cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Development of Curved-Plate Elements for the Exact Buckling Analysis of Composite Plate Assemblies Including Transverse-Shear Effects

The analytical formulation of curved-plate non-linear equilibrium equations including transverse-shear-deformation effects is presented. A unified set of non-linear strains that contains terms from both physical and tensorial strain measures is used. Linearized, perturbed equilibrium equations (stability equations) that describe the response of the plate just after buckling occurs are derived. These equations are then modified to allow the plate reference surface to be located a distance zc from the centroidal surface. The implementation of the new theory into the VICONOPT exact buckling and vibration analysis and optimum design computer program is described. The terms of the plate stiffness matrix using both classical plate theory (CPT) and first-order shear-deformation plate theory (SDPT) are presented. The effects of in-plane transverse and in-plane shear loads are included in the in-plane stability equations. Numerical results for several example problems with different loading states are presented. Comparisons of analyses using both physical and tensorial strain measures as well as CPT and SDPT are made. The computational effort required by the new analysis is compared to that of the analysis currently in the VICONOPT program. The effects of including terms related to in-plane transverse and in-plane shear loadings in the in-plane stability equations are also examined.
Études sur les règles d'inférence dites règles de Gentzen

Cet article a pour objet d'etudier diverses regies d'inference dites “regies de Gentzen”. Je me limiterai dans cette premiere partie aux inferences dont la validite tient au role qu'y jouent les cinq connecteurs « ⊃ », « ∼ » , « & », « ∨ », et « ≡ ». Celles dont la validite tient au role qu'y jouent ces cinq connecteurs, les deux quantificateurs « ∀ » et « ∃ », et le signe d'egalite ou d'identite « = », feront l'objet d'une autre etude. Quelques-uns des resultats que je soumettrai dans ces deux etudes sont le fruit de mes propres recherches; d'autres sont dus a divers collegues avec qui j'ai eu le plaisir de collaborer ces dernieres annees.
Evolution of mitral valve surgery: toward a totally endoscopic approach.

Abstract Background . Our study evaluates a series of video-assisted minimally invasive mitral operations, showing safe progression toward totally endoscopic techniques. Methods . Consecutive patients with isolated mitral valve disease underwent either manually directed (n = 55) or voice-activated robotically directed (n = 72) video-assisted mitral operations. Cold blood cardioplegia, a transthoracic aortic clamp, a 5-mm endoscope, and a 5-cm minithoracotomy were used. This video-assisted minimally invasive mitral operation cohort was compared with a previous sternotomy-based mitral operation cohort (n = 100). Results . Group demographics, New York Heart Association classification, and cardiac function were similar. Repairs were performed in 61.8% manually directed (n = 34), 75.0% robotically directed (n = 54), and 54% sternotomy-based (N = 54) mitral operations. The robotically directed technique showed a significant decrease in blood loss, ventilator time, and hospitalization compared with the sternotomy-based technique. Manually directed mitral operations compared with robotically directed mitral operations had decreased arrest times (128.0 ± 4.5 minutes compared with 90.0 ± 4.6 minutes; p p Conclusions . Video-assisted mitral surgery provides safe and effective results when compared with conventional sternal approaches. These positive results show a safe and stepwise evolution toward a totally endoscopic mitral valve operation.
Bayesian reliability applications of a combined lifecycle failure distribution

This research seeks to better understand how to update sectional time-to-failure (TTF) distributions, such as the Sandia National Laboratories' developed CoMBined Lifecycle (CMBL) distribution, when new operational TTF data become available. With a bathtub-shaped hazard function, the CMBL probability density function provides an application-friendly method for characterizing a component's failure or lifecycle distribution. Its five parameters are chosen specifically to make it relatively easy to elicit the probability of failure distribution from subject matter experts and limited data. Once a characterization of the component?s lifecycle in terms of failure probability is established, a methodology for how to update that characterization based on the availability of new operational failure data is required. The updating process presented here uses a Bayesian changepoint methodology to return updated CMBL distribution parameters based on new operational TTF data modelled as a Poisson process. In this meth...
The Christian Century in Japan, 1549-1650

