cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Factors predicting publication of spinal cord injury trials registered on www.ClinicalTrials. gov.

Objective/background Treatment options for spinal cord injuries are currently limited, but multiple clinical trials are underway for a variety of interventions, drugs, and devices. The Food and Drug Administration website www.ClinicalTrials.gov catalogues these trials and includes information on the status of the trial, date of initiation and completion, source of funding, and region. This investigation assesses the factors associated with publication and the publication rate of spinal cord injury trials. Design Retrospective analysis of publically available data on www.ClinicalTrials.gov. Methods The www.ClinicalTrials.gov was queried for all trials on patients with spinal cord injury, and these trials were assessed for status, type of intervention, source of funding, and region. Multiple literature searches were performed on all completed trials to determine publication status. Results There were 626 studies identified concerning the treatment of patients with spinal cord injury, of which 250 (39.9%) were completed. Of these, only 119 (47.6%) were published. There was no significant difference in the rate of publication between regions (p> 0.16) or by study type (p> 0.29). However, trials that were funded by the NIH were more likely to be published than trials funded by industry (p= 0.01). Conclusion The current publication rate of spinal cord injury trials is only 47.6%, though this rate is similar to the publication rate for trials in other fields. NIH-funded trials are significantly more likely to become published than industry-funded trials, which could indicate that some trials remain unpublished due to undesirable results. However, it is also likely that many trials on spinal cord injury yield negative results, as treatments are often ineffective.
Universal screening with automated essay scoring: Evaluating classification accuracy in grades 3 and 4

Abstract The adoption of the Common Core State Standards and its associated assessments has placed increased focus on writing performance. Consequently, weak writers may be at risk of failing Common Core English language arts (ELA) assessments. Thus, the current study sampled a diverse group of third and fourth grade students ( n = 100 and 130, respectively) who were administered Fall and Spring writing screeners using the procedures of a Direct Assessment of Writing (DAW). Results were used to predict whether students did or did not attain grade-level standards as evaluated by the summative Smarter Balanced ELA assessment. Writing screeners were scored using the Project Essay Grade (PEG) automated essay scoring system. ROC curve analysis and logistic regression were used to evaluate screening models. Area under the ROC curve (AUC) values for grade 3 were in the acceptable range (Fall = 0.74, Spring = 0.75). AUCs approached or fell within the excellent range for grade 4 (Fall = 0.79, Spring = 0.83). Sensitivity-based and d -based cutpoints were selected and measures of diagnostic accuracy, including sensitivity and specificity, are reported. Results indicate that automatically-scored DAW has promise for universal screening for writing risk.
Sexual Assault Risk and Prevention Among Sexual and Gender Minority Populations

Abstract Sexual assault is a prevalent public health problem that differentially impacts sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations compared with their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts. In this chapter, we define sexual minorities considering both sexual orientation identity (e.g., lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, asexual) and sexual behavior (those who have same-sex sexual partners). Gender minorities are defined as people whose gender identity does not align with their sex designation at birth (i.e., transgender, genderqueer, not on the binary). SGM populations often experience ongoing discrimination because of their sexual orientation and gender identity, which fuels violence perpetration against them and hinders disclosure of violence victimization. Survivors of sexual assault regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity may experience numerous poor mental health outcomes, including depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, substance use, nonsuicidal self-injury, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts ( Bonomi, Anderson, Rivara, & Thompson, 2007 ; Campbell, Dworkin, & Cabral, 2009 ; Clements-Nolle, Marx, & Katz, 2006 ; Hequembourg, Bimbi, & Parsons, 2011 ; Ratner et al., 2003 ; Temple, Weston, Rodriguez, & Marshall, 2007 ; Tomasula, Anderson, Littleton, & Riley-Tillman, 2012 ; Turchik, 2012 ). Sexual assault also carries significant sexual and reproductive health impacts; survivors are more likely to engage in risky sexual behavior (e.g., inconsistent condom use, multiple sex partners) and experience pain with sexual intercourse, decreased sexual pleasure, sexually transmitted infections, and unintended pregnancy ( Fuentes, 2008 ; Golding, 1996 ; Hequembourg et al., 2011 ; Noll, Trickett, & Putnam, 2003 ; Turchik, 2012 ). Given the deleterious impacts of sexual assault and unique vulnerabilities faced by SGM populations, we review the research on the prevalence of sexual assault among sexual and gender minorities, discuss risk and protective factors for sexual assault related to sexual orientation and gender identity, and highlight gaps in the sexual violence prevention and intervention field for SGM populations.
Neon Adsorbed on Graphite: Heat Capacity Determination of the Phase Diagram in the First Monolayer from 1 to 20°K

Using a cryostat equipped with a PDP-8/S on-line computer,1 we have made high-resolution heat capacity measurements in the range 1–20°K on 14 submonolayer films of neon adsorbed on exfoliated graphite (Grafoil). Two previous studies2,3 of the heat capacity of neon on graphite (graphitized carbon black powder) showed the existence of an anomaly in the range 10–20°K for 0.5 monolayer. Vapor pressure studies4–7 of noble gases adsorbed on exfoliated graphite show this form of the material to be more homogeneous than graphitized carbon black. Heat capacity work on monolayer 3He and 4He films on Grafoil8,9 gives evidence not only of surface homogeneity but also of good thermal conductivity.
The Call for Cultural Responsiveness: Teachers' Perceptions about the Interplay between Culturally Responsive Instruction and Scripted Curricula.

