cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Non-Destructive Characterization of Engineering Materials Using High-Energy X-rays at the Advanced Photon Source

Engineering materials are typically made from transition metals and exist in polycrystalline form. The ability to characterize this class of materials, both ex situ and in situ, is particularly important as the demand for efficient, environment-friendly machines rises and the need to understand the material response at a smaller length scale increases. In the past decade, the use of high-energy synchrotron X-rays to characterize bulk engineering materials has increased significantly, with several high-energy beamlines and new characterization techniques coming online around the world.
Optimal scheduling of manufacturing and onsite generation systems in over-generation mitigation oriented electricity demand response program

Abstract Manufacturing system is considered a valuable source that can provide electricity load adjustment in electricity demand response program to balance the supply and demand of the electricity throughout the grid. In this paper, we propose a mathematical model to identify the optimal participation strategy for manufacturing end use customers with onsite energy generation system in the demand response program designed for mitigating electricity over-generation due to high penetration of renewable sources in electricity grid. The background of over-generation mitigation oriented demand response program is described first. Then, the manufacturer’s decision making procedure for identifying the optimal participation strategy is modeled as a mixed nonlinear integer programming. In particular, the manufacturers’ participation strategies including the decision of participating or not, and corresponding production schedule of manufacturing system as well as utilization schedule of onsite generation system, are modeled as decision variables in the objective function to minimize the overall cost considering the benefits due to the participation, energy billing cost, onsite generation cost, and production loss penalty cost. Particle swarm optimization is used to find a near optimal solution for the formulated problem. A numerical case study with sensitivity analysis is then conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed model.
Characterizing the spectrum of autonomic impairment in neurologic disorders with calcium channel antibodies (P2.114)

Objective: To describe the range of autonomic dysfunction in individuals with calcium channel (P/Q and N-type) antibodies. Background: Calcium channel antibodies (CCAb) have been associated with various neurologic manifestations including dysautonomia, however findings on autonomic testing have not previously been well-characterized. Design/Methods: We undertook a retrospective review of all patients seen at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona with P/Q or N-type CCAb and who had autonomic reflex testing from 1/1/2010 to 10/1/2017. Results: Twenty-five patients with CCAb were identified: 14 with N-type and 12 with P/Q type CCAb. One patient had both antibodies. The only other identified antibody was GAD 65 in 2. Eighty percent were female with a median age of 47 (range 20–83). Abnormal autonomic testing was seen in 21/25; most commonly postural tachycardia (n=10; 40%), as well as autonomic neuropathy (N=9; 36%) and isolated cardiovascular adrenergic failure (N=1). Neurologic diagnoses included autonomic neuropathy, small fiber neuropathy, peripheral neuropathy, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome and partial epilepsy. Orthostatic intolerance/postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome was seen in 9/25, and autonomic neuropathy in 7/25. A variety of gastrointestinal symptoms including weight loss, nausea, vomiting, constipation, early satiety and dysphagia were documented in 19/25. Some form of motility testing was performed in 10/25; all were abnormal. Five individuals had a personal or family history of an autoimmune disorder. Malignancy was only identified in one subject who had presented with a cerebellar ataxic syndrome. Conclusions: Autonomic dysfunction in those with CCAb, while not uncommon, has not been previously well characterized in individuals with CCAb. Symptom manifestation and findings on autonomic nervous system testing are variable, though autonomic neuropathy and postural tachycardia were most commonly demonstrated in our patient population. Gastrointestinal motility disorders are also frequently seen and can affect any part of the gastrointestinal system. Co-existing autoimmune and neoplastic disorders were uncommon in this cohort. Disclosure: Dr. Khoury has nothing to disclose. Dr. Hoffman-Snyder has nothing to disclose. Dr. Goodman has nothing to disclose.
Agricultural technologies for marginal farming systems in Asia: Adoption and diffusion of SALT in the Philippines and SRI in India

Information on technology adoption and diffusion in a given society is important for research, extension, and development efforts that benefit the marginal farmers. This research reviews literature focused on the adoption of two agricultural technologies/practices; SALT in the Philippines and SRI in India to examine the roles of various stakeholders in the process. The identification of the roles of the major stakeholders in technology adoption and diffusion is important for identifying and alleviating the constraints affecting diffusion of innovation. The study uses the innovation system approach to analyse the role of stakeholders in the process. It especially focuses on how institutional influences change the innovation and adoption process, and on the role of various stakeholders in changing the conditions for the adopters. The case studies show that successful technology adoption is dependent on a wide range of factors, the most important being the network of research, training and development stakeholder groups that come from public, private and NGO sectors. Farmers’ characteristics like farm size, land ownership, access to information, environmental awareness, membership in local groups, and utilization of social networks emerge as some of the variables that are more often positively associated with adoption of technologies. Likewise complexities of technologies, labor constraints, and weak policies have negative and significant influences on the adoption of technology. The study concludes that farmer adoption rates can be improved by strengthening influential stakeholders’ networks and promoting technology into communities with genuine support and supervision from the government.
Microscale Closure for a Fluid Phase