Four hundred and fifty years ago, on 23 September 1543, three Portuguese merchants travelling on a Chinese junk were blown by a storm onto the south-western tip of Japan. So at last was discovered to the West that fabled country which Marco Polo reported and Columbus sought. The chief Japanese trade links were with China, but these had been severed by violent piracy at sea and along the coast. The Portuguese, with their large, well-armed carracks, revived the trade, exchanging Chinese silks and a variety of foreign exotica for Japanese silver, at immense profit. Japan was then in a state of medieval confusion. The emperors were impoverished, their sovereignty nominal; their generalissimos, the shoguns, had long proved unable to control the feudal lords, the daimyos. These were largely independent, able to let in foreigners at will. Western goods lent prestige to rival courts; some, like the musket, were useful in the constant wars. With trade came Christianity. In 1549, Francis Xavier himself established the first Jesuit mission. His hopes ran high: 'It seems to me that we shall never find among heathens another race to equal the Japanese.' Despite difficulties of language and culture, the new religion struck root: by the end of the 'Christian Century' there were some 300,000 converts. Success bred competition. The Portuguese trading monopoly was infringed by Spaniards, English and Dutch; the Jesuit monopoly was eroded by Franciscan rivals and Protestant enemies. Whereas catholic Christian unity disintegrated, a new dynasty of Shoguns restored the unity of Japan, gradually brining the daimyos to hell. Inspired by a fierce nationalism, the new shoguns grew suspicious of foreign trade and foreign religious ambitions and feared that local Christians might act as a 'fifth column' for the West. When a peasant rebellion occurred in a Christianized province the government loosed a violent persecution: chilling refinements of torture were met with astonishing fortitude. The country was virtually closed to foreigners for 200 years. Yet Christianity somehow survived underground: after the arrival in 1853 of Commodore Perry's fleet led to the reopening of Japan, many thousands of secret Christians revealed themselves.This remarkable and little known period is the subject of Professor Charles Boxer's The Christian Century in Japan. First published in 1951, its combination of original scholarship, lucidity and humanity have made it a classic. This edition includes illustrations of works of art produced during that brief but fruitful intercourse between Japan and the West.
Weights and Topology: A Study of the Effects of Graph Construction on 3D Image Segmentation

Graph-based algorithms have become increasingly popular for medical image segmentation. The fundamental process for each of these algorithms is to use the image content to generate a set of weights for the graph and then set conditions for an optimal partition of the graph with respect to these weights. To date, the heuristics used for generating the weighted graphs from image intensities have largely been ignored, while the primary focus of attention has been on the details of providing the partitioning conditions. In this paper we empirically study the effects of graph connectivity and weighting function on the quality of the segmentation results. To control for algorithm-specific effects, we employ both the Graph Cuts and Random Walker algorithms in our experiments.
Evolution of robustness in digital organisms

We study the evolution of robustness in digital organisms adapting to a high mutation rate. As genomes adjust to the harsh mutational environment, the mean effect of single mutations decreases, up until the point where a sizable fraction (up to 30% in many cases) of the mutations are neutral. We correlate the changes in robustness along the line of descent to changes in directional epistasis, and find that increased robustness is achieved by moving from antagonistic epistasis between mutations towards codes where mutations are, on average, independent. We interpret this recoding as a breakup of linkage between vital sections of the genome, up to the point where instructions are maximally independent of each other. While such a recoding often requires sacrificing some replication speed, it is the best strategy for withstanding high rates of mutation.
How we Became the Schmams: Conceptualizations of Fairness in the Decision-Making Process for Latina/O Children

The current study examines 16 Latina/o fifth grade children's desires for a decision-making structure within a youth participatory action research (yPAR) program. When given the choices of consensus, majority rule, authoritarian rule, delegation, and random choice models, children chose random choice. Procedural, distributive and emotional justice were heavily weighted in their reasoning around fairness and decision making. Many thought random choice offered the best alternative because it flattened power hierarchies so that each child would, at some point, have the power to make a decision. Additionally, children argued that the neutrality of random choice allowed them to sidestep interpersonal tensions. Implications include how social identities inform definitions of fairness and how yPAR programs should work with youth around how they will make decisions.
Psychological Boundaries and Ethnic Conflict: How Identity Constrained Choice and Worked to Turn Ordinary People into Perpetrators of Ethnic Violence During the Lebanese Civil War

Why do ordinary people commit ethnic atrocities? To understand the psychology of ethnic violence we constructed a pilot project based on narrative interviews with five ordinary people who participated in acts of ethnic violence during the Lebanese Civil War. The interviews present striking evidence that identity constrains choice for all individuals, regardless of their particular ideological or socioeconomic demographic background. Our findings challenge both the rationalist approaches of realistic conflict theory and rational choice and the institutional claims of consociational democracy and suggest the tremendous power of identity and perceptions of self in relation to others to constrain political actions.
Comparing Party-Voter Linkages Across Parties and Party Systems: Ideological Partisanship in Voters’ Minds

