cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Obstetricians’ Knowledge and Practice Behaviors Concerning Periodontal Health and Preterm Delivery and Low Birth Weight

Introduction. Investigators have reported that periodontal disease may be a risk factor for pregnancy complications including preterm delivery (PTD) and low birth weight (LBW). This study assessed obstetricians’ knowledge and practice behaviors concerning periodontal disease and its role in adverse pregnancy outcomes. Methods. One hundred ninety four practicing obstetricians in a 5 county area in central North Carolina were surveyed. Of the 138 eligible physicians, 55 responded yielding a 40% response rate. Results. Most answered correctly when asked about the description of gingivitis (95%). A lower number of respondents were correct when asked about the description of periodontitis (67%). When asked about what causes periodontal disease or what is associated with periodontal disease, most answered correctly with bacteria (94%), although many answered tooth decay (73%), aging (69%), and excess dietary sugar (51%). Most were correct in responding that periodontitis was more serious than gingivitis (80%). Twenty-two percent looked into patients’ mouths at initial prenatal examination, 9% periodically, and 48% only when a problem was mentioned by the patient. Forty-nine percent rarely or never recommended a dental examination. Most (84%) considered periodontal disease to be as important a risk factor to adverse pregnancy events as those currently known in obstetrics practice. Conclusions. Data from this study demonstrate that there is knowledge of periodontal disease and its potential role as a pregnancy risk factor but suggest limited incorporation of dental care into clinical medical practice.
A Comparative Analysis of Perceived Benefits of Participation Between Recreational Sport Programs

This study examined recreational sports, with a focus on a comparative analysis of the overall, social, intellectual, and fitness perceived benefits associated with participation in three separate ...
LOGISTICS SERVICE ORIENTATION: AN INTEGRATED STRATEGY TO BUILD LOGISTICS SERVICE COMPETENCY

While the importance of logistics service competency is widely acknowledged, more research is needed to investigate its antecedents. In this conceptual paper, we synthesize extant marketing and logistics/supply chain literature and propose a new concept – logistics service orientation, which consists of both logistics service’s internal and external market orientation. It is argued that a firm’s logistics service orientation has direct impacts on its logistics service performance. In addition, it is also proposed that this impact can be indirectly achieved through enhanced internal integration. This research contributes to existing knowledge by offering new insights on the development of logistics service competency.
A public health approach to eating disorders prevention: It’s time for public health professionals to take a seat at the table

The societal burden of eating disorders is clear, and though there is a compelling need for a public health approach to eating disorders prevention, public health professionals have yet to take up the challenge. The article lays out an argument for what steps need to be taken to bring a public health approach to eating disorders prevention. First, stock is taken of what the field has achieved so far, using tools from the prevention science literature, and, second, a research plan of action is offered that plays to the unique strengths of public health, drawing on a triggers-to-action framework from public health law. Minimal participation was found from public health professionals in eating disorders prevention research, and the vast majority of prevention research to date was found to be concentrated within the disciplines of psychology and psychiatry. Extreme disciplinary concentration of the research has led to a preponderance of individually targeted prevention strategies with little research focused on environmental targets, particularly at the macro level. New environmental initiatives are now emerging, such as a government-sponsored mass media anti-dieting campaign, and legal bans on extremely thin models in advertising, but for the most part, they have yet to be evaluated. A triggers-to-action framework, which focuses on evidentiary base, practical considerations, and political will, developed in public health law provides a basis for a strategic research plan for a public health approach to eating disorders prevention. There is enormous potential for growth in the scope and diversity of eating disorder prevention research strategies, particularly those targeting the macro environment. A public health approach will require a strategic plan for research that leverages the macro environment for prevention. The full engagement of public health professionals will bring to the field the much broader range of preventive strategies and perspectives needed to tackle the problem of eating disorders.
Techniques to minimize Power Consumption of SMPS in Standby Mode

These days, the environments impact of energy consumed by electrical appliances when not in use has attracted growing attention in the international community. This paper reviews advantages and limitations of conventional techniques to reduce the standby power consumption. Based on the analysis, new technique to reduce standby power is proposed. The proposed approach reduces the effective switching frequency as well as the operating current to minimize the switching losses and PWM controller power consumption alike. The output voltage is also reduced to minimize the loss caused by the leakage current in the output side. The proposed scheme is implemented as an integrated circuit (IC) providing a viable low cost solution for a low standby power consumption
Maternal imprints and the origins of variation

