cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Analysis of U.S. Commercial Building Envelope Air Leakage Database to Support Sustainable Building Design

AbstractIn 1998, NIST published a review of commercial and institutional building airtightness data that found significant levels of air leakage and debunked the “myth” of the airtight commercial building (Persily, 1998). Since then, NIST has expanded and maintained a database of whole building envelope leakage measurements of U.S. commercial and institutional buildings. In addition to building leakage values collected from research publications, low-energy building programs and private pressurization testing firms, the database includes basic building characteristics such as year built, building type, floor area, number of storeys, location, and wall construction type for many of the buildings. The purposes of the database are to support the design and construction of low-energy buildings, to establish default values for building simulation, to estimate the energy savings potential of airtightness requirements in standards and codes, and to identify opportunities for additional improvements in building a...
B-spline parameterization of the dielectric function and information criteria: the craft of non-overfitting

Johs and Hale developed the Kramers–Kronig consistent B-spline formulation for the dielectric function modeling in spectroscopic ellipsometry data analysis. In this article we use popular Akaike, corrected Akaike and Bayesian Information Criteria (AIC, AICc and BIC, respectively) to determine an optimal number of knots for B-spline model. These criteria allow finding a compromise between under- and overfitting of experimental data since they penalize for increasing number of knots and select representation which achieves the best fit with minimal number of knots. Proposed approach provides objective and practical guidance, as opposite to empirically driven or “gut feeling” decisions, for selecting the right number of knots for B-spline models in spectroscopic ellipsometry. AIC, AICc and BIC selection criteria work remarkably well as we demonstrated in several real-data applications. This approach formalizes selection of the optimal knot number and may be useful in practical perspective of spectroscopic ellipsometry data analysis.
Management of a Soft Tissue Sarcoma in a Bog Turtle (Glyptemys muhlenbergii)

Abstract A focal, necrotic soft tissue mass was diagnosed on the left forelimb of an adult, wild, intact female bog turtle (Glyptemys muhlenbergii). Excisional biopsy revealed a soft tissue sarcoma, and a full limb amputation was performed. Because mesenchymal tumors are rarely reported in chelonians, this case demonstrates that neoplasia should be considered as a differential for subcutaneous masses even in wild turtles. This is the first report of a soft tissue sarcoma in the genus Glyptemys. To the authors' knowledge, this is only the second case report of a soft tissue sarcoma reported in the Order Testudines.
Tropical forest conservation: Developing without deforestation.

Understanding the impacts of government interventions intended to support rural development — such as strengthening land rights or boosting commercial agriculture — is crucial for designing better policies. Two recent studies highlight some of the complexities in measuring outcomes for people and forests.
The continuum of coal violence and post-coal possibilities in the Appalachian South

From the coalfields in the mountains to the coal-fired power stations scattered throughout the region, the coal economy has long shaped landscapes and livelihoods in the Appalachian South. This article combines the "continuum of violence" framework developed by Scheper-Hughes and Bourgois (2004) with a political ecological approach to examine at the multiple dimensions of violence associated with the coal economy in the Appalachian South. Drawing on insights from fieldwork and the history of coal in the region, this article specifically examines the socio-political arrangements, perverse economic incentives, and legitimation strategies at the heart of the blatant, symbolic, and structural forms of violence that manifest all along the 'social life' of coal. There has always been much more to this popularly misunderstood region than coal, however. As a number of anthropologists working in the region recently noted, Appalachia also has a long history of activis m, solidarity networks, mutual aid traditions, and non-market subsistence strategies. To conclude, some of the possibilities emerging out of current crises of the coal economy are discussed. Keywords: extraction, coal economy, coal ash, socio-ecological violence, political ecology, Appalachia
Information Infrastructure and Resilience in American Disaster Plans

Public information infrastructures are not only potential sites of enacting sociotechnical resilience but are crucial to the project of sociotechnical resilience. Following critiques of the broad concept of resilience as unspecific and neoliberal, this chapter contributes to the project of understanding sociotechnical resilience by emphasizing the complex institutional arrangements involved in the production of information infrastructures. The chapter grounds the concept of resilience in the definitions outlined in the United States’ contemporary infrastructure protection plans. Through an examination of historical examples of repair in California after disasters, this chapter asks what it means to reimagine public information infrastructure under the rubric of resilience, highlighting (1) the securitization of information infrastructure as a logic attempting to shape future sociomaterial entanglements; (2) the impulse to control uncertainty by rationalizing risk; and (3) that privately owned infrastructure does not conform to the modern infrastructural ideal.
High-dimensional surveillance

Many systems (manufacturing, environmental, health, etc.) generate counts (or rates) of events that are monitored to detect changes. Modern data complements event counts with many additional measurements (such as geographic, demographic, and others) that comprise high-dimensional attributes. This leads to an important challenge to detect a change that only occurs within a region, initially unspecified, defined by these attributes and current methods to handle the attribute information are challenged by high-dimensional data. Our approach transforms the problem to supervised learning, so that properties of an appropriate learner can be described. Rather than error rates, we generate a signal (of a system change) from an appropriate feature selection algorithm. A measure of statistical significance is included to control false alarms. Results on simulated examples are provided.
Characteristics and survival among early onset and standard onset colorectal cancer by race.

