cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
“I’ll take Gender Identity for 500”- Changing knowledge and comfort in the care of LGBTQ patients with a novel training approach.

Introduction: Patients who identify as LGBTQ experience many health disparities, including higher rates of cancer, tobacco use, and anxiety/depression. Pediatric patients who identify as LGBTQ are also at risk of family rejection, which is linked with negative health outcomes in adulthood. These disparities have been linked to providers’ insufficient knowledge of appropriate terminology and relevant health inequities in this patient population. We developed a student-run training program, Safe Zone in Medicine, to educate providers about LGBTQ terminology and health disparities. Our program utilizes application of material through a jeopardy-like game, role-play, patient narratives, …
Chapter 2 – Nanostructured Visible-Light Photocatalysts for Water Purification

Publisher Summary Titanium oxide (TiO2) photocatalysts have been widely studied for both solar energy conversion and environmental applications in the past several decades because of their high chemical stability, good photoactivity, relatively low cost, and nontoxicity. However, the photocatalytic capability of TiO2 is limited to only ultraviolet light (wavelength, λ, <400 nm), seriously limiting its solar efficiency. To overcome this limitation, both chemical and physical modification approaches were developed to extend the absorption band-edge of TiO2 into visible-light region. These visible-light photocatalysts were further modified by nanoparticles of transition metal oxides and made into nanoparticles, nanoporous fibers, and nanoporous foams. The nanostructured photocatalysts showed very fast photocatalytic degradation rates in organics, bacteria, spores, and virus, and thus have great potential in water disinfection and removal of organic contaminants in water.
Accelerating high-strain continuum-scale brittle fracture simulations with machine learning

Abstract Failure in brittle materials under dynamic loading conditions is a result of the propagation and coalescence of microcracks. Simulating this discrete crack evolution at the continuum level is computationally expensive or, in some cases, intractable, resulting in the need to make broad assumptions or neglect key physics. We have developed an approach using machine learning that overcomes the current inability to represent meso-scale physics at the macro-scale. Our approach leverages damage and stress data from a computationally expensive high-fidelity model that explicitly resolves microcrack behavior to build an inexpensive machine learning emulator. Once trained, the machine learning emulator is used to predict the evolution of crack length statistics, which then informs a continuum-scale constitutive model. This results in a significant speed-up of the workflow by four orders of magnitude. Both the machine learning emulator and the continuum-scale model are validated against the high-fidelity model and experimental data, respectively, showing excellent agreement. There are two key findings. The first is that we can reduce the dimensionality of the problem, establishing that the machine learning emulator only needs the length of the longest crack and one of the maximum stress components to capture the necessary physics. Another compelling finding is that the emulator can be trained in one experimental setting and transferred successfully to predict behavior in a different setting.
Ferritin readings in young adult, female university student recreational runners.

Abstract Background Elite female athletes have shown vulnerability to various degrees of iron deficiency. Less is known about recreational fitness exercisers. A study was done to examine plasma ferritin, an assessor of iron status, in young adult, university student fitness runners. Methods The present study examined serum ferritin concentrations, an indicator of iron status, in 39 female university students (age 18–25) who ran for fitness, but ran less than competition runners. Selected subjects all reported themselves as not anemic. Results Mean + SD for 3 mile run time was 26.25 + 3.0 min. The mean ferritin reading was low: 12.4 + 12.3 ng/mL ( + SD). Out of the 39 women, 29 had readings that fell below 15 ng/mL, which some consider the cutoff for iron deficiency. In addition, all but 2 subjects had values below 35, which has been proposed as Stage 1 iron deficiency for athletes. Ferritin levels did not correlate with 3 mile run times (Pearson correlation coefficient, P > 0.05). A 1 mo intervention with 3 minerals that included iron (36 mg/day) significantly raised ferritin values when the iron was bisglycinate (p 0.05). Conclusion In this study, a degree of iron deficiency was seen in most of a group of female fitness runners (each of whom had self reported as not being anemic).
Visualizing the effect of Fin length on torpedo anchor penetration and pullout using a transparent soil

Abstract The effect of torpedo shape on its penetration depth and pull out capacity is explored using laboratory-scale experiments. The study offers a number of useful practical implications for the design of full-scale torpedo anchors. Results demonstrate that the resistance to penetration and extraction of torpedo anchors is strongly affected by their fin design. A transparent soil surrogate made of Magnesium Lithium Phyllosilicate (MLPS), was employed to simulate soft marine clay. Three torpedo models having a length to diameter (L/D) ratio of eight and a similar weight (W), but different fin length to diameter ratios (LF/D) of zero (no fins), 2.6, and 5.2, were penetrated, vertically, at an impact velocity of 4.5 m/s. It was found that fin length correlated negatively with penetration depth (P) and positively with the maximum resistance to extraction. However, the maximum extraction resistance, normalized by weight (W), increased from 2.3 for the case of no fins to 3.1 for short fins and to 3.6 for long fins. Transparent soils enabled measurement of in situ displacements within the target during penetration and pullout and correlating them to the torpedo behavior. Soil displacement increases with the increase of penetration depth till full embedment, after that displacements remain constant.
An Examination of the Lean Leadership Practices in the Supply Chain Management

