cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Physical Properties of Granular Metal Solids

Publisher Summary Granular metal solids, consisting of ultrafine metal particles dispersed in an immiscible medium, constitute a unique class of artificially structured materials that have recently attracted considerable experimental and theoretical interest. The novel properties of these materials arise from two distinct, but related, origins. As all composites, granular metal solids combine in one material the often disparate characteristics of the constituents from which they are formed. Consequently, many properties of these materials can be continuously varied by simply changing the relative composition of the individual components. More importantly, the size and volume fraction of the constituent metal particles constitute two additional degrees of freedom that can be controlled to produce desirable materials properties. Granular metal solids exhibit a rich diversity of physical properties. This chapter presents a systematic experimental and theoretical study of the structural, thermal, transport, magnetic, and optical properties of granular metal films. It reviews the current status of that work on granular metal films. The chapter describes sample fabrication techniques and discusses the structure, thermal properties, transport properties, and magnetic properties of several illustrative metal-insulator granular metal systems. It then describes the results of a theoretical calculation of the unique infrared absorption properties of a proposed new class of structured granular films.
Institutional Economics And The Dual Labor Market Theory

No one has put it better than Wesley Clair Mitchell: “The only reason, the only excuse, for the study of economic theory is to make this world a better place in which to live.”2 What Mitchell was insisting, of course, is that economic theory is most fundamentally an instrument for guiding the process of institutional adjustment in such fashion that “better” flows of real income will be produced. From this standpoint, accordingly, it becomes the task of the practicing economist to develop valid theories which can be used to devise or evaluate specific proposals for altering the institutions patterning specific subsystems of the market economy,3 for example, the “labor market.” For only if a theory, or the model through which it is expressed, is believed to be valid will policymakers be able to use it for institutional impact analysis,4 that is, to anticipate (predict) whether, in the context of a concrete issue, proposed adjustments of existing rules or practices actually are likely to alter the future “economic” attainments (real incomes) of individuals or groups in a “good” way.
Fuzzy Set-Theoretic Operations

As we have seen in the previous section, we can identify the operations between fuzzy sets by the corresponding operations on the unit interval, fuzzy set operations being defined point-wise. This implies that we can study operations between fuzzy sets by the corresponding operations over the real unit interval.
Chapter Three - mitigating allergenicity of crops.

Abstract Reducing the allergenicity of edible crops may be feasible to some extent through genetic means. Allergenicity of different crops varies widely, and consumed components may present multiple allergenic proteins, some of which play essential roles in growth and development of the plant or seeds. Identifying spontaneous or induced mutations in genes for allergenic proteins is facilitated by technological advancements in DNA sequence analysis and proteomics. Furthermore, genetic engineering provides strategies for altering gene expression to study the effects of allergen reduction. In this review, allergens of most concern from major crops within the “Big 8” allergen group are described and approaches for mitigation of allergenicity in these crops are presented.
The Sierra Nevada Example: Survey of Stakeholders

We turn now to practical aspects of the elicitation and analysis of stakeholder preferences and the application of the results to the learning network approach. We suggest that the techniques proposed in this chapter and the next can provide valuable insights into stakeholder preferences and their consequences that might otherwise be overlooked. The linking of preferences to potential consequences may help clarify the role of values in public participatory processes.
Distinguishing Brain Impact of Aging and HIV Severity in Chronic HIV Using Multiparametric MR Imaging and MR Spectroscopy

Background Combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) has transformed HIV into a manageable but complex chronic disease, in which it is uncertain which brain insults may relate to age vs initial disease severity. We evaluate N-acetyl-aspartate/creatine (NAA/Cr), white matter hyperintensities (WMH), and mean cortical thickness to identify which subclinical markers of brain insult best relate to CD4 nadir and aging. This is a prospective study of the association between brain markers with age and initial infection severity, based on CD4 nadir, in chronic HIV patients. Methods Thirty-seven chronic HIV patients (age 25-77 years) with successful viral suppression were scanned on a GE 3T magnetic resonance imaging scanner to obtain NAA/Cr (standardized and averaged over 5 brain regions), log-transformed WMH volume, and mean cortical thickness. The brain measures were fitted with both CD4 nadir and age to evaluate the significance of their relationship. Results NAA/Cr, WMH, and cortical thickness were all correlated with age and CD4 nadir in unadjusted associations. Stepwise regression models showed that NAA/Cr alone best predicted CD4 nadir (β = 40.1 ± 13.3; P = .005), whereas WMH (β = 2.3 ± .9; P = .02) and mean cortical thickness (β = -2.7 ± 6.6; P < .0001) together produced the best model fit with age. NAA/Cr was higher for HIV stage 1 (CD4 nadir ≥ 500 cells/ µL; n = 15) compared with stage 2 (200 ≥ CD4 nadir < 500; n = 13) and stage 3 (CD4 nadir < 200; n = 9; P < .01 for both). Conclusions In patients with effectively suppressed HIV, NAA reflects the subclinical brain impact of initial disease severity related to development of even mild immune compromise, whereas cortical thickness and WMH volume are useful to evaluate age-related changes.
Plotting Signals Using Singularity Functions with Application to Convolution and Fourier Series of Square/Triangular Wave Signals