522Background: The incidence of early-onset colorectal cancer (EO) is increasing. Guidelines recommend to start screening colonoscopy at 45 yo in Non-Hispanic Black (NHB). We compare the clinical f...
The model-based product agent: A control oriented architecture for intelligent products in multi-agent manufacturing systems

Abstract The multi-agent control strategy has been previously shown to improve the flexibility of complex, dynamic manufacturing systems. One key component of this strategy is the product agent. The product agent is responsible for autonomously guiding a physical part in the manufacturing system based on its production goals. Though the product agent has been described in previous works, a fully developed software architecture for the product agent that uses a model-based optimization approach has not been proposed. In this work, a product agent architecture with the capabilities to explore the local environment, plan and schedule events based on its knowledge, and request desired actions from the resources in the system is presented and tested.
Antibiotic Use and Outcomes After Implementation of the Drug Resistance in Pneumonia Score in ED Patients With Community-Onset Pneumonia

Background To guide rational antibiotic selection in community-onset pneumonia, we previously derived and validated a novel prediction tool, the Drug-Resistance in Pneumonia (DRIP) score. In 2015, the DRIP score was integrated into an existing electronic pneumonia clinical decision support tool (ePNa). Methods We conducted a quasi-experimental, pre-post implementation study of ePNa with DRIP score (2015) vs ePNa with health-care-associated pneumonia (HCAP) logic (2012) in ED patients admitted with community-onset pneumonia to four US hospitals. Using generalized linear models, we used the difference-in-differences method to estimate the average treatment effect on the treated with respect to ePNa with DRIP score on broad-spectrum antibiotic use, mortality, hospital stay, and cost, adjusting for available patient-level confounders. Results We analyzed 2,169 adult admissions: 1,122 in 2012 and 1,047 in 2015. A drug-resistant pathogen was recovered in 3.2% of patients in 2012 and 2.8% in 2015; inadequate initial empirical antibiotics were prescribed in 1.1% and 0.5%, respectively (P = .12). A broad-spectrum antibiotic was administered in 40.1% of admissions in 2012 and 33.0% in 2015 (P Conclusions Electronic calculation of the DRIP score was more effective than HCAP criteria for guiding appropriate broad-spectrum antibiotic use in community-onset pneumonia.
Local and Regional Infiltrated Anesthesia (Excluding Topical Anesthesia)

The dermatologic indications for local and regional infiltrated anesthesia are abundant. Local infiltrative anesthesia is considered safe and effective for an array of procedures including excisions, biopsies, wound closures, skin grafting, cauterization, nonablative laser, and ablative skin resurfacing. Few contraindications to local and regional infiltrated anesthesia exist but should be screened for during the preoperative consultation. Numerous techniques for achieving adequate local and regional anesthesia have been described, including practices to lessen the pain associated with injection. Common side effects of local infiltrative anesthesia include pain, erythema, edema, bleeding, and ecchymoses. While overall well tolerated and commonly used, local and regional infiltrative anesthetic procedures do carry risks for toxicity and death. A comprehensive understanding of the pathophysiology, technique, and potential adverse events of various local and regional infiltrated anesthetics is critical to improve patient satisfaction and safety.
Diastereoselective [2,3] Wittig rearrangement of tertiary α-lithio ethers

Abstract Tertiary allylic methyl(tri-n-butylstannyl) ethers undergo transmetallation and subsequent diastereoselectve [2,3] Wittig rearrangement, wherein chirality transfer and olefin selectivity for the [2,3] sigmatropic event is mediated by a stereogenic center external to the sigmatropic framework.
Understanding Teacher Hiring Practices in Rural, Urban, Suburban Schools in the United States

The link between student success and teacher quality has been made clear by decades of research; therefore, it is imperative that principals hire the teachers most likely to impact student outcomes positively. Hiring high-quality teachers is especially important in urban and rural schools where students are more likely to face a variety of family and community-based barriers to learning. This study was designed to examine the actual hiring processes utilized in schools located in urban, rural, and suburban communities in the USA to determine the extent to which differences exist and whether those differences are likely to impact teacher quality. Data were gathered using a survey e-mailed to principals in ten states in the southern and western regions of the United States. Analysis indicated that differences in application, hiring processes, and the criteria used for decision making exist and may result in unequal teacher quality.
Semantic approach to compliance checking of underground utilities

