cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Radiation Therapy Is Associated With an Increased Incidence of Cardiac Events in Patients with Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Purpose Cardiac radiation dose was a predictor of inferior overall survival in the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group 0617 non-small cell lung cancer trial. We examined the association between radiation therapy (RT) and cardiac events (CE) for patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Methods and Materials The US population–based Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program and Medicare claims databases were queried for rates of CE among patients with SCLC treated with chemotherapy (CTX) ± RT. Propensity score matching (PSM) and multivariate analysis were conducted. Patients were matched for actual/theoretical RT start date (to prevent immortal time bias) and then full PSM balanced clinical characteristics. Cumulative incidence function curves were generated. Results From 2000 to 2011, 7060 patients were included: 2892 limited-stage SCLC (LS-SCLC) and 4168 extensive-stage SCLC. Grouping LS-SCLC and extensive-stage SCLC together, the incidence of CE for the CTX + RT and CTX-only groups was 44.1% versus 39% at 60 months (P = .008). After PSM (5286 patients), the incidence of CE for the CTX + RT and CTX-only groups was 43% versus 38.6% at 60 months (P = .033). Analysis of only LS-SCLC (2016 patients) demonstrated that the incidence of CE for CTX + RT versus CTX-only groups was 50.3% versus 42% at 60 months (P = .0231). Multivariate analysis again demonstrated an association between CE and RT (hazard ratio 1.20; 95% confidence interval 1.06-1.37; P = .005). After PSM (1614 patients), the incidence of CE for CTX + RT versus CTX-only groups was 51.7% versus 41.6% at 60 months (P = .0042). Conclusions Patients with SCLC are at significant risk of developing CE posttreatment; RT is associated with an absolute increase in the rate of CE at 5 years of approximately 5% for all patients with SCLC and up to 10% for patients with LS-SCLC. Cardiac risk management and cardiac-sparing RT techniques should be further evaluated for patients with SCLC.
Female Genital Mutilation: Health Consequences and Complications—A Short Literature Review

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a procedure performed on women in developing countries and is underreported; it involves cutting or altering the female genitalia. The health consequences of FGM include bacterial and viral infections, obstetrical complications, and psychological problems. In this study, we report FGM societal importance, ramifications, classifications, cultural significance, prevalence, complications, implications, and treatment. Although efforts have been made to eradicate FGM, the dynamics that perpetuate the practice have societal roots. Intervention methods to promote change from within the community are necessary for successful eradication of the practice. For prevention, further studies are needed to develop programs that raise awareness.
Nonverbal Tool and Sign Systems in a Cultural Theory of Literacy

Social-cultural-historical psychology is fundamentally concerned with human development and its mediation toward teleologically-driven social futures by means of cultural tools. Daiute (2010) uses this framework to conduct research on how young people from the former Yugoslavia developed concepts of life following the nation’s breakup and the genocide, conflict, and violence that characterized this massive societal upheaval.
Lower temperatures decrease worker size variation but do not affect fine-grained thermoregulation in bumble bees

Phenotypic variation within biological systems is ubiquitous and often assumed to be adaptive in social insects. Local environmental factors, such as temperature, may affect the phenotypic variation produced, and yield insights into the mechanisms that generate this group-level outcome. For instance, fine-scale heterogeneity in temperature across the nest may generate phenotypic variation by affecting larval development directly, or indirectly by inducing changes in the behavior of group members. To understand the role of temperature in producing phenotypic variation, we studied whether microclimatic differences within the nest could produce the worker size variation commonly observed in bumble bee (Bombus impatiens) colonies. We also tested if changes to the ambient temperature that colonies are exposed to influences the size variation they produced. We recorded brood temperature via thermal imaging and measured thorax widths of workers produced by colonies kept at ambient temperatures of 30 and 20 °C. Overall, average brood temperature did not differ across the nest even while the average temperature of non-brood structures (i.e., honeypots) interspersed among the brood decreased towards the periphery, demonstrating that bees were able to regulate brood temperature at a fine scale. However, we found that the size variation produced was sensitive to ambient temperature and increased under warmer temperatures. These results demonstrate that bumble bees have a unique method of fine-grained thermoregulation, where they regulate brood temperature but not the regions between brood. Additionally, while temperature is not the mechanism that produces size variation, it indirectly influences the mechanism that does. Morphological variation among group members affects group performance. We studied how the thermal environment experienced by developing workers, i.e., brood, influences the between-worker size variation produced within B. impatiens colonies. We found that temperature only indirectly influences size variation, as size variation increased under warmer nest temperatures, yet the temperature of brood did not differ across the nest. Our finding that workers maintain a uniform environment for the brood differs from previous results examining feeding rates across the nest and suggests that while the same workers tend to feed and thermoregulate the brood, they do so according to different rules and that by influencing worker behaviors, such as feeding rate, temperature affects size variation.
Long-Term Depression Learning in Spinal Cord Networks