The increased focus on the implementation of scientifically research-based instruction as an outcome of No Child Left Behind (“Understanding NCLB,” 2007) has resulted in the widespread use of scripted reading curricula (Dewitz, Leahy, Jones, and Sullivan, 2010), which typically represents Eurocentric and middle class forms of discourse, knowledge, language, culture, and historical interpretations as academic knowledge (Howard, 2010; Delpit, 2012). In an era where the number of culturally and linguistically diverse students is increasing rapidly (Ginsberg, 2007), it is essential to consider that educational practices relying entirely on prefabricated content may require modification because, as recognized in the funds of knowledge theoretical framework (Velez-Ibanez, 1988), all students bring a wealth of knowledge to the classroom that should be acknowledged, respected, valued and incorporated into instruction (Gonzalez, Moll, & Amanti, 2005). However, even if teachers are granted the time and permission to modify scripted content in order to build bridges between the prescribed lessons and students’ lived experiences, doing so is not easily accomplished when the lives of educators are disconnected from their students (Baeder, 2010). This study investigated the behaviors and ideas teachers have developed as ways to connect with their culturally and linguistically diverse students and their families. Additionally, the study explored how teachers who implement scripted curricula describe the experience of creating culturally responsive lessons intended to specifically connect
Rethinking Distributive Justice: The Relational Ground for Commutative Justice

Commutative justice is the current dominant link between economics and ethics in liberal societies, encapsulated in the principle of honoring contracts. Market theory’s elevation of the role of commutative justice, or justice in exchange and property, is often taken as liberalism’s revolutionary change in priorities of justice. This change, however, has come at the expense of diminishing the role of distributive justice into material distribution, neglecting the constitution of individual identity in community and thereby vitiating distributive justice's function of regulating the mutual recognition necessary to social stability. This historical shift remanded the cohesive function of distributive justice to social decorums, which reproduced inequalities while simultaneously removing them from discussion in the public sphere.This commutative-distributional dynamic can be seen in the appeals to decorum in Adam Smith and Milton Friedman. Their theories of the market implicitly position social decorum alongside an explicit commutative framework as the conditions for a naturally self-regulating market, with decorum serving as a naturally-occurring source of social stability. These fundamental presumptions not only permeate modern economic thought generally, but also influence liberal moral and political philosophy, even among critics of the market. The primacy of commutative justice as a habit of thought has become deeply ingrained in the assumptions of liberal social theory, and it poses a serious challenge to establishing a new connection between economics and ethics. Recent work on recognition and acknowledgement point to a revived interest in the constitution of individual identity in community and offer a way to rethink distributive justice as the relational ground that sustains a sense of community, which in turn provides the social cohesion that supports economic interaction. These approaches, however, may prove threatening to a desire to preserve a commutatively-oriented economics as the architectonic theory of society.
Divorcing Hominins from the Stegodon-Ailuropoda Fauna: New Views on the Antiquity of Hominins in Asia

The distinctive Stegodon-Ailuropoda fauna of southern China and peninsular Southeast Asia is known to include a number of ape species no longer present today. Among these apes, it is becoming increasingly clear, was a medium-bodied genus previously misattributed to the genus Homo. This unidentified ape is known only from dental remains, and is morphologically distinct from any Pleistocene ape or hominin in this region. For two decades, I have supported and promoted the idea that Gigantopithecus and Homo erectus co-existed in the Early and Middle Pleistocene of China and Vietnam. With the discovery of a chimpanzee-sized ape co-occurring with Gigantopithecus at Mohui Cave, I realized that many of the claims for early hominins in the Stegodon-Ailuropoda faunas of southern China and Southeast Asia were likely incorrect. This calls for a reappraisal of the remains from the so-called “human” sites of this time period, namely Mohui, Longgupo, Jianshi, Sanhe, Lang Trang and Tham Khuyen, in the context of irrefutable hominin evidence from elsewhere in Asia. Therefore, the earliest hominin record from Asia is documented in the far north of China in the Nihewan Basin at sites such as Xiaochangliang and in the far south on Java at sites within the Sangiran Dome. By studying the unquestionable Homo erectus sites with significant cranial remains, such as Gongwangling (Shanxi province), Hexian (Anhui province) and Tangshan (Jiangsu province), we see a clear pattern. All of these sites are found north of the Stegodon-Ailuropoda fauna. Early hominins may very well have inhabited parts of southern China, such as in river valleys or areas devoid of forest, but they were not part of the heavily forested, humid-climate adapted Stegodon-Ailuropoda mammalian fauna of the region. Additional hominin research far to the north in China, or far to the south in Java, will provide important information and valuable insights into the potential dispersal routes of early Homo erectus out of Africa or Georgia and the habitats these earliest Asian immigrants preferred.
Combined endo-laparoscopic surgery (CELS) for benign colon polyps: a single institution cost analysis