Abstract Utility regulations stipulate the spatial configurations between underground utilities and their surroundings to avoid interferences and disruptions of utility services. Utility compliance checking aims to detect spatial non-compliances in underground utilities by examining geospatial data of utilities and their surroundings against textual data of utility regulations. However, the integration of heterogeneous utility geospatial and textual data for compliance checking remains a big challenge. This paper presents a semantic approach to integrate heterogeneous data and enable automated compliance checking of underground utilities through logic and spatial reasoning. The approach consists of the following key components: (1) four interlinked ontologies that provide the semantic schema for heterogeneous data relevant to utility compliance checking, (2) two data convertors for the conversion of heterogeneous data from proprietary formats into a common and interoperable format following the semantic schema, and (3) a query mechanism with spatial extensions for the detection of non-compliant utility instances. The approach was tested on a sample utility database, and the results demonstrate the success of the proposed approach in the integration of heterogeneous data from multiple sources and automated detection of spatial non-compliances in underground utilities. In addition to utility compliance checking, the approach can be extended to other application cases where both data integration from multiple sources and spatial reasoning are required.
Impact of occupational footwear and workload on postural stability in work safety.

Background The impact of occupational footwear and workload on postural stability has been studied previously to prevent fall-related workplace injuries. Objective The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of two types of occupational footwear [steel-toed (SB) and tactical (TB) work boots] on human balance, when exposed to physical workload. Methods Postural stability was evaluated in eighteen male participants in the following conditions: eyes open (EO), eyes closed (EC), eyes open unstable surface (EOU) and eyes closed unstable surface (ECU). Postural sway parameters were analyzed using a 2×3 repeated measures analysis of variance design [prior to (PRE) and twice post-workload (POST1 & POST2) separated by 10 minutes of rest]. Results Findings revealed that the use of SB resulted in greater postural stability, which could be attributed to the design characteristics of these footwear and that postural stability was negatively impacted immediately after the workload which could be attributed to the physical exertions during the workload. However, significant differences were limited to ECU with no visual and altered somatosensory feedback. Conclusion Design features on occupational footwear can aid postural stability while physical exertional tasks can be detrimental. Findings can offer design and work-rest scheduling suggestions to improve work safety.
Vaccine strain Listeria monocytogenes abscess in a dog: a case report

Listeria monocytogenes is a promising therapeutic vaccine vector for cancer immunotherapy. Although highly attenuated, three cases of systemic listeriosis have been reported in people following treatment with Listeria-based therapeutic vaccines. This complication has thus far not been reported in canine patients. A dog previously diagnosed with osteoblastic osteosarcoma was presented for care following administration of three doses of the Canine Osteosarcoma Vaccine-Live Listeria Vector. On routine staging chest radiographs, mild sternal lymphadenopathy and a right caudoventral thoracic mass effect were noted. Further evaluation of the mass effect with computed tomography and ultrasound revealed a cavitated mass associated with the 7th right rib. Aspirates of the mass cultured positive for Listeria monocytogenes. The mass and associated ribs were surgically removed. Histopathology was consistent with metastatic osteoblastic osteosarcoma. Treatment was continued with doxorubicin chemotherapy and at the time of publication, the dog was alive over 1 year following diagnosis with no evidence of further disease progression. Genotyping of the abscess-derived L. monocytogenes was consistent with the vaccine strain. This case represents the first veterinary case to describe development of a Listeria abscess following administration of a Listeria-based therapeutic vaccine.
Post-Election Coalition-Building in a Comparative Politics Classroom

Embedded in a unit on legislative institutions in an Introduction to Comparative politics course, students work through the process of post-election coalition-building, a frequent occurrence in parliamentary democracies. The activity is based on politics in the UK. Students have an entire class session (1 hour 15 minutes) to form coalitions that will be cohesive enough to withstand pressures from competing elites and the public. The purpose of this activity is to enhance student understanding of parliamentary electoral systems while also gaining a more detailed understanding of parties and institutional rules in parliamentary democracies. Most importantly, this simulation strives to foster student understanding of the complexities inherent to strategic bargaining, thus demonstrating how both formal and informal institutions structure the behavior of elites.
Truth, Deliberative Democracy, and the Virtues of Accuracy: Is Fake News Destroying the Public Sphere?:

Do fake news and what some have labeled our post-truth predicament represent a new and deadly challenge to the epistemic presuppositions of the public sphere? While many commentators have invoked H...
Transformative travel: Transformative learning through education abroad in a niche tourism destination

Abstract This study answers the call for the increased use of hermeneutic phenomenology in tourism studies. Specifically, this research seeks to uncover the meaning and key aspects of transformative travel through an in-depth study of the lived experience of 17 students who traveled to the niche tourism destination of Ikaria, Greece as part of a 10-day education abroad program. Pursuant to hermeneutic phenomenology, the researchers, who were also the course instructors, were active participants in the co-creation of meaning of the phenomenon (i.e., transformative travel). Mezirow's transformative learning process served as the theoretical framework for this research and guided the development of program activities and the written assignments that served as data for the interpretative analysis. The results are presented as the YEP Framework of Transformative Travel, which includes three overarching themes and nine sub-themes. This study provides a foundation for further investigation of how travel can be transformative for the traveler and has theoretical and pedagogical implications that can inform future research.
55-year-old Woman with Headache, Vomiting, and Visual Disturbance.