The TCAT approach outlined in Fig. 1.3 includes many interrelated components, including conservation and balance equations, thermodynamics, equilibrium conditions, entropy inequalities, and closure relations. Each of these components must be established at the scale of interest. If the scale of interest is the microscale, then all the necessary components to build a complete, closed, mechanistic model are available from the preceding chapters. In the present chapter, we will illustrate how these components can be employed to deduce a range of models. The concepts will be employed to analyze relatively simple cases that, nevertheless, have wide applicability to continuum modeling of real systems.
Modeling and Testing RF Meta-Atom Designs for Rapid Metamaterial Prototyping

Metamaterials offer custom electromagnetic properties not easily found elsewhere. In this investigation, we look at fabrication methods to reduce time and cost for metamaterials. These designs are compared against analytical modeling, and verified with experimental radio frequency (RF) testing. This paper discusses two models used to represent meta-atoms as lumped circuit elements to establish a resonant frequency. The analytic model is compared with a finite element method (FEM) modeling simulation to determine the capacitance and inductance of the meta-atom and establish a resonant frequency for the comparison. These modeling methods help to determine the resonant frequency before it can be experimentally verified. In this research, we experimentally show the resonant response at 2.57 GHz. In addition, various Metamaterial configurations are tested to capture effects for focusing and blocking electromagnetic waves. The best focusing response occurred at 2.57 GHz with a null of −21 dB with silver inkjet printed meta-atoms supported with FR4 material. The best blocking response occurred at 2.76 GHz with a null of −92 dB with silver inkjet printed meta-atoms supported with FR4 material. The experimental measurements provide characterization for the resonant response, and extraction of electromagnetic material properties which enhances the fundamental understanding for metamaterials.
GABAB Receptors Augment TRPC3-Mediated Slow Excitatory Postsynaptic Current to Regulate Cerebellar Purkinje Neuron Response to Type-1 Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor Activation

During strong parallel fiber stimulation, glutamate released at parallel fiber-Purkinje cell synapses activates type-1 metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR1) to trigger a slow excitatory postsynaptic current (sEPSC) in cerebellar Purkinje neurons. The sEPSC is mediated by transient receptor potential canonical 3 (TRPC3) channels. Often co-localized with mGluR1 in Purkinje neuron dendrites are type B γ-aminobutyric acid receptors (GABABRs) that respond to inhibitory synaptic inputs from interneurons located in the molecular layer of cerebellar cortex. It has been shown that activation of postsynaptic GABABRs potentiates mGluR1 activation-evoked sEPSC in Purkinje cells, but the underlying molecular mechanism remains elusive. Here we report that the augmentation of mGluR1-sEPSC by GABABR activation in Purkinje neurons is completely absent in TRPC3 knockout mice, but totally intact in TRPC1-, TRPC4-, and TRPC1,4,5,6-knockout mice, suggesting that TRPC3 is the only TRPC isoform that mediates the potentiation. Moreover, our results indicate that the potentiation reflects a postsynaptic mechanism that requires both GABABRs and mGluR1 because it is unaffected by blocking neurotransmission with tetrodotoxin but blocked by inhibiting either GABABRs or mGluR1. Furthermore, we show that the co-stimulation of GABABRs has an effect on shaping the response of Purkinje cell firing to mGluR1-sEPSC, revealing a new function of inhibitory input on excitatory neurotransmission. We conclude that postsynaptic GABABRs regulate Purkinje cell responses to strong glutamatergic stimulation through modulation of mGluR1-TRPC3 coupling. Since mGluR1-TRPC3 coupling is essential in cerebellar long-term depression, synapse elimination, and motor coordination, our findings may have implications in essential cerebellar functions, such as motor coordination and learning.
A multi-method synthesis of studies evaluating wellness-informed approaches to counselor supervision

This multi-method synthesis evaluated the effectiveness, course of effect, and perceived salient features of wellness-informed approaches to supervision. Synthesis of findings from between-groups (...
Facial Cosmetic Surgery Training in American Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Residency Programs

Facial cosmetic surgery is rapidly being incorporated into the contemporary oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMS) practice. The Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA), the accreditation body for ...
High-shore mussels, Mytilus californianus, have larger muscle fibers with lower aerobic capacities than low-shore conspecifics