There is a lack of understanding among scholars and leaders about which Lean Supply Chain Management leadership specific behaviors practitioners employ to drive the success of companies. Its success is measured in terms of an organization’s accomplishment toward its own goals. The purpose of this research is to present a model that investigates the relationship of the leadership style against the Lean Supply Chain Culture in middle and top management roles and its impact in company performance and customer service.
A coupled fluid-mechanical workflow to simulate the directed energy deposition additive manufacturing process

Simulation of additive manufacturing processes can provide essential insight into material behavior, residual stress, and ultimately, the performance of additively manufactured parts. In this work, we describe a new simulation based workflow utilizing both solid mechanics and fluid mechanics based formulations within the finite element software package SIERRA (Sierra Solid Mechanics Team in Sierra/SolidMechanics 4.52 User’s Guide SAND2019-2715. Technical report, Sandia National Laboratories, 2011) to enable integrated simulations of directed energy deposition (DED) additive manufacturing processes. In this methodology, a high-fidelity fluid mechanics based model of additive manufacturing is employed as the first step in a simulation workflow. This fluid model uses a level set field to track the location of the boundary between the solid material and background gas and precisely predicts temperatures and material deposition shapes from additive manufacturing process parameters. The resulting deposition shape and temperature field from the fluid model are then mapped into a solid mechanics formulation to provide a more accurate surface topology for radiation and convection boundary conditions and a prescribed temperature field. Solid mechanics simulations are then conducted to predict the evolution of material stresses and microstructure within a part. By combining thermal history and deposition shape from fluid mechanics with residual stress and material property evolutions from solid mechanics, additional fidelity and precision are incorporated into additive manufacturing process simulations providing new insight into complex DED builds.
MR Imaging of Human Brain Mechanics In Vivo: New Measurements to Facilitate the Development of Computational Models of Brain Injury

Computational models of the brain and its biomechanical response to skull accelerations are important tools for understanding and predicting traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). However, most models have been developed using experimental data collected on animal models and cadaveric specimens, both of which differ from the living human brain. Here we describe efforts to noninvasively measure the biomechanical response of the human brain with MRI—at non-injurious strain levels—and generate data that can be used to develop, calibrate, and evaluate computational brain biomechanics models. Specifically, this paper reports on a project supported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to comprehensively image brain anatomy and geometry, mechanical properties, and brain deformations that arise from impulsive and harmonic skull loadings. The outcome of this work will be a publicly available dataset ( http://www.nitrc.org/projects/bbir ) that includes measurements on both males and females across an age range from adolescence to older adulthood. This article describes the rationale and approach for this study, the data available, and how these data may be used to develop new computational models and augment existing approaches; it will serve as a reference to researchers interested in using these data.
Analyzing GDPR compliance in Cloud Services' privacy policies using Textual Fuzzy Interpretive Structural Modeling (TFISM)

Cloud Service providers must comply with data protection regulations, like European Union (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), to ensure their users' personal data security and privacy. Hence, the service privacy policies and terms of service documents refer to the rules it complies with within the data protection regulation. However, these documents contain legalese jargon that requires significant manual effort to parse and confirm compliance. We have developed a novel methodology, Textual Fuzzy Interpretive Structural Modeling (TFISM), that automatically analyzes large textual datasets to identify driving and dependent factors in the dataset. TFISM enhances Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) to analyze textual data and integrate it with Artificial Intelligence and Text extraction techniques. Using TFISM, we identified the critical factors in GDPR and compared them with various Cloud Service privacy policies. In this paper, we present the results of this study that identified how different factors are emphasized in GDPR and 224 publicly available service privacy policies. TFISM can be used both by service providers and consumers to automatically analyze how close a service privacy policy aligns with the GDPR.
Ein Vergleich von Funktionsproben des menschlichen Ileums

Die Hauptfunktionen des Ileums bestehen in der Vitamin B12-Absorption und Gallensaurenruckresorption. Durch die fast vollstandige Ruckresorption der Gallensauren im Ileum wird ein sog. Gallensaurenpool aufrechterhalten, der eine micellare Losung der Fette im Dunndarm ermoglicht [1]: Im proximalen Dunndarm werden die Triglyceride durch die pankreatische Lipase in Fettsauren und Monoglyceride gespalten, die mit den konjugierten Gallensauren Micellen bilden. Die Micellen vermitteln die Fettabsorption. Nach Absorption der Fette im Jejunum wird der uberwiegende Teil der konjugierten Gallensauren ins Ileum transportiert und ruckresorbiert [2]. Auch Vitamin B12 wird nach Bindung an den intrinsic factor im Ileum absorbiert [3].
Healing the disjuncture: Social work disability practice.

