cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Progesterone supplementation to lactating dairy cows without a corpus luteum at initiation of the Ovsynch protocol.

Abstract The objectives were to determine the effect of progesterone supplementation on fertility responses in lactating dairy cows without corpora lutea (CL) at initiation of the timed artificial insemination (AI) program. Holstein cows from 5 commercial dairy farms were subjected to the Ovsynch-56 protocol (d −10 GnRH, d −3 PGF 2α , d −0.7 GnRH, d 0 AI). Ovaries were scanned by ultrasonography on d −10. Within farm, cows without CL were blocked by pen and assigned randomly to remain as nonsupplemented controls (CON; n=652) or to receive 2 controlled internal drug-release (CIDR) inserts containing 1.38g of progesterone each from d −10 to −3 (2CIDR; n=642). Cows with CL were randomly selected within pen and used as positive controls as cows in diestrus at the initiation of the Ovsynch protocol (DIEST; n=640). Signs of estrus were detected beginning on d −9 based on removal of tail chalk, and cows in estrus received AI on the same day. Blood samples from subsets of cows on d −10, −9, −7, −5, −3, and 0 (n=109) and on d 6, 13, and 19 (n=156) were analyzed for progesterone concentrations. Pregnancy was diagnosed on d 32 and 60 after AI. The average progesterone concentration during the timed AI program was lowest for CON, intermediate for 2CIDR, and highest for DIEST (0.92, 2.77, and 4.93 ng/mL, respectively). The proportions of cows that ovulated in response to the first GnRH (63.6, 61.1, and 47.2%, respectively) and that had a new CL on d −3 at PGF 2α injection (72.4, 67.9, and 47.4%, respectively) were greater for CON and 2CIDR compared with DIEST, respectively. The diameter of the ovulatory follicle and the proportion of cows that ovulated in response to the second GnRH did not differ among treatments. A greater proportion of CON and 2CIDR cows were detected in estrus at AI compared with DIEST cows (35.8, 39.6, and 30.6%, respectively). Pregnancy per AI was less for CON compared with 2CIDR and DIEST on d 32 (31.3, 42.2, and 38.4%, respectively) and d 60 after AI (28.9, 37.2, and 33.9%, respectively), indicating that progesterone supplementation reestablished fertility in cows lacking a CL similar to that of cows in diestrus at the initiation of the timed AI program. Treatment did not affect pregnancy loss between d 32 and 60 of gestation. Pregnancy from a subset of cows with plasma progesterone concentrations indicated that a minimum concentration of 2.0 ng/mL was needed to optimize fertility. A single ultrasound examination effectively identified a low-fertility cohort of cows based on the absence of CL at the first GnRH injection of the Ovsynch protocol. Supplementation with 2 CIDR inserts increased progesterone in plasma by an additional 1.85 ng/mL compared with CON, resulting in concentrations of 2.77 ng/mL during development of the ovulatory follicle, which restored fertility in dairy cows lacking CL to a level similar to that of cows in diestrus.
High-efficiency vertical-cavity lasers and modulators

Within the past year significant advances in the development of high-performance vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSELs) and quantum-well modulators has been achieved. Large arrays of VCSELs with submilliamp thresholds and diffraction limited beams have been produced by MBE growth of InGaAs/GaAs strained-layer quantum-well active regions encompassed by integral AlAs/GaAs quarter-wave stack mirrors. Also, using similar technology, asymmetric transverse Fabry-Perot modulators with transfer efficiencies about 20 percent/V and high-extinction on/off modulation with voltage swing of only 2 volts have been demonstrated. Using superlattice active regions, room-temperature blue shifted absorption modulators have been produced, and self-electrooptic effect devices with record on/off ratios (more than 100:1) have been achieved.
A 27-mer tandem repeat polypeptide in bovine amelogenin: synthesis and CD spectra.

CD spectra of a tandem 27-mer repeat polypeptide, Gln-Pro-His-Gln-Pro-Leu-Gln-Pro-His-Gln-Pro-Leu-Gln-Pro-Met-(Gln-Pro-Leu)4, from bovine amelogenin synthesized by standard solid-phase synthesis manifests an archtypical CD pattern of a β-spiral structure in phosphate buffer at pH 5.2 and trifluoroethanol (TFE), CF3OH. β-spiral structure is unique to a class of diverse proteins including amelogenins conferring unusual physicochemical properties. Copyright © 2002 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Multi-scale recordings for neuroprosthetic control of finger movements

We trained a rhesus monkey to perform individuated and combined finger flexions and extensions of the thumb, index, and middle finger. A Utah Electrode Array (UEA) was implanted into the hand region of the motor cortex contralateral to the monkey’s trained hand. We also implanted a microwire electrocorticography grid (µECoG) epidurally so that it covered the UEA. The µECoG grid spanned the arm and hand regions of both the primary motor and somatosensory cortices. Previously this monkey had Implantable MyoElectric Sensors (IMES) surgically implanted into the finger muscles of the monkey’s forearm. Action potentials (APs), local field potentials (LFPs), and µECoG signals were recorded from wired head-stage connectors for the UEA and µECoG grids, while EMG was recorded wirelessly. The monkey performed a finger flexion/extension task while neural and EMG data were acquired. We wrote an algorithm that uses the spike data from the UEA to perform a real-time decode of the monkey’s finger movements. Also, analyses of the LFP and µECoG data indicate that these data show trial-averaged differences between different finger movements, indicating the data are potentially decodeable.
Post-traumatic empyema: aetiology, surgery and outcome in 125 consecutive patients.