Endoscopic removal of benign colon polyps is not always possible, even with advanced endoscopic techniques. Segmental colectomy has been the traditional therapy but is associated with an increased risk of complications and may be unnecessary since fewer than 20% of these polyps harbor malignancy. Combined endo-laparoscopic surgery (CELS) has emerged as an alternative method to address these polyps. While feasibility, safety, and improved short-term patient outcomes have been demonstrated, there has never been an evaluation of cost comparing these two approaches within a single institution. In this observational cohort study, we compared short-term outcomes and costs of 11 patients who underwent CELS for right colon polyps with 11 patients who underwent a laparoscopic right colectomy between April 2014 and November 2017. The cost analysis covered the perioperative period from operating room to hospital discharge. A total of 11 patients underwent an attempted CELS procedure for right colon polyps with a success rate of 90% (10/11). The median length of stay (LOS) for CELS patients was 1 day. LOS for patients who underwent a laparoscopic right colectomy at TMC was 3.82 days. The median OR time for CELS was 166.73 (± 57.88) min, compared to 204.73 (± 51.49) min for a laparoscopic right colectomy. The calculated total cost for a CELS patient was $5523.29, compared to $12,626.33 for a laparoscopic right colectomy, for a cost-savings of $7103.04 per patient. CELS procedures are associated with good short-term outcomes and are performed at a lower cost compared to traditional laparoscopic colectomy, with the most significant cost saver being shorter hospital LOS. This is the first study to directly compare the cost of CELS to traditional laparoscopic colectomy in the surgical management of benign colon polyps within a single institution.
Tropomyosin isoforms differentially tune actin filament length and disassembly.

Multiwavelength total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy reveals that, in the presence of actin disassembly-promoting factors Cofilin, Coronin, and AIP1, five different Tropomyosin isoform...
50 years of economic instruction in the Journal of Economic Education

With 2019 marking the fiftieth year of publication of the Journal of Economic Education (JEE), it seems fitting to examine the evolution of economic instruction as portrayed in the Journal. Born of...
Short syntheses of triamine derivatives of cholic acid

Abstract Reduction of the trioxime derivative of dehydrocholic acid methyl ester with NaBH4TiCl4 yielded triamine-derivatives of cholic acid. The major product from the reduction was the 3α, 7α, 12α diastereomer. Stereochemistry of the reduction products was determined via NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography.
Use of Growth Retardants to Promote Flowering of Mountain Laurel, Kalmia latifolia L.

Abstract Spray treatments of the growth retardants A-Rest (ancymidol at 0, 53, 106 ppm), Bonzi (paclobutrazol at 0, 10, 50, 100, 200, 400, 600 ppm) and Sumagic (uniconazole at 0, 10, 25, 50, 75, 10...
Open vs. Minimally Invasive Hysterectomy: Commercially Insured Costs and Readmissions.

PURPOSE To analyze commercial payer differences in the average costs and readmission rates between inpatient open hysterectomies and three types of outpatient hysterectomies: laparoscopic, laparoscopic assisted, and vaginal. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY A retrospective claims data analysis was conducted using the 2012 and 2013 Truven Health Analytics MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounter Database.The study was limited to women 18-64 years old who had pharmacy coverage, 12 months of commercial insurance coverage in 2012, and at least 1 month in 2013.Readmission costs were capped at $100,000 and outpatient hysterectomy costs were adjusted to be on the same basis as open costs based on the portion of cancer cases, geographic region, and risk profile. RESULTS There were 21,926 hysterectomy cases meeting our criteria. Total average allowed costs for the day of surgery and 30 days following surgery were statistically significantly higher for inpatient open hysterectomies than outpatient hysterectomies (cost differences of $1,270 for laparoscopic, $2,764 for assisted laparoscopic, and $4,582 for vaginal; P<.001 for all comparisons). Readmission rates within 30 days following surgery were statistically significantly higher for inpatient open hysterectomies (3.05 per 100 cases) than those for outpatient laparoscopic (2.10 per 100 cases; P<.001) and assisted laparoscopic (2.17 per 100 cases; P=.01) hysterectomies, but not for vaginal hysterectomies (2.46 per 100 cases; P=.16). CONCLUSION Inpatient open hysterectomies have statistically significantly higher average allowed costs than outpatient laparoscopic, laparoscopic assisted, and vaginal hysterectomies and statistically significantly higher readmission rates than outpatient laparoscopic and laparoscopic-assisted hysterectomies.
Frequent restful sleep is associated with the absence of depressive symptoms and higher grade point average among college students.

