cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Editorial (Spring) Board? Gender Composition in High-impact General Surgery Journals Over 20 Years.

OBJECTIVE To quantify gender composition of 10 high-impact general surgery journals, delineate how board composition has changed over time, and evaluate qualification metrics by gender. BACKGROUND Underrepresentation of women on editorial boards may contribute to the gender-based achievement gap in surgery. METHODS We performed a cross-sectional analysis of the editorial board gender composition among 10 high-impact general surgery journals in 1997, 2007, and 2017. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were used to assess differences in editors' H-indices, academic rank, and number of advanced degrees. Differences in editor turnover and multiple board positions were evaluated for each time interval. RESULTS Over 20 years, the proportion of women on editorial boards increased from 5% to 19%. After controlling for time since board certification, no differences between men and women's number of advanced degrees, H-indices, or academic rank remained significant. Women and men were equally likely to hold multiple board positions (1997 P = 0.74; 2007 P = 0.42; 2017 P = 0.69), but men's editorial board tenure was longer across each time interval (1997-2007 P = 0.003; 2007-2017 P < 0.001; 1997-2017 P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS Women surgeons have a small but growing presence on surgical editorial boards, and gender-based qualification differences are likely attributable to practice length. Men's longer tenure on editorial boards may drive some of the observed disparity by limiting new appointment opportunities. Strategies such as imposing term limits or instituting merit-based performance reviews may help editorial boards capture the field's changing demographics.
The Tick Project: Testing Environmental Methods of Preventing Tick-borne Diseases

Prevention of tick-borne diseases in humans is challenging. To date, no prevention strategies have been shown to be consistently effective. Here, we describe the design of a new large-scale study, involving hundreds of households in Dutchess County, New York, testing whether environmental interventions, applied intensively and over 4 years, can prevent human cases.
Peripheral choroidal neovascularization

Peripheral choroidal neovascularization can result in an elevated subretinal lesion which can simulate a choroidal tumor. We reviewed 8 eyes with 11 peripheral areas of subretinal fluid and exudate which were subsequently determined to be secondary to peripheral choroidal neovascularization. Previous reports of peripheral choroidal neovascularization have emphasized the hemorrhagic nature of these lesions which can simulate a choroidal melanoma. In contrast, turbid subretinal fluid and exudate characterized the majority of peripheral lesions in this series and the majority of these patients were referred with a diagnosis of choroidal metastasis. Clinical examination with fluorescein angiography and echography can effectively distinguish these areas of peripheral choroidal neovascularization from choroidal metastasis.
Concluding Remarks and Observations About the Future

This chapter first looks at the principal developments in manufacturing over the last several hundred years and where this is leading in the future. The role of sustainable manufacturing, and requirements to actually enable this, is discussed. Then, some discussion of “what is manufacturing’s role” relative to the life cycle impact and resource consumption of products is presented. Depending on what phase of product represents the most impact will determine the strategies for greening the product. Finally, the concept of “leveraging” manufacturing to insure the maximum improvement in product life cycle impact is introduced.
Focal Atrial Tachycardia

Abstract Focal atrial tachycardia (AT) is characterized by atrial activation starting at a small area (focus), from which it spreads out centrifugally. “Focal” implies that the site of origin cannot be mapped spatially beyond a single point or a few adjacent points with the resolution of a standard 4-mm-tip catheter. In contrast, macroreentrant AT is defined by activation that can be recorded over the entire tachycardia cycle length around a large central obstacle, which is generally several centimeters in diameter. Relatively small reentry circuits can resemble focal AT, especially if limited numbers of endocardial recordings are collected. Available data suggest that a focal activation pattern can be caused by automaticity, triggered activity, or microreentry. Delineating the mechanism of focal AT, however, can be difficult, and the means of distinguishing focal AT mechanisms through pharmacological testing or electrophysiological (EP) study have limited sensitivity and specificity. In addition, there is a significant overlap in the EP characteristics of tachycardias with differing mechanisms. When paroxysmal, AT frequently manifests with episodes of palpitations and heart racing that start and terminate abruptly. Incessant AT can precipitate cardiomyopathy in approximately one-third of patients. Pharmacological therapy is associated with limited efficacy in the treatment of focal AT. Catheter ablation is recommended in patients with recurrent symptomatic AT, especially when pharmacological therapy is unsuccessful, not tolerated, or not preferred.
When Will Mankind Achieve “First Contact” with Extraterrestrial Life Forms