Introduction Empyema remains a potentially serious condition with multiple etiologies including post-pneumonic, post-resection, and post-traumatic. There are few studies describing the latter. We reviewed our experience at a high volume trauma centre in injured patients with empyema, examining pre-operative status, surgical procedures, pathogens and outcome. Methods Retrospective trauma registry review, from 9/01 to 4/10. Empyema was defined as culture positive pleural fluid or purulence at operation. Data collected included demographics, injury mechanism, thoracic injuries, organ dysfunction, pathogens isolated, surgical procedures, outcomes and follow up. Results One hundred twenty-five consecutive patients with empyema were identified. Average injury severity score and age were 27.3 and 37.2 years respectively; 89.6% were male, 63.2% sustained blunt chest trauma. Time from injury to diagnosis averaged 12.1 days. All underwent decortication; 80% by thoracotomy, the remainder thoracoscopically. At operation over half were mechanically ventilated and 13.6% required vasoactive infusions. Monomicrobial cultures with Gram positive cocci predominating were obtained in 44%, 48% had polymicrobial cultures and 18.4% had a ruptured lung abscess. There were five deaths (4%); two occurring after a ruptured lung abscess. Recurrent empyema occurred in 6.4%, all successfully treated by re-operation or catheter drainage. Intensive care and hospital stays were 18.1 and 30.6 days respectively. All survivors achieved resolution of empyema. Conclusions Trauma patients with empyema represent a subset of severely injured critically ill patients with diverse pathogens and polymicrobial flora. Appropriate surgical management and specific antibiotic therapy yields excellent results with acceptable risk. A ruptured lung abscess may be the aetiology of the post-traumatic empyema in a subset of patients and may represent an increased operative risk.
Host-Parasite Relationships Among Group A Streptococci III. Depression of Reticuloendothelial Function by Streptococcal Pyrogenic Exotoxins

Hanna, Edgar E. (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis), and Dennis W. Watson. Host-parasite relationships among group A streptococci. III. Depression of reticuloendothelial function by streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxins. J. Bacteriol. 89:154–158. 1965.—Measurement of the rate of clearance of colloidal carbon from the circulating blood is an effective and simple technique for assessing the functional state of the reticuloendothelial system (RES) of experimental animals. This paper concerns a study of the RES function in rabbits after treatment with streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxins. Intravenous injection of 1.0 ml of the toxin produced by a strain of type 18, group A streptococcus caused a prolonged (at least 24 hr) depression of RES function. The activity at 48 hr after toxin injection was about equal to that in control animals. Repeated intravenous injections of the toxin abolished the initial depressing effect on RES function, but did not cause stimulation. In comparison, intravenous injection of equivalent doses of endotoxin prepared from Escherichia coli COO8 also caused an initial depression of RES function; however, in contrast with the effect of exotoxin, stimulation occurred as early as 24 hr and was about twice as active at 48 hr. The prolonged depression by streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin is suggested as one means by which this toxin potentiates lethality and tissue damage by other toxins such as streptolysin O and endotoxins from gram-negative bacteria.
Carbon: architectural support for fine-grained parallelism on chip multiprocessors

Chip multiprocessors (CMPs) are now commonplace, and the number of cores on a CMP is likely to grow steadily. However, in order to harness the additional compute resources of a CMP, applications must expose their thread-level parallelism to the hardware. One common approach to doing this is to decompose a program into parallel "tasks" and allow an underlying software layer to schedule these tasks to different threads. Software task scheduling can provide good parallel performance as long as tasks are large compared to the software overheads.We examine a set of applications from an important emerging domain: Recognition, Mining, and Synthesis (RMS). Many RMS applications are compute-intensive and have abundant thread-level parallelism, and are therefore good targets for running on a CMP. However, a significant number have small tasks for which software task schedulers achieve only limited parallel speedups.We propose Carbon, a hardware technique to accelerate dynamic task scheduling on scalable CMPs. Carbon has relatively simple hardware, most of which can be placed far from the cores. We compare Carbon to some highly tuned software task schedulers for a set of RMS benchmarks with small tasks. Carbon delivers significant performance improvements over the best software scheduler: on average for 64 cores, 68% faster on a set of loop-parallel benchmarks, and 109% faster on aset of task-parallel benchmarks.
ATR performance of a Rician model for SAR images