The non-genomic transmission of maternal behavior from one generation to the next illustrates the pervasive influence of maternal care on offspring development and the high degree of plasticity within the developing maternal brain. Investigations of the mechanisms through which these maternal effects are achieved have demonstrated environmentally-induced changes in gene expression associated with epigenetic modifications within the promoter region of target genes. These findings raise challenging questions regarding the pathways linking experience to behavioral variation and the broader ecological/evolutionary implications of the dynamic changes in neuroendocrine function that emerge. This review will highlight studies in laboratory rodents which demonstrate plasticity in the maternal brain and the role of maternally-induced changes in DNA methylation in establishing the link between variations in maternal care and consequent developmental outcomes. The persistence of maternal effects across generations and the trade-offs in reproduction that are evident in female offspring who experience high vs. low levels of maternal care contribute to our understanding of the divergent strategies that are triggered by the quality of early-life experiences. Evolving concepts of inheritance and the interplay between genes and the environment may advance our understanding of the origins of individual differences in phenotype.
The Eastern Pacific ITCZ during the Boreal Spring

The 6-year (1998-2003) rainfall products from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) are used to quantify the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) in the eastern Pacific (defined by longitudinal averages over 90 degrees W-130 degrees W) during boreal spring (March-April). The double ITCZ phenomenon, represented by the occurrence of two maxima with respect to latitude in monthly mean rainfall, is observed in most but not all of the years studied. The relative spatial locations of maxima in sea surface temperature (SST), rainfall, and surface pressure are examined. Interannual and weekly variability are characterized in SST, rainfall, surface convergence, total column water vapor, and cloud water. There appears to be a competition for rainfall between the two hemispheres during this season. When one of the two rainfall maxima is particularly strong, the other tends to be weak, with the total rainfall integrated over the two varying less than does the difference between the rainfall integrated over each separately. There is some evidence for a similar competition between the SST maxima in the two hemispheres, but this is more ambiguous, and there is evidence that some variations in the relative strengths of the two rainfall maxima may be independent of SST. Using a 25-year (1979-2003) monthly rainfall dataset from the Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP), four distinct ITCZ types during March-April are defined, based on the relative strengths of rainfall peaks north and south of, and right over the equator. Composite meridional profiles and spatial distributions of rainfall and SST are documented for each type. Consistent with previous studies, an equatorial cold tongue is essential to the existence of the double ITCZs. However, too strong a cold tongue may dampen either the southern or northern rainfall maximum, depending on the magnitude of SST north of the equator.
A data-adaptive methodology for finding an optimal weighted generalized Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon statistic

Xie and Priebe [2002. ''Generalizing the Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon Statistic''. J. Nonparametric Statist. 12, 661-682] introduced the class of weighted generalized Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon (WGMWW) statistics which contained as special cases the classical Mann-Whitney test statistic and many other nonparametric distribution-free test statistics commonly used for the two-sample testing problem. The two-sample test that they proposed was based on any statistic within the class of WGMWW statistics optimal in the Pitman asymptotic efficacy (PAE) sense. In this paper, among other things, we show via simulation studies that for finite samples the PAE-optimal WGMWW test has substantially higher empirical power compared to the classical Mann-Whitney test for various underlying densities (especially for those densities for which Mann-Whitney test is considered a better alternative to parametric tests such as t-tests). The PAE-optimal WGMWW test is not a candidate for the practitioner's toolbox since the corresponding test statistic contains parameters which are functions of the underlying null distribution function of the samples. The main thrust of this paper is in introducing a data-adaptive alternative to the PAE-optimal WGMWW test, which has efficacy and power as good as the latter. We provide an estimate @[email protected]^ for the PAE function @j of a WGMWW statistic, and our test is based on a @[email protected]^-optimal WGMWW statistic. We prove strong consistency of @[email protected]^, thereby showing that our test has approximately the same efficacy as the @j-optimal WGMWW test for large sample sizes. Via simulation studies we show that for finite samples the empirical power of @[email protected]^-optimal WGMWW test is almost the same as @j-optimal WGMWW test for various underlying densities. We also analyze magnetic imaging data related to subjects with and without Alzheimer's disease to illustrate our methodology. In summary, we present a strong competitor for the classical Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon test and many other existing nonparametric distribution-free tests, especially for moderate and large samples.
Nutritional Status of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Do We Know Enough?

The incidence of individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) is on the rise; therefore, well-timed screening is important. Given that this is a nutritionally vulnerable population, it is imperative to conduct a detailed nutritional assessment so that timely and intensive interventions can be recommended. This review article summarizes the research, focusing on the nutritional status of individuals with ASDs based on their anthropometric measurements, biomarkers, and dietary assessments. Research examining anthropometric measurements reveals an abnormally accelerated rate of growth among children with autism but shows inconsistent findings on the prevalence of overweight/obesity in comparison with typically growing children. Although dysregulated amino acid metabolism, increased homocysteine, and decreased folate, vitamins B-6 and B-12, and vitamin D concentrations have been proposed as possible biomarkers for an early diagnosis of ASDs, research investigating their association with age, gender, severity, and other comorbid psychiatric/nonpsychiatric disorders is lacking. There is consensus that children with autism have selective eating patterns, food neophobia, limited food repertoire, and sensory issues. Although inadequate micronutrient but adequate macronutrient intakes are increasingly reported, there are inconsistent results about the extent and type of nutrient deficiencies. Identification and development of nutritional assessment indicators that serve as early warning signs during routine practice beginning at birth and extending throughout the child’s growth are necessary. With this population aging, there is also a dire need to study the adult population. A more vigorous role by nutrition professionals is warranted because management of potential comorbidities and contributory factors may be particularly problematic.
Inference without significance: measuring support for hypotheses rather than rejecting them