It now appears very unlikely that our astronauts will encounter any kinds of life in our solar system that are of the intelligent persuasion anywhere close to our Earth-bound multicellular animal or even human types. However, as I indicated in Chap. 1, many of our space scientists now think it is possible, and a few believe even likely, that early stage primitive forms of life may have been able to evolve in the earlier histories of some of our inner planets (e.g., Venus and Mars) or on some of the moons of the outer planets, and some of these creatures may still be alive today. Although single-cell or microbial forms of life might still be present today in some locations, no multicellular forms are likely, assuming, of course, that life elsewhere is based on something equivalent to our “cells”. If man wants to search for life forms that are anywhere close to being like us in terms of being intelligent and even capable of communicating with us in some manner, we will need to extend our search for ET to other worlds outside our own solar system. At least for the near future, rocket science will not help us very much with this task. Mankind will need to become incredibly patient and somehow learn to cope with the real possibility that it may be our great-great-great…grandchildren and not us that will first view the exciting pictures and other data/information that our incredibly fast unmanned inter-stellar rocket ships will beam back to us sometime in the far distant future. This would, of course, assume that the speed of light is our ultimate speed barrier, or that nothing like “worm holes” or other fancy future technologies could be developed that might make it possible to somehow cancel or alter what appears to be a insurmountable and universal time/space restraint.
Camáhogne's chronology: The radiocarbon settlement sequence on Grenada, West Indies

Abstract The pre-Columbian colonization of the Caribbean islands is typically described as a “stepping-stone” pattern moving from South America northward, with the southernmost island of Grenada (Eastern Caribbean) as the first “step.” This paper examines the extant radiocarbon sequence associated with fourteen pre-Columbian sites on Grenada, ranging from the Archaic to early French colonial periods (∼1500 BC - AD 1650). Where possible, sample ranges were refined with Bayesian methods, and those associated with diagnostic ceramics were modelled in trapezoidal distributions to help restructure the island's local ceramic chronology. It is argued that Ceramic Age populations did not settle Grenada until ∼AD 300 (hundreds of years after islands farther north), and few settlements predate AD 750. Additionally, these sites are shown to continue into the historic period, contradicting theories of population replacement by “Island Caribs” after AD 1250. Instead, Grenada's earliest sites remained occupied until French colonization, when two indigenous groups were reportedly present. It is hypothesized that the group labelled “Caraibes” were in fact descendants of earlier inhabitants, while the “Galibis” had arrived more recently. That is, Grenada's “Caribs” were different than those called Island Caribs today, presenting a confounding factor to efforts linking historical Amerindians to a single pottery tradition.
Rapid detection and validated quantification of psychoactive compounds in complex plant matrices by direct analysis in real time-high resolution mass spectrometry – Application to “Kava” psychoactive pepper products

RATIONALE Classified by the UNODC as a top 20 plant of concern, Piper methysticum (also known as Kava) is being increasingly abused recreationally for its mind-altering effects. It is of significant forensic relevance to establish methods to rapidly identifyand quantify psychoactive compounds, especially those yet to be scheduled ascontrolled substances and which have exhibited various noteworthy health concerns. METHODS Direct analysis in real time high-resolution mass spectrometry (DART-HRMS) demonstrated the ability to detect a range of kavalactones in Pipermethysticum derived products and plant material with no sample preparation. Inaddition, a validated method using calibration curves developed with a deuteratedinternal standard was used for the quantification of the psychoactive moleculeyangonin in various products. RESULTS DART-HRMS detected the protonated masses of six major kavalactonesand three flavokavains in 18 commercial Kava products. A method consistent withFDA validation guidelines was established for the quantification of yangonin in thevarious complex matrices. Implementation of this method, with an LLOQ of 5 mg/mL, enabled successful quantification of yangonin in 16 Kava products.Concentrations for solid products ranged from 2.71 to 8.99 mg/g, while that forliquid products ranged from 1.03 to 4.59 mg/mL. CONCLUSIONS Rapid identification and quantification of psychoactive smallmolecules in plant material can be accomplished using a validated DART-HRMSprotocol. This work illustrates an approach to qualitative and quantitative analysesof a wide variety of complex matrices derived from plants, and demonstrates thatthe commercially available products analyzed are P. methysticum derived and docontain psychoactive yangonin at quantifiable levels.
Risk factors for falls in homebound community-dwelling older adults.

Objective To examine risk factors associated with falls among homebound community-dwelling older adults, a vulnerable population often possessing functional disabilities and chronic conditions. Design and sample The study was a cross-sectional study utilizing round 6 data of the National Health and Aging Trend Study (NHATS). Descriptive statistics and multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted. A total of 1,356 homebound community-dwelling older adults aged 65 and above participated in the NHATS. Measures The outcome variable was falls within the last month reported in NHATS. Independent variables were selected based on the NHATS disability conceptual model and literature review, including personal conditions, environmental conditions, and physical functioning limitations. Results In the sample population, 21.2% reported falls. Males were more likely to experience a fall than females. Hypertension or depression/anxiety increased risk for falls. Older adults with hearing impairment or balance problems limiting activities were also more likely to fall. Conclusions Public health nurses need to conduct thorough fall risk assessment for homebound older adults, especially those with chronic health problems or functioning limitations. Studies are needed to examine the association between home environment and falls in homebound older adults.
Hayek and Lefebvre on Market Space and Extra-Catallactic Relationships