This study answers the question of why an ideological party system emerges in some democracies but not in others. Despite the importance of ideology in party competition, the relationships between parties and voters in developing democracies and how these are different from, or similar to, that of established democracies with respect to ideology have received relatively less attention. Scholars have long agreed that parties of late democratizers have failed to develop ideological linkages to the same extent as their well-established Western counterparts, with the comparability between the two worlds often questioned. Even recent efforts to account for the party-voter relationships in developing democracies fall short of providing valid measures for cross-national comparison. To address these theoretical and empirical gaps, I investigate the cross-national variations in the nature of party-voter linkages and the underlying conditions for the development of ideological linkages. First, I provide novel measures of ideological linkages at the party and the party system level in 46 established and developing democracies, by using the public opinion survey data from the Comparative Study of Electoral Systems (1996-2011). Next, I evaluate competing theories of party-voter relationships: institutional, socioeconomic and democratic. I find that neither being a third wave democracy nor being a less matured democracy is as critical for the development of ideological linkages as institutional and socioeconomic factors. By providing a basis for both cross-party and cross-national comparisons for future research in party-voter relationships, this study challenges the 'incomparability thesis' in the study of party politics.
Asymmetry in stimulus-term and response-term recall following paired- associate training

Following paired-associate training, R-term recall exceeded S-term recall. This difference was accentuated by an increased amount of paired-associate training.
Direct Measurement of Skin Friction in Complex Flows

Skin friction (or wall shear) measurement is an important topic in the design and analysis of all fluid machinery devices, so there is a very long, deep and broad history of work in the area. In general, there are two broad classes of methods – indirect and direct measurements. The direct methods generally employ a movable element of the surface surrounded by a very small gap and connected to some type of flexure. One then measures the displacement of the movable element or the strain in the flexure to obtain the skin friction force acting on the movable element directly. This is usually the preferred approach for complex flow situations, and such devices are the subject here. First, an overview of some prior instruments is presented to provide some of the history and characteristics of these units. Next are separate sections considering: 1) sensitivity and range, 2) calibration, 3) time response, 4) mitigation of vibration effects, 5) interfering inputs, and 6) uncertainty. Then international collaborations in the measurement of skin friction in scramjet engine tests are described. This is followed by an overview of recent and ongoing projects at Virginia tech and partner organizations. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of directions and possibilities for future research.
Small screen, big picture television and lived religion, Winston, Diane

(2011). Small screen, big picture television and lived religion, Winston, Diane. Material Religion: Vol. 7, No. 2, pp. 288-289.
US Presidents and the Militarization of Space, 1946–1967. By Sean N. Kalic. (College Station, TX: Texas A&M Press, 2012. Pp. xii, 182. $40.00.)

In this provocative examination of the emergence of American space policy after World War II, the author argues that Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson shared a goal of allowing the use of...
The sick building syndrome and mass hysteria.

Illness caused by air pollution has been referred to as sick building syndrome. Lawsuits based upon this controversial topic are being directed against architects, office building owners, manufacturers, and contractors. Many experts believe that sick building syndrome is a distinct entity, whereas others believe it to be a form of mass hysteria. This article reviews the interrelationships and differences between sick building syndrome and mass hysteria.
Dielectrophoretic recovery of DNA from plasma for the identification of chronic lymphocytic leukemia point mutations.

Aim: Circulating cell free (ccf) DNA contains information about mutations affecting chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The complexity of isolating DNA from plasma inhibits the development of point-of-care diagnostics. Here, we introduce an electrokinetic method that enables rapid recovery of DNA from plasma. Materials & methods: ccf-DNA was isolated from 25 µl of CLL plasma using dielectrophoresis. The DNA was used for PCR amplification, sequencing and analysis. Results: The ccf-DNA collected from plasma of 5 CLL patients revealed identical mutations to those previously identified by extracting DNA from CLL cells from the same patients. Conclusion: Rapid dielectrophoresis isolation of ccf-DNA directly from plasma provides sufficient amounts of DNA to use for identification of point mutations in genes associated with CLL progression.
Film Realism and Narrative Identity

In order for film to provide useful insights into the nature of existential-ism, the movies discussed must be reliably realistic. This may be asking too much of films that are fictional narratives, however. Whether it is or not depends heavily on what you think ‘realism’ means; ‘real’ and its derivates are terribly vague and given to quite disparate uses. The concept is nevertheless widely used in film analysis, and in the previous chapter I have begun to situate my use of the term in the tradition of film theory. While not disagreeing with Bazin about the importance of the photographic medium to reveal the world to us, the important reality pertinent to a study of existentialism is the experience we assume of the characters, and that is often best conveyed through various stylistic techniques that Munsterberg was among the first to describe. So the emphasis on the inner world is just as important as an emphasis on the outer world, as long as it’s understood that our intent is always to reveal experience.
Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone in Diabetes

Growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) is produced by the hypothalamus and stimulates growth hormone synthesis and release in the anterior pituitary gland. In addition GHRH is an important regulator of cellular functions in many cells and organs. Expression of GHRH G-Protein Coupled Receptor (GHRHR) has been demonstrated in different peripheral tissues and cell types including pancreatic islets. Among the peripheral activities, recent studies demonstrate a novel ability of GHRH analogs to increase and preserve insulin secretion by beta-cells in isolated pancreatic islets, which makes them potentially useful for diabetes treatment. This review considers the role of GHRHR in the beta-cell and addresses the unique engineered GHRH agonists and antagonists for treatment of Type 2 diabetes mellitus. We discuss the similarity of signaling pathways activated by GHRHR in pituitary somatotrophs and in pancreatic beta-cells and possible ways as to how the GHRHR pathway can interact with glucose and other secretagogues to stimulate insulin secretion. We also consider the hypothesis that novel GHRHR agonists can improve glucose metabolism in Type 2 diabetes by preserving the function and survival of pancreatic beta-cells. Wound healing and cardioprotective action with new GHRH agonists suggesting that they may prove useful in ameliorating certain diabetic complications. These findings highlight the future potential therapeutic effectiveness of modulators of GHRHR activity for the development of new therapeutic approaches in diabetes and its complications.
Introduction: What to do with older prospective fathers: the risks of advanced paternal age

Increasing numbers of men are attempting conception at older ages. Adverse changes in male fertility and sexual function occur with age. In addition, there are potential consequences for children born to older fathers—some medical and some psychological. This month's Views and Reviews section discusses the biologic changes in reproductive function, medical conditions that increase with age that affect reproductive function, the risks to children of older fathers, genetic mechanisms responsible for these risks, and issues clinicians should know to be able to counsel these couples.
The association of QT interval components with atrial fibrillation.

Background Although abnormalities of the QT interval are associated with atrial fibrillation (AF), it is unclear whether ventricular depolarization (QRS duration) or repolarization (JT interval) is a more important marker of AF risk. Methods This analysis included 4,181 (95% white; 59% women) participants from the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) who were free of baseline AF and major intraventricular delay. A linear scale was used to compute heart rate adjusted QT (QTa), QRS (QRSa), and JT (JTa) intervals. Prolonged QTa, QRSa, and JTa were defined by values greater than the sex-specific 95th percentile for each measurement. AF events were ascertained during the annual study electrocardiograms and from hospitalization discharge data. Cox regression was used to compute hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the associations of prolonged QTa, QRSa, and JTa with AF, separately. Results Over a mean follow-up of 12.1 years, a total of 1,236 (30%) AF events were detected. An increased risk of AF (HR = 1.50. 95% CI = 1.20, 1.88) was observed with prolonged QTa. When we examined the association between individual components of the QTa interval and AF, the risk of AF was limited to prolonged JTa (HR = 1.31, 95% CI = 1.04, 1.65) and not prolonged QRSa (HR = 1.00, 95% CI = 0.77, 1.30). Similar results were obtained per 1-SD increase in QTa (HR = 1.07, 95% CI = 1.01, 1.13), QRSa (HR = 0.99, 95% CI = 0.94, 1.06), and JTa (HR = 1.07, 95% CI = 1.01, 1.13). Conclusions The JT interval is a more important marker of AF risk in the QT interval among persons who do not have ventricular conduction delays.
Kmax: finding all configurations of Kbuild makefiles statically

Feature-oriented software design is a useful paradigm for building and reasoning about highly-configurable software. By making variability explicit, feature-oriented tools and languages make program analysis tasks easier, such as bug-finding, maintenance, and more. But critical software, such as Linux, coreboot, and BusyBox rely instead on brittle tools, such as Makefiles, to encode variability, impeding variability-aware tool development. Summarizing Makefile behavior for all configurations is difficult, because Makefiles have unusual semantics, and exhaustive enumeration of all configurations is intractable in practice. Existing approaches use ad-hoc heuristics, missing much of the encoded variability in Makefiles. We present Kmax, a new static analysis algorithm and tool for Kbuild Makefiles. It is a family-based variability analysis algorithm, where paths are Boolean expressions of configuration options, called reaching configurations, and its abstract state enumerates string values for all configurations. Kmax localizes configuration explosion to the statement level, making precise analysis tractable. The implementation analyzes Makefiles from the Kbuild build system used by several low-level systems projects. Evaluation of Kmax on the Linux and BusyBox build systems shows it to be accurate, precise, and fast. It is the first tool to collect all source files and their configurations from Linux. Compared to previous approaches, Kmax is far more accurate and precise, performs with little overhead, and scales better.
Engaging Diverse Learners: Teaching Strategies for Academic Librarians. Polger, Mark Aaron, and Sheidlower, Scott: Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited, 2017, xvii + 164pp., $60.00, ISBN 978-1-4408-3850-7.