The rocky intertidal zone is a dynamic and stressful habitat, dominated by strong vertical gradients of emersion time. Marine organisms that settle high on the shore are exposed to greater temperature stress, increased desiccation risk, and reduced access to their suspended food compared with their low-shore neighbors. The ribbed mussel Mytilus californianus is one such species that occupies a broad vertical intertidal range. The present study asked whether high-shore mussels might conserve energy by employing larger, energetically “cheaper” adductor muscle fibers. This conjecture is based on the optimal fiber size hypothesis, which posits in part that the reduction in surface area (i.e., cell membrane area) to volume ratio of large-diameter muscle fibers also reduces the ATP costs of maintaining resting ion gradients across the sarcolemmal membrane. The evidence suggests that high-shore mussels collected in Pacific Grove, California, USA, in 2015 do have fibers with larger cross-sectional areas when controlling for body mass. This morphological trait is paired with a lower mass-specific activity of the aerobic enzyme citrate synthase in adductor muscle. A common-garden treatment revealed that enzyme activity, but not muscle fiber area, changed relatively quickly (4 weeks). Previous studies have supported the optimal fiber size hypothesis by documenting hypertrophic growth of muscle fibers during ontogeny, but few studies have examined whether fiber sizes in ectotherms might be adjusted based on an individual’s environmental context. Although a definitive link to organismal costs remains to be demonstrated, this mechanism may mitigate some of the costs for organisms living in energy-constrained habitats.
Reorienting Disclosure Debates in a Post-Citizens United World

Disclosure is often an afterthought in debates about money in politics. Reformers have tended to take disclosure for granted, devoting little time to developing and refining the affirmative case for it. They have also tended to assume that the current disclosure regime is an effective one, at least as far as it goes. Reformers have devoted substantial attention to the holes in the current regime in the post-Citizens United era— so-called “dark” and “gray” money — and have considered ways to bring such activity into the light. Yet even if they are successful, such expansion efforts would only bring more dollars under the auspices of a disclosure regime in need of both stronger conceptual architecture and substantial practical improvements. So closing the gaps in the system is only one aspect of the task. This chapter surveys the doctrine, practice, and empirics of disclosure. It then offers a number of proposals for reforming the reach, quality, and impact of this mode of campaign finance regulation.
Treating Pediatric Chronic Pain in Schools: A Primer for School Psychologists

Limited attention has been devoted in school psychology training programs to students with chronic health conditions. School psychologists are situated to provide behavioral and mental health servi...
Abstract 5257: Activation of the oncogene ERG by the Ras/ERK and PI3K/AKT pathways

The TMPRSS2-ERG re-arrangement occurs in ~50% of prostate cancers and results in androgen driven aberrant expression of the transcription factor ERG. ERG acts as an oncogene in the prostate and activates a transcriptional program which results in cell migration, epithelial to mesenchymal transition, and tumorigenesis. Activation of both the Ras/ERK and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways has been demonstrated to be necessary for transcription of ERG target genes and is required for ERG mediated phenotypes in the prostate, however, the exact mechanism of this requirement is not known. Recently, our lab demonstrated that ERK1/2 phosphorylation of ERG abrogates ERG’s interaction with the co-repressor EZH2 and the PRC2 and is necessary for ERG-mediated transcription of genes involved in cell migration. It has been demonstrated that ERG also requires activation of the PI3K/AKT pathway for ERG-mediated tumorigenesis in the prostate, however how the Ras/ERK and PI3K/AKT pathways cooperate in transcription of ERG target genes and ERG mediated phenotypes is not well understood. Here we use genomic and transcriptomic approaches to demonstrate that Ras/ERK and PI3K/AKT pathway requirements for ERG function differ between distinct ERG-mediated mediated gene expression programs which correlate with distinct phenotypic outputs. Overall, our results demonstrate how the Ras/ERK and PI3K/AKT pathways contribute to ERG mediated tumorigenesis in the prostate and point the way towards new therapeutic targets. Citation Format: Brady G. Strittmatter, Peter Hollenhorst. Activation of the oncogene ERG by the Ras/ERK and PI3K/AKT pathways [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 5257.
word2vec Parameter Learning Explained

The word2vec model and application by Mikolov et al. have attracted a great amount of attention in recent two years. The vector representations of words learned by word2vec models have been shown to carry semantic meanings and are useful in various NLP tasks. As an increasing number of researchers would like to experiment with word2vec or similar techniques, I notice that there lacks a material that comprehensively explains the parameter learning process of word embedding models in details, thus preventing researchers that are non-experts in neural networks from understanding the working mechanism of such models. This note provides detailed derivations and explanations of the parameter update equations of the word2vec models, including the original continuous bag-of-word (CBOW) and skip-gram (SG) models, as well as advanced optimization techniques, including hierarchical softmax and negative sampling. Intuitive interpretations of the gradient equations are also provided alongside mathematical derivations. In the appendix, a review on the basics of neuron networks and backpropagation is provided. I also created an interactive demo, wevi, to facilitate the intuitive understanding of the model.
Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome Is Associated With Elevated G‐Protein Coupled Receptor Autoantibodies

