver them to injury sites in vivo with maximal effectiveness is still under study. In this report, MSCs from rat bone marrow were used to examine the 1) effect of anti-apoptotic factors on the cells’ viability when challenged in vitro and 2) effect on in vivo cardiac infarct physiologic parameters. Methods: Lewis rats underwent myocardial ischemia and reperfusion by temporary ligation (45 min) of the left anterior descending coronary. The periinfarct area then received five myocardial injections with either untreated or anti-apoptotic factor treated MSCs. Animals underwent transthoracic echocardiography over 8 weeks. Results: The treated MSCs had reduced in vitro apoptosis (Figure A). The MSCs treated with anti-apoptotic factors were tested in vivo to examine if the survival of MSCs was enhanced and could improve infarct physiologic parameters. The anti-apoptotic factor treated MSCs improved the injured hearts more than untreated MSCs by echocardiographic measurements: improved ejection fraction (58.4 ± 6.5 vs. 46.6 ± 8.6 respectively, p =0.01) and greater fractional shortening (32.2 ± 4.6 vs. 24.3 ± 5.3 respectively, p =0.009). Both were better than medium alone infarct controls (Figure B). The treated MSCs were detected in the hearts in greater abundance and at later interval than the untreated MSCs. Conclusions: MSCs that were treated to resist apoptosis survived longer in vitro and in vivo, and improved heart function more than untreated MSCs. Injury recovery improved to a far greater extent than differentiation of the limited number of surviving cells could provide; this is consistent with the MSCs providing growth factors and cytokines to reduce inflammation and aid recovery of the endogenous cells in the region of injury.
Management of Renal Adenomas and Oncocytomas

Renal adenomas and oncocytoma are benign neoplasms that are characterized by indolent clinical behavior. The definition of renal adenoma has changed over time, reflecting the evolution of our understanding of the natural history of this neoplasm. Since methods to establish an accurate preoperative diagnosis are currently lacking, all solid renal neoplasms should be presumed malignant until proven otherwise. Extirpative surgical therapy, the efficacy of which has been thoroughly documented, is the preferred approach for majority of solid renal masses. Newer minimally invasive probe-ablative therapies (e.g., radiofrequency ablation and cryotherapy) are gaining popularity, although long-term outcome data are still lacking. This chapter discusses the current definition, diagnosis, and clinical management of renal adenomas and oncocytomas.
Anyonic particle-vortex statistics and the nature of dense quark matter

We show that ${\mathbb{Z}}_{3}$-valued particle-vortex braiding phases are present in high density quark matter. Certain mesonic and baryonic excitations, in the presence of a superfluid vortex, have orbital angular momentum quantized in units of $\ensuremath{\hbar}/3$. Such nonlocal topological features can distinguish phases whose realizations of global symmetries, as probed by local order parameters, are identical. If ${\mathbb{Z}}_{3}$ braiding phases and angular momentum fractionalization are absent in lower density hadronic matter, as is widely expected, then the quark matter and hadronic matter regimes of dense QCD must be separated by at least one phase transition.
Modeling of an Electron-Beam Pumped Arf Excimer Laser *

We present here initial efforts to advance the modeling of electron-beam-pumped ArF lasers. These efforts will be tested against experiments using the NRLElectrafacility. The advantages of using ArF as a driver for direct drive laser fusion compared to KrF [1]are: shorter wavelength (193 nm for ArF* vs. 248 nm for KrF*) and broader bandwidth. Use of ArF driver should lead to more robust higher-energy-gain fusion implosions than KrF, with an even larger advantage over the 351 nm laser technology used on NIF. The smaller absorption cross section by F2 with ArF [2]is an advantage in constructing large, high-energy amplifiers. In addition, it may have higher intrinsic efficiency than KrF [3]. A theoretical model of an e-beam pumped ArF* excimer laser is under development. One of the goals of this work is to understand the energy deposition in Ar-F 2 mixture for ArF lasers and compare to Ar-Kr-F 2 mixture for KrF lasers [4, 5]. The collisional rates with electrons are obtained as a function of F 2 concentration and power deposition by solving the steady-state Boltzmann equation for the electron energy distribution function. We use the concept of excitation-to-ionization ratios to obtain slowly varying rates over a wide range of input parameters such as beam power, gas pressure, and initial gas composition. These rates are coupled to a 1D time-dependent plasma chemistry based on NRLOrestessuite of numerical models. It includes plasma chemistry reactions and vibrational population kinetics of ArF* molecules, coupled to a 3D-radiation transport for the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE). The input parameters are the e-beam temporal profile, gas composition, and system geometry (type of laser amplifier configuration with initial laser seed characteristics). Measurable plasma parameters, such as species concentrations, electron and gas temperatures, as well as laser parameters, such as small signal gain, non-saturable absorption, saturated laser intensity, and AES are calculated as a function of input power and gas composition in the e-beam high-power regime. The model results are compared with the limited experimental measurement literature for ArF lasers.
IMS2019 MicroApps