Despite more than half a century of criticism, significance testing continues to be used commonly by ecologists. Significance tests are widely misused and misunderstood, and even when properly used, they are not very informative for most ecological data. Problems of misuse and misinterpretation include: (i) invalid logic; (ii) rote use; (iii) equating statistical significance with biological importance; (iv) regarding the P-value as the probability that the null hypothesis is true; (v) regarding the P-value as a measure of effect size; and (vi) regarding the P-value as a measure of evidence. Significance tests are poorly suited for inference because they pose the wrong question. In addition, most null hypotheses in ecology are point hypotheses already known to be false, so whether they are rejected or not provides little additional understanding. Ecological data rarely fit the controlled experimental setting for which significance tests were developed. More satisfactory methods of inference assess the degree of support which data provide for hypotheses, measured in terms of information theory (model-based inference), likelihood ratios (likelihood inference) or probability (Bayesian inference). Modern statistical methods allow multiple data sets to be combined into a single likelihood framework, avoiding the loss of information that can occur when data are analyzed in separate steps. Inference based on significance testing is compared with model-based, likelihood and Bayesian inference using data on an endangered porpoise, Phocoena sinus. All of the alternatives lead to greater understanding and improved inference than provided by a P-value and the associated statement of statistical significance.
Measuring the Momentum Distribution of the Unpaired Spin Electrons in Ferromagnets using Synchrotron Radiation

The dominant term in the x-ray Compton cross-section of an electron is the interaction of the photon and the electron’s charge. Platzman and Tsoar many years ago pointed out that there is also an interaction between an x-ray and the electron’s spin and in principle this interaction can give information on the momentum distribution of the unpaired spin electrons in the solid. Unfortunately the spin sensitive term is not only small compared to the charge term, but in addition couples to the photons in first order only with that components of the x-ray beam that is circularly polarized. A lack of intense sources of circularly polarized x-rays combined with the relative small size of the spin sensitive term makes measurements of the momentum distributions of unpaired spin electrons difficult resulting in little experimental progress initially made in spin or magnetic Compton scattering.
Primary Care Nurse Practitioners' Integrity When Faced With Moral Conflict:

Primary care presents distressful moral problems for nurse practitioners (NPs) who report frustration, powerlessness, changing jobs and leaving advanced practice. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to describe the process NPs use to manage moral problems common to primary care. Twenty-three NPs were interviewed, commenting on hypothetical situations depicting ethical issues common to primary care. Coding was conducted using a constant comparative method. A theory of maintaining moral integrity emerged consisting of the phases of encountering conflict, drawing a line, finding a way without crossing the line, and evaluating actions. The NPs varied in their awareness and the discord encountered in conflict, and in clarity, flexibility and justification of the line drawn. A critical juncture occurred when NPs evaluated how well integrity had been maintained. Some experienced no distress while others experienced self-doubt, regret, outrage and frustration at external constraints, and attempted to reconcile through avoiding, convincing themselves, and compensating.
An integrated relational database for tracking rock mass data during tunneling

There is an immense amount of geological and monitoring data that can be collected during tunnelling. The organization and ready use of this data determines how effectively the data can be utilized in real-time analysis and visualization. The ongoing collaborative research project AMADEUS (Adaptive Real-Time Geological Mapping Analysis of Underground Space) being conducted at Virginia Tech which integrates real-time data collection, analysis, and visualization of geological and monitoring data as a tunnel is advanced. A well structured database is a key component to the success of tunnelling operations when large amounts of data are acquired. A database for tracking and organizing tunnelling data has been designed as a part of the AMADEUS research project. This paper provides design details of this database and its implementation to AMADEUS. The database design allows for the integration of the main aspects of the AMADEUS project, which are as follows: digital imaging and interpretation of tunnel geology, statistical processing of joint data to build stochastic geological models, development and advancement of computational tools for rock mass modelling, computer tomography to detect and map stress changes and concentrations, virtual environment (VE) for visualization & interaction with a virtual excavation model. Using the database to integrate all these aspects, allows for quick reliable recording and sharing of location based data. (A) This paper was presented at Safety in the underground space - Proceedings of the ITA-AITES 2006 World Tunnel Congress and the 32nd ITA General Assembly, Seoul, Korea, 22-27 April 2006. For the covering abstract see ITRD E129148. "Reprinted with permission from Elsevier".
Stability of the mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON) during the production of flour-based foods and wheat flake cereal