Background The etiology of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) is yet to be established. The disorder is often misdiagnosed as chronic anxiety or a panic disorder because the autonomic failure in these patients is not severe. A growing body of evidence suggests that POTS may be an autoimmune disorder. Antinuclear antibodies and elevations of ganglionic, adrenergic, and muscarinic acetylcholine receptor antibodies have all been reported. Methods and Results We collected detailed clinical symptoms of 55 patients diagnosed with POTS. We also evaluated serum levels of autoantibodies against 4 subtypes of G-protein coupled adrenergic receptors and 5 subtypes of G-protein coupled muscarinic acetylcholine receptors by ELISA. Our patients had a multitude of comorbidities, were predominantly young females, and reported viral-like symptoms preceding episodes of syncope. We detected a significant number of patients with elevated levels of autoantibodies against the adrenergic alpha 1 receptor (89%) and against the muscarinic acetylcholine M4 receptor (53%). Surprisingly, elevations of muscarinic receptor autoantibodies appeared to be dependent upon elevation of autoantibodies against the A1 adrenergic receptor! Four patients had elevations of G-protein coupled autoantibodies against all 9 receptor subtypes measured in our study. Five POTS patients had no elevation of any autoantibody; similarly, controls were also negative for autoantibody elevations. There was a weak correlation of clinical symptom severity with G-protein coupled autoantibodies. Conclusions Our observations provide further evidence that, in most cases, POTS patients have at least 1 elevated G-protein coupled adrenergic autoantibody and, in some instances, both adrenergic and muscarinic autoantibodies, supporting the hypothesis that POTS may be an autoimmune disorder.
Future Implications of the Buy American-Hire American Executive Order and Domestic Preferences on U.S. Government Procurement and Trade Policies

This policy paper discusses the Buy American-Hire American Executive Order (Buy American EO) issued by U.S. President Donald Trump, and the predicted immediate and long-term effects of imposing and enforcing greater price preferences with respect to the Federal Government's procurement of goods of domestic origin over those of foreign origin. Global economic ramifications of expanding applicability of the Buy American laws is examined, as is the role of price preferences for domestic sourced goods as a back-door mechanism to restrict stateside competition from foreign manufacturers of goods' manufacturers. Imposition of such restrictions on the ability of foreign firms to compete with U.S. firms for U.S. Government contracts is expected to result in reciprocal trade restrictions imposed on U.S. manufacturers in foreign procurement markets. In addition, this paper examines the comparative impact of increased enforcement of domestic preference requirements prescribed by the Buy American laws. as compared to the increased implementation of anti-dumping and countervailing duties on foreign producers seeking to import goods into the U.S. Is there a benefit to the U.S. increasing its reliance on such tools of trade restraint notwithstanding the position under the GPA,to support and abide by free trade and open competition? Is there an inherent conflict between the U.S.’s stated commitment to free trade and the executive's decision to ramp up enforcement of trade barriers such as, inter alia, greater enforcement of anti-dumpling regulations? This policy paper also examines, in detail, several trade reform options that the Trump Administration could implement to advance U.S. interests in the area of procurement reform.. As of the date of this writing, the Trump Administration has already implemented some of these reforms. Therefore, both the immediate and prospective, future impacts of these implementations are ripe for analysis. Whether President Trump will implement other trade reform options remains to be seen. In addition to the Buy American EO, also addressed herein are the additional implications of the President’s subsequent Executive Order, issued in March 2017 and appropriately titled, Establishing Enhanced Collection of Anti-dumping and Countervailing Duties and Violations of Trade and Customs Laws. Arguments advanced by supporters of the President’s subsequent Executive Order mandating more rigorous enforcement of existing anti-dumping regulations are discussed as well as counter-arguments advanced by opposing stakeholders, some of whom characterize the March 2017 Executive Order as a tool contrived to create more trade barriers for foreign firms aiming to penetrate the government procurement market of the United States.
«Camino y camino y no ando nada»: filosofía de la caminata en los cuentos de Juan Rulfo

In this essay, I propose a reading of El llano en llamas, by Juan Rulfo, based on three books: Elogio del caminar, an essay by French anthropologist David Le Breton, Narrating Space/Spatializing Narrative: Where Narrative Theory and Geography Meet, critical volume by the literary critic Marie-Laure Ryan and geographers Kenneth Foote y Maoz Azaryahu and Habia mucha niebla, humo o no se que, a hybrid book on Rulfo by the Mexican historian and writer Cristina Rivera Garza. Extrapolating some of the concepts found in these volumes, I offer a posible cognitive map of El llano en llamas. My analysis identifies three distinct regions shaped by the walking of Rulfo’s characters. These itineraries are not only movements but also cognitive peregrinations deeply imbedded in Rulfo’s narrative ecosystem; this in turn shapes the Mexican’s author style.
Conceptests for a Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics Course.