Plan to include MicroApps in your 2019 IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society International Microwave Symposium (IMS2019) experience in Boston, Massachusetts. There will be over 65 diverse 15-min presentations. Presenters represent companies, large and small, from around the world.
P121 Nutrition-Related Recommendations and Dietary Habits Following Diabetes Diagnosis: Findings From the 2015 Kenya STEPS-Survey

Background Health care in low- and middle-income countries continues to focus on reducing under-nutrition despite the increasing prevalence of overweight, obesity, and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is an emerging NCD in Kenya, however research on nutrition-related recommendations and behaviors following diagnosis is limited. Objective To identify nutrition-related recommendations provided by Health Care Professionals (HCP) to DM patients, and identify dietary behaviors following diagnosis. Study Design, Settings, Participants A cross-sectional study was conducted among 4,500 Kenyan adults (18-69 years) participating in the 2015 Kenya STEPwise approach to surveillance study (STEPS) sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO). Measurable Outcome/Analysis Participants’ eight hours fasting blood glucose (FBG) values were measured. The following variables were created using FBG values to define DM status according to ADA recommendations: normal = Results 10.2% and 2.4% of the participants presented with FBG values indicative of prediabetes and DM respectively. Fourty-four percent of the individuals presenting with DM reported that they had not received a formal diagnosis by a HCP. 40%, 43%, and 76% of participants who had received a formal diagnosis stated that they had not been advised to limit intake of refined sugar, eat five servings of fruit/vegetables a day, and reduce alcohol consumption respectively. Although 75% of those diagnosed with DM believed lowering sugar in the diet was ‘very important’, about 28% reported that they did not limit sugary drink consumption and 14% consumed processed foods high in sugar at most meals, or every week. Conclusion Despite the increasing DM prevalence and diagnosis in Kenya, many remain undiagnosed. Health care improvements warrant the need for increased prevention methods and dietary guidance following diagnosis. Funding None.
Ancillary Studies: Contribution to Error and Error Prevention

Special stains or ancillary studies have been used for decades in diagnostic surgical pathology to complement interpretations. As our knowledge and understating of disease processes accumulate with fast pace, numerous assays have been introduced in routine laboratory workflow and many on the horizon to be incorporated as “standard of care.” To tackle this tsunami of ancillary tests, pathologists and technical staff must maintain quality control and quality assurance in every step of the specimen cycle to deliver highly reliable, complete, reproducible results in a timely manner. In this chapter, we focus on major QA/QC monitors that scrutinize successful validation, implementation, and continuous QA/QC monitoring of assays pertaining to immunohistochemistry and molecular pathology. Examples of specific tests (e.g., antibodies) as vignettes are used to highlight contributions of the ancillary tests to error and error prevention.
Effects of the Affordable Care Act Medicaid Expansion on Subjective Well-Being in the US Adult Population, 2010–2016

Objectives. To determine whether the 2014 Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion affected well-being in the low-income and general adult US populations.Methods. We obtained data from adults aged 18...
Hyperbolic n-Manifolds