Abstract Objectives To examine how health behaviors and outcomes differ based on restful nights of sleep among college students. Design This is a cross-sectional study. Setting The study was conducted in a large, northeastern United States university. Participants The participants include college students (n = 4376), the majority of whom were women (59.2%) and non-Hispanic white (76.1%). Measurements Students completed an online survey, self-reporting sex, height, weight, cumulative grade point average (GPA), physical activity (PA), fruit and vegetable consumption (FVC), substance use, and depressive symptoms, along with nights of restful sleep. Participants were grouped into those who had frequent (≥4 nights/week) or infrequent ( Results Parametric analyses indicated a significant, although unmeaningful, association between frequent restful sleep and PA and GPA, but not body mass index or FVC. Nonparametric analyses indicated a positive association between frequent restful sleep and the absence of depressive symptoms. Odds ratios revealed a positive association between the absence of depressive symptoms and GPA with frequent restful sleep. Conclusions Findings indicate that restful sleep is associated with the absence of depressive symptoms and higher GPA among college students. Further research is required to examine the relationship, particularly directionality, between the amount of sleep and health behaviors and outcomes. Future researchers should consider using better measures of mental health, dietary quality, and objective measures of sleep and PA were possible. College administrators and health professionals should consider ways in which they can educate students about the benefits of sleep to mental health and academic performance.
Controlling the Self-Assembly of New Metastable Tin Vanadium Selenides Using Composition and Nanoarchitecture of Precursors.

In solid-state chemistry, the direct reaction of elements at low temperatures is limited by low solid-state interdiffusion rates. This and the limited number of processing parameters often prevent the synthesis of metastable compounds. Precisely controlling the number of atoms and nanoarchitecture of layered elemental precursors enabled the selective synthesis of two closely related metastable tin vanadium selenides via near-diffusionless reactions at low temperatures. Although the nanoarchitectures of the precursors required to form [(SnSe2)0.80]1(VSe2)1 and [(SnSe)1.15]1(VSe2)1 are very similar, controlling the local composition of the Sn|Se layers in the precursors enables the selective synthesis of either compound. The metastable alloy SnxV1-xSe2 was preferentially formed over [(SnSe2)0.80]1(VSe2)1, which has the identical composition, by modifying the nanoarchitecture of the precursor. Ex situ in-plane X-ray diffraction and X-ray reflectivity collected as a function of annealing temperature provided information on lateral and perpendicular growth of [(SnSe2)0.80]1(VSe2)1. The presence of Laue oscillations throughout the self-assembly provided atomic-scale information on the thickness of the [(SnSe2)0.80]1(VSe2)1 domains, giving insights into the self-assembly process. A reaction mechanism is proposed and used to rationalize how composition and nanoarchitecture control the reaction pathway through the free energy landscape.
Effects of Alloy Composition and Solid-State Diffusion Kinetics on Powder Bed Fusion Cracking Susceptibility

Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) has demonstrated its unique ability to produce customized, complex engineering components. However, processing of many commercial Al-alloys by LPBF remains challenging due to the formation of solidification cracking, although they are labelled castable or weldable. In order to elucidate this divergence, solidification cracking susceptibility from the steepness of the solidification curves, specifically |dT/df S 1/2 |, as the fraction solidified nears 1 towards complete solidification, was calculated via Scheil–Gulliver model as a function of solute concentration in simple binary Al-Si, Al-Mg, and Al-Cu systems. Introduction of “diffusion in solid” into Scheil–Gulliver model resulted in a drastic reduction in the cracking susceptibility (i.e., reduction in the magnitude of |dT/df S 1/2 |) and a shift in the maximum |dT/df S 1/2 | to higher concentrations of solute. Overall, the calculated solidification cracking susceptibility correlated well with experimental observation made using LPBF AA5083 (e.g., Al-Mg) and Al-Si binary alloys with varying Si concentration. Cracking susceptibility was found to be highly sensitive to the composition of the alloy, which governs the variation of |dT/df S 1/2 |. Furthermore, experimental observation suggests that the contribution of “diffusion in solids” to reduce the cracking susceptibility can be more significant than what is expected from an instinctive assumption of negligible diffusion and rapid cooling typically associated with LPBF.
Fracture and fatigue of ideal polymer networks

Abstract Soft materials have enabled diverse modern technologies, but their practical deployment is usually limited by their mechanical failures. Fracture and fatigue of polymer networks are two important causes of mechanical failures of soft materials. A soft material fails by fracture when a monotonic load reaches its fracture toughness or fails by fatigue when a cyclic load reaches its fatigue threshold. The fracture toughness is usually much higher than the fatigue threshold for randomly crosslinked elastomers and gels. While fracture and fatigue have been extensively studied in randomly crosslinked elastomers and gels, they have not been comparatively studied in polymer networks with well-controlled architectures and defects. This work systematically studies the fracture and fatigue of ideal polymer networks with controlled densities of dangling-chain defects. We show that the fracture toughness and fatigue threshold of an ideal polymer network almost without defects are the same. After introducing a low density of dangling-chain defects into the ideal polymer network, its fracture toughness and fatigue threshold still maintain approximately the same. The fracture toughness of the ideal polymer network is also independent of the loading rate. We further use the recently developed defect-network model to explain the fatigue threshold (i.e., intrinsic fracture energy) of ideal polymer networks with controlled densities of dangling-chain defects.
Neutrino archaeology. the simulation of double beta-decay by solar neutrinos