Examples of conceptests and suggestions for preparing them for use in an undergraduate, chemical engineering thermodynamics course are presented. Conceptests, combined with hand-held transmitters (clickers), is an effective method to engage students in class. This method motivates students, improves their functional understanding of thermodynamics, and makes the class more enjoyable for both students and instructor.
Addition chains, vector chains, and efficient computation

Abstract The computational generation of minimal-length addition chains over the last sixty years or so has yielded many new results concerning addition chains. The computer search for such chains often involves a search tree which is traversed to produce addition chains. A depth first search of the search tree is greatly facilitated by pruning bounds which are sequences whose terms pair up with corresponding terms in an addition chain, and which cut off certain branches of the search tree that have no chance of leading to a minimal-length addition chain. In Thurber (1999), Thurber developed a set of pruning bounds that cut down significantly on the time to generate minimal-length addition chains. This paper generalizes the results in Thurber (1999), defining two new pruning bounds that further improve the search time for such chains. Establishing the validity of the new bounds uses a discovery by Clift of a relationship between addition chains and vector chains. This relation comes about from unwinding an addition chain, which involves tracing an addition chain backwards to write the target number as a combination of several intermediaries. The new pruning bounds not only speed up the search process, but also eliminate special cases needed when applying the bounds in Thurber (1999). The purpose of the paper is twofold. The first is to establish the validity of the two new sets of pruning bounds, and the second is to show how the somewhat surprising relationship between addition chains and vector chains accomplishes this.
Factors Governing Winter Snow Accumulation and Ablation Susceptibility across the Sierra Nevada (United States)

Author(s): Haleakala, K; Gebremichael, M; Dozier, J; Lettenmaier, DP | Abstract: AbstractSeasonal snow water equivalent (SWE) accumulation in California’s Sierra Nevada is primarily governed by a few orographically enhanced snowstorms. However, as air temperatures gradually rise, resulting in a shift from snow to rain, the governing processes determining SWE accumulation versus ablation become ambiguous. Using a network of 28 snow pillow measurements to represent an elevational and latitudinal gradient across the Sierra Nevada, we identify distributions of critical temperatures and corresponding storm and snowpack properties that describe how SWE accumulation varies across the range at an hourly timescale for water years 2010 through 2019. We also describe antecedent and prevailing conditions governing whether SWE accumulates or ablates during warm storms. Results show that atmospheric moisture regulates a temperature dependence of SWE accumulation. Conditions balancing precipitable water and snow formation requirements produce the most seasonal SWE, which was observed in the (low-elevation) northern and (middle-elevation) central Sierra Nevada. The high southern Sierra Nevada conservatively accumulates SWE with colder, drier air, resulting in less midwinter ablation. These differences explain a tendency for deep, low-density snowpacks to accumulate rather than ablate SWE during warm storms (having median temperatures exceeding 1.0°C), reflecting counteracting liquid storage and internal energy deficits. The storm events themselves in these cases are brief with modest moisture supplies or are otherwise followed immediately by ablation.
We carry history within us: Anti-Black racism and the legacy of lynchings on life expectancy in the U.S. South

Abstract The United States lags in life expectancy compared to most of the world's similarly wealthy nations, driven by pronounced regional disparities particularly between the South and the rest of the country. The U.S. South has a violent history of lynchings of Black Americans by White mobs after the ending of slavery and up to the Civil Rights Era. Building on critical race scholarship, the objective of this study was to determine whether there exists an association between historical lynchings and overall life expectancies in the U.S. South. We created a cross-sectional county-level data set with 1221 data points utilizing data from the Equal Justice Initiative and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Country Health Rankings. The average life expectancy for 2019–2020 was 76.1 years, ranging from 68.2 years to 90.2 years. Overall life expectancy was found to be highest (76.6) in counties with no recorded lynchings, and lowest (75.5) in counties with the most lynchings (p
Brønsted Acid Catalyzed Stereoselective Polymerization of Vinyl Ethers.

Isotactic poly(vinyl ether)s (PVEs) have recently been identified as a new class of semicrystalline thermoplastics with a valuable combination of mechanical and interfacial properties. Currently, methods to synthesize isotactic PVEs are limited to strong Lewis acids that require a high catalyst loading and limit the accessible scope of monomer substrates for polymerization. Here, we demonstrate the first Bronsted acid catalyzed stereoselective polymerization of vinyl ethers. A single-component imidodiphosphorimidate catalyst exhibits a sufficiently low pKa to initiate vinyl ether polymerization and acts as a chiral conjugate base to direct the stereochemistry of monomer addition to the oxocarbenium ion reactive chain end. This Bronsted acid catalyzed stereoselective polymerization enabled an expanded substrate scope compared to previous methods, the use of chain transfer agents to lower catalyst loading, and the capability to recycle the catalyst for multiple polymerizations.
Conceptualizing Curricular Reasoning:A Framework for Examining Mathematics Teachers’ Curricular Decisions

Mathematics teachers make a number of decisions that shape their lessons, which therein impact their students’ opportunity to learn mathematics. Past research has often focused on teachers, student...
The Social Economics of Health Care

For too long now, the issue of health care reform has been dominated by the techniques of mainstream economics and the constant application of the tools of cost-benefit analysis to an area that does not suit it. Issues such as privacy, genetic testing and the allocation of organ transplants require a more sensitive approach to the setting of budgets, and so a more socially responsible attitude towards health care economics is emerging. John Davis has gathered together an impressive range of contributors to explore these phenomena.
Do as I Say, Not as I Do: Sexual Health Education and the Criminalization of Teen Sexuality in the United States