In this chapter, we take up the study of hyperbolic n-manifolds. We begin with a geometric method for constructing spherical, Euclidean, and hyperbolic re-manifolds. In Section 11.2, we prove Poincare’s fundamental polyhedron theorem for freely acting groups. In Section 11.3, we determine the simplices of maximum volume in hyperbolic n-space. In Section 11.4, we study the Gromov invariant of a closed, orientable, hyperbolic manifold. In Section 11.5, we study the measure homology of hyperbolic space-forms. In Section 11.6, we prove Mostow’s rigidity theorem for closed, orientable, hyperbolic manifolds.
Complex modeling for the quantification of nanoscale disorder using genetic algorithms, density functional theory and line‐profile analysis

A new, computationally efficient, complex modeling approach is presented for the quantification of the local and average atomic structure, nanostructure and microstructure of an Au0.25Cu0.75 alloy. High-resolution X-ray powder diffraction and whole pattern fitting show that the sample is phase pure, with isotropic lattice strain and a distribution of equiaxed crystallites of mean size 144 (11) nm, where each crystallite has on average four twin boundaries and an average of three deformation faults per four crystallites. Both small- and large-box model optimizations were used to extract local and long-range information from the pair distribution function. The large-box, 640 000-atom-ensemble optimization approach applied herein relies on differential evolution optimization and shows that the alloy has chemical short-range ordering, with correlation parameters of −0.26 (2) and 0.36 (8) in the first and second correlation shells, respectively. Locally, there is a 1.45 (8)% tetragonal distortion which on average results in a cubic atomic structure. The isotropic lattice strain is a result of atom-pair-dependent bond lengths, following the trend dAu—Au > dAu—Cu > dCu—Cu, highlighted by density functional theory calculations. This approach is generalizable and should be extensible to other disordered systems, allowing for quantification of localized structure deviations.
Indo-Pacific Variability on Seasonal to Multidecadal Time Scales. Part I: Intrinsic SST Modes in Models and Observations

AbstractThe variability of Indo-Pacific SST on seasonal to multidecadal time scales is investigated using a recently introduced technique called nonlinear Laplacian spectral analysis (NLSA). Through this technique, drawbacks associated with ad hoc prefiltering of the input data are avoided, enabling recovery of low-frequency and intermittent modes not previously accessible via classical approaches. Here, a multiscale hierarchy of spatiotemporal modes is identified for Indo-Pacific SST in millennial control runs of CCSM4 and GFDL CM3 and in HadISST data. On interannual time scales, a mode with spatiotemporal patterns corresponding to the fundamental component of ENSO emerges, along with ENSO-modulated annual modes consistent with combination mode theory. The ENSO combination modes also feature prominent activity in the Indian Ocean, explaining a significant fraction of the SST variance in regions associated with the Indian Ocean dipole and suggesting a deterministic relationship between these patterns. A p...
Internal hemorrhoid harboring adenocarcinoma: A case report.

Background The incidence of carcinoma found within an internal hemorrhoid specimen is exceptionally rare. Further, the presence of primary anal canal adenocarcinoma within internal hemorrhoids is even more infrequent. We describe a case in which anal canal adenocarcinoma was found within an internal hemorrhoidectomy specimen and perform a review of the current literature. Case summary The patient was a 79-year-old male who presented with rectal bleeding and was found to have large thrombosed internal hemorrhoids during screening colonoscopy. The patient subsequently underwent a three-column hemorrhoi-dectomy. Pathologic analysis revealed one of three specimens containing a 1.5 cm moderate-to-poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma of anal origin with superficial submucosal invasion. At three-month follow up, he was taken to the operating theatre for biopsy and re-excision of his non-healing wound, which showed no recurrence. His wound has since healed and he was cancer free at ten-month follow up. Conclusion When faced with primary anal canal adenocarcinoma an interdisciplinary approach to treatment should be considered. Routine pathological analysis of hemorrhoidectomy specimens may be beneficial due to the severity of anal canal carcinomas if left undiagnosed and untreated in a timely manner.
USING A LAPLACE APPROXIMATION TO ESTIMATE THE RANDOM COEFFICIENTS LOGIT MODEL BY NONLINEAR LEAST SQUARES