Until late in the 20th century, disability was conceptualized primarily as an embodied deficit, creating and perpetuating disability as the object of medicalized professional intervention and in many cases exclusion and segregation. This view, while still a dominant explanatory theme for disability, by itself, is limiting to social workers who seek to advance the commitment of social work to celebrate diversity and promote social justice for all people. Fortunately, rich theory and research developments in disability studies, humanities, and social sciences have been instrumental in simultaneously broadening and deepening analyses of disability necessary to guide responsive, holistic social work in the 21st century. This chapter brings this rich discussion to inform social work knowledge and practice, through analyzing disability as an important and omnipotent element of human diversity. Our analysis is framed through a contemporary theoretical lens, Explanatory Legitimacy Theory, that unpacks and foregrounds the value and contextual dimensions of human categorization and provides guidance for informed social action relevant to disability in a global era. The chapter begins with the conceptual and chronological perimeters of human classification and an analysis of the emergence of diversity as equivalent to marginalized categories. Explanatory legitimacy theory is then presented, applied and illustrated in disability practice in social work. Keywords: disability; diversity; explanatory legitimacy; social justice; values; equality of access
A Survey of Fault-Tolerance and Fault-Recovery Techniques in Parallel Systems

Supercomputing systems today often come in the form of large numbers of commodity systems linked together into a computing cluster. These systems, like any distributed system, can have large numbers of independent hardware components cooperating or collaborating on a computation. Unfortunately, any of this vast number of components can fail at any time, resulting in potentially erroneous output. In order to improve the robustness of supercomputing applications in the presence of failures, many techniques have been developed to provide resilience to these kinds of system faults. This survey provides an overview of these various fault-tolerance techniques.
The Margulies intrauterine contraceptive device: Experience with 623 women☆☆☆

Abstract Plastic intrauterine devices proved to be an acceptable method for conception control in 88 per cent of 623 women who wore the spirals for a total of 5,606 months. The pregnancy rate for those in whom the device remained in the uterus was 1.5 pregnancies per 100 years of use (4 intrauterine and 3 tubal). The complications associated with the use of the spiral are discussed.
Unmarked Racializing Discourse, Facework, and Identity in Talk about Immigrants in Italy

Drawing from research on racial formation processes in discourse concerning immigrants to Italy, this article argues that when racializing discourses are introduced as unmarked in a conversation, the coparticipant is put in a position of having to readily agree or openly disagree—with the second option endangering face. Racializing discourses introduced as unmarked thus tend to obtain acquiescence from the coparticipant. At the same time, they work at constructing shared identities around racist and racializing stances, where the unmarking becomes indexical of such shared identities. Instead of seeing racism as a stable belief in the mind of the individual, my analysis suggests that we should consider it as something the person does in interaction. The requirements of conversational rules of engagement, the needs of face, the relationship among the interactants, as well as their moral view, influence the participants' response to racializing discourses in interaction, and whether they might coconstruct or oppose them. [racialization, markedness theory, facework, racism, immigration, Italy]
Germination and Dormancy of Abscisic Acid- and Gibberellin-Deficient Mutant Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) Seeds (Sensitivity of Germination to Abscisic Acid, Gibberellin, and Water Potential)

Germination responses of wild-type (MM), abscisic acid (ABA)-deficient (sitw), and gibberellin (GA)-deficient (gib-1) mutant tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. cv Moneymaker) seeds to ABA, GA4+7, reduced water potential ([psi]), and their combinations were analyzed using a population-based threshold model (B.R. Ni and K.J. Bradford [1992] Plant Physiol 98: 1057–)1068). Among the three genotypes, sitw seeds germinated rapidly and completely in water, MM seeds germinated more slowly and were partially dormant, and gib-1 seeds did not germinate without exogenous GA4+7. Times to germination were inversely proportional to the differences between the external osmoticum, ABA, or GA4+7 concentrations and the corresponding threshold levels that would either prevent ([psi]b, log[ABAb]) or promote (log[GAb]) germination. The sensitivity of germination to ABA, GA4+7, and [psi] varied widely among individual seeds in the population, resulting in a distribution of germination times. The rapid germination rate of sitw seeds was attributable to their low mean [psi]b (-1.17 MPa). Postharvest dormancy in MM seeds was due to a high mean [psi]b (-0.35 MPa) and a distribution of [psi]b among seeds such that some seeds were unable to germinate even on water. GA4+7 (100 [mu]M) stimulated germination of MM and gib-1 seeds by lowering the mean [psi]b to -0.75 MPa, whereas ABA inhibited germination of MM and sitw seeds by increasing the mean [psi]b. The changes in [psi]b were not due to changes in embryo osmotic potential. Rather, hormonal effects on endosperm weakening opposite the radicle tip apparently determine the threshold [psi] for germination. The analysis demonstrates that ABA- and GA-dependent changes in seed dormancy and germination rates, whether due to endogenous or exogenous growth regulators, are based primarily upon corresponding shifts in the [psi] thresholds for radicle emergence. The [psi] thresholds, in turn, determine both the rate and final extent of germination within the seed population.
Remembering as we look ahead: the three E's and firearm injuries.