Singularity functions are an important topic in undergraduate studies covered primarily in signal processing. Some of those functions are the step function, the ramp function and the parabolic function. Using the step function, several different periodic square waves can be formed. Using the ramp function several periodic triangular waves can be formed. To achieve this, MATLAB functions called stp_fn, rmp_fn, par_fn, and cub_fn were written. This allows the study of Fourier Series of such signals which is a method of expressing a periodic signal as a sum of sinusoids. To obtain such series the complex exponential form was used. MATLAB programs were written to see how many sinusoidal terms (harmonics) are needed to approximate a square wave and a triangular wave. The Gibbs phenomenon is observed as well. The Fourier Series allows someone to observe the components of a signal which would otherwise be very difficult to observe. Moreover, Fourier Series makes filtering or manipulating the components of a signal possible. A convolution of two signals is included in this work as well.
Ordinary Innovations of Older Adults: An Interview Study to Understand Interest Development in Aging

Building and maintaining personal interests are important for older adults to promote an active and healthy lifestyle. In this paper, we discuss older adults' innovative ways of developing their interests and the related influence on their health and well-being. We conducted an interview study with 20 healthy older adults to investigate the practices around interest development and the impact of those experiences on their quality of life. We found out that older adults pursued unexpectedly creative ways to develop their personal interests, which not only contributed to emotional well-being, but also significantly influenced the liveliness and the sustainability of their local community which in turn sustained active aging.
Improving the Electrified Powertrain Performance based on Retrospective Behaviour of Battery state of charge and engine fuel consumption

Abstract Vehicle performance, including battery charge sustaining operation and engine fuel economy improvement, is dependent on how its powertrain controller is tuned for different road loads, which is hard to predict. However, if historical data is analyzed and used to fine tune the energy management strategy coefficients, vehicle powertrain performance can be enhanced. This paper presents a retrospective performance-based powertrain controller which is dependent on a conflicting cost function. The cost function depends on a charge sustaining operation of the onboard battery and engine fuel consumption. The proposed Retrospective Cost Adaptive Controller (RCAC) has been designed for a parallel HEV, which improves powertrain performance based on its historical performance. The numerical simulation results demonstrate that the powertrain controller coefficients are re-calibrated to improve powertrain performance. It is also shown that the once the RCAC learns the driving styles, the powertrain performance is comparable to benchmark results generated using Dynamics Programming.
Volumetric growth rates of sessile serrated adenomas/polyps observed in situ at longitudinal CT colonography

Sessile serrated adenomas/polyps (SSA/Ps) are now recognized as potential cancer precursors, but little is known about their natural history. We assessed the in vivo growth rates of histologically proven SSA/Ps at longitudinal CT colonography (CTC) and compared results with non-advanced tubular adenomas (TAs). We identified a cohort of 53 patients (mean age, 54.8 ± 5.5 years; M:F, 26:27) from one center with a total of 58 SSA/Ps followed longitudinally at CTC (mean follow-up interval, 5.3 ± 1.9 years). Initial and final size measurements were determined using dedicated CTC software. Findings were compared with 141 non-advanced TAs followed at CTC (mean, 4.1 ± 2.3 years) in 113 patients (mean age, 56.8 ± 6.9 years). SSA/Ps were more often flat (62% [36/58] vs. 14% [20/141], p < 0.0001) and right-sided (98% [57/58] vs. 46% [65/141], p < 0.0001) compared with TAs. Initial average diameter was greater for SSA/Ps (9.3 mm vs. 6.3 mm; p < 0.0001). Mean annual volumetric growth was + 12.7%/year for SSA/Ps vs. + 36.4%/year for TAs (p = 0.028). Using a previously defined threshold of + 20% increase in volume/year to define progression, 22% (13/58) of SSA/Ps and 41% (58/141) of TAs progressed (p = 0.014). None of the SSA/Ps had dysplasia or invasive cancer at histopathology. Sessile serrated adenoma/polyps demonstrate slower growth compared with conventional non-advanced tubular adenomas, despite larger initial linear size. This less aggressive behavior may help explain the more advanced patient age for serrated pathway cancers. Furthermore, these findings could help inform future colonoscopic surveillance strategies, as current guidelines are largely restricted to expert opinion related to the absence of natural history data. • Sessile serrated adenoma/polyps (SSA/Ps) tend to be flat, right-sided, and demonstrate slower growth compared with conventional non-advanced tubular adenomas. • This less aggressive behavior of SSA/Ps may help explain the more advanced patient age for serrated pathway cancers.
On maps preserving products equal to a rank-one idempotent

Let P, Q be fixed rank-one idempotents of Mn(C), the algebra of n×n matrices over the complex numbers. In this paper, we will study a bijective linear map f:Mn(C)→Mn(C) satisfying the property f(X)...
To induce or not to induce: the fight over hepcidin regulation