Current methods of estimating the random coefficients logit model employ simulations of the distribution of the taste parameters through pseudo-random sequences. These methods suffer from difficulties in estimating correlations between parameters and computational limitations such as the curse of dimensionality. This article provides a solution to these problems by approximating the integral expression of the expected choice probability using a multivariate extension of the Laplace approximation. Simulation results reveal that our method performs very well, in terms of both accuracy and computational time.
A qualitative exploration of technology use among preservice physical education teachers in a secondary methods course

Abstract Educational technologies have been known to positively impact teaching and learning in physical education. This rapid development of new technologies has encouraged physical education teacher education (PETE) programs to prepare preservice physical education teachers (PPETs) with experiences rooted in technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK). This study aimed to understand current PPET experiences with technology in a secondary methods course. A total of 14 participants from two PETE programs participated in this study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and later analyzed using a grounded theory methodology. Two themes were discovered: (a) PPETs used technology to plan, instruct, and/or assess their secondary physical education classes, and (b) PPETs encountered barriers when using technology. Future research should examine the levels of technology understanding among PPETs.
Stuck in Transit: Narrative of Young Senegalese Emigrants En Route to Europe

The rush to Spain by young Africans using traditional boats has attracted a lot of media attention because of their often tragic outcomes with images of dead bodies and frail survivors. Similar attention is given to the experience of risky border crossings from North Africa to Italy. Less discussed is the experience of thousands of young Africans in countries of transit and their hope and fear of crossing borders, their countless stories of harsh conditions of travel and of life in transit countries such as Morocco, Turkey and Greece. This paper will focus on young Senegalese emigrants’ narrative of travel and failed or successful border crossings, and the prospect of staying, continuing, and returning. The primary focus is on the extended life experience of the young Senegalese in places where they planned to stay only temporarily, but found themselves caught up by political and economic circumstances. The paper relates these experiences back to the progressive formation of a culture of migration in the Senegal River Valley where the migration of the youth is expected and socially highly valorized.
Four Kinds of Conditionals

There are certain logical problems that must be discussed prior to undertaking the analysis of subjunctive conditionals. The discussion of these problems will clarify the nature of these conditionals and thereby facilitate their analysis. The problem of analyzing subjunctive conditionals has been exacerbated by the fact that there are actually several different kinds of subjunctive conditionals, with different properties and correspondingly different analyses, and philosophers have not been sufficiently careful in distinguishing between them. In this chapter I will distinguish between four main kinds of subjunctive conditionals and explore their interrelations. It will turn out that these conditionals are all interdefinable, so an analysis of one will yield analyses of all the others.
Use of a force-sensing automated open field apparatus in a longitudinal study of multiple behavioral deficits in CAG140 Huntington's disease model mice.

Abstract Behavioral testing of mouse models of Huntington’s disease (HD) is a key component of preclinical assessment for potential pharmacological intervention. An open field with a force plate floor was used to quantify numerous spontaneous behaviors in a slowly progressing model of HD. CAG140 (+/+, +/−, −/−) male and female mice were compared in a longitudinal study from 6 to 65 weeks of age. Distance traveled, wall rears, wall rear duration, number of low mobility bouts, in-place movements, number of high velocity runs, and gait parameters (stride rate, stride length, and velocity) were extracted from the ground reaction forces recorded in 20-min actometer sessions. Beginning at 11 weeks, HD mice (both +/− and +/+) were consistently hypoactive throughout testing. Robust hypoactivity at 39 weeks of age was not accompanied by gait disturbances. By 52 and 65 weeks of age the duration of wall rears increased and in-place tremor-like movements emerged at 65 weeks of age in the +/+, but not in the +/− HD mice. Taken together, these results suggest that hypoactivity preceding frank motor dysfunction is a characteristic of CAG140 mice that may correspond to low motivation to move seen clinically in the premanifest/prediagnostic stage in human HD. The results also show that the force plate method provides a means for tracking the progression of behavioral dysfunction in HD mice beyond the stage when locomotion is lost while enabling quantification of tremor-like and similar in-place behaviors without a change in instrumentation. Use of force plate actometry also minimizes testing-induced enrichment effects when batteries of different tests are carried out longitudinally.
Demagnetization by basin-forming impacts on early Mars: Contributions from shock, heat, and excavation