This book examines how librarians can employ different teaching strategies to best engage different types of learners in the library classroom. It contains a variety of ideas, theories, and techniq...
A Preliminary Analysis of Mastery Criterion Level: Effects on Response Maintenance

Educators use a mastery criterion to evaluate skill acquisition programming for children with autism and other developmental disabilities; however, to the best of our knowledge, there has been no research evaluating how the mastery criterion level of accuracy affects the maintenance of those responses. This study investigated the effects of 3 skill acquisition mastery criterion levels (50%, 80%, and 90% accuracy) on response maintenance. Following mastery of a set of skills, maintenance was evaluated once a week for 3 to 4 weeks. Three elementary school-age children diagnosed with autism participated. Overall, the outcomes suggested that higher mastery criterion levels (90% correct) produced higher levels of maintenance responding. Additional research in this area is needed to clarify how different parameters of mastery criterion affect the generality of skills.
Using vignettes to understand heart failure self-care.

Aims and objectives To explore hospitalised heart failure (HF) patients' self-care decisions. Background Heart failure self-care is integral to maintain and manage health, and may prevent unnecessary HF hospitalisations. Nevertheless, self-care remains challenging for patients, and using vignettes offer a new perspective to understand patient HF self-care decision-making. Design This qualitative descriptive analysis was conducted as part of a mixed methods study. Methods We conducted semi-structured interviews (N = 20) to elicit patient decisions about self-care in responses to three vignettes, which varied in symptom severity. Content analysis was used to extract quotes describing participant responses. Results Participants were on average 60 years old, primarily male, African American, unemployed and highly symptomatic (NYHA Class III or IV). Overall, participants were able to identify when symptoms required a decision to seek urgent medical attention, but had difficulty identifying the appropriate decision to make in response to less acute symptoms such as swelling. Conclusions Symptoms other than shortness of breath were challenging for patients to interpret and manage appropriately. Understanding how to apply HF knowledge to alleviate symptoms was also difficult. Relevance to clinical practice Vignettes may be a helpful tool to prompt patient-healthcare provider communication about self-care management and prompt discussions about appropriate self-care decisions in response to varying levels of symptom severity.
Implementing the process oriented guided-inquiry learning (POGIL) pedagogy of group scenario exercises in Fundamentals and Medical Surgical II nursing courses

Background and objective: Research with Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL), an interactive learning pedagogy, has shown improvement in grades and student satisfaction in science and nursing courses. POGIL is an active teaching strategy which utilizes small groups of students to analyze case studies. The student teams participate in groups of four to problem solve topics based on the material taught. POGIL can be additional to lecture and didactic teaching methods to help with the synthesis and analysis of content taught. The object of this study was to compare final course and national standardized exam grades between POGIL and comparison groups in both Fundamentals and Medical-Surgical II nursing courses. Methods: A quantitative, comparative design was used. Results: The Fundamentals POGIL group had significantly higher scores on a standardized national exam ( p = .001) than a comparison group; no significant difference in final course grades was found. The Medical-Surgical Nursing II POGIL and comparison groups had no significant differences in standardized national exam or final course grades. Students in POGIL groups were given a satisfaction survey and indicated the experience was helpful to improving grades and understanding course content. Conclusions: In classes that used POGIL, there were higher scores on a standardized national exam scores but not final course grades for students in the Fundamentals course. Using POGIL in Medical Surgical Nursing II courses revealed no difference in final course grades or on national standardized exam scores. The use of POGIL for beginning nursing students may be more helpful as these students are in the process of determining which learning strategies are most helpful as they progress through the nursing curriculum. Introducing a new pedagogy to students in their last semester of the nursing program was not as helpful possibly because students have established successful strategies for learning prior to this last semester. Future research to further explore the impact of POGIL on grades and standardized tests scores in other nursing curriculum courses such as mental health or care of the emerging family is recommended. Exploring POGIL and the impact on the development of clinical thinking and clinical practice is another line of inquiry that could be explored.
SDLB-Scheduler with Dynamic Load Balancing for Heterogeneous Computers

Publisher Summary The chapter discusses the scheduler with dynamic load balancing for heterogeneous computers (SDLB). SDLB is a distributed job scheduler that can schedule jobs on multiple clusters of computers with dynamic load balancing ability. The chapter describes newly added features of SDLB. SDLB supports computers running in the dedicated mode, the batched mode, and the multiuser interactive mode. A user can submit single jobs or parallel jobs to the specified machines or let the scheduler find the best suitable machines for the jobs. Installed in each cluster, an SDLB can negotiate with other SDLBs for acquiring computation resources. The scheduler also has the fault-tolerance capability. When there is a failure in part of the computers or computer software that support a particular application job, the scheduler can detect the hanging application job and automatically restart it on other working computers. If the application job can periodically store the checkpoint data, the job will be restarted from the latest checkpoint, otherwise the job will be restarted from the beginning.
Continuous versus discontinuous tumor involvement: A dilemma in prostate biopsy quantitation.