Author(s): Shaker, Lana; Ripper, Jill; Murano, Tiffany | Abstract: Case Presentation: A 55-year-old woman with a past medical history of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and iron deficiency anemia presented to the emergency department with three days of headache, nausea, vomiting, and visual changes. Her vital signs were within normal limits. She was noted to have a left cranial nerve six palsy on exam.Results: Her laboratory testing revealed leukocytosis, hyponatremia, and hypokalemia. A non-contrast computed tomography scan of the head revealed an enlarged sella turcica and pituitary gland with hemorrhage and deviation of the optic chiasm.Conclusion: Her symptoms improved and she was discharged from the hospital in stable condition.
Frontiers in lattice nucleon structure

In this paper, I review recent progress in lattice-QCD calculations of hadron structure with an emphasis on nucleon structure. A wide range of nucleon observables are being studied in modern lattic...
Damped Lyα Gas Metallicities at Redshifts z = 0.9-2.0 from Sloan Digital Sky Survey Spectra*

Using Sloan Digital Sky Survey early data release spectra, we have identified 370 Mg II absorption systems with Mg II λ2796 rest equivalent widths ≥1 A and redshifts z = 0.9-2.2. From our previous and ongoing Hubble Space Telescope UV spectroscopic studies, we estimate that the mean neutral hydrogen column density of a system selected in this manner is N = × 1020 atoms cm-2, which corresponds to the damped Lyα (DLA) regime. We have formed high signal-to-noise ratio composite spectra using 223 of these systems with z = 0.9-2.0 in order to study the strength of the Zn II and Cr II absorption lines corresponding to this mean neutral hydrogen column density. After making a correction for missed DLAs, overall we find that [Zn/H] = -1.13 ± 0.19. We find [Cr/Zn] = -0.45 ± 0.13, which indicates that ≈65% of the Cr is depleted onto grains, but this does not correct for the missed DLAs. We have also derived Zn and Cr abundances in two kinematic regimes, and within each regime we consider two redshift intervals. We find trends that indicate that metallicities are higher in the composites in which the absorption has larger velocity spreads as measured by Mg II λ2796 rest equivalent width. Larger velocity spreads may correspond to deeper gravitational potential wells that represent more massive and chemically evolved structures and/or regions associated with winds from starbursting galaxies, also leading to kinematically broad structures of chemically enriched gas. Within the large velocity spread regime, we find that at lower redshifts the Zn metallicity is larger and more Cr is depleted onto grains.
AN ECONOMIC EVALUATION OF BROILER PROJECTS IN SHARKIA GOVERNORATE التقييم الاقتصادي لمشروعات دجاج التسمين بمحافظة الشرقية

The study mais to broiler production and the efficiency of investment in broiler projects by measuring some indicators of economic and financial evaluation of broiler projects, as well as measuring the effect of potential changes in the most important technical and economic variables on the feasibility of investment in broiler projects.The estimates of investment analysis indicators for broiler farms projects show that they are of high economic feasibility, and therefore these projects are considered one of the best types of rural agricultural projects that achieve a high profit margin and have high economic feasibility throughout their useful life, and that despite the very low financial evaluation indicators Noticeable as a result of assuming changes in some technical or economic variables related to those projects, such as an increase in feed prices, a decrease in broiler prices, or an increase in the mortality rate. However, the feasibility of investment in these projects can be continued.
Justify my love: Cognitive dissonance reduction among perpetrators of online and offline infidelity:

A longitudinal survey study was conducted to examine which strategies for reducing cognitive dissonance were used among men engaging in infidelity. Data were collected in two waves, 1 month apart (...
nEmesis: Which Restaurants Should You Avoid Today?

Computational approaches to health monitoring and epidemiology continue to evolve rapidly. We present an end-to-end system, nEmesis, that automatically identifies restaurants posing public health risks. Leveraging a language model of Twitter users' online communication, nEmesis finds individuals who are likely suffering from a foodborne illness. People's visits to restaurants are modeled by matching GPS data embedded in the messages with restaurant addresses. As a result, we can assign each venue a "health score" based on the proportion of customers that fell ill shortly after visiting it. Statistical analysis reveals that our inferred health score correlates ( r = 0.30) with the official inspection data from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH). We investigate the joint associations of multiple factors mined from online data with the DOHMH violation scores and find that over 23% of variance can be explained by our factors. We demonstrate that readily accessible online data can be used to detect cases of foodborne illness in a timely manner. This approach offers an inexpensive way to enhance current methods to monitor food safety (e.g., adaptive inspections) and identify potentially problematic venues in near-real time.
Presidential popularity and the economy