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a mycotoxin found in cereal grains and cereal-based foods. DON concentrations in finished products are reduced under some processing conditions, but not others. DON concentrations in flour, wheat and selected foods made from them under commercially relevant conditions were compared by GC with electron capture detection. Average concentrations (n = 9/item) in cookies, crackers and pretzels ranged from 61% (cookies) to 111% (pretzels) compared with flour (100% = 0.46 µg g-1). Lesser amounts were found in donuts and bread: their respective DON concentrations were 44% and 30% that of flour. Mass balance estimates for DON (µg g-1 flour equivalents) ranged from 50% (bread = 0.23 µg g-1 flour equivalents) to 120% (donuts), indicating that dilution by recipe ingredients contributed to DON reductions in bread and accounted for all of the apparent reduction in donuts. Mass balance estimates averaged 76% (crackers) to 107% (pretzels) for the other flour products. DON concentrations were higher in cereal flakes (0.55 µg g-1 in the finished product and 0.58 µg g-1 on a mass balance basis) than in wheat (0.40 µg g-1), suggesting that DON concentrations might increase during processing of wheat cereals under some conditions. In summary, DON concentrations of finished food products were reduced >or=50% only in bread and donuts. Reduction in bread resulted from a combination of DON 'loss' and dilution by recipe ingredients whereas the reduction in donuts was due entirely to dilution. These results are further evidence of DON stability during the preparation of popular flour or wheat-based products.
Bovine Respiratory Syncytial Virus and Histophilus somni Interaction at the Alveolar Barrier

Our previous studies showed that Histophilus somni and bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) act synergistically in vivo to cause more severe bovine respiratory disease than either agent alone causes. Since H. somni surface and secreted immunoglobulin binding protein A (IbpA) causes retraction of bovine alveolar type 2 (BAT2) cells and invasion between BAT2 cells in vitro, we investigated mechanisms of BRSV-plus-H. somni infection at the alveolar barrier. BRSV treatment of BAT2 cells prior to treatment with IbpA-rich H. somni concentrated culture supernatant (CCS) resulted in increased BAT2 cell rounding and retraction compared to those with either treatment alone. This mimicked the increased alveolar cell thickening in calves experimentally infected with BRSV followed by H. somni compared to that in calves infected with BRSV or H. somni alone. BRSV-plus-H. somni CCS treatment of BAT2 cells also enhanced paracellular migration. The effect of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) was investigated as well because microarray analysis revealed that treatment with BRSV plus H. somni synergistically upregulated BAT2 cell expression of mmp1 and mmp3 compared to that in cells treated with either agent alone. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) confirmed that MMP1 and MMP3 protein levels were similarly upregulated. In collagen I and collagen IV (targets for MMP1 and MMP3, respectively) substrate zymography, digestion was increased with supernatants from dually treated BAT2 cells compared with those from singly treated cells. Enhanced breakdown of collagen IV in the basal lamina and of fibrillar collagen I in the adjacent interstitium in the dual infection may facilitate dissemination of H. somni infection.
Robust Prioritization Framework for Transport Infrastructure Adaptation Investments under Uncertainty of Climate Change

AbstractTo create and sustain resilient infrastructure systems, decision makers must consider a changing climate in their design and maintenance planning. However, significant barriers exist to constrain the understanding and implementation of climate change considerations, including the inherent uncertainty in climate change model projections. The high level of uncertainty related to climate projections makes the engineering planning process difficult because it is impossible to fully know future climate conditions relative to historical design standards. This paper seeks to address this challenge by introducing a new method for calculating robust decisions rooted in existing decision theory and uncertainty. This paper details the framework used for the new decision-making process and describes how the framework can provide guidance about achieving low-regret adaptation options for resilient road infrastructure design. A case study of a province in Mexico illustrates the application of the framework to a...
Configuring America: Iconic Figures, Visuality, and the American Identity Klaus Rieser, Michael Fuchs, and Michael Phillips, Editors. Chicago, IL: Intellect, University of Chicago Press, 2013.