[1] Large hypervelocity impacts occurred frequently on ancient Mars, leaving many large impact basins visible today. After the planetary dynamo ceased operating, such impacts demagnetized the crust by way of (1) excavation of magnetized material, (2) heating, and (3) shock pressure. We investigate these three demagnetizing processes, both separately and in combination, using hydrocode simulations of large impacts on early Mars at a range of impact energies and using a new parameterization of the shock pressure-demagnetization behavior of candidate Martian minerals. We find that in general, shock pressure demagnetization is more important than thermal demagnetization, except in the combined case of very large impacts (more than ~1026 J) and low Curie temperature minerals such as pyrrhotite. We find that total demagnetized area has a power law dependence on impact energy (with an exponent of 0.6–0.72) and that depending on the magnetic mineral, the demagnetized area resulting for a given impact energy can vary over approximately an order of magnitude. We develop an empirical model that can be used to calculate total demagnetized area for a given impact energy and magnetic mineral (whose pressure-demagnetization properties are known). Once a reliable basin scaling law for ancient Mars (i.e., relating impact energy to final basin topography) is derived, this mineral parameterization and empirical model will allow robust constraints to be placed upon the primary Martian magnetic carrier(s).
Pregnancy Intention and Contraceptive Use at Six Months Postpartum Among Women With Recent Preterm Delivery

ABSTRACT Objective To describe pregnancy intention and contraceptive use among women with a recent delivery that occurred at 35 weeks gestation or fewer and who were enrolled in a large‐scale randomized control trial. Design In this descriptive study we used data from assessments conducted at 6 months postpartum as part of a randomized controlled clinical trial, the Philadelphia Collaborative Preterm Prevention Project (PCPPP). Participants and Setting Participants were recruited following a preterm birth (PTB) in one of the 12 urban birth hospitals. All women enrolled in PCPPP, who completed their 6‐month postpartum assessment, and who were sexually active at the time of that assessment ( n = 566), were included in the analysis. Methods Data were collected during face‐to‐face interviews. Study questionnaires included questions about participants' plans for the timing of subsequent pregnancies, contraceptive behaviors, and other health variables. Results Nearly all of the participants (90.1%, n = 509) reported they did not want to get pregnant within one year of the index PTB. However, more than one half of these women (54.6%) reported contraceptive practices of low or moderate effectiveness. Most predictive of intending another pregnancy within the year was the death of the index PTB infant (odds ratio [OR]= 18.2,95% confidence interval [CI] [8.9, 37.0]). Conclusions Discordant pregnancy intention and contraceptive use were reported among this group of mothers of PTB infants who are at particularly high risk for a poor outcome of any subsequent pregnancy. The findings highlight the need for further investigation of the causes, correlates, and consequences of discordant pregnancy intentions and contraceptive practices.
Intelligent distributed systems: New trends

In the distributed artificial intelligence field, a multi-agent system is defined as a coordinating intelligent behavior among a collection of autonomous intelligent agents, providing a method of coordinating their knowledge, goals, skills, and plans to take action or to solve problems. These concepts can be used to control and to manage a distributed system. The author describes the distributed approach of artificial intelligence and how to apply this new approach to the management and the control of a distributed system. >
Arterial fast bolus flush systems used routinely in neonates and infants cause retrograde embolization of flush solution into the central arterial and cerebral circulation