Systemic iron homeostasis is co-ordinated by the hepatic hormone hepcidin.[1][1] Hepcidin inhibits iron export through the cellular iron transporter ferroportin, thereby preventing iron absorption and the release of recycled or stored iron into plasma, resulting in decreased plasma iron levels.[2][2
Gold Panning from the Mess: Rare Category Exploration, Exposition, Representation, and Interpretation

In contrast to the massive volume of data, it is often the rare categories that are of great importance in many high impact domains, ranging from financial fraud detection in online transaction networks to emerging trend detection in social networks, from spam image detection in social media to rare disease diagnosis in the medical decision support system. The unique challenges of rare category analysis include: (1) the highly-skewed class-membership distribution; (2) the non-separability nature of the rare categories from the majority classes; (3) the data and task heterogeneity, e.g., the multi-modal representation of examples, and the analysis of similar rare categories across multiple related tasks. This tutorial aims to provide a concise review of state-of-the-art techniques on complex rare category analysis, where the majority classes have a smooth distribution, while the minority classes exhibit a compactness property in the feature space or subspace. In particular, we start with the context, problem definition and unique challenges of complex rare category analysis; then we present a comprehensive overview of recent advances that are designed for this problem setting, from rare category exploration without any label information to the exposition step that characterizes rare examples with a compact representation, from representing rare patterns in a salient embedding space to interpreting the prediction results and providing relevant clues for the end users' interpretation; at last, we will discuss the potential challenges and shed light on the future directions of complex rare category analysis.
On Subgroup Separability in Hyperbolic Coxeter Groups

We prove that certain hyperbolic Coxeter groups are separable on their geometrically finite subgroups.
The Trouble with Trial Time Limits

Civil trial rates are at an all-time low. Meanwhile, “trial time limits” — judicially imposed limits on the time litigants have to present their evidence at trial — seem to be at an all-time high. We have fewer trials than ever, yet we’re taking aggressive steps to curtail the few that we’ve got. This Article zeroes in on this paradox. It excavates time limits’ origins, tracks their rise, examines their administration, and raises deep questions about their fairness and utility. Trial time limits have, so far, been variously ignored or, alternatively, lauded, as a way to promote juror comprehension and as a tool to make trials cheaper and more efficient. Indeed, one court has gone so far as to call these restrictions “essential” to sensible docket management. This Article challenges that conventional story and cautions against time limits’ regular or reflexive application. In so doing, this Article seeks to begin a broader inquiry into how the American civil trial of the twenty-first century is not only disappearing; the scattered trials that remain are also changing, in subtle and hard-to-quantify but profoundly important ways.
Analyzing Student Code Trajectories in an Introductory Programming MOOC

Understanding student behavior in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) can help us make online learning more beneficial for students. We investigate student code trajectories on the individual problem level in an MITx MOOC teaching introductory programming in Python, using keyword occurrence features associated with code submissions to represent these trajectories. Since code is so problem-specific, we develop gold standard solutions for comparison. Anecdotal observations on individual student trajectories reveal distinct behaviors which may correlate with prior experience level. We build models to correlate these trajectories with student characteristics and behaviors of interest, specifically prior experience level and video engagement. Generative modeling allows us to probe the space of submitted solutions and trajectories and explore these correlations.
Prediagnostic adult body mass index change and esophageal adenocarcinoma survival

textabstractBackground: We examined whether body mass index (BMI) changes in adulthood, prior to disease onset, are associated with overall survival among esophageal adenocarcinoma patients. Methods: We included 285 histologically confirmed patients with a complete baseline BMI questionnaire. Using extended Cox regression models, we obtained adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for the associations between overall survival and BMI at diagnosis, BMI 6 months before diagnosis, self-reported average adult BMI, and ΔBMI (BMI 6 months before diagnosis minus average adult BMI), categorized into tertiles 25 and <35 kg/m2 was associated with better overall survival. Compared to patients with stable BMI in adulthood, patients who gained BMI throughout adulthood had 1.68 times the all-cause hazard of death (95% CI: 1.17-2.43; P <.01), independent of diagnosis BMI and percent weight loss 6 months before diagnosis. Compared to patients with average adult BMI < 27.5 who maintained stable adult BMI, patients with average adult BMI ≥ 27.5 kg/m2 who gained BMI had the worst survival (HR = 3.05; 95% CI 1.62-5.72; P <.01). Conclusion: Body mass index gain in adulthood is associated with poor overall survival, and maintaining a normal body weight throughout adulthood is associated with the best overall survival among esophageal adenocarcinoma patients, independent of BMI at diagnosis.
Distributed Leadership in Schools: Conditions for Success