Radar targets often have both specular and diffuse scatterers. A conditionally Rician model for the amplitudes of pixels in Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images quantitatively accounts for both types of scatterers. Conditionally Rician models generalize conditionally Gaussian models by including means with uniformly distributed phases in the complex imagery. Qualitatively, the values of the two parameters in the Rician model bring out different aspects of the images. For automatic target recognition (ATR), log-likelihoods are computed using parameters estimated from training data. Using MSTAR data, the resulting performance for a number of four class ATR problems representing both standard and extended operating conditions is studied and compared to the performance of corresponding conditionally Gaussian models. Performance is measured quantitatively using the Hilbert-Schmidt squared error for orientation estimation and the probability of error for recognition. For the MSTAR dataset used, the results indicate that algorithms based on conditionally Rician and conditionally Gaussian models yield similar results when a rich set of training data is available, but the performance under the Rician model suffers with smaller training sets. Due to the smaller number of distribution parameters, the conditionally Gaussian approach is able to yield a better performance for any fixed complexity.
Cooperative Binding of the Sugar Substrates and Allosteric Regulatory Protein (Enzyme IIIGlc of the Phosphotransferase System) to the Lactose and Melibiose Permeases in Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium

An Escherichia coli strain which overproduces the lactose permease was used to investigate the mechanism of allosteric regulation of this permease and those specific for melibiose, glycerol, and maltose by the phosphoenolpyruvate-sugar phosphotransferase system (PTS). Thio-β-digalactoside, a high affinity substrate of the lactose permease, released the glycerol and maltose permeases from inhibition by methyl-α-d-glucoside. Resumption of glycerol uptake occurred immediately upon addition of the galactoside. The effect was not observed in a strain which lacked or contained normal levels of the lactose permease, but growth of wild-type E. coli in the presence of isopropyl-β-thiogalactoside plus cyclic AMP resulted in enhanced synthesis of the lactose permease so that galactosides relieved inhibition of glycerol uptake. Thiodigalactoside also relieved the inhibition of glycerol uptake caused by the presence of other PTS substrates such as fructose, mannitol, glucose, 2-deoxyglucose, and 5-thioglucose. Inhibition of adenylate cyclase activity by methyl-α-glucoside was also relieved by thiodigalactoside in E. coli T52RT provided that the lactose permease protein was induced to high levels. Cooperative binding of sugar and enzyme IIIGlc to the melibiose permease in Salmonella typhimurium was demonstrated, but no cooperativity was noted with the glycerol and maltose permeases. These results are consistent with a mechanism of PTS-mediated regulation of the lactose and melibiose permeases involving a fixed number of allosteric regulatory proteins (enzyme IIIGlc) which may be titrated by the increased number of substrate-activated permease proteins. This work suggests that the cooperativity in the binding of sugar substrate and enzyme IIIGlc to the permease, demonstrated previously in in vitro experiments, has mechanistic significance in vivo. It substantiates the conclusion that PTS-mediated regulation of non-PTS permease activities involves direct allosteric interaction between the permeases and enzyme IIIGlc, the postulated regulatory protein of the PTS.
Automated fiber pigtailing technology

The high cost of optoelectronic (OE) devices is due mainly to the labor-intensive packaging process. Manually pigtailing such devices as single-mode laser diodes and modulators is very time consuming with poor quality control. The Photonics Program and the Engineering Research Division at LLNL are addressing several issues associated with automatically packaging OE devices. A fully automated system must include high-precision fiber alignment, fiber attachment techniques, in-situ quality control, and parts handling and feeding. This paper will present on-going work at LLNL in the areas of automated fiber alignment and fiber attachment. For the fiber alignment, we are building an automated fiber pigtailing machine (AFPM) which combines computer vision and object recognition algorithms with active feedback to perform sub-micron alignments of single-mode fibers to modulators and laser diodes. We expect to perform sub-micron alignments in less than five minutes with this technology. For fiber attachment, we are building various geometries of silicon microbenches which include onboard heaters to solder metal-coated fibers and other components in place; these designs are completely compatible with an automated process of OE packaging. >
The transformation of lieux de mémoire: The Nyabarongo River in Rwanda, 1992–2009

This article takes the Nyabarongo river as a lens through which to tentatively reflect on the transformation of lieux de memoire in post-genocide Rwanda in the period 1992–2009. It is culled from a larger, multi-year project on the construction, deconstruction, and reconstruction of collective memory in Rwanda that revolves around a systematic, historical, and spatial analysis of the hundreds of genocide memorials, informal and otherwise, that have been created - and some that have disappeared - in the last fifteen years.
Pluton pinning of an active Miocene detachment fault system, eastern Mojave Desert, California

The Miocene Kingston Range-Halloran Hills detachment fault system of the eastern Mojave Desert, California, delineates part of the eastern breakaway zone for a profoundly extended area between the Sierra Nevada and the Spring Mountains structural blocks. The shallow-dipping, west-rooting detachment fault cuts discordantly across Paleozoic and Precambrian units in the Mesozoic foreland fold-and-thrust belt, exhibits west- to southwest-trending corrugations with structural relief of up to 1.5 km, and underlies the terrestrial Shadow Valley basin. Middle Miocene fault displacement and syntectonic sedimentation in the northern basin were terminated at ∼12.4 Ma by intrusion of the large (∼130 km 2 ), shallow-level (≥4 km depth) Kingston Peak pluton across the detachment fault soon after faulting began. Basin sedimentation and fault displacement southeast of the pluton were not, however, disrupted by its emplacement and continued to evolve. Northern "pluton-pinned" and southern "pluton-free" domains were separated by the Blacksmith Hills fault, a northeast-striking, right-slip lateral ramp that accommodated more than 3 km of postpluton differential extension between pinned and nonpinned domains. In more western regions, late phases of detachment-fault-related extension beneath formerly pinned areas (including western and central parts of the pluton itself) are believed to have led to the development of two generations of east-striking left-slip faults. Collectively, these dextral and sinistral transfer faults illustrate the complex patterns of differential extension and accommodation that can characterize detachment-fault systems as adjacent areal domains of extension are generated and die.
Employment Discrimination, Segregation, and Health