Investigating learning in networks of spinal cord neurons can provide insight into the dynamics of connectivity in human spinal cords. It may also hold implications for developing neural prosthetics and neurocomputers. Culturing neural networks on microelectrode arrays (MEAs) allows for the repeated observation and stimulation of electrophysiological activity in vitro. Here we used MEAs to demonstrate learning in networks of spinal cord neurons. This was done by exposing E17 mouse spinal cord cultures to high frequency artificial spike trains, or tetanization. Unexpectedly, when comparing the networks’ responses to low-frequency probing stimulations before and after tetanization, the cultures were found to demonstrate long-term depression (LTD). LTD was most significantly observed between 500–1000 ms after low-frequency probing. These results indicate that periodic high-frequency excitation of spinal cord networks can result in decreased synaptic efficacy.
Manipulation of the Host Immune Response by Small DNA Tumor Viruses

Viral infection accounts for up to 15% of cancer cases worldwide. Many oncogenic viruses maintain asymptomatic, persistent infections in immunocompetent hosts and only induce tumorigenesis in the immunocompromised population, highlighting the critical role of the host immune system in controlling virus-induced carcinogenesis. Emerging evidence demonstrates important themes of immune evasion utilized by oncogenic viruses in order to maintain persistent infection. In this chapter, we focus on the immune evasion tactics employed by two small DNA tumor viruses: human papillomavirus (HPV) and the more recently discovered Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV). We will highlight how their manipulation of host immune responses helps to create a cellular environment that supports persistent infection and viral oncogenesis. A comprehensive understanding of the immunomodulatory mechanisms utilized by these viruses during the onset of oncogenesis may contribute to the development of novel therapeutic strategies targeting virus-associated cancers.
On the identification of the optimal partition for semidefinite optimization

The concept of the optimal partition was originally introduced for linear optimization and linear complementarity problems and subsequently extended to semidefinite optimization. For linear optimiz...
Embedding Data Science into Computer Science Education

As a fast-growing field with widespread impact on economy and its promising hiring potential, Data Science has been enthusiastically sought-out by many disciplines in the academia, including Mathematics, Statistics, Library Science, Management Information Systems, as well as Computer Science, as an attracting area for recruiting students, soliciting grants, and expanding their existing programs. Although some standalone programs in Data Science have been established around the country, many institutions encounter the challenges in balancing the curricula among different disciplines, allocating new resources, and cooperating with the existing majors regarding enrollment management, student advising, and faculty preparation. In this paper, a strategy-based framework is proposed for those who have limited resources of all kinds to introduce Data Science through their existing Computer Science programs at a baccalaureate level with a minimum curriculum disruption. Instead of a standalone program, to embed Data Science into Computer Science education is demonstrated to be a practical, effective, cost-saving approach based on an extensive study of the synergy between Data Science and Computer Science education. While the proposed framework is not a one-size-fits-all approach, it provides a doable route for blending Data Science into Computer Science education in systematic ways. It has become the consensus that an adequate exposure to Data Science will better prepare computer science students for taking the challenges in this ever-changing, data embraced world.
The Ultrawideband Elliptical Resistively Loaded Vee Dipole

We present the development of the novel elliptical resistively loaded vee dipole (ERLVD). By replacing the constituent subelements with ellipses, the ERLVD has two degrees of design freedom to achieve increased gain, bandwidth, and decreased size compared with the classical resistively loaded vee dipole (RLVD). The prototyped ERLVD with a unity growth rate experimentally achieved a bandwidth ratio of 13:1 (0.49–6.41 GHz) and a smaller arm length of $0.17~\lambda _{\mathrm {low}}$ at 490 MHz. This ERLVD has twice larger the bandwidth ratio, 2–3 dB higher gain, and smaller arm size at 490 MHz compared to similar RLVDs. The second ERLVD with a higher growth rate can achieve much higher relative gain increases of 7–8.5 dB with slightly reduced bandwidth.
Measurement Integrity Attacks Against Network Tomography: Feasibility and Defense