7 Chapter 1 Introduction 8 Statement of Problem 8 Purpose Statement 9 Research Questions 10 Theoretical Rationale 10 Assumptions 11 Background and Need 11 Summary 13 Chapter 2 Review of the Literature 14 Introduction 14 Distributed Leadership Origins 14 Creating the Right Environment for Change 17 Trustworthiness 24 Other Factors of Influence 30 Interview with an Expert 33 Summary 33 Chapter 3 Method 35 Distributed Leadership 6 Research Approach 35 Ethical Standards 35 Sample and Site 35 Access and Permissions 36 Data Gathering Procedures 36 Data Analysis Approach 36 Chapter 4 Findings 38 Analysis of Administrative Job Descriptions 38 Surveys of Schools Practicing Distributed Leadership 39 Chapter 5 Discussion /Analysis 40 Summary of Major Findings 40 Limitations/Gaps in the Research 44 Implications for Future Research 44 Overall Significance of the Study 45 About the Author 46 References 47 Distributed Leadership 7
Motor Modules are Impacted by the Number of Reaching Directions Included in the Analysis

Muscle synergy analysis is commonly used to study how the nervous system coordinates the activation of a large number of muscles during human reaching. In synergy analysis, muscle activation data collected from various reaching directions are subjected to dimensionality reduction techniques to extract muscle synergies. Typically, muscle activation data are obtained only from a limited set of reaches with an inherent assumption that the performed reaches adequately represent all possible reaches. In this study, we investigated how the number of reaching directions included in the synergy analysis influences the validity of the extracted synergies. We used a musculoskeletal model to compute muscle activations required to perform 36 evenly spaced planar reaches. Nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) and principal component analysis (PCA) were then used to extract reference synergies. We then selected several subsets of reaches and compared the ability of the extracted synergies from each subset to represent the muscle activation from all 36 reaches. We found that 6 reaches were required to extract valid synergies, and a further reduction in the number of reaches changed the composition of the resulting synergies. Further, we found that the choice of reaching directions included in the analysis for a given number of reaches also affected the validity of the extracted synergies. These findings indicate that both the number and the choice of reaching directions included in the analysis impacted the validity of the extracted synergies.
Associations Between Sexual Trauma and Sexual Relationship Power Among Latina Immigrant Farmworkers: The Moderating Role of Gender Norms.

Sexual trauma is a national public health concern due to the alarming rates at which it occurs and decades of research supporting its long-term deleterious effects on health outcomes. We assessed the impact of gender norms and sexual trauma on power within sexual relationships among Latina immigrant farmworkers. At baseline, participants (N = 175) completed a survey examining demographic information, sexual trauma history, and gender norms; a follow-up was administered 6 months later. Past sexual trauma was associated with less power in sexual relationships, r = -.25, p < .001, as was endorsement of traditional Latina gender norms (i.e., marianismo): sexual relationship control, r = -.38, p < .001; sexual decision-making dominance, r = -.21, p = .005. In contrast, egalitarian gender norm endorsement was associated with higher levels of sexual relationship control, r = .37, p < .001, and sexual decision-making dominance, r = .17, p = .023. Gender norms moderated the association between sexual trauma and sexual relationship power. Specifically, women who subscribed more to marianismo and reported sexual trauma had less decision-making dominance in sexual relationships, whereas those with lower ratings of marianismo reported higher levels of decision-making dominance despite sexual trauma, R2 = .03, p = .022. Sexual trauma history coupled with higher ratings of egalitarian gender norms was associated with higher levels of sexual relationship control, DR2 = .02, p = .023. These results highlight the importance of culturally informed research to increase the sexual and overall health of vulnerable populations (e.g., Latina immigrant farmworkers).
Vented and sealed cookoff of powdered and pressed ε-CL-20

We have completed a series of vented and sealed cookoff experiments of the e-polymorph of CL-20 in our Sandia Instrumented Thermal Ignition (SITI) apparatus using both powder and pressed pellets at...
Improved method for post-processing correction of B 1 inhomogeneity in glutamate-weighted CEST images of the human brain.

Glutamate-weighted CEST (gluCEST) imaging is nearly unique in its ability to provide non-invasive, spatially resolved measurements of glutamate in vivo. In this article, we present an improved correction for B1 inhomogeneity of gluCEST images of the human brain. Images were obtained on a Siemens 7.0 T Terra outfitted with a single-volume transmit/32-channel receive phased array head coil. Numerical Bloch-McConnell simulations, fitting and data processing were performed using in-house code written in MATLAB and MEX (MATLAB executable). "Calibration" gluCEST data was acquired and fit with a phenomenological functional form first described here. The resulting surfaces were used to correct experimental data in accordance with a newly developed method. Healthy volunteers of varying ages were used for both fitted "calibration" data and corrected "experimental" data. Simulations allowed us to describe the dependence of CEST at 3.0 ppm (gluCEST) on saturation B1 using a new functional form, whose validity was confirmed by successful fitting to real human data. This functional form was used to parameterize surfaces over the space (B1 , T1 ), which could then be used to correct the signal from each pixel. The resulting images show less signal loss in areas of low B1 and greater contrast than those generated using the previously published method. We demonstrate that, using this method with appropriate nominal saturation B1 , the major limitation of correcting for B1 inhomogeneity becomes the effective flip angle of the acquisition module, rather than inability to correct for inhomogeneous saturation. The lower limit of our correction ability with respect to both saturation and acquisition B1 is about 40% of the nominal value. In summary, we demonstrate a more rigorous and successful approach to correcting gluCEST images for B1 inhomogeneity. Limitations of the method and further improvements to enable correction in regions with severe pathology are discussed.
Preliminary report on the functional changes associated with burst wave lithotripsy treated pig kidneys