Abstract This study tests the hypothesis that the sensitivity of the president's popularity to economic events differs across distinct demographic groups Assuming that presidental popularity is negatively related to both the unemployment rate and the inflation rate, the electorate is disaggregated according to sex, age, race, education, income, and political affiliation and separate regressions are estimated for the individual subgroups using quarterly data covering 1976 through 1988 Statistically significant differences in the marginal effects of unemployment and inflation on presidential approval are discovered for the various subgroupings.
Secure Steganographic Methods for Palette Images

In this paper, we study non-adaptive and adaptive steganographic techniques for images with low number of colors in palette image formats. We have introduced the concept of optimal parity assignment for the color palette and designed an efficient algorithm that finds the optimal parity assignment. The optimal parity is independent of the image histogram and depends only on the image palette. Thus, it can be used for increasing the security of steganographic techniques that embed message bits into the parity of palette colors. We have further developed two adaptive steganographic methods designed to avoid areas of uniform color and embed message bits into texturerich portions of the cover image. Both techniques were tested on computer generated images with large areas of uniform color and with fonts on uniform background. No obvious artifacts were introduced by either technique. The last, embedding-while-dithering, technique has been designed for palette images obtained from true color images using color quantization and dithering. In this technique, both the color quantization error and the error due to message embedding are diffused through the image to avoid introducing artifacts inconsistent with the dithering algorithm.
Cultural Competence and School Counselor Training: A Collective Case Study

This collective case study investigated the experiences of bilingual counselors-in-training who assessed school-wide cultural competence in public schools. Analysis and interpretation of data resulted in the identification of 5 themes: eye-opening experiences, recognition of strengths, the role of school leaders, road maps for change, and empowering marginalized groups. Implications and recommendations are discussed. Este estudio de caso colectivo investigo las experiencias de consejeros bilingues en formacion que evaluaron la competencia cultural institucional en escuelas publicas. El analisis e interpretacion de los datos dieron como resultado la identificacion de 5 temas: experiencias reveladoras, reconocimiento de puntos fuertes, el papel de los lideres academicos, hojas de ruta para el cambio y empoderamiento de grupos marginalizados. Se discuten las implicaciones y recomendaciones.
Reliable target feature extraction and classification using potential target information

A reliable target feature extraction process is proposed in this paper. The locations of dominant scatterers have been widely adopted as target features in automatic target recognition (ATR) systems. However, the direct use of the locations shows high variability and results in a negative effect on target classification performance. Here, we propose a novel grid cell structure that uses information regarding potential targets to be classified. The grid cell structure extracts stable features from SAR images with a relatively lower computational complexity. A novel target feature that uses information about the variability of scatterers is also proposed. Simulation results, using real target measurements taken from the MSTAR dataset, demonstrate that the new feature vectors improve classification performance.
Polynucleotide phosphorylase of Micrococcus lysodeikticus. V. A modified preparative procedure.

Abstract A change in the method for preparing approximately 300-fold purified polynucleotide phosphorylase from Micrococcus lysodeikticus is reported. The over-all purification of the enzyme is not affected by the change in the procedure, and the new procedure is both more reproducible and easier to carry out. Enzyme purified by the new method has a more stringent requirement for oligonucleotide primer for the polymerization of adenosine diphosphate than did earlier enzyme preparations.
QT Interval Prolongation and Torsades de Pointes Due to Erythromycin Lactobionate

Study Objectives. To discern the frequency of torsades de pointes and QT prolongation in patients receiving intravenous erythromycin lactobionate; to examine the degree of QT prolongation and QT dispersion due to intravenous erythromycin in a typical clinical setting; and to identify any concurrent factors that might predispose patients to excessive QT prolongation or torsades de pointes while receiving intravenous erythromycin. Design. Retrospective cohort trial. Setting. A university teaching hospital. Patients. All inpatients who received intravenous erythromycin lactobionate during a 1-year period. Measurements and Main Results. The records of 278 consecutive patients were analyzed, of whom 49 had 12-lead electrocardiograms while receiving and not receiving erythromycin. The dosages of erythromycin ranged from 18–83 (42 pL 18) mg/kg/day. Of the 49 patients, the baseline QTc was 432 ± 39 msec, compared with 483 ± 62 msec during erythromycin therapy (p<0.01). In 30 of 49 patients with heart disease, the increase in QTc due to erythromycin was 15 ± 11%, compared with 8.6 ± 10% in the 19 patients without heart disease (p<0.05). The degree of QTc dispersion was 34 ± 16 msec at baseline, compared with 80 ± 35 msec with erythromycin (p<0.01). Overall, 19 (39%) of 49 patients had a moderate to severe delay in ventricular repolarization (QTc ≥ 500 msec). Of the 278 patients prescribed intravenous erythromycin over the year, it caused torsades de pointes in just one (≤ 0.4%). Conclusion. Erythromycin lactobionate-induced torsades de pointes is rare, although QT prolongation is common. Some patients may be at risk for suffering torsades de pointes due to this agent, particularly if heart disease or other factors that may further delay ventricular repolarization are present.
Surfaces with minimal random weights and maximal flows: A higher dimensional version of first-passage percolation