This chapter explores some surprising and underappreciated commonalities between F.A. Hayek and Henri Lefebvre's writings on the market. The hope is that a richer conception of the market might result – i.e. one that corrects for Lefebvre's "anti-market bias" and Hayek's "abstractness" – by facilitating an exchange between these two thinkers. Along with Ludwig von Mises, F.A. Hayek is one of the two most significant figures in the Austrian school of economics. His reach, however, extends beyond Austrian economics. He has also made significant contributions to political theory and jurisprudence and has influenced complexity theory and psychology. Lefebvre is an important Marxian philosopher and sociologist who has critically explored dialectal materialism, alienation, the political aspects of everyday life, and most famously, the production of social space. He has been quite influential in urban studies, geography, philosophy, musicology, and applied sociology.
Parasitic ‘Candidatus Aquarickettsia rohweri’ is a marker of disease susceptibility in Acropora cervicornis but is lost during thermal stress

Holobiont phenotype results from a combination of host and symbiont genotypes as well as from prevailing environmental conditions that alter the relationships among symbiotic members. Corals exemplify this concept, where shifts in the algal symbiont community can lead to some corals becoming more or less thermally tolerant. Despite linkage between coral bleaching and disease, the roles of symbiotic bacteria in holobiont resistance and susceptibility to disease remains less well understood. This study thus characterizes the microbiome of disease‐resistant and ‐susceptible Acropora cervicornis coral genotypes (hereafter referred to simply as ‘genotypes’) before and after high temperature‐mediated bleaching. We found that the intracellular bacterial parasite ‘Ca. Aquarickettsia rohweri’ was strikingly abundant in disease‐susceptible genotypes. Disease‐resistant genotypes, however, had notably more diverse and even communities, with correspondingly low abundances of ‘Ca. Aquarickettsia’. Bleaching caused a dramatic reduction of ‘Ca. Aquarickettsia’ within disease‐susceptible corals and led to an increase in bacterial community dispersion, as well as the proliferation of opportunists. Our data support the hypothesis that ‘Ca. Aquarickettsia’ species increase coral disease risk through two mechanisms: (i) the creation of host nutritional deficiencies leading to a compromised host‐symbiont state and (ii) the opening of niche space for potential pathogens during thermal stress.
Procedures for Converting among Lindblad, Kraus and Matrix Representations of Quantum Dynamical Semigroups

Given an quantum dynamical semigroup expressed as an exponential superoperator acting on a space of N-dimensional density operators, eigenvalue methods are presented by which canonical Kraus and Lindblad operator sum representations can be computed. These methods provide a mathematical basis on which to develop novel algorithms for quantum process tomography, the statistical estimation of superoperators and their generators, from a wide variety of experimental data. Theoretical arguments and numerical simulations are presented which imply that these algorithms will be quite robust in the presence of random errors in the data.
Theory of self-similar oscillatory finite-time singularities in Finance, Population and Rupture

This is a short letter summarizing the long paper cond-mat/0106047 in which we present a simple two-dimensional dynamical system reaching a singularity in finite time decorated by accelerating oscillations due to the interplay between nonlinear positive feedback and reversal in the inertia. This provides a fundamental equation for the dynamics of (1) stock market prices in the presence of nonlinear trend-followers and nonlinear value investors, (2) the world human population with a competition between a population-dependent growth rate and a nonlinear dependence on a finite carrying capacity and (3) the failure of a material subject to a time-varying stress with a competition between positive geometrical feedback on the damage variable and nonlinear healing. The rich fractal scaling properties of the dynamics are traced back to the self-similar spiral structure in phase space unfolding around an unstable spiral point at the origin.
A New Genus and Species of Neotropical Taphurini Distant, 1905 (Hemiptera: Cicadoidea: Cicadidae: Cicadettinae) from Brazil with a Note on the Taxonomic Position of Prosotettix Jacobi, 1907

A new Brazilian cicada Brevialavenosa aurepilosa Sanborn, new genus, new species is described and illustrated. ProsotettixJacobi, 1907 is determined not to have the characteristics of Taphurini Distant, 1905 and is reassigned here to Selymbriini Moulds and Marshall, 2018 (in Marshall et al. 2018) of the Tibicininae Distant, 1905.
Cognitive and Emotional Mapping With SEEG

Mapping of cortical functions is critical for the best clinical care of patients undergoing epilepsy and tumor surgery, but also to better understand human brain function and connectivity. The purpose of this review is to explore existing and potential means of mapping higher cortical functions, including stimulation mapping, passive mapping, and connectivity analyses. We examine the history of mapping, differences between subdural and stereoelectroencephalographic approaches, and some risks and safety aspects, before examining different types of functional mapping. Much of this review explores the prospects for new mapping approaches to better understand other components of language, memory, spatial skills, executive, and socio-emotional functions. We also touch on brain-machine interfaces, philosophical aspects of aligning tasks to brain circuits, and the study of consciousness. We end by discussing multi-modal testing and virtual reality approaches to mapping higher cortical functions.
Timing of Oversedation Events Following Opiate Administration in Hospitalized Patients.