Burst Wave Lithotripsy (BWL) is a new stone treatment that utilizes ultrasound to fracture renal calculi. However, it is not known if BWL alters renal function, so we tested if a clinical dose of BWL impacts glomerular filtration rate (GFR) or kidney blood flow. Treatment consisted of placing each pig (32–42 kg) on its side, locating the lower pole of the right kidney, and treating that kidney with a BWL dose of 18,000 ultrasound pulses at 10Hz, 20 cycles/pulse and a peak negative pressure of −7 MPa (n = 6). Six additional pigs were used as sham controls. Inulin and para-aminohippuric acid (PAH) were infused into the pigs with blood and urine samples being collected both before and 1-h after BWL treatment. The concentrations of inulin and PAH were determined in the samples and used to calculate GFR and effective renal plasma flow (eRPF). For the BWL treated group, GFR and eRPF did not change after BWL exposure (−6.7 ± 7.2% for GFR, −10.9 ± 5.5% for eRPF), and this response was like the sham control group (P = 0.23 for GFR, P = 0.08 for eRPF). A typical clinical dose of BWL caused no change in renal function. [Work supported by NIH, Grant P01 DK43881.]
Probability of menopause with increasing duration of amenorrhea in middle-aged women

The empirical percent probability that natural menopause has occurred after first presentation of amenorrhea of various durations in women greater than or equal to 45 years of age has been calculated using data from a cohort of subjects who prospectively recorded menstrual flow and related gynecologic events. The probability that menopause has occurred increases with the amenorrheal interval (duration), and for a given interval, the probability increases with age. After 180 days of amenorrhea, 45% to 72% of subjects were menopausal; after 360 days, 90%. These data may offer assistance in advising patients on the probability of menopause and the continuance of contraceptive practices, and in considering whether late genital bleeding after amenorrhea represents a physiologic or pathologic process.
Neuropilin-1 enforces Treg stability and function in the tumor microenvironment. (TUM2P.889)

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) play an integral role in the adaptive immune system by suppressing detrimental self-reactive responses. However, Tregs have deleterious effects in cancer through suppression of the anti-tumor immune response. Therefore, it is advantageous to understand the role of Tregs in the tumor microenvironment in order to create targeted cancer therapies. Our lab has uncovered a novel function for neuropilin-1 (Nrp1) on Tregs in tumors. In the absence of Nrp1 ligation by its ligand, Sema4a, Tregs lose stability and suppressive capabilities, leading to enhanced anti-tumor immunity and reduced tumor growth or tumor clearance. We hypothesize that the loss of Nrp1 expression on Tregs reduces intratumoral stability through altered intracellular pathways and diminished Foxp3 expression, transforming Tregs from an anti-inflammatory to a pro-inflammatory T cell population. Nrp1-deficient Tregs have a hypermethylated Foxp3 CNS2/TSDR locus in the tumor microenvironment, comparable to Teff, and display TH1-like characteristics, with upregulation of Tbet, CXCR3, and IFNγ, and the reduction of suppressive molecules, IL-10 and CD73. Furthermore, in competitive environments Nrp1-deficient Tregs undermine and limit the function of wild-type Tregs. Further mechanistic analysis and fate mapping studies will elucidate the cell-intrinsic and cell-extrinsic impact of Nrp1 loss on Treg function and tumor clearance.
SAR image reconstruction for an arbitrary radar path

Considers the problem of spotlight-mode synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging for an arbitrary radar path. A general imaging scenario involves a 3-D scattering surface with data collected along an arbitrary 3-D radar path. This approach is useful, for example, in military applications where the radar platform may undergo some maneuvers, and in radar astronomy where the relative motion is, at least in part, determined by the natural paths of celestial bodies. The authors show that nonideal platform motion can create phase variations in the data which lead to spatially-varying shifts and blurring. A correction procedure is proposed and demonstrated.
Suicide attempts and completions on medical‐surgical and intensive care units

Studies of inpatient suicide attempts and completions on medical-surgical and intensive care units are rare, and there are no large studies in the United States. We reviewed 50 cases, including 45 suicide attempts and 5 completed suicides, that occurred on medical surgical or intensive care units in the Veterans Health Administration between December 1, 1999 and December 31, 2012. The method, location, and the root causes of the events were categorized. The most common methods included cutting with a sharp object, followed by overdose and hanging. Root causes included problems with communication of risk, need for staff education in suicide assessment, and the need for better treatment for depressed and suicidal patients on medical units. Based on these results, we made our recommendations for managing suicidal patients on medical-surgical and intensive care units, including improved education for staff, standardized communication about suicide risk, and clear management protocols for suicidal patients. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2014;9:182–185. Published 2014 Society of Hospital Medicine
Total Laparoscopic Hysterectomy With Percutaneous (Percuvance) Instruments: New Frontier of Minimally Invasive Gynecological Surgery.