VioLit summary: OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article by Widome was to examine the three E's (education, enforcement, and engineering) identified by pediatricians in the 1950's and to illustrate their relevance to the problem of children and guns today. METHODOLOGY: A non-experimental design was employed for this study. The author used information from past pediatric conferences. He utilized reports, speeches, papers, and minutes from the meetings of the Accident Prevention Committee, a committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics. FINDINGS/DISCUSSION: The author presented examples of how the three E's have worked for past problems of childhood injury: "engineering" includes the design of fuses and circuit breakers to prevent house fires; "enforcement," or regulation, includes the legislation that requires homes with pools to have appropriate fences to protect children from drowning, and; "education" involves attempts to influence behavior, such as persuading bicycle riders to wear helmets. The study discussed how this framework could be applied to guns. The author posited that guns are consumer products and they should be subject to the same safety standards as other consumer products. The study argued that because guns are weapons, there are limits to built-in safety designs. The author stated that, therefore, enforcement and education strategies should be examined. He asked, "Why is it that a high chair that can pinch a finger is withdrawn promptly from the market, whereas the unencumbered commerce in guns that 6-year-olds can discharge unintentionally, or that 10-year-olds can discharge purposefully, remains unquestioned?" (p. 381) AUTHOR'S RECOMMENDATIONS: The author noted that the early injury strategies which were so successful for reducing accidental poisonings and other injuries from a variety of causes should be employed for gun injuries. He recommended that three E's be diligently applied to reduce gunfire injuries. (CSPV Abstract - Copyright © 1992-2007 by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, Regents of the University of Colorado) Firearms Control Firearms Injury Firearms Legislation Firearms Volence Violence Prevention Educational Factors Child Victim Child Firearms Use Accidental Injury Firearms Policy Violence Intervention
Evolutionary image processing

Presents a new approach to image feature extraction which utilizes evolutionary autonomous agents. Image features are mathematically defined in terms of the gray-level intensity at the image pixels. The optimality of image feature extraction is to efficiently find all the feature pixels from a given image. In the proposed approach, the autonomous agents, being distributed computational entities, operate directly in the 2D lattice of a digital image, and exhibit a number of reactive behaviours in order to effectively locate the feature pixels.
Disclosure Patterns Within Social Networks of Gay Men and Lesbians

Gay men and lesbians must make decisions about disclosure of their sexual orientation. Past research has focused on an individual's overall level of disclosure or on disclosure to a specific subset of individuals. This study used a new measure, the Disclosure Grid, to assess the disclosure patterns of 89 gay men and 55 lesbians across their entire social network. In addition to assessing disclosure to each network member, the Grid also assessed perceived relationship quality prior to disclosure and currently. Finally, the Grid assessed perceptions of each network member's initial and current acceptance of the gay or lesbian person's sexual orientation. Data provide a rich portrait of disclosure patterns among a heterogeneous, urban sample of lesbians and gay men. Analyses also found support for three hypotheses about disclosure, relationship quality, and acceptance. For example, it was found that participants have better relationships with individuals they have directly told about their sexual orientation than with people who found out in an indirect manner.
The molecular dynamics of actin measured by a spin probe attached to lysine.

Abstract Rabbit skeletal muscle G-actin was labeled with a spin probe, 3-(5-fluoro-2,4-dinitroanilino)proxyl. Tryptic digestion of the labeled actin followed by ultrafiltration and ion-exchange column chromatography indicated that the label was attached to residue Lys-61. This residue is found within a 9-kDa N-terminal segment that is easily degraded by proteolytic enzymes. The rate of reduction of the nitroxide bond by ascorbate was measured to determine the accessibility of the probe to small molecules in the solvent. These experiments showed that label bound to G-actin was relatively inaccessible to ascorbate, suggesting that it is buried within the protein structure. Polymerization further decreased the accessibility of the probe. Replacing bound Ca 2+ with Mn 2+ decreased the observed intensity of the electron paramagnetic resonance signal, indicating the spin label is about 2 nm distant from the metal binding site on the actin molecule. Labels attached to G-actin displayed an absorption spectrum characteristic of rotational motion with a correlation time ( τ c ) of 7 × 10 −9 s, which is faster than that for the whole molecule. Labels attached to F-actin had a value of τ c , measured using saturation transfer electron paramagnetic resonance, of 2 × 10 −5 s, which shows that the probe has a greater degree of mobility than the filament. The binding of heavy meromyosin or troponintropomyosin to labeled actin resulted in a further increase in the rotational correlation times, with the greatest decrease in mobility ( τ c = 1 × 10 −4 s) observed when both were bound. Together the above results suggest that the 9-kDa segment of actin is mobile relative to the rest of the molecule and that this mobility can be influenced by the binding of heavymeromyosin or troponin-tropomyosin.
A structural model for the solid-liquid interface in monatomic systems

Abstract A structural model for the solid-liquid interface has been developed by applying the construction rules for the liquid to the boundary condition of a crystal plane. In particular, an interface has been created between a dense random packing of hard spheres and a close packed crystal plane by preferentially forming tetrahedral holes (typical for the liquid) and disallowing octahedral holes (necessary for the crystal). The resulting interface has zero density deficit in agreement with conclusions from positron lifetime studies. The surface tension, of entropic origin, is of the same magnitude as the experimental values. The model can account qualitatively for the ease of step nucleation during crystal growth.
Effects of benzazepine (Sch-12679) on shock-induced fighting and locomotor behavior in rats.