Teenagers make up a unique demographic in American society. By high school, most young people are making many decisions on their own: who their friends are, what cars they want to drive, how they will spend their Friday nights, where they will work, where they will go to college. Each of these decisions is, of course, shaped by outside forces such as school, family, and peer groups. However, perhaps the most difficult of these decisions are made with some of the least discussion, and are met with the most severe consequences. These are the decisions of body, sexuality, and sex. Most teenagers are faced with making sexual decisions in a vortex of misinformation, excitement, stigma, and fear. Society frowns upon teen sexuality, often meeting sexual discussion with avoidance or condemnation. Teens are not supposed to talk about sex; or if they talk about it, they are not supposed to have it; but if they have it, they are not supposed to do it outside of socially and morally acceptable standards. At a fundamental level, we as a society do not provide teens with complete information about sex and their bodies. We expect them to make choices without the necessary information, and the choices they make are often punished, in a framework of legal, social, and familial responsibility.
The Dynamics of Self-regulatory Processes within Self-and Externally Regulated Learning Episodes During Complex Science Learning with Hypermedia

This paper examines the dynamics of college students' self-regulatory processes within self-regulated learning (SRL) and externally-regulated learning (ERL) episodes during hypermedia learning. We re-analyzed and extended the results from an original study recently conducted by Azevedo and colleagues [1] to address four questions related to adaptivity, based on the temporal and dynamic deployment of self-regulatory processes by learners and human tutors in fostering complex science learning with hypermedia. Our questions include: (1) How does access to a human tutor affect the deployment of various SRL processes during learning?; (2) Which transitions between self-regulatory processes are more likely to occur within SRL and ERL?; (3) Which transitions between SRL classes are more likely or less likely to occur with SRL and ERL learning episodes?; (4) Are there significant correlations between learners' observed likelihood of transitions (between SRL processes) and learning outcomes? Lastly, we discuss implications for the design of MetaTutor, an adaptive hypermedia learning environment.
Natural User Interfaces for Adjustable Autonomy in Robot Control

The increasing popularity of robotics in modern society makes interacting and communicating with them of critical importance. Although one of the main goals in robotics research is to develop fully autonomous systems, the ability to control robots in teleoperation applications and provide guidance to them for semiautonomous tasks in a natural and intuitive way is still an important research goal. To this end, adjustable autonomy focuses on exploring the space between fully autonomous and fully telerobotic interfaces and how humans can naturally and easily communicate with robots to support human-robot interaction (HRI) within this spectrum. This special issue presents some of the latest research results in the exploration of natural user interfaces for robotic control and teleoperation.
Estimation of correlation functions and spectra from randomly sampled data

A theory has been developed for estimating the autocorrelation function of a signal from a set of samples taken at random times. The estimator operates on the random samples to obtain a correlation function and the Blackman-Tukey method is then used to obtain the spectral estimate. The advantage of random sampling is that there is no "aliasing" error as occurs when equispaced sampling is used. Thus good spectral estimates can be obtained when the average sampling rate is a small fraction of the sampled signal's bandwidth. The estimator assumes no prior knowledge of the sampling statistics and the sampling sequence can be either a stationary or nonstationary process.
The regulatory effect of estrogens on fetal growth. I. Placental and fetal body weights.

Abstract The influence of estrogen on placental and fetal growth was studied. White New Zealand pregnant rabbits were rendered estrogen deficient by a bilateral oophorectomy on the tenth day of gestation and given a daily dose of 5 mg. of progesterone intramuscularly up to the time of delivery. A second group similarly oophorectomized received the same dose of progesterone plus 2 μg estradiol-17β daily. A third group was sham operated and served as controls. Does from each of these groups were delivered at 21, 27, and 31 days of gestation. The total number of fetuses per litter as well as the number and weights of the live-born and their placentas were recorded in each instance. The results showed that in the estrogen-deficient pregnancies there was a significant increase in placental weight and in the placental to live-born weight ratio at all the periods of gestations studied. Live-born weight was also increased in the 27 and 31 day periods. An increase in stillbirth rate occurred in the estrogen-deficient group. It is concluded that estrogens regulate placental (and consequently fetal) size by exerting an inhibitory effect on placental growth. The mechanism by which this may be brought about is discussed.
Measuring Fiber Orientation in Nonwovens Part IV: Flow Field Analysis

This paper addresses the development of the image analysis technique of flow field analysis to evaluate local orientation in a fibrous assembly. The algorithms are evaluated using simulated images presented in Part I of the series. The results are compared with those from the tracking and Fourier methods presented in Parts II and III.
Unsupervised Method for Water Surface Extent Monitoring Using Remote Sensing Data