Abstract Study Objective To highlight the first case of laparoscopic hysterectomy performed with percutaneous instruments (The Percuvance System, Teleflex Incorporated, Wayne, PA). Design The basis of the system is a Background Minilaparoscopy is an attractive approach for hysterectomy due to advantages such as reduced morbidities and enhanced cosmesis. However, it has not been popularized because of the lack of suitable instruments and high technical demand. The Percuvance system represents a significant advance in minimally invasive surgery. Setting Catholic University of the Sacred Hearth, Rome, Italy. Patient A 53-year-old, multiparous patient with endometrial endometroid cancer grade 1, Federation Internationale de Gynecologie et d'Obstetrique stage IA. The patient provided informed consent to use the images and video of the procedure. Institutional review board approval was not required. Intervention The patient was hysteroscopically diagnosed with endometrial cancer after removal of an endometrial polyp adnexectomy. Once referred to our center, surgical staging was planned, including total hysterectomy and bilateral adnexectomy. Laparoscopy with 2 lateral percutaneous and 1 soprapubic 3-mm instruments was believed to be feasible to achieve these procedures. Main Results The operation was performed successfully with no intraoperative or postoperative complications. Operative time was 80 minutes overall, and blood loss was 50 mL. The pathology report confirmed endometrial endometroid cancer grading 1, Federation Internationale de Gynecologie et d'Obstetrique stage IA. The patient was discharged on day 1. After 2 months, no late complications or recurrence was detected. Conclusion Percutaneous total hysterectomy is technically feasible, and the use of this novel device permits surgeons to mantain a standard setting. Further studies are mandatory to define the benefits, advantages, and costs of this novel approach with respect to other minimally invasive approaches.
Solution structure of the RBD1,2 domains from human nucleolin

Nucleolin is an abundant 77 kDa RNA binding protein found in the nucleolus of all eukaryotic cells, and is involved in rRNA packaging and transport (Tuteja and Tuteja 1998; Ginisty et al. 1999). The protein comprises several domains, including an acidic N-terminal domain, four RNA binding (RBD) domains, and a C-terminal RGGrich ‘‘tail’’. Although primarily nucleolar, the protein is also found in the cytoplasm, and uniquely in cancer cells on the cell surface. The latter location is important as nucleolin acts as a receptor for the exogenous G-quartet DNA aptamer AS1411 that is currently in phase I/II clinical trials for renal cell carcinoma and acute myelogenous leukemia (www.antisoma.com) (Miller et al. 2006). In this form, the protein binds the aptamer, whereupon it is internalized, and delivers the drug to the cell where it interferes with NF-jB signaling (Girvan et al. 2006) and induction of tumor suppressor gene expression (Bates et al. 2009). AS1411 binds to recombinant fragments of nucleolin consisting of the RNA binding domains and RGG region as evidenced by a western blot (P.J. Bates, unpublished data). An NMR structure of the first two RBD domains from the 84% homologous hamster protein and its complex with RNA hairpins has been solved (Allain et al. 2000a, b; Finger et al. 2003; Johansson et al. 2004). However, in order to understand the mechanism of binding the DNA aptamer in detail, it is necessary to have complete assignments and structures of the human version. As the sequence identity is only 84%, we resorted to a complete assignment and structural analysis of the human protein as part of an investigation of its interaction with AS1411. We have obtained essentially complete backbone and approx 90% of the side-chain assignments of the RBD1,2 construct (174 residues), by 3D heteronuclear NMR, and we have solved the three dimensional structure to high precision. This construct shows high affinity for AS1411, and will form the basis for determining the binding site on the protein for this DNA molecule, and an understanding of how this protein acts as a DNA aptamer receptor.
Misconceptions of Ethical Leadership:: How to Avoid Potential Pitfalls