To evaluate the risk of retrograde embolization of flush solution in neonates and infants with routinely used electronic syringe pumps and infusion bag pump flush systems. With hospital Ethical Committee approval we studied intubated neonates and infants with a 24-GA radial arterial cannula. Fast flush boluses were delivered from the infusion bag pump flush system by opening the flow regulating device for two seconds at bag pump manometre pressures of 100, 200 and 300 mmHg. In the syringe pump flush system, fast flush bolus volumes of 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 mL were programmed on the electronic syringe pump and released by opening the flow regulating device for two seconds. A 12-MHz ultrasonic probe placed in the jugular fossa was used to detect white bubbles indicating retrograde embolization of flush solution into the ipsilateral subclavian and common carotid artery. Sixteen patients, aged from 1–105 days (median 22 days) were studied. In all patients retrograde embolization into the subclavian artery was detected at syringe pump bolus volumes of 0.5–1.5 mL and at 100–200 mmHg bag pump pressure. In nine of the 16 patients a positive signal was detected in the common carotid artery with 1.5–2.0 mL syringe pump bolus volumes and at 200–300 mmHg bag pump pressure. In neonates and infants, the standard practice of arterial fast bolus flushing using syringe pump and bag pump flush systems causes retrograde embolization of flush solution into the central arterial and even into the cerebral circulation. The mandatory limitation of fast flush bolus volumes and manometre pressures is urgent in order to reduce retrograde embolization of flush solution and the associated risks in these small patients.
America Can Win, Sometimes: U.S. Success and Failure in Small Wars

Americans apparently dislike small wars even more than they do big ones. A majority of the public supports major U.S. commitments to the defense of Western Europe and Japan but opposes the use of American forces in nearly every conceivable small war contingency.1 Despite an undeserved popular reputation for bellicosity, the American military ap­ pears equally, if not more, reluctant to become involved in low-intensity warfare. Reflecting this concern, Secretary of Defense Weinberger in a 1984 speech outlined a series of tests which should be satisfied before the U.S. committed troops to combat; these included a "vital national in­ terest" at stake, the support of the American public, and willingness to commit whatever force was needed to win.2 Taken together, these condi­ tions would probably rule out most small war commitments, including invasion of Grenada, which Weinberger had endorsed the year before.3 Certainly all can endorse Secretary Weinberger's emphasis on the moral imperative of restraint where human lives are at stake. But why more aversion to small wars than to big ones? The answer seems to be in a belief that small wars present unique, perhaps insurmountable, obstacles to success for the United States. Thomas Schelling, in a 1981 Vietnam post mortem, went so far as to assert that "Khruschev was right in 1960. He said that democracies were soft and could not fight against wars of national liberation."4 Schelling's conclusion lacks historical perspective and ignores American successes in a number of small wars, including some pro­ tracted and difficult engagements. Yet he is correct in asserting that small wars do pose difficult problems for Americans, particularly in the postWorld War II era. The present research is aimed toward testing several explanations for success and failure in small wars through a systematic examination of fifteen low-intensity conflicts since 1898.
Research Benefits in Water Resources Construction

A diversified research program covering engineering materials, design and construction methods, ecological and sociological factors, and electric power and energy problems is described briefly. Emphasis is then placed on specific examples of engineering research which have benefited construction of the Bureau of Reclamation's water resources-related facilities. Among these are savings of –13,000,000 at Grand Coulee Third Powerplant by determining that the penstock bellmouth entrances could be made much smaller than previous practice allowed, a –25,000,000 savings by using a three-centered arch instead of a circular arch for Auburn Dam, a –2,500,000 savings by reducing the amount of cement at Coulee Third Powerplant by using pozzolans and water-reducing agents, as yet undetermined savings through a cooperative program with industry in proving the value and defining working limits for reinforced plastic mortar (RPM) pipe for water distribution systems, and of corrugated plastic pipe for drainage systems.
Increasing storm tides in New York Harbor, 1844–2013

Three of the nine highest recorded water levels in the New York Harbor region have occurred since 2010 (March 2010, August 2011, and October 2012), and eight of the largest twenty have occurred since 1990. To investigate whether this cluster of high waters is a random occurrence or indicative of intensified storm tides, we recover archival tide gauge data back to 1844 and evaluate the trajectory of the annual maximum storm tide. Approximately half of long-term variance is anticorrelated with decadal-scale variations in the North Atlantic Oscillation, while long-term trends explain the remainder. The 10 year storm tide has increased by 0.28 m. Combined with a 0.44 m increase in local sea level since 1856, the 10 year flood level has increased by approximately 0.72 ± 0.25 m, and magnified the annual probability of overtopping the typical Manhattan seawall from less than 1% to about 20–25%.
Lifetime and heat kernel estimates in non-smooth domains