Inland surface water availability is a serious global sustainability challenge. Hence, there is a need to monitor surface water availability, in order to better manage it under an increasingly changing planet. So far, a comprehensive effort to understand changes in inland surface water availability and dynamics is lacking. Remote sensing instruments provide an opportunity to monitor surface water availability on a global scale, but they also introduce significant computational challenges. In this chapter, we present an unsupervised method that overcomes several challenges inherent in remote sensing data to effectively monitor changes in surface water bodies. Using an independent validation dataset, we compare the proposed method with two cluster algorithms (K-MEANS and EM) as well as an image segmentation algorithm (normal-cut). We show that our method is more efficient and reliable.
Medicare Part D's Effect on the Under‐ and Overuse of Medications: A Systematic Review

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the literature regarding the effect of Medicare Part D on the under- and overuse of specific medications and corresponding health outcomes. DESIGN: Systematic review. SETTING: Medline search of the peer-reviewed literature from January 1, 2006, to October 8, 2010. PARTICIPANTS: Medicare beneficiaries who obtained drug insurance from the Part D program. MEASUREMENTS: The review evaluated changes in the use of specific drugs or drug classes after implementation of Part D, as described in original, peer-reviewed articles. RESULTS: Nineteen articles met inclusion criteria. Part D's implementation was associated with greater use of essential medications such as clopidogrel and statins, especially in beneficiaries who had been previously uninsured, but increases in inappropriate antibiotic use for the treatment of acute respiratory tract infections and increases in claims for the often overused proton pump inhibitor drug class were also observed. In the Part D transition period, dually eligible beneficiaries' drug use remained largely unchanged. When beneficiary cost sharing increased in the coverage gap, use of essential and overused medications declined. CONCLUSION: Increasing drug coverage led to greater use of underused essential medications and inappropriate, or overused, medications under Medicare Part D. Despite efforts to have it do so, the Part D benefit did not sufficiently discriminate between essential and nonessential medication use.
Can abundant colloid exclude oncocytic (Hürthle cell) carcinoma in thyroid fine needle aspiration? Cytohistological correlation of 127 oncocytic (Hürthle cell) lesions

Objective: The objective of the present study was to find out whether the presence or absence of certain cytological features can exclude oncocytic (Hurthle cell) carcinoma in thyroid fine needle aspiration (FNA) to minimize unnecessary surgery. Methods: Over a 17-year period, 127 hypercellular, oncocyte-exclusive, lymphocyte-absent aspirates obtained via ultrasound-guided FNA with on-site assessment had histology slides for review. The presence or absence of six cytological features (microfollicular arrangement, discohesive single cells, small cell dysplasia, large cell dysplasia, transgressing blood vessels and colloid) and one histological feature (macrofollicular component) were determined for each case independently by two cytopathologists. Results: Histology showed 12 (9.4%) cases of Hashimoto thyroiditis, 23 (18.1%) oncocytic adenomatoid nodules in nodular goitre, 66 (52.0%) oncocytic adenomas and 26 (20.5%) oncocytic carcinomas (13 minimally invasive without angioinvasion, six minimally invasive with angioinvasion, seven widely invasive). Histologically, a macrofollicular component was present in seven of 26 (26.9%) oncocytic carcinomas, including one case with abundant thin colloid. A microfollicular arrangement, discohesive single cells, small cell dysplasia, large cell dysplasia and transgressing vessels were present in oncocytic carcinoma, oncocytic adenoma and oncocytic adenomatoid nodules in nodular goitre. Conclusions: A macrofollicular component is frequently present in oncocytic carcinoma, oncocytic adenoma and oncocytic adenomatoid nodules in nodular goitre. None of the cytological features studied, including abundant colloid, can exclude oncocytic carcinoma. Oncocytic carcinoma can only be excluded by thorough histological examination of thyroidectomy specimens. A molecular marker is needed to triage oncocytic lesions in thyroid FNA.
Assemblage Structure of Fish at Offshore Petroleum Platforms on the San Pedro Shelf of Southern California

Abstract Offshore petroleum platforms in California's Santa Barbara Channel have been shown to be of ecological importance for local fish populations; however, before our investigation, no data existed on the fish assemblages associated with the platforms on the San Pedro Shelf further south. Our surveys of these platforms in 2006 and 2007 indicate that there is a core group of warm—temperate nearshore reef species in the midwater depth ( 14 km]) had a strong seasonal presence of pelagic fishes (primarily jack mackerel Trachurus symmetricus) and recruit blacksmiths. At platforms closer to shore (i.e., inshore platforms [<4.8 km]), sea basses (Serranidae) and surfperches (Embiotocidae) were predominant; only slight seasonal variations were observed, which ...
A microchip-based endothelium mimic utilizing open reservoirs for cell immobilization and integrated carbon ink microelectrodes for detection