C orporate leaders have enjoyed life in the national spotlight. That spotlight used to shine brightly on their accomplishments, but today its glare scrutinizes the ethical misdeeds of far too many business leaders. Anyone who has followed the wave of corporate scandals that began with the collapse of Enron Corp., in 2001, will recognize names like Ken Lay, John Rigas, and Bernie Ebbers. They are but a few of the highprofile leaders who fell from grace because of their involvement in corporate scandals. With so many examples of leaders behaving badly, many questions come to mind: Why have so many of our business leaders demonstrated poor ethical leadership? Were these leaders good people gone bad, corrupted by the attendant wealth and power of the executive suite? Or were these individuals rotten from the beginning? Can we develop more ethical leaders? Unfortunately, we will never know for sure why these particular leaders did what they did. However, business ethicists and leadership researchers have been studying leaders (both positive and negative) in order to develop a better understanding of ethical leadership in the workplace. Ethical leadership seems easy in theory. After all, if every leader (and employee) acted honestly, treated others the way that they wanted to be treated (i.e., The Golden Rule), and remained immune to greed, then there would be no leadership scandals to discuss. Recent events remind us that ethical leadership is more difficult in practice. The simplest and most obvious explanation for the ethical lapses of our business leaders is poor character, but it would be a serious mistake to blame all of their misdeeds on personal weaknesses and defects. In fact, the tendency to attribute others’ behavior to individual factors such as character more frequently than to acknowledge alternative influences (e.g., peer pressure) on behavior has a name. Psychologists call it the fundamental attribution error, and it occurs frequently whenever people try to explain why leaders do the things they do. Clearly, leaders’ character influences their ethical performance at work. Many management scholars have emphasized the role that strong character and principles play in effective leadership of self and others. Leaders must rely on their ‘‘inner compasses’’ to point them in the right direction. Without one, a leader is like a captain of a ship sailing aimlessly along. However, piloting a ship requires more than a good sense of direction. Good captains have a good compass and know how to use it, but they also must know how to sail a ship, motivate a crew, and manage a journey. Similarly, decades of research on ethics and leadership Organizational Dynamics, Vol. 36, No. 2, pp. 140–155, 2007 ISSN 0090-2616/$ – see frontmatter 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.orgdyn.2007.03.003 www.organizational-dynamics.com
Disparities in Sense of Community: True race differences or differential item functioning?

The sense of community index (SCI) has been widely used to measure psychological sense of community (SOC). Furthermore, SOC has been found to differ among racial groups. Since different ethnic groups have different cultural and historical experiences that may lead to different interpretations of measurement items, it is important to know whether the instrument used to measure the construct of interest has equivalency in measurement across groups or if the instrument exhibits differential item functioning (DIF). Examining DIF in the SCI helps assure that subgroup comparisons identify true differences in SOC between Blacks and Whites. We did not find DIF between races but we did find that that the SCI question ‘I feel at home in my neighborhood’ was a more reliable measure of SOC for Whites than for Blacks. In other words, this item has less measurement error for Whites than for Blacks. Therefore, differences on the SCI may be attributable to true differences in SOC between races rather than DIF.
On-line preconcentration in capillary electrophoresis using monolithic methacrylate polymers

Monolithic methacrylate polymers have been prepared at the inlet end of a capillary by photoinitiated polymerization and used for preconcentration in capillary electrophoresis. The function of the polymer as a preconcentration phase was demonstrated using solutions of S-propranolol. The sample was initially loaded onto the capillary using a high-pressure rinse. After removing unbound sample, the capillary was filled with separation/elution buffer from the outlet end using the electroosmotic flow as a pump (reverse polarity). The sample was desorbed as the separation/elution buffer passed through the polymer and was concentrated into a narrow band. The sample loading and desorption procedure was built into the analysis method thereby making this an on-line preconcentration procedure. A detection limit in the low nanomolar range was achieved for S-propranolol using this polymer for on-line preconcentration in capillary electrophoresis without compromising separation efficiency. The sensitivity enhancement can be improved further by rinsing the sample through the capillary for longer times, up to the saturation point of the polymer.
Geographic EducationResearch and the Changing Institutional Structure of American Education

Professional geographers are paying increasing attention to the development of a research agenda concerning geographic education. In doing so, it is essential that geographers pay close attention to fundamental changes in the structure of education itself. Traditional educational methods and procedures associated with industrial society are being replaced by new and innovative modes of education that are linked to post-industrial social organization. This article explores the implications of these changes for understanding the teaching and learning of geography in the future.
Evolution of Meso-Structures for Non-Pneumatic Tire Development: A Case Study

The evolution of meso-structures in the development of the shear band of Michelin’s non-pneumatic tire, the Tweel, is presented in this paper. Designers and researchers at Clemson University worked on a research projects with Michelin to support NIST efforts in fuel efficiency improvement and NASA efforts in manned exploration systems. The goal of each was to replace the elastomeric material of shear band with materials which can tolerate harsh temperatures and shear loads or to replace the materials with linear elastic low-hysteretic loss materials. The concepts initially proposed by ideation method were prototyped for physical testing. A case study examining the documentation reports for each project is conducted to provide a reflective understanding of how the evolution in the projects occurred. The goal of developing this retrospective is to try to identify guidelines and approaches that could be integrated into a designer driven systematic approach for custom design of meso-structures.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Structure and late quaternary activity of the northern Owens valley fault zone, Owens valley, California