Let D be a domain in R n, n ≥ 2, and let B t be Brownian motion in D with lifetime τD. The transition probabilities for this motion are given by the Dirichlet heat kernel P t D(x, y) for \(\frac{1}{2}\Delta\) in D. If h is a positive harmonic function in D the Doob h-process, the Brownian motion conditioned by h, is determined by the following transition functions: $$P_t^h(x,y) = \frac{1}{h(x)}P_t^D(x,y)h(y)$$ .
Novel application of FIB lift-out and ultramicrotomy for advanced package failure analysis

The semiconductor industry is pushing the technology envelope of integrated circuit packaging: aggressively shrinking the geometry and introducing cost competitive materials and processing technology. The need for more powerful package FA techniques also increases, especially in the area of higher resolution imaging and material characterization. The field emission SEM no longer has the spatial resolution needed to image thin film interfaces found in new generation packages. Hence, TEM was called into action, especially in analyzing thin interfaces such as the solder joint interface and copper via interface. The sample preparation technique for package FA is the gating factor for TEM analysis. The conventional TEM preparation techniques such as wedge and dimpling are not compatible with the advanced packaging materials. The FIB cross-section technique is applicable but typically takes a long time to prepare by trimming to the region of interest (ROI) and then polishing to a 20 /spl mu/m sliver. There is a great need for effective TEM sample preparation techniques to make TEM available to package failure analysis. FIB lift-out and ultramicrotomy techniques have been improvised to meet this need.
“He’s on his dying bed”: Next-of-kin’s experiences of the dying body

For family members of dying patients who have grown accustomed to providing daily body care, the transition from home to hospital is stressful. The authors used the experiences surrounding death for 78 U.S. veterans who died in a Veterans Affairs hospital. The research is based on interviews conducted with the decedent's next-of-kin. Secondary qualitative analysis of previously-coded transcribed interviews was used. Themes of social disorganization and a loss of control over the body emerged. Next-of-kin experienced the physical and functional breakdown of their loved one's body. Understanding the nature of the loss of control may help alleviate the loss of control may help alleviate the strain on families.
Osundare's Poetry and the Yoruba Worldview

In his article "Osundare's Poetry and the Yoruba Worldview" Christopher Anyokwu analyses the use of Indegienous Yoruba concepts found in Niyi Osundare's texts. Anyokwu postulates that Osundare appears to combine in his work concepts and traditions of Yoruba culture and Marxist ideology which, as Anyokwu argues, locates Osundare with other revolutionary-minded radical poets such as Pablo Neruda, Octovio Paz, Nicolas Guillen, Agostinho Neto, or Okot P'Biteke. Further, Anyokwu argues that a major aspect of the sources of Osundare's work, this perspective has either been undertheorized or examined only superficially in the critical corpus of Osundare's texts. Anyokwu both analyzes and assesses Osundare's immersion in and deployment of his native Yoruba oral poetics and mythological concepts which underline the poet's commitment to fight against social injustice as common human task. Christopher Anyokwu, "Osundare's Poetry and the Yoruba Worldview" page 2 of 8 CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture 13.1 (2011):
Development of coupling technique for LBM and FEM for FSI application

Purpose – To develop a technique to couple the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) and the finite element method (FEM) to solve fluid‐structure interaction (FSI) problems.Design/methodology/approach – The FEM was applied to structural analysis while the LBM was applied to fluid flow analysis. The two techniques were coupled in a staggered manner through interface boundary conditions.Findings – In order to demonstrate the developed coupling technique, various FSI examples were analyzed and presented. The coupling technique was useful to solve FSI problems.Originality/value – To the best knowledge of the author, there have been few efforts to couple the two techniques to solve the fluid and flexible structure interaction problems.
Poly(A) and synthesis of polyadenylated RNA in the preimplantation mouse embryo