The author examines available evidence on the effects of exposure to joblessness on emotional well-being according to race and sex. The impact of racism on general health outcomes also is considered, particularly racism in the specific form of wage discrimination. Perceptions of racism and measured exposures to racism may be distinct triggers for adverse health outcomes. Whether the effects of racism are best evaluated on the basis of self-classification or social classification of racial identity is unclear. Some research sorts between the effects of race and socioeconomic status on health. The development of a new longitudinal database will facilitate more accurate identification of connections between racism and negative health effects.
Appearance of the levator ani muscle subdivisions in endovaginal three-dimensional ultrasonography

OBJECTIVE:To formulate an evaluation system and authenticate the levator ani subdivisions visible on endovaginal three-dimensional ultrasonography.METHODS:A three-dimensional endovaginal ultrasound examination was performed on five fresh-frozen female pelves. The location of the pubovaginalis, pubop
OPTIMIZATION BASED GLOBALLY CONVERGENT METHODS FOR THE NONLINEAR COMPLEMENTARITY PROBLEM

The nonlinear complementarity problem has been used to study and formulate various equi­ librium problems including the traffic equilibrium problem, the spatial equilibrium problem and the Nash equilibrium problem. To solve the nonlinear complementarity problem, various iterative methods such as projection methods, linearized methods and Newton method have been proposed and their convergence re­ sults have been established. In this paper, we propose globally convergent methods based on differentiable optimization formulation of the problem. The methods are applications of a recently proposed method for solving variational inequality problems, but they take full advantage of the special structure of nonlinear complementarity problem. We establish global convergence of the proposed methods, which is a refinement of the results obtained for variational inequality counterparts. Some computational experience indicates that the proposed methods are practically efficient.
Novel carrier frequency offset mitigation in IEEE802.11a/g/n systems

The newly balloted IEEE 802.11n standard uses both orthogonal frequency division modulation (OFDM) and multi-input multi-output (MIMO) techniques. A requirement of the new standard is backward compatibility to legacy 802.11a/g systems through the use of legacy preambles. Taking advantage of pilots in the legacy signal field (L-SIG), and in the newly added high throughput (HT) signal fields (HT-SIG), a novel carrier frequency offset (CFO) mitigation scheme is developed. With the maximum CFO (40 ppm) requirement specified by the standard, the proposed scheme provides more than 3 dB gains than conventional methods to yield a less than 1 kHz residue CFO. Simulation results also show that the performance degradation due to residual CFO is within 1.5 dB for various TGn channels, modulation and coding schemes, transmit antenna excitation schemes and OFDM MIMO transceiver configurations.
Music representation in a digital music library

The Variations2 digital music library currently supports music in audio and score-image formats. In a future version, we plan to add music in a symbolic form. This paper describes our work defining a music representation suitable for the needs of our users.
Next genneration hybrid devices

• Creativity and expertise are found worldwide • Air Force exploits international opportunities to significantly leverage and enhance the S&T program • ∼4% of AF 6.1 budget - ∼600 activities/year! - 186 Window-on-Science visits - 125 Conferences supported - 198 New contracts and grants • Personnel Exchanges - ESEP, WOA/E/Am, NRC • International is Integral and Seamless to the AFOSR Research Portfolio
The Decadence of Aesthetics and the Aesthetics of Decadence: Portraits of the Artist from Baudelaire to Des Esseintes

The temptation of decadence persists in the critical tendency to diagnose authors and their works, to trace out genealogies of an infamous familial line, from Charles Baudelaire to Joris-Karl Huysmans. This study proposes an alternative approach to defining decadence by its descent, assembling a discursive inheritance of portraits of the artist: descriptions of the artist-as-subject that serve as critical representations of aesthetic ideas. By examining how portraits of the artist function in Baudelaire’s art criticism, in the formulations of his posthumous critics, and in Huysmans’s compendious novel, I will trace out an unacknowledged continuity from the decadence of aesthetics to the aesthetics of decadence. Decadence, as it descends from Baudelaire through portraits of the artist, originates in the problem of subjectivity in aesthetics.
Isolation and characterization of mosquito ferritin and cloning of a cDNA that encodes one subunit.