Benzazepine (Sch-12679) reduced the shock-induced fighting behavior of rats in a dosedependent fashion. However, the drug also impaired both locomotor behavior and rotorod performance. These results suggest that the aggression suppressive effects of Sch-12679 may be mediated by drug-induced sedation.
The Atlantic Slave Trade: A tentative economic model

Two necessary conditions for the existence of New World slavery and the slave trade are an acute labour shortage and an elastic supply of coerced labour. Though the former condition has been the mainstay of hypotheses on slavery where high land/labour ratios were viewed as causal determinants, less attention has been given to the role of labour supply responses. This paper joins these conditions in a model which postulates that labour demand stemming from open resource pressures induced a politico–economic supply response in West Africa. The model shows a derived demand for labour evolving over time into a specific demand for slaves as entrepreneurs sought the lowest cost method of expanding the production of agricultural staples. Free and indentured labour were both characterized by inelastic supply, but the supply of slaves was elastic due to factors discussed within a vent for surplus framework. African governments and private traders responded to the new effective demand from the Americas with improved organization which widened the pre-existing market for slaves. The desire for imported goods, with firearms especially significant, plus various technical changes in transport, money, and credit all combined to ensure the further development of the slave trade and the continued maintenance of a longrun elastic supply pattern
Rodent epidermal Langerhans cells demonstrate greater histochemical specificity for ADP than for ATP and AMP.

Langerhans cells (LCs) in mammalian epidermis possess the ectoenzyme Ca ++ /Mg ++ -dependent adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase), which has served as a useful histochemical marker for these dendritic cells in a variety of tissue preparations. Since ATPase represents only one of several potential cell surface polyphosphatases, we investigated the capacities of 3 related adenine nucleotide substrates to identify rodent epidermal LCs. Cell surface ATPase activity was not inhibited in the presence of ouabain and was observed to be strictly divalent cation-dependent, with complete interchangeability between Ca ++ and Mg ++ . Optimal staining in the presence of either cation occurred at a 20 mM concentration. Substrate concentration dependence was also observed, with optimal staining at 0.33 mM adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP). On an equimolar basis, however, adenosine 5'-diphosphate (ADP) was superior to ATP for the identification of LCs both in whole mounts of epidermis and in suspensions of disaggregated epidermal cells. The substrate adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP) stained follicular epithelial cells in both rodent species but failed to identify epidermal LCs in the mouse and only weakly stained these dendritic cells in rat epidermis. We conclude from these studies that ADP demonstrates greater specificity for LC surface polyphosphatase activity than ATP and that the inadvertent inclusion of AMP during identification procedures for epidermal cell suspensions will falsely identify cells other than LCs.
Null Allele at Bcd-1 Locus in BALB/cByJ Mice Is Due to a Deletion in the Short-Chain Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase Gene and Results in Missplicing of mRNA

BALB/cByJ mice have a deficiency of short-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (SCAD), an enzyme of fatty acid beta-oxidation. This mutant mouse strain represents the only animal model for any human inborn error of fatty acid metabolism. We have investigated the molecular basis of this defect by DNA and RNA analyses, comparing these mice with the wild-type predecessor strain BALB/cBy. We found that the mutant strain has a 278-bp deletion in the 3' end of the structural gene for SCAD and reduced steady-state levels of SCAD mRNA. Two major transcripts are produced in the mutant. One contains intronic sequence due to the absence of splicing, and the second transcript results from missplicing of a normal splice donor site to a cryptic splice acceptor site in the 3' terminal exon. Both abnormal transcripts have aberrant stop codons. These results demonstrate the molecular basis of SCAD deficiency in this unique mouse model.
Biomechanical Analysis of Cashiers in Seated and Standing Postures

A laboratory experiment was conducted to understand the effect of posture on the entire body during checkout work. This research provides a biomechanical and physiological evaluation of the cashier...
Fast filtering false active subspaces for efficient high dimensional similarity processing

The query space of a similarity query is usually narrowed down by pruning inactive query subspaces which contain no query results and keeping active query subspaces which may contain objects corresponding to the request. However, some active query subspaces may contain no query results at all, those are called false active query subspaces. It is obvious that the performance of query processing degrades in the presence of false active query subspaces. Our experiments show that this problem becomes seriously when the data are high dimensional and the number of accesses to false active subspaces increases as the dimensionality increases. In order to solve this problem, this paper proposes a space mapping approach to reducing such unnecessary accesses. A given query space can be refined by filtering within its mapped space. To do so, a mapping strategy called maxgap is proposed to improve the efficiency of the refinement processing. Based on the mapping strategy, an index structure called MS-tree and algorithms of query processing are presented in this paper. Finally, the performance of MS-tree is compared with that of other competitors in terms of range queries on a real data set.
Improving Incident Fistula Rates: A Process of Care Issue