Configuring America: Iconic Figures, Visuality, and the American Identity Klaus Rieser, Michael Fuchs, and Michael Phillips, Editors. Chicago, IL: Intellect, University of Chicago Press, 2013.In this edited volume, twelve chapters examine American icons from real-life figures such as Joe Louis and LeBron James to imaged icons such as Captain America and Uncle Sam. Although studies on heroes and icons tend to focus on representation, Configuring America analyzes visuality to better understand the significance of these heroes and icons in the society, more than just what an individual means through his or her (and sometimes its) rep res enta ti vity. All the contributors agree that iconic figures maintain a symbolic role, not necessarily for who they are, but rather for what they are constructed to signify. This signification is two-fold. On one level, it is mediated by the (imagined) lived experience of the iconic figure. On another level, "personifications of these lived experiences" enable them to transcend the distinction between the real and the virtual (5). Through this process of abstractions and condensations, an image is conjured up, which is how iconic figures are different from politicians, bestselling authors, and other types of celebrities and makes "James Dean and Madonna have more in common with Superman or Uncle Sam" than with canonical literary or scientific figures (4).The focus of the book is American icons. This choice complicates the matter at hand. American icons, by definition, seem to reflect American exceptio nalism. They supposedly reflect what makes the US the US, or what makes the nation unique. However, these iconic figures are iconic because a majority of Americans have agreed to consider them to be American, a very concept that is nothing but imagined and is an outcome of a collective consciousness. Therefore, they simultaneously configure, reflect, and reconfigure American national identity.Configuring America advances two hypotheses. The first is that "icons condense aspects relevant to everyday life (the "ordinary") into an extraordinary form (8). Grace Kelly and Superman, who are examined respectively by Ana Salzberg and Keith Murphy, are used to support this hypothesis. Kelly is a paradoxical figure who underplayed the glory and fairy tale qualities of her own life which simultaneously generated her image as a fairy tale figure. Similarly, Superman's "S" logo or the outstretched arms are ordinary signs that have been turned into an extraordinary form of signification. The second hypothesis is that "icons play a double role in the hegemonic processes, being tied both to nodes of power and the public" (10). This means the icons must be accepted by the "nodes of power," including the academics and journalists while they must also be relevant to and accepted by the public (13). …
The transformation of lepidocrocite during heating; a magnetic and spectroscopic study

Infrared (IR) spectroscopy, in combination with magnetic methods, was used to study the thermally induced transformation of synthetic lepidocrocite (3,-FeOOH) to maghemite (~-Fe203). Mag- netic analyses showed that the thermal conversion began at about 175"C with the formation of super- paramagnetic maghemite clusters. The overall structural transformation to ferrimagnetic'y-Fe203 occurred at 200"C and was complete around 300"C. At higher temperatures, the maghemite converted into hematite (a-Fe203). Observation of the transformation from 3,-FeOOH to "y-Fe203 using variable-temperature IR spectroscopy indicated that dehydroxilation on a molecular level was initiated between 145"C and 155*C. The lag time between the onset of the breaking of OH bonds and the release of H20 from lepidocrocite around 1750C can be explained by diffusive processes. Overall dehydroxilation and the subsequent break- down of the lepidocrocite structure was complete below 219*(3. The comparison of the magnetic and IR data provides evidence that the dehydroxilation may precede the structural conversion to maghemite.
Reinforcement Learning of Argumentation Dialogue Policies in Negotiation

We build dialogue system policies for negotiation, and in particular for argumentation. These dialogue policies are designed for negotiation against users of different cultural norms (individualists, collectivists, and altruists). In order to learn these policies we build simulated users (SUs), i.e. models that simulate the behavior of real users, and use Reinforcement Learning (RL). The SUs are trained on a spoken dialogue corpus in a negotiation domain, and then tweaked towards a particular cultural norm using hand-crafted rules. We evaluate the learned policies in a simulation setting. Our results are consistent with our SUs, in other words, the policies learn what they are designed to learn, which shows that RL is a promising technique for learning policies in domains, such as argumentation, that are more complex than standard slot-filling applications. Index Terms: spoken dialogue systems, reinforcement learning, simulated users, argumentation, negotiation, culture.
States' Responses to Fiscal Droughts and Riches

In the last twenty years, state revenues have increased for long stretches and then suffered drastic declines. We seek to determine whether asymmetric responses to these revenue swings lead governments to grow and to change their spending allocations. We find that general government spending and Medicaid and hospital spending increase in response to positive swings, but change little in response to negative swings. This asymmetry explains increases over time in general, Medicaid, and hospital spending. Concerns over excessive and wasteful government spending have led economists to advocate policies that “starve the beast,” such as constitutional amendments that limit the governments' ability to raise taxes, tax cuts, or higher deficits. However, we provide evidence that higher deficits lead to cuts in government services that have been found to be beneficial, such as community college education. Further, even though the Medicaid program has grown, decreases in state balances lead to reductions in Medicaid benefits for children, which have been shown to be welfare improving.
Spin Polarization of Electrons Tunneling from Thin Ferromagnetic Films