On considere des surfaces aleatoires a plaquettes independantes. On etudie la relation avec la percolation de premier passage et les flots maximaux
Agent-Based, Distributed Diagnosis for Shipboard Systems

The ability to reconfigure a ship’s engineering plant in response to changing mission or equipment conditions can dramatically increase a ship’s capability and survivability. We describe the agent-based, distributed diagnostic aspects of a distributed control architecture that integrates multiple ship systems and provides resource- and diagnostic-driven reconfiguration at multiple system levels, such as mission-level, process-level and component-level. We embed system- and subsystem models in distributed, agent-based components to provide distributed diagnostics. We demonstrate this architecture using a shipboard chilled water system application.
Circular ring microstrip antenna elements

The frequency characteristics of circular ring microstrip antennas were obtained as a function of relative aperture radius. In all cases the resonant frequency was normalized to that of an ideal disk microstrip antenna with the same radius, and assumed magne tic wall boundary conditions. Since, at this time, an exact value for the complex wall admittance is not known, an equivalent admittance was derived for each of several commonly used models. This admittance was then used as the boundary condition for the computation of the resonant frequency as a function of relative aperture radius. Results of these calculations are shown; also shown is the comparison with experiment.
Basal and GnRH induced secretion of FSH and LH in ovariectomized ewes treated with bovine follicular fluid

Abstract Ovariectomized (OVX) ewes were injected with 5 ml of either bovine serum, charcoalextracted bovine follicular fluid (FF), or whole bovine FF. Five hours after this pretreatment, ewes on each pretreatment were injected with either 0, 1, or 5 μg of GnRH. Ewes that were pretreated with either type of FF had decreased concentrations of FSH regardless of dose of GnRH when compared to ewes pretreated with bovine serum. There was no effect of charcoal extraction. There were no differences among the pretreatment groups in LH response to GnRH. In a second experiment, OVX ewes were pretreated (4 ml) with either bovine serum or bovine FF 5 hr prior to GnRH or with bovine FF 42, 30 and 18 hr prior to GnRH. Ewes were injected with either 0 or 5 μg of GnRH. Pretreatment with FF for 5 or 42 hr prior to GnRH resulted in significantly decreased concentrations of FSH both at the time of GnRH treatment and during the following 2 hr. Concentrations of LH did not differ among pretreatment groups. In a third experiment, OVX ewes were pretreated with either bovine serum or bovine FF 30, 18 and 5 hr prior to GnRH. Ewes were injected with either 0, 5 or 50 μg of GnRH. Pretreatment with FF resulted in decreased concentrations of FSH both at the time of GnRH treatment and during the following 2 hr. Concentrations of LH were also decreased at the time of GnRH treatment.
Quantum random walks

We introduce the concept of quantum random walk, and show that due to quantum interference effects the average path length can be much larger than the maximum allowed path in the corresponding classical random walk. A quantum-optics application is described.
SYSTEMS ENGINEERING FRAMEWORK TO ASSESS THE IMPACTS OF VERY LARGE CAPACITY AIRCRAFT IN AIRPORT OPERATIONS AND PLANNING

A methodology is presented to investigate the effect of Very Large Capacity Aircraft (VLCA) operations at existing and future airports. The procedure that is described investigates airport and airline impacts of VLCA operations using a systems engineering approach to understand the trade-offs between economic and technological operational factors. Specific topics discussed in this analysis are (a) the effect of VLCA on airport capacity, (b) development of new geometric design guidelines, (c) landside impacts and gate compatibility issues, (d) airside capacity impacts, and (e) possible noise and pavement design impacts. These aspects are modeled using the Systems Dynamics methodology, which permits a blend of technological and socioeconomic variables into the same model. Realistic parametric templates of feasible aircraft designs are defined using computer methods, and the impacts of proposed designs in airport operations, capacity, and economics are explored. The analysis focuses on the airside and landsi...
Phase-ratio images of the surface of Mercury: Evidence for differences in sub-resolution texture

Abstract Analysis of images that were obtained at different phase angles can give clues to the texture of a planetary surface. Here we describe MESSENGER phase-ratio images for features on the surface of Mercury, including hollows on the floor of Eminescu basin, a pyroclastic deposit found within the Caloris basin, and a dark impact-melt flow produced by the impact that formed Waters crater. The results indicate that hollows and the pyroclastic material are characterized by finer particle size or smoother sub-resolution roughness than the ordinary impact-generated regolith. The impact melt flow appears to have a surface that is rougher or consists of coarser particle sizes than the nearby background.
The High Power Metal-Oxide Varistor as a Vehicular and Aircrcraft Transient Suppessor