We suggest the possibility that neutrinos from solar thermonuclear reactions can induce apparent double beta-decay. The rateAz → Az+2 is computed for a group of likely target isotopes. Apparent double positron decay induced by antineutrinos emitted by the radioactive component of the Earth is also evaluated.
WTO and the Legality of a Carbon Footprint Labeling Scheme: A Role for International Trade in the Fight Against Global Warming

The overwhelming global consensus is that man-made greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions must be reduced to mitigate climate change and support reasonable accommodations and adaptations to potentially catastrophic annual global warming. The international community should use carbon footprint labeling (CFP label) on products to help fight the battle against annual global warming. A product CFP label is a government measure that may impact international trade and be subject to challenge under the World Trade Organization Agreement. It is simply unacceptable to ignore or undermine environmental concerns by claiming unfair trade practices when there is a global consensus on those concerns. On the other hand, compliance with World Trade Organization (WTO) law and policy is beneficial and supports environmental concerns.
Image Subtraction in Time Series Analysis: Application to Microlensing and Light Echoes

Monitoring variable sources often requires measuring their brightness by means other than point-source photometry (point-spread-function fitting or aperture photometry). Often the field containing the source is extremely crowded, or the source is extended. We describe techniques that we have developed in order to follow changes in such sources, utilizing the technique of image subtraction. In this way the stable flux in a field can be subtracted out, and variable sources are highlighted in the residual image. This, of course, requires adequate treatment of the unintended variable component in an image: changes in pointing and photometric scaling, for instance, but most demandingly, the variation in seeing from image to image. These techniques have been unavailable until recently, and are allowing new kinds of investigations of variable stars and extended sources.
Time-resolved optical emission spectroscopy during pulsed dc magnetron sputter deposition of Ti and TiO2 thin films

Time-resolved optical emission spectroscopy is applied to analyse pulsed dc magnetron plasmas during sputter deposition of Ti and TiO2 thin films. The studies are focused on the temporal behaviour of emissions of selected atomic titanium, argon and oxygen during the 'on-time', when the magnetron plasma source is turned on, and during the 'reverse-time', when the magnetron plasma source is turned off. Single and double exponential decays of the optical emissions were found during the 'reverse-time'. During the 'on-time', we observed a rapid increase in some emissions with a more or less pronounced overshoot and a slow increase in other emissions which follow the temporal evolution of the conduction current. The various time constants can be related to the dynamics of the fast electrons, the Ar metastables, the Ti atoms (metallic mode) and the O atoms (oxide mode).
Distance Geometry: Theory, Algorithms, and Chemical Applications

Distance geometry is the mathematical basis for a geometric theory of molecular conformation.1 This theory plays a role in conformational analysis analogous to that played in statistical mechanics by a hard-sphere fluid . . . which can in fact be regarded as the distance geometry description of a monoatomic fluid. More generally, a distance geometry description of a molecular system consists of a list of distance and chirality constraints. These are, respectively, lower and upper bounds on the distances between pairs of atoms, and the chirality of its rigid quadruples of atoms (i.e., R or S relative to some given order). The distance geometry approach is predicated on the assumption that it is possible to adequately define the set of all possible (i.e., significantly populated) conformations, or conformation space, of just about any nonrigid molecular system by means of such purely geometric constraints. By Occam’s razor, we contend that any properties of the system that can be explained by such a simple model should be explained that way. Distance geometry also plays an important role in the development of computational methods for analyzing distance geometry descriptions. The goal of these calculations is to determine the global properties of the entire conformation space, as opposed to the local properties of its individual members. This is done by deriving new geometric facts about the system from those given explicitly by the distance and chirality constraints, a process known more generally as geometric reasoning. Although numerous constraints can be derived from knowledge of the molecular formula, in many cases (e.g., globular proteins) additional noncovalent constraints are needed in order to define precisely the accessible conformation space. These must be obtained from additional experiments, and thus one of the best-known applications of distance geometry is the determination of molecular conformation from experimental data, most notably NMR spectroscopy. Other important applications include enumerating the conformation spaces of small molecules, ligand docking and pharmacophore mapping in drug design, and the homology modeling of protein structure.
Analysis of a CLL Resonant Converter With Semi-Bridgeless Active Rectifier and Hybrid Control

A novel CLL resonant converter with a semi-bridgeless active rectifier (S-BAR) is analyzed, and its hybrid control strategy is proposed in this paper. This topology is developed by replacing rectifier lower diodes with synchronous switches and regulation by a phase-shifted pulsewidth-modulation signal. Theoretical and simulation results show that the performance of the proposed S-BAR is appropriate for resonant converters and secondary-side controlled infrastructure requiring a wide voltage range control at the secondary side. The hybrid control algorithm is obtained with the phase-shift and frequency tuning considering the voltage at the load terminal. High efficiency can be maintained by this proposed control, reducing conduction losses and providing zero-voltage switching soft-switching condition with a wide output voltage range. To confirm the performance of the proposed converter, experimental results are provided for which the output voltage/current range from 0 to 80 V/0 to 8.75 A with an input of 120 V and an average efficiency value of 93%.
The effects of short-term jump training on bone metabolism in females using oral contraceptives.