BACKGROUND No consensus has been reached for an optimal method of quantifying discontinuous tumor foci separated by intervening benign tissue on prostate biopsy (PBx). We examined sets of PBx, where cancer involved only one core, and corresponding radical prostatectomy (RP) specimens. METHODS AND RESULTS Cases were divided into 3 groups-Group 1 (n = 80): <3 mm in end-to-end tumor measurement (continuous/discontinuous); Group 2 (n = 22): ≥3 mm in tumor length (continuous); and Group 3 (n = 15): ≥3 mm in end-to-end tumor measurement (discontinuous). The rate of Gleason score ≥7 was considerably lower in Group 1 (9%/30% on PBx/RP) than in Group 2 (50% [P < 0.001]/59% [P = 0.015] on PBx/RP) or Group 3 (40% [P = 0.005]/46% [P = 0.237] on PBx/RP). pT2 disease was significantly more often found in Group 1 (88%) than in Group 2 (68%, P = 0.049) or Group 3 (60%, P = 0.018). Surgical margin was significantly more often positive in Group 3 (27%) than in Group 1 (5%, P = 0.020), but not Group 2 (9%, P = 0.198). Moreover, estimated cancer volume (cc, mean ± SD) was significantly smaller in Group 1 (1.89 ± 1.98) than in Group 2 (3.56 ± 2.92, P = 0.026) or Group 3 (3.44 ± 2.02, P = 0.013). Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed higher risks of biochemical recurrence after RP in Group 2, compared with Group 1 (P = 0.001) or Group 3 (P = 0.096). In 93 patients with biopsy Gleason score 6 cancer, higher rates of pT2+/3 disease (P = 0.023) and positive margin (P = 0.026), as well as larger cancer volume (P = 0.063), on RP were still seen in Group 3, compared with Group 1, but their differences were not statistically significant between Group 2 and Group 3. CONCLUSIONS Linear quantitation including intervening benign tissue on PBx may more precisely predict the actual tumor extent.
The Climate Change Regime and the Arctic Region

This chapter provides an overview of the climate change regime from an arctic perspective. The chapter poses a number of questions about the ability of the regime to take appropriate account of arctic interests in its efforts to mitigate climate change and adapt where impacts are not prevented. The chapter is divided into four components, a brief history of the regime, its approach to mitigation, efforts to date on adaptation, and the future of the regime. The history of the regime tracks its evolution through the IPCC, the UNFCCC, the Kyoto Protocol, and its implementation. The section on mitigation describes the emission reduction targets in the Kyoto Protocol and the various mechanisms available to meet these targets. The adaptation section considers provisions in the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol, and their implementation to date. The final section considers the future of the regime and the promise it holds for addressing arctic concerns over the adequacy of mitigation, adaptive capacity, and the specific vulnerability of this region. In light of the inadequacy of the global response to climate change to date, the chapter discusses how arctic interests have been represented in the climate change regime to date.
OP075: Our experience in surgical treatment of oral cavity cancer: Oncological and functional results

Purpose The last decade has seen the development of compartmental surgery (CTS) as a whole new approach to the treatment of advanced head and neck cancer. CTS is based on a new concept and a new approach to demolition and reconstruction that focus on: the removal of the whole anatomo-functional units containing the tumor, including all the potential pathways of progression such as muscular, lymphatic and vascular; identification of territories at high risk of recurrence of disease such as muscular, neuro-vascular and glandular tissues; accurate consideration of the defect resulted from the anatomical demolition and the subsequent rational reconstruction. The aim of this paper is to retrospectively evaluate our series, to describe our experience with CTS and the oncological and functional results in patients with squamocellular oral cavity cancers of the tongue and the floor of mouth. Material and methods In this study we evaluated oncological and functional follow ups of patients treated from 2007 to 2012, by a retrospective analysis of the data stored in our oncological digital database (Spider’s net). We evaluated 114 patients with cT2–4a, cN0, cN+, M0 squamocellular cancers of the tongue and the floor of mouth. Reconstructions were performed by a variety of flaps including ALT (52), DIEP (15), VRAM (7) Fibula free flap (19), radial forearm free flap (14) and myofascial pectoralis flap (7). Results We discuss our experience of this surgical technique with focus on the functional results of reconstructions performed in our patients. Oncological outcomes and long term follow ups are also discussed. Conclusions In our opinion, CTS is the gold standard primary treatment for cancers of the tongue and of the floor of mouth.
Heat transfer coefficient measurement of LN2 and GN2 in a microchannel at low Reynolds flow.