In the last decade the proportion of hemodialysis patients dialyzing with an arteriovenous fistula (prevalent fistula rate) in Canada, Europe, and Australia/New Zealand have been relatively high (50-90%) 1. In the United States, the prevalent fistula rate has improved dramatically and is now 57% 2. Achievement of these high rates has been due in part to national nephrology society guidelines and vascular access initiatives, such as the Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (K/DOQI) 3, Fistula First Initiative 2, European Best Practice Guidelines 4, and Canadian Society of Nephrology Clinical Practice Guidelines 5 which have focused on improving vascular access care. These guidelines and initiatives have targeted the following processes: (1) patient preparation for permanent access placement, (2) selection of type of permanent access with an emphasis on fistula evaluation and placement, and (3) cannulation. The guidelines and initiatives recognize that a multidisciplinary team comprised of nephrologists, vascular access surgeons, nephrology nurses, and vascular access coordinators are essential to accomplishing these goals 2, 3, 6. However, Canada, Australia/New Zealand, and several European countries with traditionally high prevalent fistula rates have recently reported proportions of incident hemodialysis patients with a fistula (incident fistula rates) below 50% 1. Furthermore, while the U.S. has seen rapid improvements in fistula rates in the prevalent population, this has not been accompanied by improvements in fistula rates among the incident population which have remained remarkably low at 18% 7.
Engine knock predictions using a fully-detailed and a reduced chemical kinetic mechanism

Two chemical kinetic models are used to interpret engine knock data obtained in a laboratory internal combustion engine. These consisted of a detailed kinetic model and a reduced kinetic model, both calibrated to describe engine conditions. Comparisons of both models with experimental results are discussed. Relationships between the reaction steps of the detailed and reduced models are examined in detail, and the relative strengths and weaknesses of the two approaches are discussed.
Ultrastructure of the synapses of sensory neurons that mediate the gill-withdrawal reflex inAplysia

We have identified the processes of mechanoreceptor sensory neurons by intracellular injection of horseradish peroxidase in order to study the structure of synapses which exhibit profound, behaviourally-relevant plasticity. These synapses are located at small, varicose expansions along or at the end of the fine, microtubule-containing neurites, and they are crowded with vesicles some of which are associated with the varicosity membrane at regions of membrane specialization morphologically equivalent to active zones described in other species.
CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T cells control the induction of antigen-specific CD4+ helper T cell responses in cancer patients.

A proportion of cancer patients naturally develop CD4+ T-helper type 1 (Th1) cell responses to NY-ESO-1 that correlate with anti–NY-ESO-1 serum antibodies. To address the role of T-cell regulation in the control of spontaneous tumor immunity, we analyzed NY-ESO-1–specific Th1 cell induction before or after depletion of CD4+CD25+ T cells in vitro. While Th1 cells were generated in the presence of CD25+ T cells in cancer patients seropositive for NY-ESO-1, seronegative cancer patients and healthy donors required CD25+ T-cell depletion for in vitro induction of NY-ESO-1–specific Th1 cells. In vitro, newly generated NY-ESO-1–specific Th1 cells were derived from naive precursors, whereas preexisting memory populations were detectable exclusively in patients with NY-ESO-1 antibody. Memory populations were less sensitive than naive populations to CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells. We propose that CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells are involved in the generation and regulation of NY-ESO-1–specific antitumor immunity.
The ground dominance effect in the perception of 3-D layout

The relative effectiveness of the ground surface and other environmental surfaces (the ceiling and sidewalls) in determining perceived layout was investigated in five experiments and a real-world demonstration. In the first three experiments, two vertical or horizontal posts were positioned between two surfaces (ground and ceiling in all three experiments, left wall and right wall in Experiment1), and optical contact was manipulated so that the two surfaces provided contradictory information about the relative distances of the posts. Observers judged which of the two posts appeared to be closer. In Experiment 4, to control the height on the posts at which the distance judgments were made, a blue dot was attached to both vertical posts at varying heights and observers judged which dot appeared closer. In Experiment 5, the posts were replaced by two gray ellipses to eliminate the effects of the regular shape and texture. Our findings were that (1)among all four surfaces tested, observers showed a preference to respond according to the optical contact information provided by the ground surface& aground dominance effect, (2) this effect did not depend on the height of the posts in the image, (3) as the scene was tilted away from a ground/ceiling orientation, the ground dominance effect decreased, and (4) this effect was not due to the location of the judgment.
Is bone marrow fibrosis the real problem