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to determine the effect of oral contraceptive use on bone serum markers following a 3-week jumping protocol. Twenty-three females (18–25 years) were grouped as oral contraceptive users (OC+) or non-users (OC−). Following a 3-week observation period, participants completed a 3-week (15-day) jump protocol. Jump sessions consisting of ten 42 cm drop jumps with a 30 s rest interval between jumps were completed each day, 5 days per week. Peak vertical ground reaction force and loading rate were measured and the osteogenic index was calculated. Serum markers for bone formation, bone alkaline phosphatase (BAP) and bone resorption, C-terminal telopeptides of type I collagen (CTX) were measured at three time points (pre-, mid-, post-jump). BAP and CTX increased significantly (P = 0.0017, 0.0488) in both groups post-jump; however, bone metabolic markers were not different between the OC+ and OC− groups. Osteogenic index, ground reaction force and vertical jump height were simil...
The biological crime: implications for society and the criminal justice system

As ultimas duas decadas testemunharam umarevolucao em nosso entendimento da mente criminal.Por quase um seculo, culpamos a pobreza, adesigualdade social e as mas companhias como osprincipais causadores de crimes. E quase certo que essesfatores desempenhem um papel relevante, porem anovidade no seculo XXI e o aumento do reconhecimentode que fatores geneticos e neurobiologicos saoigualmente importantes na modelagem docomportamento criminoso. Os desafios que enfrentamosa luz desses novos achados sao multiplos, incluindocomo vamos abordar os transtornos neurologicos eminfratores violentos e quais sao as implicacoes para assubdisciplinas emergentes de neurodireito e neuroetica.
Changes in chemical and physical propertiesof stream water across an urban-rural gradient in western Georgia

The Middle Chattahoochee River Watershed in western Georgia is undergoing rapid urban development. Consequently, Georgia’s water quality is threatened by extensive development as well as other land uses such as grazing. Maintenance of stream water quality, as land development occurs, is critical for the protection of drinking water, biotic integrity, and stream morphology. A two-phase, watershed-scale study was established to develop relationships among land use and water quality within western Georgia. During phase 1 (year one), physio-chemical, biological and morphological measurements were taken within 16 sub-watersheds, ranging in size from 500–2500 ha. Nutrient and fecal coliform concentrations within watersheds with impervious surface > 5% often exceeded those in other watersheds during both baseflow and storm flow. Also, fecal coliform bacteria in more urbanized areas often exceeded the US EPA’s standard for recreational waters. During the second phase of the study, models will be tested and calibrated based on newly chosen watersheds.
Between the Domestic and Agoric Somatoscape: John Chrysostom on the Appearance of Female Roman Aristocrats in the Marketplace

AbstractThe purpose of this essay is to give an account of John Chrysostom’s views on the public appearance of female Roman aristocrats in the marketplace, and to ask what it tells us about the functioning of pastoral power. The focus is on John Chrysostom’s 28th homily On Hebrews. The study argues that Chrysostom’s rhetoric is aimed at pastoralizing the domestic somatoscape and manipulating the patria potestas. The pastoralization of the household ramified various patriarchal operations in Christian households, and a potent programme of asceticization of the agoric space accompanies it. The asceticization of the agoric took place by means of a tripart campaign of metaphorization: firstly, metaphorical dedoulologization, accompanied by decosmeticization, and also psychic virginization.
Spectrum calculations in lattice gauge theory using Wilson's fermion method

Using a lattice fermion method due to Wilson we compute mass ratios for the low-lying hadrons and the nucleon ${g}_{A}$ factor within the context of the lattice Hamiltonian formulation of quantum chromodynamics. This lattice fermion method breaks chiral symmetry completely, but by adjusting a parameter we are able to obtain a massless pion in the continuum (lattice spacing \ensuremath{\rightarrow}0) limit. The computed $\ensuremath{\rho}$ and $\ensuremath{\omega}$ masses are quite realistic and unaffected by the choice of the parameter, and the axial-vector charge of the nucleon is slightly better than its static SU(6) value. Higher-order calculations using this formulation of the lattice theory appear promising and feasible.
Estimates of the minimum nondominated criterion values in multiple-criteria decision-making

Abstract Knowledge of the minimum value of a criterion among nondominated solutions of a multiple-criterion decision-making problem is essential to determine the range of com promise for that criterion. However, the determination of such value is a very complex problem, even in the simplest case of multiple-objective linear programming. Three heuristic procedures are presented for estimating the minimum nondominated criterion value.
Recursion formulae of 1l?+?2l?+?···?+?nland their combinatoric meaning in terms of the tree diagrams

This article derives the recursion formulae of and demonstrates through tree diagrams how the formulae for the cases of l = 1, 2, 3 are closely related. Visual thinking by diagrams is pedagogically significant for observing patterns hidden in the formulae for .
SEM and EPMA Analysis of Spark Plug Electrode Erosion