Abstract The heat transfer coefficients of single-phase fluids in the laminar flow regime have been studied for decades. However, inconsistent results are found in the literature. The common finding is that the Nusselt number is dependent on the Reynolds number in the laminar flow regime, which is contrary to laminar flow heat transfer theory. Recently, researchers indicated that axial conduction in the wall of the microchannel can affect the measurement. However, there have not been thorough studies that demonstrate consistency or lack thereof between experiment and theory. This study provides an experimental investigation on heat transfer performance of gaseous and liquid nitrogen flow through microchannels with hydraulic diameters of 110 μm and 180 μm. A model has been developed to investigate heat transfer in a microchannel from which analysis shows that the temperature profile of the fluid and wall change non-linearly along the length of the microchannel when the flow rate is low (e.g., Re
School fieldtrip to engineering workshop: pre-, post-, and delayed-post effects on student perceptions by age, gender, and ethnicity

This article presents a large-scale evaluation study of over 3000 9–14-year-old students who participated in an engineering workshop during their school fieldtrips. Student perceptions right before...
Mechanical Characterization of Open Cell Aluminum Foams Using X-ray Computed Tomography

Open-cell aluminum foams show excellent potential for use in a variety of applications. In order to accelerate the use of aluminum foams in engineering industry, it is important to accurately understand the relationship between the manufacturing processes and the resulting foam properties. Two tests are developed to support development of finite element (FE) models that will be used to design foam geometries optimized to meet specific design criteria. A bulk crush test is created for small foam blocks which uses in situ X-ray computed tomography (CT) imaging. A tensile experiment is developed to test individual foam ligaments, which measures the aluminum’s mechanical behavior and will be used to improve the simulation’s accuracy beyond what is possible using published bulk material properties of aluminum.
Highly affected groups: Gay men and racial others in West Germany’s AIDS epidemic, 1981–1992

This article examines racial discourses in (West) German gay publications between 1981 and 1992 as well as how issues of race and migration factored into AIDS activism during this period. While the...
Hearing Aid Measurements Using the Revised Standard

Unlike previous standards, the revised hearing aid standard, (ANSI $3.22-1976), specifies tolerance requirements for the electroaeoustic characteristics of hearing aids. It is essential, therefore,...
First search for positive strangelets with the E864 spectrometer

The first search for strangelets conducted by experiment BNL-E864 is presented [1]. The analysis uses over 26.5 million “central” events recorded for the “positive strangelet” search from the first (Fall 1994) run of the experiment. The full apparatus was not installed for this run, but the tracking portion of the apparatus which was present for the 1994 run performed to the expectations of our proposal. We observed 25 Z=1 high mass candidates in a mass range of 10 GeV to 200 GeV. The number and character of observed high mass candidates are consistent with background expected from Monte Carlo programs for the 1994 configuration of the detector, and thus limits are placed on strangelet production. The results place a significant limit on the existence of high mass strangelets.
A Quasi-Experimental Effectiveness Study of Triple P on Child Maltreatment

We examined the impact of the implementation of The Triple P-Positive Parenting Program in North Carolina (NC) on reducing child maltreatment, a serious public health problem in the US with lasting harmful effects on children. In 2012 and 2013, 34 of 100 counties in NC implemented Triple P. A panel data set with county-level child welfare data and emergency department (ED) discharge data from 2008 to 2015 for 100 counties in NC was constructed. A quasi-experimental design using difference-in-differences analysis estimated the association between the implementation of Triple P and the rate of (1) investigated child maltreatment reports; (2) entry into foster care; and (3) ED visits concerning for child maltreatment. Implementation of Triple P was associated with in a 4% decrease in the county rate of investigated reports of child maltreatment (RR = 0.96, 95% CI [0.93, 0.99]) and a 7% decrease in the county rate of children in foster care (RR = 0.93, 95% CI [0.88, 0.98]). Each of these findings was robust to one but not both sensitivity tests performed. There was no reduction in county-level rates of ED visits with ICD-9-CM codes concerning for child maltreatment. Implementation of Triple P in NC outside of the parameters of scientific study is associated with small reductions in the rates of child maltreatment reports and foster care placements. Additional research is needed to understand whether such small reductions justify the substantial investment communities are making in Triple P.
Heat tubes: Conduction and convection

Abstract This note offers a clear view of heat transfer fundamentals in terms of ‘heat tubes’, which are macroscopic architectures for the flow of energy through complex energy systems. The note focuses on heat tubes with conduction and convection, although heat tubes with radiation through stacks of radiation shields have also been treated in the literature. It is shown how to shape a heat tube and how to cool it along its length so that its thermodynamic performance evolves. Several instances of confusion are clarified along the way.
Persistent Memories: Jewish Activists and the German Revolution

This chapter analyses the role of Jewish writers and activists in the revolutionary events of 1918–1919, including Rosa Luxemburg, Leo Jogiches, Paul Levi, Gustav Landauer, Erich Muhsam, Ernst Toller and Eugen Levine. The visibility of these Jewish intellectuals during the revolution justified right-wing ideas of a supposed “Jewish-Bolshevik” conspiracy and viewing the Weimar regime with a “Jew Republic.” The German Revolution and its direct aftermath were catalysts for the intensification of anti-Semitism in Germany. The Jewish people were no longer depicted as mere heretics or profiteers, but also as traitors to the monarchy and executors of a “stab in the back” to soldiers at the frontline. This chapter traces the contributions of Jewish intellectuals in this contested and increasingly violent environment.
Global well-posedness of the Gross--Pitaevskii and cubic-quintic nonlinear Schrödinger equations with non-vanishing boundary conditions

We consider the Gross-Pitaevskii equation on R 4 and the cubic-quintic non- linear Schrodinger equation (NLS) on R 3 with non-vanishing boundary conditions at spa- tial infinity. By viewing these equations as perturbations to the energy-critical NLS, we prove that they are globally well-posed in their energy spaces. In particular, we prove unconditional uniqueness in the energy spaces for these equations.
Balancing treatments for patients with systemic hypertension and glaucoma.