Abstract The Fish Springs fault is a primary strand in the northern end of the Owens Valley fault zone (OVFZ). The Fish Springs fault is the northwest strand in a 3-km-wide left echelon step of the OVFZ which bounds the Poverty Hills bedrock high. The Fish Springs fault strikes approximately north-south, dips steeply to the east, and is marked by a prominent east-facing scarp. No other faults in the OVFZ have prominent east-facing scarps at the latitude of Fish Springs, which indicates that the Fish Springs fault has accommodated virtually all of the local late Quaternary vertical displacement on the OVFZ. The Fish Springs fault exhibits normal dip slip with no measurable lateral slip. Vertical displacements of a Late Pleistocene (0.314 ± 0.036 Ma, 2σ) cinder cone and of an overlying Tahoe-age (0.065–0.195 m.y.) alluvial fan are 76±8 m and 31±3 m, respectively. The maximum vertical 3.3. m. Two nearly equal vertical displacements of the active stream channel in the Tioga-age fan total 2.2. m. Vertical displacement of a stream terrace incised into the cinder cone is 1.2 ± 0.3 m. The minute amount of incision into that terrace indicates that uplift of the terrace probably occurred during the 1872 Owens Valley earthquake. Three displacements of 1.1 ± 0.2 m each apparently have occurred at the Tioga-age fan since the midpoint of the Tioga interval, allowing an average recurrence interval of 3500 to 9000 years. Based on the age and displacement of the cinder cone, the average late Quaternary vertical displacement rate is 0.24 ± 0.04 mm/yr (2σ). At this rate, and assuming an average vertical displacement of 1.1 ± 0.2 m per event, the average recurrence interval would be 4600 ± 1100 years (2σ). The recurrence interval for the Fish Springs fault is similar to that for a strand in the southern part of the OVFZ which also ruptured in 1872. Right-lateral, normal oblique slip characterizes the OVFZ. The location of the Poverty Hills bedrock high at a left step in the north-northwest-striking fault zone is consistent with the style of slip of the zone. The pure normal slip on the north-striking Fish Springs fault and the alignment of local cinder cones along north-striking normal faults indicate that the late Quaternary maximum horizontal compression has been oriented north-south at the north end of the OVFZ. Data from southern Owens Valley indicate a similar stress regime there. Late Quaternary slip on the OVFZ is consistent with north-south maximum horizontal compression.
Use of Anodized Titanium in Drug Delivery Applications

One approach to improve the performance of current titanium implants is to create nanostructures via surface modification. Anodization is known to produce nanotubular structures on titanium surfaces when using fluorine containing solutions. Previous studies revealed enhanced osteoblast (bone-forming cell) adhesion and calcium deposition on anodized titanium possessing nanotubular structures compared to unanodized titanium. Moreover, it was found that protein adsorption (specifically, vitronectin and fibronectin) prior to cell adhesion increased on anodized compared to unanodized samples. These results all indicate that anodized titanium would be a good candidate for novel orthopedic implants. The nanotubes created by anodization have an inner diameter from 40 to 100 nm and a depth of a few hundred nanometers. In the present study, the drug delivery capability of such nanotubular structures was further characterized. Three different model drugs were tested: immunoglobulin G for foreign body response, bone morphogenetic protein active fragment for new bone growth, and penicillin/streptomycin for antimicrobial. First, these proteins were allowed to adsorb onto substrates for 24 h under room temperature. Then, the substrates with absorbed proteins were rinsed and transferred to new buffer solution kept at 37 °C. Buffer solution was collected and changed everyday. Finally, protein release from each substrate was measured using a commercial BCA assay kit. Results showed decreased immunoglobulin G adsorption, increased bone morphogenetic protein and penicillin/streptomycin adsorption on anodized titanium compared to unanodized ones. The release behavior of each protein on anodized and unanodized titanium is also studied.
Utility of brain biopsy in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome before and after introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy.

Objective This study investigates the changing indications, results, and practice patterns of brain biopsy in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) as treatment evolved with the development of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Methods We collected data on 246 patients with AIDS who were undergoing brain biopsy of intracranial lesions. Patients were managed in accordance with a uniform protocol. Patients were divided into two groups of those biopsied in the era before (1992-1996) or after (1997-2001) the use of HAART. Results The introduction of HAART led to a steep decrease in the number of biopsies performed annually. The protocol functioned well. Diagnoses were obtained for 92.3% of patients. Lymphoma was the most frequent diagnosis (52.9% of patients), followed by progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (18.9% of patients) and toxoplasmosis (8.1% of patients). No patient who underwent lesion biopsy for reasons of negative toxoplasmosis titers or atypical radiology evaluation was diagnosed with toxoplasmosis. Nineteen patients who experienced failed toxoplasmosis treatment were diagnosed with toxoplasmosis. Toxoplasmosis titers had a high specificity and a negative predictive value. Patients with progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy or nondiagnostic biopsies were more likely to have solitary lesions. The average Karnofsky performance score at the time of biopsy was 72.4, which is still within the range of independent functioning. Significant intracerebral hemorrhages were only observed in patients with lymphoma who also had low platelet counts. Conclusion Although the number of patients with AIDS who require brain biopsy has decreased, the procedure still has merits. The paradigm we developed was useful for selecting patients for early biopsy. Patients with AIDS who also have intracerebral lesions should have toxoplasmosis titers performed, and those whose titers are negative for toxoplasmosis should undergo early brain biopsy.
A simulation study of a multi-nodal communications network with contention

We consider a communication network in which one set of nodes receive messages which are transmitted to another set of nodes. The simulation attempts to examine the growth of congestion due to conflicts, the impact of contention on several system performance measures and the effects of the contention resolution procedures on these measures.