Background: Unintended overdoses of opiate medications are potentially lethal events. Monitoring patients for oversedation is fundamental to ensuring safe use of opiates, and the timing of this evaluation is guided by the onset of action, time to max effect and duration of action of the opiate. The study’s aim was to describe the timing of oversedation in relation to the predicted duration of action of the administered opiate. Methods: This study was conducted as a retrospective review of all opiate-related oversedation events during a 2-year period involving patients admitted to an urban teaching hospital. Results: Of the 53 opiate-related oversedation events evaluated, 47% occurred after the predicted maximal duration of action of the administered opiate. Conclusion: Opiate-induced oversedation routinely occurs after predicted based upon duration of action. The study findings have profound implications upon nursing practice regarding duration of time required to monitor for opiate-induced oversedation. J Clin Med Res. 2021;13(5):304-308 doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/jocmr4498
Case 34: A Bronchoscopy Surprise

You are working in a small hospital 300 miles north of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, a 9-hour drive.
Selected topics in computer generation of pseudorandom numbers

Selected topics in computer generation of pseudorandom numbers، للحصول على النص الكامل يرجى زيارة مكتبة الحسين بن طلال في جامعة اليرموك او زيارة موقعها الالكتروني
3 – Behavioral Medicine

Publisher Summary Behavioral medicine can be defined as an interdisciplinary field concerned with the development and integration of behavioral and biomedical science knowledge and techniques relevant to the understanding of health and illness, and the application of this knowledge and these techniques to prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation. The field of behavioral medicine regards the status of medical and behavioral collaborators to be equal, with neither participant taking the dominant role. In contrast to health psychology, which emphasizes work done by psychologists, behavioral medicine emphasizes work that is collaborative between biomedical and behavioral scientists. A major focus of behavioral medicine research is the relationship between personality factors and illness. Current research examines the impact on health of psychological constructs such as motivation, self-mastery, and self-confidence, as well as the impact of alcohol and substance abuse. Related factors under study include socioeconomic status, gender, and cognitive status. Various physiological factors related to cardiovascular disease (CVD) are partially influenced by modifiable behaviors such as physical activity, diet, and tobacco use. Behavioral medicine practitioners are actively involved in developing effective interventions in these areas, at both the patient and the caregiver levels.
The Mayers-Rice conjecture

Abstract Mayers and Rice conjecture that an investor with better information will on average plot above the security market line as drawn by uninformed investors. This paper demonstrates that this conjecture is false in general, by constructing a counterexample. However, the Mayers-Rice conjecture is really part of a much broader hypothesis concerning whether increases in expected returns correspond to increases in expected utilities. It is shown that this latter hypothesis is true when the investor has an exponential or logarithmic utility function.
Microwave signal processing with spatial-spectral holography

Recent advancements in the use of spatial-spectral holographic processors to perform a variety of microwave signal processing operations are reviewed. Applications include range-Doppler radar, microwave spectrum analysis, lidar, true-time-delay, beamforming, and arbitrary waveform generation.
Nitric oxide-induced biphasic mechanism of vascular relaxation via dephosphorylation of CPI-17 and MYPT1.

Nitric oxide (NO) from endothelium is a major mediator of vasodilatation through cGMP/PKG signals that lead to a decrease in Ca2+ concentration. In addition, NO-mediated signals trigger an increase in myosin light chain phosphatase (MLCP) activity. To evaluate the mechanism of NO-induced relaxation through MLCP deinhibition, we compared time-dependent changes in Ca2+, myosin light chain (MLC) phosphorylation and contraction to changes in phosphorylation levels of CPI-17 at Thr38, RhoA at Ser188, and MYPT1 at Ser695, Thr696 and Thr853 in response to sodium nitroprusside (SNP)-induced relaxation in denuded rabbit femoral artery. During phenylephrine (PE)-induced contraction, SNP reduced CPI-17 phosphorylation to a minimal value within 15 s, in parallel with decreases in Ca2+ and MLC phosphorylation, followed by a reduction of contractile force having a latency period of about 15 s. MYPT1 phosphorylation at Ser695, the PKG-target site, increased concurrently with relaxation. Phosphorylation of RhoA, MYPT1 Thr696 and Thr853 differed significantly at 5 min but not within 1 min of SNP exposure. Inhibition of Ca2+ release delayed SNP-induced relaxation while inhibition of Ca2+ channel, BKCa channel or phosphodiesterase-5 did not. Pretreatment of resting artery with SNP suppressed an increase in Ca2+, contractile force and phosphorylation of MLC, CPI-17, MYPT1 Thr696 and Thr853 at 10 s after PE stimulation, but had no effect on phorbol ester-induced CPI-17 phosphorylation. Together, these results suggest that NO production suppresses Ca2+ release, which causes an inactivation of PKC and rapid CPI-17 dephosphorylation as well as MLCK inactivation, resulting in rapid MLC dephosphorylation and relaxation.
Liberalism, Primary Goods, and National Educational Standards