Ignition systems are one of the key technologies to achieve cost/performance/emission characteristic goals for lean and stoichiometric industrial natural gas reciprocating engines. In natural gas applications spark breakdown voltages are very high requiring small and consistent gaps for reliable ignition. As a consequence erosion and corrosion of spark plug electrode materials is a major issue as excessive electrode wear results in costly downtime for spark plug replacement. As cylinder pressures, compression ratios, and ignition voltages are increased, and conditions further move towards leaner burning combustion, spark plug reliability and lifetime performance will become even more critical and could limit further advances in engine development. The near-term goal of this work is to characterize used spark plugs after a variety of field service and/or controlled engine test conditions to gain insight into the electrode corrosion/erosion processes that limit the spark plug lifetime. The long-term goal is to design new electrode materials based on a fundamental understanding gained from this characterization work.
Nucleation on ceramic particles in cast metal-matrix composites

In order to understand the nucleation on ceramic particles in the melts of metal-matrix composites (MMCs), the effect of segregation of solute on the surface of reinforcement particles in the melt has been analyzed as a function of particle temperature and the surface energy of the particle/liquid melt. The temperature of the particle in the melt, calculated analytically, was found to become close to the melt temperature within a very short time of contact between the particle and the melt. The solute concentration near the particle surface will, therefore, primarily be influenced by the surface energy of the particle and the melt. Based on this, the undercooling due to solute segregation around the particle and the chemical free-energy change due to the formation of the new solid phase on the particle were calculated in selected hypo- and hypereutectic Al-Si alloy melts containing (1) SiC particles or (2) graphite particles. The chemical free-energy change (driving force for nucleation) due to the formation of the new phase on the particle is lower for hypoeutectic compositions than for hypereutectic compositions in the aluminum-silicon alloy systems; this is due to the higher undercooling in the hypereutectic alloys due to solute segregation on the surface of the particle. This suggests that the formation of the primary phase on the surfaces of particles in the melt should be more favorable in the hypereutectic compositions than for hypoeutectic compositions. This also indicates that even when the particle temperature is not significantly lower than the liquidus temperature, nucleation on the particles can take place due to the segregation of the solute on the particles. Experimental observations of the microstructure of several cast metal-matrix composites, including Al-Si-SiC and Al-Si-graphite, show (1) the presence of silicon in contact with the reinforcement particles in hypereutectic alloys, suggesting that nucleation and growth of primary silicon under certain conditions occurs on silicon carbide and graphite particles, possibly due to solute segregation on the surface of the particles, and (2) the presence of reinforcement particles in the last-freezing interdendritic regions of the primary phases in hypoeutectic alloys, suggesting the absence of nucleation of primary phases on the reinforcement surface, as predicted by the analysis.
The Receptor-Dependent Actions of 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D Are Required for Normal Growth Plate Maturation in NPt2a Knockout Mice

Rickets is a growth plate abnormality observed in growing animals and humans. Rachitic expansion of the hypertrophic chondrocyte layer of the growth plate, in the setting of hypophosphatemia, is due to impaired apoptosis of these cells. Rickets is observed in humans and mice with X-linked hypophosphatemia that is associated with renal phosphate wasting secondary to elevated levels of fibroblast growth factor-23. Rickets is also seen in settings of impaired vitamin D action, due to elevated PTH levels that increase renal phosphate excretion. However, mice with hypophosphatemia secondary to ablation of the renal sodium-dependent phosphate transport protein 2a (Npt2a), have not been reported to develop rickets. Because activation of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway by phosphate is required for hypertrophic chondrocyte apoptosis in vivo, investigations were undertaken to address this paradox. Analyses of the Npt2a null growth plate demonstrate expansion of the hypertrophic chondrocyte layer at 2 wk of age, with resolution of this abnormality by 5 wk of age. This is temporally associated with an increase in circulating levels of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D. To address whether the receptor-dependent actions of this steroid hormone are required for normalization of the growth plate phenotype, the Npt2a null mice were mated with mice lacking the vitamin D receptor or were rendered vitamin D deficient. These studies demonstrate that the receptor-dependent actions of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D are required for maintenance of a normal growth plate phenotype in the Npt2a null mice.
Content-dependent chunking for differential compression, the local maximum approach

When a file is to be transmitted from a sender to a recipient and when the latter already has a file somewhat similar to it, remote differential compression seeks to determine the similarities interactively so as to transmit only the part of the new file not already in the recipient's old file. Content-dependent chunking means that the sender and recipient chop their files into chunks, with the cutpoints determined by some internal features of the files, so that when segments of the two files agree (possibly in different locations within the files) the cutpoints in such segments tend to be in corresponding locations, and so the chunks agree. By exchanging hash values of the chunks, the sender and recipient can determine which chunks of the new file are absent from the old one and thus need to be transmitted. We propose two new algorithms for content-dependent chunking, and we compare their behavior, on random files, with each other and with previously used algorithms. One of our algorithms, the local maximum chunking method, has been implemented and found to work better in practice than previously used algorithms. Theoretical comparisons between the various algorithms can be based on several criteria, most of which seek to formalize the idea that chunks should be neither too small (so that hashing and sending hash values become inefficient) nor too large (so that agreements of entire chunks become unlikely). We propose a new criterion, called the slack of a chunking method, which seeks to measure how much of an interval of agreement between two files is wasted because it lies in chunks that don't agree. Finally, we show how to efficiently find the cutpoints for local maximum chunking.
Conservativity for logics of justified belief: Two approaches