Comment on Popat et al, page [3486][1], and Passamonti et al, page [3676][2] Popat and colleagues and Passamonti and colleagues provide additional evidence that the constitutive mobilization of CD34+ cells into the peripheral blood (PB) of patients with chronic myeloproliferative disorders (MPDs)
Analysis of shockless dynamic compression data on solids to multi-megabar pressures: Application to tantalum

Magnetically-driven, planar shockless-compression experiments to multi-megabar pressures were performed on tantalum samples using a stripline target geometry. Free-surface velocity waveforms were measured in 15 cases; nine of these in a dual-sample configuration with two samples of different thicknesses on opposing electrodes, and six in a single-sample configuration with a bare electrode opposite the sample. Details are given on the application of inverse Lagrangian analysis (ILA) to these data, including potential sources of error. The most significant source of systematic error, particularly for single-sample experiments, was found to arise from the pulse-shape dependent free-surface reflected wave interactions with the deviatoric-stress response of tantalum. This could cause local, possibly temporary, unloading of material from a ramp compressed state, and thus multi-value response in wave speed that invalidates the free-surface to in-material velocity mapping step of ILA. By averaging all 15 data sets, a final result for the principal quasi-isentrope of tantalum in stress-strain was obtained to a peak longitudinal stress of 330 GPa with conservative uncertainty bounds of ±4.5% in stress. The result agrees well with a tabular equation of state developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Linear-drive cryocoolers for the Department of Defense standard advanced dewar assembly (SADA)

The Standard Advanced Dewar Assembly (SADA) is the critical module in the Department of Defense (DoD) standardization of scanning second-generation thermal imaging systems. The DoD has established a family of SADAs to fulfill a range of performance requirements for various platforms. The SADA consists of the Infrared Focal Plane Array (IRFPA), Dewar, Command & Control Electronics (C&CE), and the cryogenic cooler, and is used in platforms such as the Apache helicopter, the M1A2 Abrams main battle tank, the M2 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle, and the Javelin Command Launch Unit (CLU). In support of the family of SADAs, the DoD defined a complementary family of tactical linear drive cryocoolers. The Stirling cycle linear drive cryocoolers are utilized to cool the Infrared Focal Plane Arrays (IRFPAs) in the SADAs. These coolers are required to have low input power, a quick cool-down time, low vibration output, low audible noise, and a higher reliability than currently fielded rotary coolers. These coolers must also operate in a military environment with its inherent high vibration level and temperature extremes. This paper will (1) outline the characteristics of each cryocooler, (2) present the status and results of qualification tests, (3) present the status of production efforts, and (4) present the status of efforts to increase linear drive cooler reliability.
Direct Observation of Singlet Phenylnitrene and Measurement of Its Rate of Rearrangement

We find that the barrier to rearrangementis larger than previously deduced because ISC is much slowerthan originally anticipated.Phenyl azide 1 was studied by laser flash photolysis (LFP,Nd-YAG, 150 ps, 266 nm, 10 mJ) in pentane. At roomtemperature a transient absorbing at 350 nm is observed. Theformation and decay of this species, at ambient temperature, isfaster than the time resolution of the spectrometer (1 -2 ns).At lower temperatures (<280 K) the formation of the transientremains “instantaneous”, but its decay can be resolved. At lowtemperatures the decay of the 350 nm absorbing transient isaccompanied by the formation of ketenimine 3 which absorbsbroadly above 300 nm
Visual phenomena induced by relativistic carbon ions with and without Cerenkov radiation

Exposing the human eye to individual carbon ions (6C+) moving at relativistic speeds results in visual phenomena that include point flashes, streaks, and larger diffuse flashes. The diffuse flashes have previously been observed by astronauts in space but not in laboratory experiments with particles of high atomic number and energy. They are observed only when the nucleus moves fast enough to generate Cerenkov radiation.
Optical alignments of the Cosmic Background Explorer observatory

The angular alignments and stabilities of multiple components in a single coordinate system were determined using various alignment tooling techniques. These techniques use autocollimation measurements with a first order theodolite and transformation of coordinates to determine the relative alignment between various components with respect to a common set of COBE spacecraft coordinate axes. Optical-mechanical alignment techniques were also used to integrate the flight COBE observatory attitude control system module that consists of gyros, reaction wheels, and a momentum wheel. Particular attention is given to the techniques for alignments and stabilities of the earth scanners, sun sensors, far IR absolute spectrophotometer, Diffuse Infrared Background Experiment, and differential microwave radiometer antenna horn boresights.
It's a Free for All—Insulin-Positive Cells Join the Group of Potential Progenitors for Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

Despite significant efforts, the cellular compartment that gives rise to pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), one of the most lethal human cancers, remains obscure. In this issue of Cancer Cell, Gidekel Friedlander and colleagues demonstrate that under conditions of tissue damage, mutant Kras can drive previously unsuspected insulin-positive endocrine cells into PDA.
Sister chromatid exchange in malignant lymphomas.