The movement for national standards and testing has elicited both support and opposition from across the political spectrum in the United States. The Reagan administration got the ball rolling in 1983 with publication of A Nation at Risk; a decade later, Clinton guided enabling legislation for Goals 2000 through a Democratic Congress. Teachers’ groups, civil rights groups, Republican and Democratic leaders, and Evangelical Christian activists have all expressed reservations about the movement.
Decriminalizing Campus Institutional Responses to Peer Sexual Violence

This article combines and updates two previous articles on the federal laws that govern institutional responses to gender-based violence on college campuses, with a focus on how existing laws encourage or discourage institutions to “decriminalize” those responses — i.e., to adopt responses that do not imitate the criminal justice system. It shows how the groundbreaking anti-sex discrimination in education statute, Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972 (“Title IX”), and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (“Clery”) encourage decriminalization of “back-end” institutional responses once a college or university has knowledge of specific violent acts. However, it also explains how these same federal statutes discourage institutions from decriminalizing their “front-end” responses with regard to victim reporting and other information gathering regarding violence against women on campus. That is, because Clery’s text and Title IX’s enforcement mechanisms give colleges and universities an incentive to avoid knowledge of gender-based violence happening on their campuses, and because the criminal justice system tends to discourage victim reporting of such violence, both statutes fail to create incentives for institutions to decriminalize their responses. The article concludes by offering several recommendations for the ways in which Title IX and Clery can be better enforced and/or changed to encourage colleges and universities to decriminalize their front-end responses, including by requiring all institutions to participate at regular intervals in a nationally-based, locally-administered survey regarding gender-based violence on their campuses, as well as to create campus-based victims’ services offices.
Visual Guidance of Smooth Pursuit Eye Movements

Smooth pursuit eye movements provide a model system for studying how visual inputs are transformed into commands for accurate movement. The neural circuit for pursuit eye movements is largely known and has strong parallels to the circuits for many other movements. Here, we outline progress in defining the conceptual operations that are performed by the pursuit circuit and in aligning those functions with neural circuit mechanisms. We discuss how the visual motion that drives pursuit is represented in the visual cortex, and how the visuomotor circuits decode that representation to estimate target direction and speed and to create motor commands. We outline a modulatory influence called gain control that evaluates the reliability and value of visual inputs and programs appropriate motor activity. Future research on pursuit in nonhuman primates holds the potential to reveal, at an unprecedented level of detail, how visuomotor circuits create coordinated actions.
Evaluación cualitativa y gestión del conocimiento

The present article discusses the sorts of qualitative assessments applied to teaching and learning strategies, based on a knowledge management approach. The latter is an educational practice with a holistic vision of teaching and a constructivist view of learning. The article was developed through an exhaustive review of different authors who make reference to qualitative assessment and to the processes for knowledge generation and management. Teaching and learning strategies were applied, as were the different sorts of qualitative assessment: artistic, democratic, responsive, illuminated and integrated, which were associated with learning processes. In conclusion, each sort of qualitative assessment makes it possible to evaluate the ability to manage knowledge, depending on the object of the assessment, its focus and the orientation of the assessment strategy. In no case are the different sorts of assessments exclusive. Several can be applied at once and even altogether in a complementary way for a comprehensive assessment of the application of knowledge management as a method for teaching and learning.
Rationality and Self-Interest in Peer to Peer Networks

Much of the existing work in peer to peer networking assumes that users will follow prescribed protocols without deviation. This assumption ignores the user’s ability to modify the behavior of an algorithm for self-interested reasons. We advocate a different model in which peer to peer users are expected to be rational and self-interested. This model is found in the emergent fields of Algorithmic Mechanism Design (AMD) and Distributed Algorithmic Mechanism Design (DAMD), both of which introduce game-theoretic ideas into a computational system. We, as designers, must create systems (peer to peer search, routing, distributed auctions, resource allocation, etc.) that allow nodes to behave rationally while still achieving good overall system outcomes. This paper has three goals. The first is to convince the reader that rationality is a real issue in peer to peer networks. The second is to introduce mechanism design as a tool that can be used when designing networks with rational nodes. The third is to describe three open problems that are relevant in the peer to peer setting but are unsolved in existing AMD/DAMD work. In particular, we consider problems that arise when a networking infrastructure contains rational agents.
Utilization of Employment Tax Credits: An Analysis of the Empowerment Zone Wage Tax Credit