Ferritin, an iron storage protein, was isolated from larvae and pupae of Aedes aegypti grown in an iron-rich medium. Mosquito ferritin is a high molecular weight protein composed of several different, relatively small, subunits. Subunits of molecular mass 24, 26, and 28 kDa are equally abundant, while that of 30 kDa is present only in small amounts. The N-terminal sequence of the 24 and 26 kDa subunits are identical for the first 30 amino acids, while that of the 28 kDa subunit differs. Studies using antiserum raised against a subunit mixture showed that the ferritin subunits were present in larvae, pupae, and adult females, and were increased in animals exposed to excess iron. The antiserum also was used to screen a cDNA library from unfed adult female mosquitoes. Nine clones were obtained that differed only in a 27 bp insertion in the 3′ end. Rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) was used to obtain the complete protein coding sequence. A putative iron-responsive element (IRE) is present in the 5′-untranslated region. The deduced amino acid sequence shows a typical leader sequence, consistent with the fact that most insect ferritins are secreted, rather than cytoplasmic proteins. The sequence encodes a mature polypeptide of 20,566 molecular weight, smaller than the estimated size of any of the subunits. However, the sequence exactly matches the N-terminal sequences of the 24 and 26 kDa subunits as determined by Edman degradation. Of the known ferritin sequences, that of the mosquito is most similar to that of somatic cells of a snail. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Chief: a parallel simulation environment for parallel systems

The Chief project provides a environment for analyzing parallel systems. The project aims to employ the Perfect club benchmarks to evaluate performance. A tool (MaxPar) determines the maximum available parallelism in a program by instrumenting each program; the results are computed by running the compiled result. Three different parallel trace generators convert benchmark programs into trace input files for simulation. Parallel simulation kernels based upon event-driven and hybrid time- and event-driven models run on multiprocessors such as the Alliant FX/8. Simulation components are designed in a high-level language, and their modular design encourages reconfiguring existing components into new simulators to explore architectural variations. A graphical user-interface provides a powerful tool for simulator configuration, simulator debugging, and result visualization. >
Seasonal Occurrence and Distribution of Eggplant Flea Beetle, Epitrix fuscula Crocht (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) on Eggplant in Arkansas

The seasonal occurrence and distribution of the eggplant flea beetle (EFB), Epitrix fuscula Crotch, were monitored on eggplant in south central Arkansas during 1997, 1998, and 1999 and northwestern Arkansas during 1998 and 1999. In south central Arkansas, average numbers of EFB/plant were 11.9, 5.2 and 1.9 in 1997, 1998 and 1999, respectively. EFB numbers per plant decreased during the study in northwestern Arkansas from 13.3 in 1998 to 7.2 in 1999. This decline in numbers of EFB may be related to hot and dry weather during the spring and early summer months of the previous year and differences in transplant dates. Mapping the distribution of the foliar feeding by EFB indicated that the highest damage ratings (4 and 5) were recorded for eggplants on the north side of the south central field. Also, damage decreased rapidly on interior plants away from the north edge. First or edge plants in rows had damage ratings of 3.9; second and third plants averaged 2.6 and 2.1, respectively; and fourth to tenth plants had values less than 2. Additional insects encountered during eggplant sampling included the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say); the green tortoise beetle, Nuzonia pallidula (Boh.); the pepper weevil, Anthonomus eugenii Cano; Euphoria sepulcralis (Fabricius); the eggplant lace bug, Gargaphia solani Heidemann; and the corn earworm, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie). With the exception of sporadic damage by the Colorado potato beetle at the southern Arkansas location, damage from these insects was low.
Detour Ahead: Victim-Offender Mediation as a Mandatory Deviation Program for Juveniles

Restorative justice programs are in place around the United States, but are virtually unheard of. Many programs exist simply to supplement probation, or mediate between parties. The intended use of restorative justice, rather was to create a means by which to avoid further harm in the retributive system of justice and work toward making peace and restitution between criminal victims and offenders. In the midst of punishment and retribution are youths getting involved in the criminal system too early in life. Juvenile courts, designed to separate juveniles from adult courts, cater more to youths’ needs. Juvenile courts, unfortunately, also focus on punishment and humiliation of the offender. Courts ignore juveniles, treating them as if they are unchangeable. The current juvenile justice system is scarce in support for a juvenile’s want and need to change. Instead of encouraging rehabilitation, the current juvenile justice system fosters violence and recidivism. As a solution to faulty juvenile justice systems, the United States should reform juvenile justice by implementing mandatory initial Victim-Offender Mediation for juveniles who commit non-violent crimes. Specifically, implementation of victim-offender mediation at the diversion level approaches victims and offenders quickly after the crime and prevents juveniles from entering the court system. Intervening with mediation at the diversion level allows juveniles to learn from their experience, take responsibility for their actions, and avoid future involvement in crime. Part I of this paper introduces the concept of restorative justice and explains Victim-Offender Mediation’s origins and uses. Part II provides a brief overview of the current broken juvenile justice system in the United States, evaluating its flaws and assessing opportunities for reform. Part III describes Victim-Offender Mediation and its success in the United States and across the world. Finally, Part IV argues that widespread implementation of mandatory juvenile victim-offender mediation as a pre-trial diversionary program remedies the flaws of the juvenile justice system by focusing on the needs of juveniles and aiding in their rehabilitation and reintegration into society.
Limited efficacy of the ketogenic diet in the treatment of highly refractory epileptic spasms.