Network tomography is an important tool to estimate link metrics from end-to-end network measurements. An implicit assumption in network tomography is that observed measurements indeed reflect the aggregate of link performance (i.e., seeing is believing ). However, it is not guaranteed today that there exists no anomaly (e.g., malicious autonomous systems and insider threats) in large-scale networks. Malicious nodes can intentionally manipulate link metrics via delaying or dropping packets to affect measurements. Will such an assumption render a vulnerability when facing attackers? The problem is of essential importance in that network tomography is developed towards effective network diagnostics and failure recovery. In this article, we demonstrate that the vulnerability is real and propose a new attack strategy, called measurement integrity attack , in which malicious nodes can substantially damage a network (e.g., delaying packets) and at the same time maliciously manipulate end-to-end measurement results such that a legitimate node is misleadingly identified as the root cause of the damage (thereby becoming a scapegoat) under network tomography. We formulate three basic attack approaches and show under what conditions attacks can be successful. We also reveal conditions to detect and locate such attacks in a network. Our theoretical and experimental results show that simply trusting measurements leads to measurement integrity vulnerabilities. Thus, existing methods should be revisited accordingly for security in various applications.
Soil nitrogen dynamics in alley cropping and no-till systems on ultisols of the Georgia Piedmont, USA

On highly-weathered Ultisols of the Georgia (USA) Piedmont, a combination of no-till agriculture and alley cropping presents an option for rapidly increasing soil nitrogen availability while restoring long-term soil fertility. Three years after the establishment of Albizia julibrissin hedgerows and no-till agriculture trials, we measured inorganic soil nitrogen (NO3 -–N and NH4 -–N) and net nitrogen mineralization during a 4-month field study and a 14-day laboratory study . We also measured the influence of tree leaf amendments on grain sorghum production and N uptake. Soil nitrate increased four-fold within two weeks of adding Albizia leaf mulch. Soil ammonium did not increase as rapidly nor to the same extent after tree mulch addition. Averaged over the 4-month study, soil nitrate and ammonium were 2.8 and 1.4 times higher in the alley-cropped than in the treeless no-till plots. Net nitrification and mineralization were no higher in the alley cropping plots, during either field or laboratory incubations. Tree mulch additions enhanced crop biomass production and N uptake 2 to 3.5 times under both high and low soil moisture conditions. Our study demonstrates the dramatic short-term impacts of Albizia mulch addition on plant available nitrogen. Combined with no-till practices, alley cropping with Albizia hedges offers Piedmont farmers an option for reducing reliance upon chemical N fertilizer while improving soil organic matter levels.
Neuromodulation for the Treatment of Epilepsy: a Review of Current Approaches and Future Directions

Abstract Purpose Neuromodulation holds great promise for the treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy. This article reviews the most common types of neuromodulation as well as potential future applications of preclinical techniques such as optogenetics. This review serves as a reference for treating neurologists on the latest science behind such treatment approaches. Methods This narrative review briefly describes the preclinical and clinical history of each technique, with a special emphasis on, wherever possible, strong clinical evidence and any available data from pediatric populations. A detailed literature review was performed for each method of neuromodulation. Findings Since the concept of electrical stimulation as a treatment for neurologic conditions emerged in the early 19th century, neuromodulatory techniques using direct or induced electrical currents have been developed to reduce seizure frequency and duration in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy. This article reviews the applications, clinical guidelines, outcomes, and proposed mechanisms of available approaches, including vagus nerve stimulation, responsive neurostimulation, deep brain stimulation, and transcranial stimulation. Although promising outcomes have been achieved in adults and children with drug-resistant epilepsy, heterogeneity among epilepsy types and etiologies, optimization of stimulation parameters, and a lack of direct comparisons between neuromodulatory approaches are challenges that have yet to be overcome. Implications Neuromodulation is a rapidly evolving field in clinical neuroscience that has treatment implications in a variety of clinical arenas, with epilepsy among the most important of those. It offers the promise of delivering effective treatment for drug-resistant epilepsy, with potentially fewer side effects than standard surgical approaches. © 2020 Elsevier HS Journals, Inc.
Primary school classmate characteristics and school nursing predicting graduation from high school

Objectives To examine how primary school context variables, such as total students in the school, students with disability, and aspects of school nurse workload, predict later educational outcomes of high school attendance, being on-track to graduate, and graduation. Methods This secondary analysis of 3,782 student records from 2008 to 2018 was conducted using United States public-school district data. Results Classmate attendance in fifth-grade predicted being on-track to graduate (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.42 [95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.27, 1.60]) and graduation (AOR = 1.14 [95% CI = 1.03, 1.26]). School nurse workload aspects affected being on-track to graduate: (low-income students per school nurse [AOR = 0.77 [95% CI = 0.70, 0.85]; total students per school nurse [AOR = 1.3 [1.18, 1.44]) and graduation (low-income students per school nurse [AOR = 0.82 [95% CI = 0.75, 0.90]; total students per school nurse [AOR = 1.4 [1.26, 1.57]). Conclusion Characteristics of the school population such as classmate attendance and students with limited resources per school nurse are areas for future interventions as they affect student educational outcomes and lifelong health.
Some perspectives on homotopy obstructions