This paper provides estimates of utilization for the Empowerment Zone (EZ) wage tax credit, a subsidy claimed by employers who operate in and hire residents of federally designated areas experiencing economic distress. The EZ credit is currently the largest employer-based wage tax credit in the federal tax code in terms of dollars claimed, with almost $250 million claimed in 2002. I show that about 6.4 percent (and at least 3.5 percent) of the working age population was claimed under the EZ wage credit in 1999. In addition, I estimate that 24.2 percent (and at least 13.1 percent) of those employed inside of the target area were claimed for the credit. I create these national estimates of use with information on credit dollars claimed from the Internal Revenue Service and population data on the eligible population from the census. These measures of tax credit use are an alternative to the use rate of firms that are presented in the existing literature, and reveal how effective the credit is at reaching residents of the target area.
Fusion and Gaussian mixture based classifiers for SONAR data

Underwater mines are inexpensive and highly effective weapons. They are difficult to detect and classify. Hence detection and classification of underwater mines is essential for the safety of naval vessels. This necessitates a formulation of highly efficient classifiers and detection techniques. Current techniques primarily focus on signals from one source. Data fusion is known to increase the accuracy of detection and classification. In this paper, we formulated a fusion-based classifier and a Gaussian mixture model (GMM) based classifier for classification of underwater mines. The emphasis has been on sound navigation and ranging (SONAR) signals due to their extensive use in current naval operations. The classifiers have been tested on real SONAR data obtained from University of California Irvine (UCI) repository. The performance of both GMM based classifier and fusion based classifier clearly demonstrate their superior classification accuracy over conventional single source cases and validate our approach.
A study of the heparin‐manganese chloride method for determination of plasma α‐lipoprotein cholesterol concentration

To assess the limits of the heparin-MnCl2 precipitation method for quantitation of α-lipoprotein cholesterol (C-HDL), effects of varying final MnCl2 and heparin concentrations were studied, and the precipitation method was compared to preparative ultracentrifugation. In 65 parallel plasma aliquots, C-HDL\(\left( {\bar X \pm SE} \right)\) determined by ultracentrifugation (54.3±1.8 mg/dl) correlated significantly (r=0.98, P 0.1. However, cholesterol levels in the supernatant at final MnCl2 concentration of 0.042M differed from those at concentrations of 0.046, 0.05, and 0.055M, P<0.05, and the amount of supernatant cholesterol increased as the final MnCl2 concentration was reduced from 0.042 to 0.02M. A constant amount of cholesterol in the supernatant was measured over a heparin concentration range of 92–734 USP units/ml. The final MnCl2 and heparin concentrations of 0.046M and 184 USP units/ml, which are incorporated in widely used procedures, gave C-HDL values for the precipitation method which were in close agreement with the ultracentrifugal method. There is no evidence for a heparin-Mn++ precipitation of HDL and systematic underestimation of HDL by the precipitation method. However, the final MnCl2 concentration is very near the minimum required for accurate measurement of C-HDL. To preclude incomplete precipitation of low and very low density lipoproteins by insufficient manganese concentration, an increase of the manganese concentration should be considered.
Reindeer pastoralism in modern Siberia: research and survival during the time of crash

In many areas across Siberia, the reindeer herding economy of the native people went into a deep recession during the post-Soviet transition of the 1990s. However, as a larger cross-section of data indicates, the reindeer stock decline is not a universal phenomenon. Nor is the present-day crisis in native Siberian herding economies an unprecedented event, as pastoralists did suffer tremendously in “traditional times”, due to the devastating epizootics and other natural disasters, and even more so, during the Soviet-induceed collectivizsation. While such a historical review by no means diminishes the scale of the present-day crisis in native herding economies, it helps to identify both the experience and traditional adaptations once used by the native Siberians during the previous times of hardship. Of those, the most efficient were: maintaining cultural and ecological diversity in local herding systems; the ability to shift quickly between nomadic population as the invaluable source of cultural knowledge, technological expertise, and of domestic reindeer stock for ultimate recovery. The modern situation in Siberia, in fact, favours increased local diversity and helps to produce a steady stream of new “winners” as well as new “losers.” This new experience has to be comprehensively documented, to produce both a reliable general overview and a detailed summary of the specific regional and local transitions.
Differential urinary gonadotrophin profiles in early pregnancy and early pregnancy loss