Abstract In [7] , Fitting showed that the standard hierarchy of logics of justified knowledge is conservative (e.g. a logic with positive introspection operator ! is conservative over the logic without ! ). We do the same with most logics of justified belief, showing both conservation of sequent proofs and extensibility of models. A brief example shows that conservativity does not hold for logics of justified consistent belief.
Neutron Total Cross Sections of the Light Elements in the Energy Range 24-60 MeV

The neutron total cross sections of natural Be, C, N, O, Mg, Al, and Si have been measured at a number of energies between 24 and 60 MeV. The over-all precision is better than 1% and the energies have been determined to 100 keV. Smooth variations of the cross sections with energy are found.
Stereological study of the developing distal femoral growth plate.

The distal femoral growth plate has a uniquely convoluted structure comprised of four mammillate processes. Factors contributing to the development of these processes and overall plate geometry were explored using three-dimensional image analysis of the canine distal femoral epiphysis. The growth plate at birth remains relatively flat until ossification of the epiphysis begins at 1 week of age. Epiphyseal ossification proceeds eccentrically, projecting in the medial-lateral and anterior-posterior directions. Growth plate activity indexed by [3H]thymidine labeling and plate thickness revealed regional differences in cell proliferation. This was measured as a decreased labeling index and thinning of the growth plate in areas capped by the ossifying epiphysis. The eccentric ossification pattern and associated variations in growth plate activity result in definition of an “intraphyseal” groove and medial-lateral oriented sulcus. The groove and sulcus bisect the plate into four quadrants, giving rise to a convoluted structure composed of four areas of plate elevations termed mammillary processes (MP). By 5 weeks, the pattern of ossification results in greater development of the MP in the anterior-medial quadrant and in decreasing order, in the posterior-medial, anterior, and posterior-lateral quadrants. By 10 weeks, a uniform rate of cell proliferation was observed coincident with completion of ossification of the epiphysis. The data suggest that localized variations in growth plate proliferation are associated with ossification of the epiphysis. The eccentric pattern of this ossification may give rise to MP and a highly convoluted structure.
1135 EFFECT OF POSITIONING AND HEAD BANDING ON INTRACRANIAL PRESSURE IN THE PREMATURE INFANT

The intracranial pressure of 12 infants, birthweight 720-1800 gms., who had no evidence of intracranial hemorrhage, was measured over the anterior fontanelle by the Ladd ICP monitor. Pressures were determined before and one minute after the release of encircling phototherapy eye patches or nasal cannula apparatus. The measurements were performed twice on each infant in three different positions -- head up 30°, horizontal, and head down 30°. A significant decrease in pressure was noted immediately after release of the encircling band in all three positions in most infants. The average decrease was 3.75 (range 0-14.5), 3.73 (range 0-10), and 3.45 (range 0-9) cm H2O in the head up, horizontal, and head down position respectively. Three of the four infants who demonstrated the smallest decrease in intracranial pressure had been exposed to constricting apparatus for long periods of time prior to their determinations suggesting possible compensation. The magnitude of the decrease in pressure was not different in the various positions studied, although the pressures tended to increase as the infant was placed in the head down position. The changes noted in intracranial pressure both with positioning and banding raise questions as to the effect of such infant care practices on the brain of infants with compressible skulls. Increases in intracranial pressure induced by head banding may play a role in the high incidence of intracranial hemorrhage in the very small infant.
Hypoglycemia-Associated Autonomic Failure Is Prevented by Opioid Receptor Blockade

Context: Repeated hypoglycemia is associated with hypoglycemia-associated autonomic failure (HAAF), a syndrome of defective counterregulation. Objective: HAAF increases the risk of severe hypoglycemia in diabetes, although its mechanism remains unresolved. Because β-endorphin influences the autonomic response to hypoglycemia via opioid receptor activation, we hypothesized that it is also involved in the pathogenesis of HAAF. Research Design and Methods: We asked whether opioid receptor blockade during antecedent hypoglycemia (60 mg/dl) on d 1 would prevent development of HAAF on d 2 in eight nondiabetic subjects (five males, 3 females; age, 28 ± 3.5 yr; body mass index, 24.2 ± 2.1 kg/m2). On four occasions, d 1 was: 1) two 90-min hypoglycemic clamps (N−); 2) two 90-min hypoglycemic clamps plus naloxone (N+); 3) two euglycemic 90-min clamps (C); or 4) two euglycemic 90-min clamps plus naloxone (C+). Results: Day 1 hypoglycemia caused marked deterioration of d 2 hormonal responses to hypoglycemia, consisten...