Abstract Purpose Numerous studies have suggested that the ketogenic diet is effective in the treatment of epileptic spasms, even in refractory cases. However, there has been very limited demonstration of prompt and complete (video-EEG confirmed) response. We set out to describe our center's experience with the ketogenic diet in the treatment of children with highly refractory epileptic spasms, with rigorous seizure outcome assessment. Method Children treated with the ketogenic diet for epileptic spasms between April, 2010 and June, 2014 were retrospectively identified. Seizure burden was tabulated at baseline and after 1, 3, 6, and 12-months of ketogenic diet exposure. Adverse events were similarly ascertained. Results We identified a cohort of 22 consecutive patients who received ketogenic diet therapy, with median age of onset of epileptic spasms of 5.2 (IQR 2.0–9.0) months, with diet initiation beginning a median of 26.4 (12.5–38.7) months after onset, and following a median of 7 (IQR 5–7) treatment failures. Only 2 patients exhibited a complete response during ketogenic diet exposure, and response was more reasonably attributed to alternative therapies in both cases. A modest early reduction in seizure frequency was not sustained beyond 1 month of diet exposure. The diet was well tolerated, and continued in 6 patients with subjective and/or partial response. Conclusion In contrast to prior studies reporting substantial efficacy of the ketogenic diet, our findings suggest limited efficacy, albeit in a highly refractory cohort. Prospective studies in both refractory and new-onset populations, with both video-EEG confirmation of response and rigorous cognitive outcome assessment, would be of great value to more clearly define the utility of the ketogenic diet in the treatment of epileptic spasms.
Long Bolted Joints

Tension tests of long structural butt splices of A7 steel connected with 7/8-in. high strength bolts provide background for parts of the specification of the Research Council on Riveted and Bolted Structural Joints for structural joints using A325 bolts. Joints proportioned for a tensile stress of 20 ksi and a shear stress of 22 ksi produced a balance ultimate strength design for short connections approximately 16-in. long. In longer connections, end bolts sheared before all bolts could develop their full shearing strength. In short connections, the average shear stress was approximately 85% of the strength of a single bolt, but bolts in a 52.5 in. (16\x+ 3–1/2 in.) long connection developed only 60% of the strength. Joints with tight mill scale faying surfaces and bolts tightened by the turn-of-nut method slipped into bearing at a lower limit of slip coefficient of 0.35. When the mill scale was removed with a power tool, the slip coefficient was only 0.20. Limited tests of bolted lap joints provide information on the behavior of bolts in single shear. Several tests of riveted connections give interesting comparative data.
Integrated Flight Dynamic Modeling of Flexible Aircraft with Inertial Force-Propulsion-Aeroelastic Coupling

This paper presents an integrated flight dynamic modeling me thod for flexible aircraft that captures coupled physics effects due to inertial forces, aeroelasticit y, and propulsive forces that are normally present in flight. The present approach formulates the coupled flight dy namics using a structural dynamic modeling method that describes the elasticity of a flexible, twisted, swept wing using an equivalent beam-rod model. The structural dynamic model allows for three types of wing elastic motion: flapwise bending, chordwise bending, and torsion. Inertial force coupling with the wing elastici ty is formulated to account for aircraft acceleration. The structural deflections create an effective aeroelastic angle of attack that affects the rigid-body motion of flexible aircraft. The aeroelastic effect contributes to ae rodynamic damping forces that can influence aerodynamic stability. For wing-mounted engines, wing flexibilit y can cause the propulsive forces and moments to couple with the wing elastic motion. The integrated flight dy namics for a flexible aircraft are formulated by including generalized coordinate variables associated with the aeroelastic-propulsive forces and moments in the standard state-space form for six degree-of-freedom fli ght dynamics.
X-Ray and Raman Studies of Interlayer Mixing in SimGem Superlattices

Interface mixing between the Ge and Si layers in symmetrically strained SimGem superlattices occurs during post growth thermal anneals. Interdiffusion coefficients were obtained from intensity changes in the low angle superlattice x-ray satellites on samples with nominal periodicities between 1.4nm and 5.6nm. A common activation energy of 3.0±0.1 eV was found. The bulk interdiffusion coefficients for SimGem were derived since measurements were made on samples with different layer thicknesses. Intermixing appears to occur by diffusion of Si atoms into the Ge layers via a vacancy mechanism. Raman scattering measurements support this process as well as the formation of Si1−xGex, alloy layers during the anneals.
A Review of Centers of Differentiation for Birds in the Western Great Basin Region

The expressions "center of differentiation" and "differentiation area" have found frequent application in western North America because of the restriction of many geographic races of birds and other animals to small, well circumscribed regions. The implications are that these areas have been especially potent in causing local differentiation. Recognition of a center of this kind must, it would seem, rest upon several conditions. To begin with, if it is to have any general significance, one should be able to show that several geographic races of different species and genera focus in it. If the ranges of the races are not conterminous, they must have much ground in common, and should center about a common point or show the greatest development of their racial characters there. Obviously it is not enough to judge of the existence of such centers by the grouping of type localities. The range of each race must be well known and the possible variation in degree of its characters should be ascertained. The race may in fact be only a segment of an extensive cline and thus afford no evidence of a particular "center of differentiation" either in the sense of origin or accentuation of characters.
Observation of Near Band Edge Transition in Aluminum Nitride Thin Film Grown by MOCVD