We have measured the conductance σ = dI/dV of tunnel junctions between ferromagnetic thin films and very thin superconducting A1 films1 at a temperature of 0.5°K and in magnetic fields H up to 55 kOe. From plots of σ vs. the applied bias voltage V we can determine the spin polarization P ≡ (n ↑ — n↓)/(n↑ + n↓) of the tunneling electrons, where n↑ and n↓ are the numbers of electrons with magnetic moment parallel and antiparallel to H, respectively. The energy of the electrons involved is within about 1 meV of the Fermi energy E F. This method depends on the fact2 that the density of states of very thin A1 films is split into spin-up and spin-down components by an applied magnetic field. Thus by choosing the bias voltage appropriately, one can control whether spin-up or spin-down electrons can tunnel.
DEVELOPMENT AND NEW ACHIEVEMENT ON PLANETARY MILL

In this paper, the development and new achievements of planetary mill(PLM) in China and abroad is introduced with emphasis on problems of traditional planetary mill,ie double planetary mill (DPM) and single planetary mill (SPM) A new type planetary mill of simplified structure, ie the compound planetary mill (CPM) is put forward Through experiment of pilot CPM, it is recognized that this kind of CPM is feasible not only for thin slab CCDR process, but also good for revamping of existing PLM
Self-Government of the People

THE IDEAL OF SELF-GOVERNMENT The ideal that justified the founding of modern representative institutions was “self-government of the people.” The problem to be solved, as posed by Rousseau (1964 [1762]: 182), was to “find a form of association which defends and protects with all the shared force the person and the goods of each associate, and through which each, uniting with all, still obeys but himself, remaining as free as before.” Self-government of the people was the solution to this problem. Self-government, in turn, was desirable because it was the best system to advance liberty, understood in a particular way as ‘autonomy’: We are free when we are bound only by laws we choose. As Dunn (1993: vi) observes, the idea of autonomy is the source of “the power and appeal of democracy.” “In sharp contrast to the autocratic alternative,” writes another contemporary theorist, “democracy aims to empower all citizens in equal measure. However short of this claim democracies may fall, it is this goal – the goal of autonomy – that characterizes them most centrally in normative and empirical terms” (Lakoff 1996: 155). As formulated originally, this ideal is neither coherent logically nor feasible practically. When we are governed collectively, each of us cannot obey but oneself. Choosing freely for oneself is not a reasonable criterion for evaluating real democracies. But if the original ideal of self-government cannot be realized, what is the best possible?
Collimator Technology and Advancements

This is the final article in a four-part continuing education series on scintillation camera technology. After studying this article the reader should be able to: 1) understand the differences in collimator design; 2) evaluate the proper utilization of collimators; and 3) discuss the resolution and sensitivity trade-offs in collimator selection.
How I manage ibrutinib-refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia

The introduction of the Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor ibrutinib has dramatically changed the management of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Although responses have been durable in the majority of patients, relapses do occur, especially in the high-risk patient population. Most relapses occur as the result of acquired mutations in BTK and PLCG2, which may facilitate success with alternative targeted therapies. As outcomes after ibrutinib relapse have been reported to be poor, specific strategies are needed for this patient population. Here, I discuss the diagnosis and management of ibrutinib-refractory CLL. The focus will be on common clinical scenarios that can be mistaken for relapse and how to accurately determine which patients are relapsing. Because there is no established standard of care, I discuss currently available options for standard therapy and existing clinical data. I also discuss new agents with the potential to be effective in patients refractory to ibrutinib. Finally, I discuss strategies for long-term disease control in this patient population.
Complete Placenta Previa: Ultrasound Biometry and Surgical Outcomes.

Objective To evaluate the relationship between surgical outcomes and ultrasound measurement of placental extension beyond the cervical os in women with placenta previa. Study Design This is a retrospective cohort study of singleton pregnancies with placenta previa undergoing third-trimester ultrasound and delivering at our institution from 2002 through 2011. For study purposes, an investigator measured placental extension, defined as the placental distance from the internal os across the placenta continuing out to the lowest placental edge. If morbidly adherent placentation was suspected, women were excluded. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were developed for pertinent surgical outcomes, and multivariate analysis was performed to determine the placental extension with the best predictive discriminatory zone. Results In total, 157 women had placenta previa, ultrasound, and delivery data: 86 (55%) had a placental extension of 2,000 mL, blood transfusion, and rate of peripartum hysterectomy. After multivariate analysis, only peripartum hysterectomy and surgical time > 90 minutes remained significant, p ≤ 0.05 and p ≤ 0.01, respectively. Conclusion In women with placenta previa, the placental extension ultrasound measurement of ≥40 mm is a predictor of adverse surgical outcomes.
Editor's Comments: Benefits of a Marketing Plan