Early pregnancy loss (EPL), detected by patterns of human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) in urine, is the biomarker employed in investigations of the impact of personal, workplace or environmental reproductive toxins on human fertility. An issue central to these studies is what, in terms of urinary hCG expression, constitutes an EPL. This report describes the urinary molecular forms of hCG expressed in menstrual cycles in which a normal pregnancy was conceived, or an EPL occurred, or no apparent conception occurred. Qualitative and significant quantitative differences in the expression of hCG-associated analytes were found between normal pregnancy cycles and EPL cycles. Discriminant analysis calculation based on mole fractions of the different hCG-associated molecules afforded 91 per cent and 80 per cent correct classification of clinical pregnancy cycles and EPL cycles, respectively. Although hCG-associated molecules unique to either EPL or normal pregnancy were not found, what is thought to be an early form of hCG is expressed both at a high frequency and at a significantly higher concentration in early normal pregnancy when compared with EPL. The relative absence of this molecule very early in pregnancy may signal a pregnancy loss.
Levator aponeurosis disinsertion in congenital entropion of the upper eyelid.

Purpose: To present a patient with congenital entropion of the upper eyelid caused by levator aponeurosis disinsertion. Methods: Case report. Results: Surgical correction of the levator aponeurosis disinsertion corrected the upper eyelid entropion. Conclusions: Congenital upper eyelid entropion may be caused by levator aponeurosis disinsertion and treated effectively by repairing the anatomic defect.
Rabi oscillations between Bloch bands.

We investigate a tight-binding model of double Bloch bands driven by dc-ac electric fields in the weak-coupling limit. Rabi oscillations between the Bloch bands are identified under resonant conditions, in which the quasienergy bands and fractional Wannier-Stark ladders are all revealed. Experimental conditions for the observation of the predicted effects are discussed.
Blood pressure and sexual maturity in adolescents: the Heartfelt Study.

This study investigates sexual maturity as a predictor of resting blood pressures independent of other known predictors, in 179 boys and 204 girls 11-16 years of age from the Heartfelt Study. The sample included youth of African (n = 140), Mexican (n = 117), and European and “other” (n = 126) backgrounds. Sexual maturity was assessed during clinical examination of three standard indicators for each sex. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures were higher in children of maturity stages IV and V, compared to stages I–III, in each gender/ethnic group (P < 0.01 in almost all groups). Boys and girls advanced in sexual maturity for their age group, had significantly higher systolic blood pressures (but not diastolic) than the less advanced in linear models that included height, body mass index (BMI), ethnicity, and age as co-predictors. Diastolic blood pressures were predicted by height in boys and by age and the BMI in girls. This analysis, using a very conservative approach, suggests that sexual maturity provides important and independent information on systolic blood pressure in adolescents. Further investigation of its role in 24-hr blood pressures and in blood pressures taken during physical and emotional stress, is recommended. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 13:227–234, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
AGT 100 Experimental Ceramic Component Test-Bed

The AGT 100 is an advanced gas turbine designed for passenger car application. The most significant of its advanced features is the use of structural ceramic components for the hot section of the engine’s flow path. The engine was expressly designed for ceramic components; previously, ceramic materials were simply substituted for metal components. Early experimental builds of the AGT 100 contained many ceramic components and metal substitutes for the more complex ceramic components that were not yet fabricated.Engine testing has continued to accumulate operating time on the ceramic components that have always been engine-worthy (combustor, regenerator, vanes, rings and spacers, piston ring). Recent engine tests have included both a ceramic turbine rotor and static structure (scroll, vanes, backplates, coupling). Each type and shape of ceramic component has now been engine tested. Development is continuing to improve them even further.Copyright © 1986 by ASME
Identification of a consensus mutation in M protein of vesicular stomatitis virus from persistently infected cells that affects inhibition of host-directed gene expression

In addition to its function in virus assembly, the viral matrix (M) protein of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) inhibits host-directed gene expression. The goal of this study was to determine whether sequence changes in M protein contribute to a reduced shut off of host gene expression in cells persistently infected with VSV. Viruses isolated from L cells persistently infected with VSV inhibited host RNA synthesis more slowly than wild-type (wt) VSV. M genes of the persistent viral population were cloned and sequenced. One mutation, an N to D change at position 163 of the protein sequence (N163D), was common to all the molecular clones. The N163D M protein was synthesized from transfected mRNA at a rate that was 30% of that of wt M protein, but was turned over at a rate that was similar to that of wt M protein. Transfection of mRNA encoding N163D M protein inhibited expression of a cotransfected target gene encoding chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT), but the inhibition was 6 to 10 times less effective than transfection of equivalent amounts of wt M mRNA. This difference could not be accounted for by differences in translation of CAT mRNA. Thus, when the differences in M protein expression were taken into account, N163D M protein was 2 to 3 times less effective than wt M protein in the inhibition of host-directed gene expression, similar to the differences in host transcription observed in virus-infected cells. Point mutations in addition to the N163D mutation were found in about half of the M gene molecular clones. The M gene of an independently isolated molecular clone, N163D.2, contained two additional point mutations in its carboxy terminal region. N163D.2 M protein was highly defective in inhibition of host gene expression and was turned over more rapidly than wt M protein. These results support the idea that M gene mutations contribute to a reduced cytopathic effect in cells persistently infected with VSV.
Evidence-based medicine in obstetrics: can levels B and C recommendations be elevated to level A recommendations?:

In this study, 65% (132/195) of level B/C obstetric recommendations are amenable to randomized clinical trials (RCTs) and seven were identified as most needed. The purpose of the survey was to evaluate levels B and C recommendations in obstetric practice bulletins (PBs) regarding the feasibility of performing RCT to elevate each subject to level A evidence. Eleven geographically dispersed physicians with experience in research reviewed levels B and C recommendations for the ethical and logistical feasibility of performing an RCT. In the 35 obstetric PBs, 195 level B/C recommendations were reviewed. The majority considered 47 (24%) topics unethical for an RCT and thought 16 (11%) did not need an RCT, thus leaving 132 (67%) levels B and C recommendations available for an RCT. Two-thirds of levels B and C recommendations in obstetric PB are amenable to RCTs and potentially becoming level A evidence.
Mathematical modeling of the aerodynamics of high-angle-of-attack maneuvers

This paper is a review of the current state of aerodynamic mathematical modeling for aircraft motions at high angles of attack. The mathematical model serves to define a set of characteristic motions from whose known aerodynamic responses the aerodynamic response to an arbitrary high angle-of-attack flight maneuver can be predicted. Means are explored of obtaining stability parameter information in terms of the characteristic motions, whether by wind-tunnel experiments, computational methods, or by parameter-identification methods applied to flight-test data. A rationale is presented for selecting and verifying the aerodynamic mathematical model at the lowest necessary level of complexity. Experimental results describing the wing-rock phenomenon are shown to be accommodated within the most recent mathematical model by admitting the existence of aerodynamic hysteresis in the steady-state variation of the rolling moment with roll angle. Interpretation of the experimental results in terms of bifurcation theory reveals the general conditions under which aerodynamic hysteresis must exist.
Characteristics of HIV seroprevalence of visitors to public health centers under the national HIV surveillance system in Korea: cross sectional study.

Background In Korea, the cumulative number of HIV-infected individuals was smaller than those of other countries. Mandatory HIV tests, dominating method until 1990's, have been gradually changed to voluntary HIV tests. We investigated HIV seroprevalence status and its characteristics of visitors to Public Health Centers (PHCs), which conducted both mandatory test and voluntary test under the national HIV/STI surveillance program.
Analysis of factors that predict clinical performance in medical school

Academic achievement indices including GPAs and MCAT scores are used to predict the spectrum of medical student academic performance types. However, use of these measures ignores two changes influencing medical school admissions: student diversity and affirmative action, and an increased focus on communication skills. To determine if GPA and MCAT predict performance in medical school consistently across students, and whether either predicts clinical performance in clerkships. A path model was developed to examine relationships among indices of medical student performance during the first three years of medical school for five cohorts of medical students. A structural equation approach was used to calculate the coefficients hypothesized in the model for majority and minority students. Significant differences between majority and minority students were observed. MCAT scores, for example, did not predict performance of minority students in the first year of medical school but did predict performance of majority students. This information may be of use to medical school admissions and resident selection committees.
Temperature‐dependent x‐ray small‐angle scattering from melt‐crystallized polyethylene

The temperature dependence of x-ray small-angle scattering from fractionated linear polyethylene crystallized from the melt was determined experimentally over a range of temperatures from room temperature to the melting point. It was found in general that only the most intense of the several small-angle peaks exhibited a thermally dependent behavior. Below the crystallization temperature this peak increased in intensity with temperature, at constant peak position. Recrystallization was manifest in a discontinuous shift of the peak. During isothermal crystallization, the peak intensity first increased, then decreased, with time. It is concluded from supplementary electron microscopy and from the behavior of the peak that its position reflects the period of stacking of lamellae and that its intensity is controlled primarily by the thickness of the layer separating lamellae. The reversible peak intensity effect is attributed to an entropydriven growth of the interlamellar layer at the expense of the crystalline lamellae. The intensity effects observed during crystallization are associated with the primary and secondary phases of crystallization. Lamellar surface free energies were computed from melting point observations and were found to increase with molecular weight.
Two-dimensional memory management using an avail list

Abstract A large two-dimensional fortran array is used to simulate a two-dimensional memory. The two-dimensional memory management scheme is discussed in detail, and an optimal two-dimensional scheme is established. The scheme is designed to reduce the need to copy arrays when they grow beyond their original memory allocation. Such a need arises when adaptive mesh refinement, for example, is used on a large scientific grid calculation with many multi-dimensional arrays. The memory management scheme could be realized in hardware; however, it was originally developed as a technique to speed up numerical calculations.