The Cathodoluminescence (CL) measurements of undoped and carbon doped aluminum nitride (AlN) thin films near the band-edge region were performed at 300, 77 and 4.2 K, respectively. These films were grown on three different substrates: 6H-SiC, 4H-SiC and sapphire. A dominant peak was observed in undoped samples around 5.9 eV. This peak can be further resolved into three distinct peaks at 6.05, 5.85, and 5.69 eV for AlN on sapphire. The temperature dependence of the peak positions and line widths were investigated. These peaks are believed to be due to exciton recombination. Also, the absorption spectra of carbon doped AlN on sapphire were analyzed to study the Urbach tail parameters which play an important role in near band-edge transitions.
Screening and gene diagnostic analysis of thalassemia in 14 096 children from Nanning district

Objective To investigate the incidence,types and frequency of gene mutations in children with thalassemia in Nanning district. Methods Hematological indexes,serum ferritin and hemoglobin were detected in 14096 children from Nanning district. α- thalassemia and / or β- thalassemia related genes were detected in the children with thalassemia. Results The incidence rate of thalassemia was 18. 40%( n = 2594). α-thalassemia and β-thalassemia accounted for 8. 24%( n = 1161) and 6. 07%( n =855),respectively. Besides,α-combined β-thalassemia was found in 138 cases( 0. 98%),and intermedia / major thalassemia was found in 334 cases. Twenty-two α-genotypes were identified with the dominant type of--sea/ αα( 49. 79%); 28 β-genotypes were found with the dominant types of CD41-42(-TCTT) /N( 40. 70%) and CD17( A→T) /N( 25. 73%). Furthermore,6 α-mutations were detected, and the mutation rate of t--seawas 2. 84%; 10 β-mutations were identified,and the mutation rates of CD41-42(-TCTT) and CD17( A→T) were 1. 59% and 0. 98%,respectively. Conclusions The incidence rate of childhood thalassemia was higher in Nanning district with more genotypes. Intervention should be necessarily considered to prevent the birth of children with intermedia / major thalassemia.
Corneal topographic and pachymetric screening of keratorefractive patients.

ABSTRACT PURPOSE: To review the incidence of cornealabnormalities detected in the preoperative exami-nation, using videokeratography and pachymetrythat excluded patients from laser in situ ker-atomileusis (LASIK) or photorefractive keratec-tomy (PRK).METHODS: We conducted a chart review of con-secutive patients who had a preoperative examina-tion and were excluded from refractive surgery.RESULTS: Eighteen patients from 1,392 refrac-tive candidates (1.3%) were designated as poor can-didates for LASIK or PRK based on corneal topog-raphy and/or pachymetry. Thirteen patients (0.9%)were identified as having keratoconus suspect, ker-atoconus, or pellucid marginal degeneration. Fivepatients (0.4%) were excluded due to thin corneas(<490 µm) despite normal corneal topography.CONCLUSIONS: Corneal topography andpachymetry are indispensable tools in the preoper-ative screening of refractive surgery candidates.[ J Refract Surg 2003;19:24-29] M eticulous preoperative screening is one ofthe key factors that contributes to successin refractive surgery. The preoperativeexamination consists of a systemic and ocular histo-ry, a thorough eye examination, and counseling toassess patient needs and expectations. Identi-fication of high-risk cases using corneal topographyand pachymetry is an important component in thisprocess. Careful screening reduces sub-optimalresults and alleviates frustration in both patentsand physicians.
Working Toward Achieving Significant Representation: Changes In Diversity And Their Implications In The Accounting And Auditing Profession

The purpose of this paper is to examine the demographic changes to the accounting and auditing profession over the past several decades on two levels of diversity (gender and minorities). Using data from a variety of sources, we find significant improvement in the representation of women and minorities in accounting degrees and entry to the profession. However, we also note areas where additional efforts are needed to provide more significant representation including the wage gap and greater representation in higher-level positions.
Increasing the lookahead of multilevel branch prediction

Many techniques have been proposed for tolemting memory latency in future systems, including prefetching and Decoupled-Access DRAM (DA-DRAM) architectures. In order for these techniques to be effective they need to have a suficient lookahead, i.e. to be far enough ahead of processor execution in requesting data. Bmnch prediction has been utilized before to achieve this but only small degrees of lookahead have been studied. This is not enough for latencies of tens to hundreds of clock cycles. In particular, DA-DRAM systems need a higher degree of decoupling because the access processor is placed in memory. This paper investigates the potential of multilevel prediction for increased lookahead, beyond the 2-3 level predictors that have been reported. A new multilevel predictor is defined and up to 8 levels of lookahead are studied. We find that the predictor has a high degree of accuracy, over 80%, even for integer benchmarks such as gcc and Oracle. Branch outcome as well as the address of the next instruction after the branch are predicted. A comparison of singleand multiple lookup prediction is presented. In general, accuracy decreases with lookahead. However, given sufficient predictor size it can be made quite high. With the DA-DRAM predictor located in DRAM, a purely software predictor with storage in the DRAM can be implemented. A similar predictor can be used for instruction and L2 cache prefetching or trace scheduling.
Legal and Ethical Issues in Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis

The ability to obtain genetic information about human gametes and preembryos offers an important option to couples at risk for offspring with genetic disease. Rather than aborting an already established pregnancy after prenatal diagnosis, a couple at risk could undergo IVF and transfer only those embryos1 free of the genetic disorder of concern.
Transient Expression of Candidatus Liberibacter Asiaticus Effector Induces Cell Death in Nicotiana benthamiana

Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus "Las" is a phloem-limited bacterial plant pathogen, and the most prevalent species of Liberibacter associated with citrus huanglongbing (HLB), a devastating disease of citrus worldwide. Although, the complete sequence of the Las genome provides the basis for studying functional genomics of Las and molecular mechanisms of Las-plant interactions, the functional characterization of Las effectors remains a slow process since remains to be cultured. Like other plant pathogens, Las may deliver effector proteins into host cells and modulate a variety of host cellular functions for their infection progression. In this study, we identified 16 putative Las effectors via bioinformatics, and transiently expressed them in Nicotiana benthamiana. Diverse subcellular localization with different shapes and aggregation patterns of the effector candidates were revealed by UV- microscopy after transient expression in leaf tissue. Intriguingly, one of the 16 candidates, Las5315mp (mature protein), was localized in the chloroplast and induced cell death at 3 days post inoculation (dpi) in N. benthamiana. Moreover, Las5315mp induced strong callose deposition in plant cells. This study provides new insights into the localizations and potential roles of these Las effectors in planta.
Critical Behavior in Nuclear Multifragmentation

Many types phase transitions in small systems are discussed in these proceedings. Of great interest are the phase transitions in nuclear matter high at energies where the predicted quark-gluon plasma may be observed while at lower energies a liquid-gas like transition may be the mechanism responsible for the phenomenon known as nuclear multifragmentation, MF [1]–[11]. In this contribution a model independent analysis of the fragment yields from the MF of excited gold nuclei is presented.
Euthanasia, Ethics and Public Policy: The slippery slope arguments

VAE in principle and in practice The prohibition of VAE by the criminal laws of almost all countries and by the ethical codes of virtually all medical associations testifies to the historic and enduring appeal of the principle of the inviolability of human life. Many people continue to judge that it is wrong intentionally to take the life of another person, even if that person earnestly requests death to avoid pain and suffering. Many, therefore, continue to oppose VAE in principle. But many do not. They believe that in principle, VAE (or at least PAS) is morally justifiable provided that the patient's request is free and informed, and that the patient is suffering from an illness resulting in unbearable suffering which can only be ended by terminating the patient's life. However, it does not follow that they also believe that the law should therefore be relaxed to permit VAE or PAS. Many such people oppose relaxation of the law because they believe it would result in (or would involve an unacceptable risk of resulting in) two undesirable consequences. The first is a slide from PAS to VAE and from VAE to NVAE and possibly even IVAE. The second is a slide from VAE as a last resort to its use as a standard and premature alternative to palliative care.
Could Modification of Titin Contribute to an Answer for Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction

Treatment of Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction: An Unmet Need In 2016, treatment of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) remains a critical unmet need. A recent guideline publication (1) stated: "No treatment has yet been shown, convincingly, to reduce morbidity or mortality in patients with HFpEF." This fact stands in stark contrast to the disease burden borne by HFpEF patients (2): It is estimated that > 50% of all HF patients have HFpEF; 5 year mortality is > 60%; 6 month re-hospitalization rate for decompensated HFpEF > 50%; many patients have profound disability, often comparable to patients with reduced EF (HFrEF) who are candidates for transplantation. A recent opinion paper by Shah et al (3) discussed phenotypic diversity in the HFpEF population and proposed an approach to treatment based on specific aspects of pathophysiology present in individual patients. The accompanying paper by Methawasin et al (4), with its focus on titin, is an example of how such an approach might ultimately work.
A pilot study of the trauma recovery group for veterans with post traumatic stress disorder and co-occurring serious mental illness

AbstractBackground: Many Veterans may not benefit from gold-standard evidence-based treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) because they suffer from co-occurring serious mental illness (SMI).Aims: This pilot study is the first to evaluate the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of the Trauma Recovery Group in a sample of Veterans with PTSD and SMI.Methods: Fourteen Veterans with PTSD and SMI were enrolled in a 21-session group-based cognitive behavioral therapy program targeting PTSD. The PTSD Checklist was the primary outcome measure; secondary outcomes included the Participant Health Questionnaire, the Post Traumatic Cognitions Inventory, and the Beck Cognitive Insight Scale.Results: Seventy-one percent of participants completed the trial. The intervention was associated with a significant reduction of PTSD symptoms and a trend-level reduction of maladaptive post-traumatic cognitions. There was a significant positive correlation between change in PTSD symptoms and change in post-traum...
Novel method for characterizing single-photon detectors

We introduce and demonstrate a simple and highly sensitive method for charactirization of click/no-click detectors, such as single-photon avalanche diodes. A higher-order autocorrelation technique is offered to explain rate-dependent phenomena.