Abstract Sister chromatid exchange (SCE) was evaluated in peripheral lymphocytes from 20 untreated patients with malignant lymphomas: 6 with Hodgkin's disease (HD), 14 with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), and 5 with lymphadenitis. The mean SCE frequency (± SE) was: 11.2 ± 0.6, 11.0 ± 0.6, and 7.2 ± 0.3 for HD, NHL, and lymphadenitis patients, respectively, and 8.7 ± 0.2 for the control group. No differences in SCE score were observed in HD and NHL. These results allowed us to consider both groups (HD and NHL) as a single neoplastic population (mean ± SE, 11.0 ± 0.4). No significant differences were found between the lymphadenitis and control groups. On the other hand, significantly higher SCE scores were seen in neoplastic populations than in the control and lymphadenitis groups (p
Oxidation‐reduction reactions in stirred liquid‐liquid systems

Oxidation-reduction rates have been determined in stirred liquid-liquid systems wherein tetravalent cerium ions in a continuous aqueous phase were reduced by tetrachlorohydroquinone contained in dispersed organic droplets. Kinetic data obtained (using low volume fractions (<0.06) of dispersed organic phase) indicate that the rate of reduction of ceric cerium is proportional to the extent of the interfacial area of the stirred liquid-liquid system. Two possible rate-limiting mechanisms are discussed to explain the observed kinetic behavior. This liquid-liquid electron exchange system might find potential use as a chemical tool for measuring changes in interfacial area as influenced by various mixing parameters.
Multiple Applications of Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines Technique to Predict Rear-End Crashes at Unsignalized Intersections

Crash prediction models are used extensively in highway safety analysis. This paper discusses a recently developed data-mining technique to predict motor vehicle crashes: the multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) technique. MARS shows promising predictive power and does not suffer from a black-box limitation. Negative binomial (NB) and MARS models were fitted and compared with the use of extensive data collected on unsignalized intersections in Florida. Two models were estimated for rear-end crash frequency at three- and four-legged unsignalized intersections. Treatment of crash frequency as a continuous response variable to fit a MARS model was also examined by normalizing crash frequency with the natural logarithm of the annual average daily traffic. The combination of MARS with a machine learning technique (random forest) was explored and discussed. The significant factors that affected rear-end crashes were traffic volume on the major road, upstream and downstream distances to the nearest si...
On probabilities of linear sets

Abstract If ( X k ) ∞ k = 1 is a sequence of independent random variables with probabilities of atoms bounded away from one and E is a Borel linear subspace of R ∞ , then the event {( X k ) ∞ k = 1 ∈ E } is a.s. equivalent to the event {( X k ) n k = 1 ∈ F }, where F is an affine subspace of R n for some n ≥ 1.
Normal urinary calcium/creatinine ratios in African-American and Caucasian children.

A random urine calcium/creatinine ratio (UCa/Cr) is of practical use in screening for hypercalciuria. However, due to worldwide variations, reference values for the pediatric population are not yet well established. Furthermore, no study has been conducted to establish normal UCa/Cr values in young African-American (AA) children. It has also been previously reported that an elevated UCa/Cr is related to a high urine Na/K ratio (UNa/K). The objectives of the present study were: (1) to set normal values of random UCa/Cr by age and race in the pediatric population of Metropolitan Kansas City, (2) to identify potential racial differences in UCa/Cr between Caucasian (CS) and AA children, and (3) to determine the relationship between UCa/Cr and UNa/K in healthy children.A total of 368 healthy children of both genders were enrolled in the study. They were divided into four age groups as follows: (1) <7 months, (2) 8–18 months, (3) 19 months to 6 years, and (4) 7–16 years. Each group was subdivided into AA and CS. A non-fasting random urine specimen from each subject was analyzed for Ca, Na, K and creatinine.The median UCa/Cr values for AA were: (1) 0.13, (2) 0.09, (3) 0.06, and (4) 0.04 and for CS they were (1) 0.26, (2) 0.11, (3) 0.10, and (4) 0.09. The data showed a strong inverse relationship between UCa/Cr and age, the youngest children demonstrating the highest UCa/Cr. In each age group, UCa/Cr in CS exceeded the corresponding value in AA. The age-dependent 95th percentiles of UCa/Cr values for CS were (1) 0.70, (2) 0.50, (3) 0.28, and (4) 0.20 and for AA they were (1) 0.38 and (3) 0.24. Due to outliers, the 95th percentile could not be established for the other two AA subgroups. The relationship between UCa/Cr and UNa/K was found to be extremely weak in both AA (r 2 =0.00005) and CS (r 2 =0.02). On the other hand, a strong linear correlation was observed between UNa/K and age (CS r 2 =0.23, P<0.001, AA r 2 =0.19, P<0.001), explaining in part the lack of correlation between UNa/K and UCa/Cr.We conclude that the child’s age, ethnicity and geographic location should be taken into consideration when assessing UCa/Cr ratio. Contrary to what has previously been reported in hypercalciuric children, no significant relationship was found between UCa/Cr and UNa/K in healthy children.