A marketing plan serves several purposes within any gaming company: • Provides a road map for all marketing activities of the firm for the next year. Ensures that marketing activities are in agreement with the corporate strategic plan. Forces marketing managers to review and think through objectively all steps in the marketing process. • Assists in the budgeting process to match resources with marketing objectives. Creates a process to monitor actual results against expected results.
Affine Invariant Detection: Edge Maps, Anisotropic Diffusion, and Active Contours

In this paper we undertake a systematic investigation of affine invariant object detection and image denoising. Edge detection is first presented from the point of view of the affine invariant scale-space obtained by curvature based motion of the image level-sets. In this case, affine invariant maps are derived as a weighted difference of images at different scales. We then introduce the affine gradient as an affine invariant differential function of lowest possible order with qualitative behavior similar to the Euclidean gradient magnitude. These edge detectors are the basis for the extension of the affine invariant scale-space to a complete affine flow for image denoising and simplification, and to define affine invariant active contours for object detection and edge integration. The active contours are obtained as a gradient flow in a conformally Euclidean space defined by the image on which the object is to be detected. That is, we show that objects can be segmented in an affine invariant manner by computing a path of minimal weighted affine distance, the weight being given by functions of the affine edge detectors. The gradient path is computed via an algorithm which allows to simultaneously detect any number of objects independently of the initial curve topology. Based on the same theory of affine invariant gradient flows we show that the affine geometric heat flow is minimizing, in an affine invariant form, the area enclosed by the curve.
The Paradoxical Web of Pancreatic Cancer Tumor Microenvironment.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is increasing in incidence and is projected to become the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Despite significant advances in understanding the disease, there has been minimal increase in PDAC patient survival. PDAC tumors are unique in the fact that there is significant desmoplasia. This generates a large stromal compartment composed of immune cells, inflammatory cells, growth factors, extracellular matrix, and fibroblasts, comprising the tumor microenvironment (TME), which may represent anywhere from 15% to 85% of the tumor. It has become evident that the TME, including both the stroma and extracellular component, plays an important role in tumor progression and chemoresistance of PDAC. This review will discuss the multiple components of the TME, their specific impact on tumorigenesis, and the multiple therapeutic targets.
Application of the Second-Order Comprehensive Adjoint Sensitivity Analysis Methodology to Compute First- and Second-Order Sensitivities of Flux Functionals in a Multiplying System with Source

This work presents an application of the Second-Order Adjoint Sensitivity Analysis Methodology (2nd-ASAM) to the neutron transport Boltzmann equation that models a multiplying subcritical system co...
Large-scale motions in a plane wall jet

The plane wall jet (PWJ) is a wall-bounded flow in which a wall shear layer develops in the presence of extremely energetic flow structures of the outer free-shear layer. The structure of a PWJ, developing in still air, was studied with the focus on the large scales in the flow. Wall-normal hot-wire anemometry (HWA) measurements along with double-frame particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements (wall-normal–streamwise plane) were carried out at streamwise distances up to were also carried out as appropriate, to highlight key features of the PWJ structure. Consistent with previous work, the PWJ showed a dependence of the peak turbulent stresses on the jet exit Reynolds number. The turbulent production showed a peak corresponding to the near-wall cycle similar to the peak seen in the ZPGBL. However, another turbulent production peak was observed in the outer free-shear layer that was an order of magnitude larger than the inner one. Along with the change in sign of the viscous and Reynolds shear stresses, the PWJ was shown to have a region of very low turbulent production between these two peaks. The dissipation rate increased over the PWJ layer with a peak also in the outer region. Visualizations of the flow and two-point correlations reveal that the most energetic large-scale structures within a PWJ are vortical motions in the wall-normal–streamwise plane similar to those structures seen in free-shear layers. These structures are referred to as J (for jet) type structures. In addition two-point correlations reveal the existence of large-scale structures in the wall region which have a signature similar to those structures seen in canonical boundary layers. These structures are referred to as W (for wall) type structures. Instantaneous PIV realizations and flow visualizations reveal that these W type large-scale features are consistent with the paradigm of hairpin vortex packets in the wall region. The J type structures were seen to intrude well into the wall region while the W type structures were also seen to extend into the outer shear layer. Further, these large-scale structures were shown to modulate the amplitude of the finer scales of the flow.
Metastable Olivine Wedge Beneath the Japan Sea Imaged by Seismic Interferometry

The metastable olivine wedge (MOW) within subducted slabs has long been hypothesized to host deep-focus earthquakes (>300 km). Its presence would also rule out hydrous slabs being subducted into the mantle transition zone. However, the existence and dimensions of MOW remain controversial. Here, we apply inter-source interferometry, which converts deep earthquakes into virtual seismometers, to detect the seismic signature of MOW without influence from shallow heterogeneities. With data from the Hinet, we confirm the existence of MOW beneath the Japan Sea and constrain its geometry to be ~30 km thick at 410-km depth and gradually diminishing to a depth of 610 km at least. Our result supports transformational faulting of metastable olivine as the initiation mechanism of deep earthquakes, although large events (M7.0+) probably rupture beyond the wedge. Furthermore, the slab core must be dehydrated at shallower depth and only transports negligible amount of water into the transition zone.
An Explanation of the Veridical Uniformity Universal