The shunt-type transient suppressor currently being used by the U.S. Army for suppression of voltage transients in tactical and combat vehicles is applicable to military aircraft as well. Advances in metal-oxide varistor technology have led to the development of a low-cost, low-voltage device having a breakdown voltage designed for use in 28-V dc electrical systems. This paper discusses the avalanche diode and the metal-oxide varistor as high-power transient suppressors. lt shows that the metal-oxide varistor has a less effective voltage clamp at the required breakdown level of 33 to 36 volts.
Evaluation of ultrasonic inspection and imaging systems for concrete pipes

Abstract Accurate pipeline condition assessment is vital to developing a cost effective and sustainable buried asset management system. Maintenance and rehabilitation of pipeline systems pose a major challenge for most municipalities in North America given their budgetary constraints, demand on providing quality service, and the need for preserving their pipeline infrastructure. This paper presents the proof-of-concept for an automated buried pipeline condition assessment system that can provide additional depth perception of defects in addition to surface assessments provided by current technologies. An ultrasound acoustics-based methodology is proposed to acquire depth perception and complement 2-D crack features available from the SSET camera for inspection of concrete pipes. Experimental results show that the ultrasound immersion scanning and C-Scan Imaging provides rich data for building a reliable defect detection system. The proposed automated inspection system can lead to overcoming many limitations of the current manual inspection practice (i.e. subjecting defect rating system) and can provide a more accurate assessment of buried pipe conditions.
Comparative analysis of normal voice characteristics using simultaneous electroglottography and high speed digital imaging

Abstract Vocal fold (VF) activity in sustained phonation captured through simultaneous visual observations via direct method (high speed digital imaging: HSDI) and via indirect electroglottographic (EGG) method in normal population were submitted to contrastive analysis. The quantitative parameters used to describe the dynamic properties of the VF vibration included open/closed quotients, and indices that we defined as harmonic ratios. Our analysis also included a Nyquist plot approach that we introduced previously. Results indicate that EGG tracings delivered useful results for the analysis of normal voices and derived a reasonably accurate open quotient value in comparison to the visual analysis. Moreover, recognizable Nyquist plot patterns were obtained for EGG tracings although not identical to that obtained from the HSDI-derived glottal area waveform. Therefore ipso-facto we evaluate the usefulness of EGG compared to visual data in describing specific voice characteristics of normal speakers.
Polyvinylpyrrolidone–sodium hyaluronate gel (Gelclair®): a bioadherent oral gel for the treatment of oral mucositis and other painful oral lesions

Background: Painful oral lesions in patients with cancer, HIV or aphthous ulcers can cause significant pain and discomfort. Those with oral mucositis (OM) resulting from high-dose chemotherapy or i...
Spectral unmixing using nonnegative tensor factorization

Three major objectives in processing hyperspectral image data of an object (target) are data compression, spectral signature identification of constituent materials, and determination of their corresponding fractional abundances. Here we propose a novel approach to processing hyperspectral data using nonnegative tensor factorization (NTF), which reduces a large tensor into three factor matrices, the Khatri-Rao product which approximates the original tensor. This approach preserves physical characteristics of the data such as nonnegativity and can be used to satisfy all three major objectives. Test results are reported for space object identification.
Four deaths due to intravenous injection of cocaine

Cocaine is a potent psychotropic drug that alters mood and behavior by stimulating the central nervous system. Deaths from abuse of cocaine are relatively rare. Most such deaths appear to be related to the intravenous injection of the drug. Acute fatal cocaine intoxication is characterized by headache, cold sweats, rapid pulse, tremors and nausea, followed by convulsions, unconsciousness and death. The prime mode of death appears to be respiratory paralysis, secondary to the effects of cocaine on the medullary portion of the brain. This paper presents four deaths due to acute cocaine intoxication following intravenous injection. Blood concentrations of cocaine were 0.11, 0.37, 0.36 and 0.75 mg/dl.
Overland-flow travel time versus Reynolds number

Abstract For the case of uniform excess rain on a strip of uniform width, the time of concentration (or equilibrium time) for overland flow is derived by establishing a differential expression for travel time and integrating over the distance of flow, with allowance for possible change from laminar to turbulent flow within the reach, based on a critical value for Reynolds number equal to 1,000. The results are found to correlate well with experimental data.
Predictors of differences between Type A and B individuals in heart rate and blood pressure reactivity.

Past estimates of the magnitude of Type A-B differences in cardiovascular reactivity are probably overly conservative. In addition, it is unclear which situations are more likely to elicit excessive reactivity in Type As. The present meta-analysis found that, overall, Type As had greater heart rate (mean d = .22), diastolic blood pressure (d = .22), and especially systolic blood pressure responses (d = .33) than Type Bs; these effect sizes were small but relatively consistent. However, Type As showed especially greater cardiovascular reactivity in situations characterized as having (a) positive or negative feedback evaluation, (b) socially aversive elements such as verbal harassment or criticism, and (c) elements inherent in playing video games. Measures of time urgency, Type A assessment method, and gender were not found to be strongly related to A-B differences in cardiovascular reactivity. Future studies that use more "Type A-relevant" situations will probably find greater effects.
Obstetric analgesia and infant outcome in monkeys: Infant development after intrapartum exposure to meperidine or alfentanil