For a projective A-module P, with $$n=rank(P)\ge 2$$ , the Homotopy obstruction sets $$\pi _0\left( {{\mathcal {L}}{\mathcal {O}}}(P)\right)$$ were defined, in [6], to detect whether P has a free direct summand or not. These sets have a structure of an abelian monoid, under suitable regularity and other conditions. In this article, we provide some further perspective on these sets $$\pi _0\left( {{\mathcal {L}}{\mathcal {O}}}(P)\right)$$ . In particular, under similar regularity and other conditions, we prove that if P, Q are two projective A-modules, with $$rank(P)=rank(Q)=d$$ and $$\det (P) \cong \det Q$$ , then $$\pi _0\left( {{\mathcal {L}}{\mathcal {O}}}(Q)\right) \cong \pi _0\left( {{\mathcal {L}}{\mathcal {O}}}(P)\right)$$ .
PL03 Partner Management in the era of antimicrobial resistance: how to prevent transmission whilst using antibiotics responsibly

Epidemiologic treatment – the practice of empirically treating the sexual contacts of infected persons -- has been a mainstay of STD control for nearly 100 years. It was developed originally for syphilis prevention due to diagnostic limitations and high morbidity of infection, and was later expanded to include ‘epi treatment’ for gonorrhea and chlamydia. However, now in 2021 we are in a new era. Antimicrobial resistance is common both in STIs such as Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Mycoplasma genitalium as well as other pathogens, and there are few antibiotic treatment options currently available or in development. At the same time, diagnostic tests for gonorrhea and chlamydia have greatly improved, and electronic medical record technology now allows for near instantaneous reporting of results directly to patients. In light of these developments, the time has come to reexamine the practice of epidemiologic treatment.
Evaluating Wrong-Way Driving Incidents at Highway Exit Ramps and the Effect of Mitigation

AbstractWrong-Way Driving (WWD) crashes have higher fatality rate than other crashes. In contrast to much of the existing literature, which has focused on collision data available after a WWD crash...
Electronic Delivery of Job Performance Aids

Booher (1978) summarized several studies which demonstrated that when maintenance technicians, with only a minimum of training and experience, use a Job Performance Aid (JPA) their performance meets or exceeds that of technicians with much higher levels of training and experience. Further, when highly skilled technicians use JPAs they make fewer mistakes (Foley, 1973). However, when these research results were applied to technical manuals, the expected improvements were not forthcoming.
Response Surface Optimization of Hot-Water Pretreatment for Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Hybrid Poplar: First Step of Bioconversion of Woody-Biomass to Value-Added Bioproducts

In this study, the target product was the generation of sugars from woody biomass that can be the substrate for conversion into value-added chemicals, such as polyhydroxyalkanoates, lactic acid, succinic acid, etc. In order to release sugars from wood economically, wood needs to be pretreated to enhance the enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose and hemicelluloses. The primary goal of this study was to determine the optimal condition to obtain fermentable monosaccharides from hydrolysates of hybrid poplar by a hot-water pretreatment (150–210 °C, 0–30 min). The pretreatment conditions were optimized using a response surface methodology (RSM) on a 23 full central composites design was performed by varying on temperature, reaction time, and solid loading. After pretreatment, the solid residue was subsequently treated with a cellulase preparation, and released sugars were quantified by HPLC. The total sugar yield was applied as response variable to the RSM. The optimal pretreatment condition for producing sugars was 200 °C, 18 min, and 20 % solid loading.
Some Combinatorial Properties of Schubert Polynomials

Schubert polynomials were introduced by Bernstein et al. and Demazure, and were extensively developed by Lascoux, Schutzenberger, Macdonald, and others. We give an explicit combinatorial interpretation of the Schubert polynomial {\mathfrak S}_w in terms of the reduced decompositions of the permutation w. Using this result, a variation of Schensted's correspondence due to Edelman and Greene allows one to associate in a natural way a certain set {\cal M}_w of tableaux with w, each tableau contributing a single term to {\mathfrak S}_w. This correspondence leads to many problems and conjectures, whose interrelation is investigated. In Section 2 we consider permutations with no decreasing subsequence of length three (or 321-avoiding permutations). We show for such permutations that {\mathfrak S}_w is a flag skew Schur function. In Section 3 we use this result to obtain some interesting properties of the rational function s_{\lambda/\mu}(1,q,q^2,\cdots), where s_{\lambda/\mu} denotes a skew Schur function.
Cross-axis synchronous flow-through coil planet centrifuge (type XLL). I. Design of the apparatus and studies on retention of stationary phase.