A semantic universal, which we here dub the Veridical Uniformity Universal, has recently been argued to hold of responsive verbs (those that take both declarative and interrogative complements). This paper offers a preliminary explanation of this universal: verbs satisfying it are easier to learn than those that do not. This claim is supported by a computational experiment using artificial neural networks, mirroring a recent proposal for explaining semantic universals of quantifiers. This preliminary study opens up many avenues for future work on explaining semantic universals more generally, which are discussed in the conclusion.
CHAPTER VII – Riemannian Geometry

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on Riemannian geometry. In studying the geometry of a surface in E3, it is found that some of its most important geometric properties belong to the surface itself and not the surrounding Euclidean space. Gaussian curvature is a prime example; although defined in terms of shape operators, it belongs to this intrinsic geometry, as it passes the test of isometric invariance. The dot product is but one instance of the general notion of inner product, and Riemann's idea was to replace the dot product by a quite arbitrary inner product on each tangent plane of an abstract surface M. A manifold M of arbitrary dimension furnished with a differentiable inner product on each of its tangent spaces is called a Riemannian manifold, and the resulting geometry is Riemannian geometry. Thus, a geometric surface is the same thing as a two-dimensional Riemannian manifold. Various theorems are proven in the chapter.
Engaging Preschoolers with Critical Literacy Through Counter-Storytelling: A Qualitative Case Study

Despite the importance of traditional children’s literature in children’s literacy learning, little is still known about how fairytales can be effectively used for pedagogical purposes to facilitate young children’s critical participation in early literacy instruction. The main purpose of this article is to explore the intersection of literature-based instruction, multimodality, and early critical literacy pedagogies by examining how young children negotiate, represent, and (re)create their voices through engaging in counter-storytelling. The study was conducted at a kindergarten classroom located in a metropolitan city in South Korea. Using a qualitative case study method, multimodal data were collected for 5 months through classroom observations, one-to-one interviews with the parents and the teacher, observational field notes, and children’s artifacts. Findings suggest that it is important for teachers to value young children’s voices as storytellers and create a fluid and dynamic literacy atmosphere where young children explore their voice in exciting, intriguing, and multimodal ways. It also indicates that teachers need to encourage children to think critically and creatively through developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate curricular activities.
System level impediments to achieving absolute sustainability using LCA

Abstract Life cycle assessment (LCA) results typically suggest that the life cycle emissions of powered products, such as vehicles, are dominated by the use-phase. Industrial emissions actually account for one third of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions but by failing to consider year-on-year growth in the number of products manufactured, LCAs present a distorted emissions landscape to businesses and policy makers. This work is a first step towards incorporating system-level effects (e.g., sales growth) into emissions analyses based on product-level LCAs. We examine the deployment of electric passenger cars in the U.S. assuming they displace internal combustion vehicles (ICEV). The results show that, despite a single electric vehicle causing fewer emissions than an ICEV, current expected electric vehicle deployment will increase cumulative emissions to 2050 compared to an ICEV only reference scenario.
PD-L1 Positivity Associated With Presence of Tertiary Lymphoid Structures and High-Stage Disease in Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma

Objectives Persistent antigen exposure leads to the accumulation of lymphocytes and subsequent tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS). We investigated the relationship of tumor microenvironment (TME) with respect to programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1), its receptor programmed death 1 (PD-1), and TLS in upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) cases and compared them with UTUC associated with urothelial bladder carcinoma (UTUC-BCa). Methods We retrospectively identified 72 patients with UTUC. Representative slides were reviewed, and TLS were counted. Immunohistochemical stains for PD-1 and PD-L1 were performed. PD-1-positive lymphocytes were counted and H-score for PD-L1-positive membranous staining was determined. Results PD-L1 expression in the tumor was present in 55.1% of the UTUC cases. Higher stage was associated with increased PD-L1 expression (P = .035). TLS were present in 33.3% and their presence was significantly associated with PD-L1 positivity (P = .024). This association remained significant after adjustment for UTUC-BCa. TLS were also associated with a greater number of infiltrating PD-1-positive lymphocytes (P = .013). Conclusions This study is one of the first comparative studies of the TME in UTUC and UTUC-BCa. PD-L1 is expressed in a subset of UTUC and is associated with TLS. The presence of TLS is an inherent characteristic of UTUC and not secondary to the presence of BCa.