Treatment of glaucoma and systemic hypertension requires careful balancing of ophthalmic and systemic medications. This report offers background on various common therapies and considerations to mi...
Estimating Population Abundance of Burying Beetles Using Photo-Identification and Mark-Recapture Methods.

Successful conservation and management of protected wildlife populations require reliable population abundance data. Traditional capture-mark-recapture methods can be costly, time-consuming, and invasive. Photographic mark-recapture (PMR) is a cost-effective, minimally invasive way to study population dynamics in species with distinct markings or color patterns. We tested the feasibility and the application of PMR using the software Hotspotter to identify Nicrophorus spp. from digital images of naturally occurring spot patterns on their elytra. We conducted a laboratory study evaluating the identification success of Hotspotter on Nicrophorus americanus (Olivier, 1790) and Nicrophorus orbicollis (Say, 1825) before implementation of a mark-recapture study in situ. We compared the performance of Hotspotter using both ‘high-quality' and ‘low-quality’ photographs. For high-quality photographs, Hotspotter had a false rejection rate of 2.7–3.0% for laboratory-reared individuals and 3.9% for wild-caught individuals. For low-quality photographs, the false rejection rate was much higher, 48.8–53.3% for laboratory-reared individuals and 28.3% for wild-caught individuals. We subsequently analyzed encounter histories of wild-caught individuals with closed population models in Program MARK to estimate population abundance. In our study, we demonstrated the utility of using PMR in estimating population abundance for Nicrophorus spp. based on elytral spot patterns.
Designing Trials with Purpose: Pragmatic Clinical Trials of Nonpharmacological Approaches for Pain Management.

Objective Pain is one of the most significant causes of morbidity and disability worldwide. The efficacy of several nonpharmacological approaches for pain management has been established, but significant gaps exist between this evidence and their limited availability and use in routine clinical practice. Questions remain about their effectiveness and how best to integrate them in usual care to optimize patient-centered outcomes. Pragmatic clinical trials (PCTs) may help address this gap. Informed by the Pragmatic Explanatory Continuum Indicator Summary (PRECIS-2), we sought to describe the key features of optimized PCTs of nonpharmacological approaches for the management of pain and common co-occurring conditions. Methods To accomplish this objective, we searched the published literature on PCTs of nonpharmacological pain management approaches from 2010-2019 and applied the PRECIS-2 criteria. We discuss key PRECIS-2 domains of interest for designing and performing PCTs and cite specific examples from the published literature as potential models for future PCTs. Results We found 13 nonpharmacological PCTs. They were heterogeneous in size, recruitment, follow-up time, and location. The lessons learned from these studies led us to explicate key features of trials on the explanatory-pragmatic continuum across the PRECIS-2 domains that can be used by future investigators when designing their clinical trials of nonpharmacological approaches to pain management. Conclusions We encourage the increased application of PCTs to produce timely and valuable results and products that will inform the development of safe and effective integrated pain care plans that optimize important patient-centered outcomes.
What Factors Are Associated With Open Treatment of Pediatric Mandibular Fractures

Purpose There is a paucity of data with respect to management of pediatric facial fractures. The purpose of this study was to describe the population of pediatric patients with mandibular fractures at our institution and to assess predictors of fractures requiring open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF). Patients and Methods This was a retrospective cohort study of patients aged ≤17 years presenting with mandibular fractures. The primary predictor variable was age ≥13 years and Results The study sample was composed of 84 subjects with 61 subjects aged ≥13 years and 23 subjects aged 4 mm (P = .019, OR = 16.9, 95% CI = 1.60 to 179), and the presence of 3 fractures (P = .027, OR = 30.8, 95% CI = 0.001 to 0.641) were positive independent predictors of ORIF. Concomitant facial, skull, or skull base fractures (P = .039, OR = 0.027, 95% CI = 0.001 to 0.641) were a negative independent predictor of ORIF. Secondarily, both mechanism of injury and fracture location varied significantly by age and gender. Complication rate was 6.33%. Conclusions Most pediatric mandibular fractures were managed nonoperatively. Increased age, fracture displacement, presence of 3 fractures, and concomitant craniofacial injuries were independent predictors of ORIF. Complication rates were low regardless of treatment modality.