Abstract Investigations were conducted to quantitate polyadenylic acid and estimate the synthesis of polyadenylated RNA in mouse embryos at several stages of preimplantation development. Poly(A) was assayed by molecular hybridization of total embryonic RNA with [ 3 H]polyuridylic acid. The mean values of poly(A) in the ovulated oocytes and in the one-cell, two-cell, and blastocyst stages of the embryo were 1.9, 1.6, 0.68, and 3.8 pg, respectively. Synthesis of polyadenylated RNA was estimated by affinity chromatography of [ 3 H]uridine-labeled embryo RNA on oligo(dT)-cellulose. The proportions of newly synthesized RNA bound by oligo(dT)-cellulose at the 2-cell, 8- to 16-cell, and blastocyst stages were 6.7, 3.5, and 3.3%, respectively. These results suggest that significant quantities of maternal mRNA are present during early development of the mouse, but that polyadenylation of RNA transcribed from the embryonic genome occurs as early as the two-cell stage.
Scaling effect on statistical behavior of switching parameters of ferroelectric capacitors

Scanning force microscopy (SFM) has been used to study nanoscale variations in switching parameters in layered perovskite films of SrBi2Ta2O9 and to investigate the effect of capacitor scaling on the standard deviation of the capacitors’ integral polarization signal. Ferroelectric poling and SFM piezoresponse imaging were performed in a number of regions on the film surface sized 2×2, 1×1, 0.5×0.5, and 0.3×0.3 μm2 with subsequent statistical analysis of the obtained data. It has been found that variations of the polarization signal can be approximated by the normal distribution function. The standard deviation increases with the decrease in the capacitor size, suggesting a stronger effect of grain misalignment in smaller capacitors. The obtained results imply that reliable high-density ferroelectric memories cannot be realized unless a certain capacitor size/grain size ratio is maintained.
Validation of the Mantle Cell Lymphoma International Prognostic Index: A Single-Center Retrospective Analysis

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a unique, recently recognized entity with a variable clinical course [1]. Its historical grouping as an indolent lymphoma belies its common behavior, which is generally aggressive and incurable, with a median survival of about 5 years with modern therapy [2]. In an effort to improve outcomes in MCL, intensified therapies, including the rituximab plus HyperCVAD regimen [3] and incorporation of hematopoetic progenitor cell transplantation (HPCT) [4-6], have been used. However, although capable of inducing remissions in most patients, there is little proof that intensive first-line therapy prolongs overall survival (OS), and a continual relapse pattern is commonly observed [4,7-10].
Short-term fluctuation in salinity promotes rapid larval development and metamorphosis in Dendraster excentricus

Abstract The effect of constant and fluctuating salinity on larval development and metamorphosis of the sand dollar Dendraster excentricus was investigated in the laboratory. Sand dollar larvae at different stages of development were kept either at 32‰ (controls), exposed to constant low salinity (22‰) throughout development, or exposed to fluctuating salinity (i.e. transferring larvae from 32‰ to 22‰ for 7 days then back to 32‰ for the rest of their development). Larvae exposed to constant low salinity were significantly smaller but developed all larval arms at a slower rate than larvae in all other treatments. Larvae exposed to fluctuating salinity recovered and developed significantly longer larval arms and bigger rudiments than larvae kept at constant low salinity. Larvae exposed to fluctuating salinity produced more juveniles than larvae at constant high salinity (32‰), while those at constant low salinity produced few or no juveniles. Four-arm larvae exposed to fluctuating salinity produced significantly more juveniles than six-arm larvae exposed to the same treatment. Transferring competent 8-arm larvae from 31‰ to 15‰ for 2 days then back to 31‰, induced metamorphosis with juvenile production being significantly higher than for those kept at a constant salinity of 20, 25 and 31‰. This study indicates that a short-term decrease in salinity might induce metamorphosis for this species.
Electromagnetic Waves in Gravitational Fields

The scattering of plane electromagnetic waves by the gravitational field of an isolated physical system is studied. On the level of the geometrical optics approximation the general theory of light rays is formulated. In particular, the generalized formula for the Einstein deflection of light rays is obtained. On the level of the vectorial optics the problem of polarization is examined in detail. The formula obtained, describing a rotation of the plane of polarization due to the presence of the gravitational field, admits a direct geometrical interpretation. The theory is applied to the rotating body and a system of point masses. The physical results established concerning the asymptotic behavior of the electromagnetic waves are independent of the coordinate system used in the computations.