Abstract Infant monkeys ( Macaca mulatta ) exposed to narcotic analgesics during labor after treatment of dams were evaluated for growth and development over a 14-week period. Ten infants exposed to meperidine (2 mg/kg maternal dose) or alfentanil (0.1 mg/kg maternal dose) were compared with seven controls whose dams received no analgesic. No group differences in weight gain or body growth were observed. Afentanil-exposed infants appeared to have a higher incidence of infections requiring veterinary treatment. Measures of spontaneous activity showed a significantly higher incidence of immature rest pattern (laying) in the alfentanil group associated with lower overall locomotor activity relative to controls. Meperidine-exposed infants had a generally higher overall level of locomotor activity than controls that was statistically significant at 11 weeks of age. Alfentanil-exposed animals were impaired in performance of a simple cognitive task (object constancy) at 2 to 3 months of age and meperidine-exposed infants showed a similar nonsignificant trend. Gross and fine motor maturations were similar to those of controls. Thus, in this situation, the impact of obstetric analgesic treatment was demonstrable for several months after birth in some limited areas.
SOME ASPECTS OF NEGOTIATED ORDER, LOOSE COUPLING AND MESOSTRUCTURE IN MAXIMUM SECURITY PRISONS*

Even in total institutions, control is far from total. In custodial organizations, for example, staff and inmates negotiate their own interpretation of the social order, often rejecting formal rules and control techniques, and substituting alternatives that may be just as formal, although tacit, as those they replace. This creates “gaps” betwen formal organizational structure and individual behaviors which partially decouple formal rules from the behaviors intended to carry out those rules. This study integrates organizational and prison research to develop the concepts of negotiated order, loose coupling, and me-sostructure. The goal is to examine the context in which negotiations occur and the manner in which negotiated order activates the interactions and understandings through and by which organizational structure is generated and maintained.
What good is genomic imprinting: the function of parent-specific gene expression

Parent-specific gene expression (genomic imprinting) is an evolutionary puzzle because it forgoes an important advantage of diploidy--protection against the effects of deleterious recessive mutations. Three hypotheses claim to have found a countervailing selective advantage of parent-specific expression. Imprinting is proposed to have evolved because it enhances evolvability in a changing environment, protects females against the ravages of invasive trophoblast, or because natural selection acts differently on genes of maternal and paternal origin in interactions among kin. The last hypothesis has received the most extensive theoretical development and seems the best supported by the properties of known imprinted genes. However, the hypothesis is yet to provide a compelling explanation for many examples of imprinting.
5-fluorouracil, adriamycin, and mitomycin-c (fam) combination chemotherapy in the treatment of advanced gastric cancer

Thirty-six patients with advanced measurable gastric cancer were treated with a new combination chemotherapy program consisting of 5-fluorouracil, Adriamycin and mitomycin-C (FAM). Fifty percent of patients achieved an objective partial response. The median duration of remission was 9.5 months and the median survival for responding patients was 13.5 months, with 2 remaining alive at 14 and 26 months. The median survival for nonresponding patients was 3.0 months and all were dead by 6 months after initiation of therapy. The median survival of all 36 patients treated with FAM was 5.5 months. An analysis of possible prognostic variables including initial performance status, resectability of the primary gastric tumor and histologic differentiation of the neoplasm failed to account for differences in patient response and survival. The FAM regimen was well tolerated, and produced only moderate bone marrow suppression. These results demonstrate that some patients with advanced gastric cancer can be effectively palliated with FAM chemotherapy. Phase III trials are warranted to assess the effect of the FAM regimen on the survival of patients with advanced gastric cancer.
Anionic synthesis of well‐defined polymer blends by controlled chain‐transfer reactions

The scope and limitations of controlled chain transfer reactions in living anionic polymerization have been investigated. In contrast to the random nature of normal chain transfer reactions, this procedure first effects controlled living anionic polymerization followed by addition of a stoichiometric amount of suitable chain transfer agent when the monomer has been completely consumed. The resulting anionic species is then used to initiated polymerization of a second monomer charge with the same monomer or with a different monomer. A variety of hydrocarbon acids and amine compounds with pKa values in the range of 30–40 have been evaluated as chain transfer agents in the presence and absence of coordinating ligands. Efficient chain transfer to poly(styryl)lithium has been observed using 1,1-diphenylpropane. Reinitiation efficiency to both styrene and butadiene monomer was quantitative and controlled blends of different molecular weight polystyrenes or blends of polystyrene with polybutadiene have been prepared. The use of these chain transfer reactions to prepare functionalized polymers has also been investigated.
A modern frequency and phase indicating toposcope

Abstract A frequency and phase indicating toposcope is described. It is simple, reliable and will enable workers to evaluate the Walter-Shipton method of spatial analysis.