This paper describes the fabrication and characterization of a microfluidic device that utilizes a reservoir-based approach for endothelial cell immobilization and integrated embedded carbon ink microelectrodes for the amperometric detection of extracellular nitric oxide (NO) release. The design utilizes a buffer channel to continuously introduce buffer or a plug of stimulant to the reservoir as well as a separate sampling channel that constantly withdraws buffer from the reservoir and over the microelectrode. A steel pin is used for both the fluidic connection to the sampling channel and to provide a quasi-reference electrode for the carbon ink microelectrode. Characterization of the device was performed using NO standards produced from a NONOate salt. Finally, NO release from a layer of immobilized endothelial cells was monitored and quantified using the system. This system holds promise as a means to electrochemically detect extracellular NO release from endothelial cells in either an array of reservoirs or concurrently with fluorescence-based intracellular NO measurements.
Field Dependence of Gaseous-Ion Mobility: Theoretical Tests of Approximate Formulas

The approximate formulas considered include relations based on the Wannier free-flight theory, the Kihara medium-field expansion, and the Frost-Patterson interpolation formulas. A few accurate theoretical results are available for testing the foregoing formulas. Cases concerning high fields, intermediate fields, and resonant charge transfer are examined. It is found that of the formulas tested, the one based on the Wannier free-flight theory is the most flexible, since it can be used for all fields and all ion-neutral force laws and mass ratios.
At Issue Neuroleptic Plasma Levels and Tardive Dyskinesia: A Possible Link?

Tardive dyskinesia is known to appear or worsen with the reduction or discontinuation of neuroleptic treatment. The onset of tardive dyskinesia in chronically medicated schizophrenic patients may be related to a gradual decline in neuroleptic plasma concentrations after years of treatment, probably due to increased metabolism of the drug as well as other factors in chronic neuroleptic treatment that may result in lowering of plasma concentrations. Dopamine receptor hypersensitivity could gradually develop and increase, and dyskinetic symptoms eventually appear clinically, as if the dose had been reduced. The symptoms are usually suppressed by increasing the neuroleptic dose which would result in higher plasma drug concentrations. Supportive evidence for this hypothesis is presented and discussed.
Disturbances in the formation of fad and covalently bound flavins in Novikoff hepatoma from riboflavin‐deficient rats

Abstract The incorporation of radiolabeled riboflavin into flavin mononucleotide, flavin adenine dinucleotide, and flavin covalently bound to protein was determined in Novikoff hepatoma grown in both riboflavin‐deficient and normal chow‐fed rats. In Novikoff hepatoma, the incorporation of [14C]riboflavin into covalently bound flavins relative to that into FAD was substantially greater than that in host liver, and the turnover rate of riboflavin was also accelerated in tumor compared with the liver. The magnitude of incorporation of [14C]riboflavin into each of the various flavin fractions was substantially greater in tumors from riboflavin‐deficient animals than in tumors from control animals. These data support the hypothesis that in conditions of riboflavin deprivation, Novikoff hepatoma maintains the levels of the physiologically important flavin coenzymes at the expense of the free riboflavin fraction. The incorporation of riboflavin into covalently bound flavins relative to that into FAD is substanti...
Comparison of methods presenting contour information to individuals who are blind or visually impaired

Graphs and charts are frequently used in school, work and everyday living. However, traditional techniques of providing this information to individuals who are visually impaired are cumbersome and slow. Refreshable tactile displays have been developed and used to display line graphs, bar graphs and pie charts. In this paper, we investigate the use of a haptic matrix-like display that can produce multiple amplitude levels and multiple frequencies for displaying contour plots. Experiments were performed to compare performance and usability for the two different methods. According to preliminary results, the use of amplitude variation provides the user with a more accurate awareness of contour level differences than frequency variation.
Undergraduate Analytical Chemistry Experiment: The Determination of Formation Constants for Acetate and Mono- and Dichloroacetate Salts of Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Methyl- and Ethylamines

The formation and the hydrolysis of organic salts produced by the titration of a 0.1 M solution of the following amines: methyl-, dimethyl-, trimethyl-, ethyl-, diethyl-, and triethylamine with a 0.1 M solution of acetic, chloroacetic, and dichloracetic acids are studied. The pKb of the amine and the pH at the end point were determined for each reaction from the corresponding titration curve. The experimentally determined values were in very good agreement with the literature and calculated values. The salt formation constants (Ksf) for acetate and mono- and dichloroacetate salts of primary, secondary, and tertiary methyl- and ethylamines were also determined. The conclusions were as follows: (1) the pH at the end point decreased as the strength of the titrating acid increased, (2) the stronger the amine base, the higher the pH at the end point, and (3) the Ksf increased with increasing acid and base strength.
Depiction or erasure? Violence and trauma in contemporary Peruvian film

Most of the 70,000 people who died or disappeared during the 1980–2000 civil war in Peru were Indigenous Quechua speakers. It is still proscribed to talk about the violent conflict in this Latin American country on the Pacific, where the high levels of poverty that may have triggered the war continue to affect 40% of the population. In this paper, I discuss the effort of three Peruvian films to respond to the trauma of misery, racism, forced migration, and dirty war experienced by both civilians and soldiers. I analyse how the films Gregorio (Grupo Chaski, 1984), The Lion's Den (Francisco Lombardi, 1988), and Days of Santiago (Josue Mendez, 2004) depict or erase the persons and bodies of the Andean individuals who have suffered violence.