Abstract the fourth prototype holds a pair of column holders in the lateral position at 15 cm from the center of the rotary shaft horizontally mounted on the rotary frame at 7.6 cm from the central axis of the apparatus. Using short coils of 2.6 mm I . D . PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) tubing with 7.6 cm and 24 cm helical diameters, retention of the stationary phase was measured in ten pairs of two-phase solvent systems under various experimental conditions. Satisfactory retention was obtained by choosing proper combinations of three factors, i . e ., the direction of planetary motion, head—tail elution mode, and inward—outward elution mode. The polar butanol solvent systems showed excellent retention from 65 to 80% in the 7.6 cm helical diameter left-handed coil
STIMULATED ELECTROMAGNETIC EMISSIONS BY HIGH-FREQUENCY ELECTROMAGNETIC PUMPING OF THE IONOSPHERIC PLASMA

A high frequency electromagnetic pump wave transmitted into the ionospheric plasma from the ground can stimulate electromagnetic radiation with frequencies around that of the ionospherically reflected pump wave. The numerous spectral features of these stimulated electromagnetic emissions (SEE) and their temporal evolution on a wide range of time scales are reviewed and related theoretical, numerical, and simulation results are discussed. On long (thermal) time scales the SEE constitutes a self-organization of the ionospheric plasma which depends on the interaction of nonlinear processes in a hierarchy of time scales in response to the electromagnetic pumping. Particularly, the appearance of the rich SEE spectrum is associated with the slow self-structuring of the plasma density into a spectrum of magnetic field-aligned density striations. The dependence of the SEE on electron gyroharmonic effects and the presence of density striations suggests that the existence of a magnetic field in the plasma is important for plasma turbulence to dissipate into non-thermal electromagnetic radiation during the long time quasi-stationary state of the turbulence evolution.
Fully-isolated silicon RF LDMOS for high-efficiency mobile power conversion and RF amplification

In this paper a fully isolated bulk Si RF LDMOS device platform is reported which has been optimized for highly efficient mobile power conversion and RF power amplification. The self-aligned RF LDMOS NFET achieves a specific on-resistance R ds, on of 0.94 ohm-mm2, a breakdown voltage >9V, an R sp ∗Q gg product of 8.3 mohm nC, and a cutoff frequency F t > 43 GHz. Complementary PFET RF LDMOS exhibit an R ds, on of 3.6 ohm-mm2 with a cutoff frequency F t > 16GHz. Integrated DC-DC SMPS fabricated with these RF LDMOS have a 2.3x area reduction over conventional 5V CMOS and a gate driver efficiency increase of at least 75%. RF LDMOS NFET power amplifier cores (RF PA) under CW load pull and 3.3V supply voltage exhibit gains (Gt) of 18dB and 12dB at 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz, respectively, with a 1dB compression power density of 22dBm/mm of gate width and a maximum PAE > 70%. RF LDMOS power cells meet the 802.11n spectral mask requirement for a 20MHz 64 QAM modulated signal with P out = 19dBm. These DC and RF results are the best reported for integrated Si LDMOS device structures, enabling the next generation of highly efficient miniaturized mobile power converters and new RF integration paradigms for mobile front-end modules.
Pressure studies of subthreshold photoionization: CH3I perturbed by CF4 and c-C4F8

Abstract Subthreshold photoionization spectra of CH 3 I perturbed by CF 4 and c -C 4 F 8 for variable CH 3 I number density ρ CH 3 I and perturber number density ρ P are presented. The ρ CH 3 I and ρ P dependence of the subthreshold structure is discussed in terms of the excited-state processes of electron attachment and associative ionization. The effective rate constants for these processes are determined from the variation in the subthreshold photocurrent as a function of ρ CH 3 I and ρ P . These constants are then analyzed with respect to the properties of the excited CH 3 I Rydberg state. The variation in the effective rate constants is discussed in terms of ground-state perturber properties.
The Impact of the Bystander’s Relationship With the Victim and the Perpetrator on Intent to Help in Situations Involving Sexual Violence

A large body of research has explored the individual and situational factors that influence bystander intervention for sexual violence. However, little research has explored the how the bystander's relationship to the victim and the perpetrator impacts helping. To explore this gap in the literature, the present study used vignettes to experimentally manipulate the bystander's relationship to the victim, and the bystander's relationship to the perpetrator to examine how these factors impact intent to help in low (i.e., unwanted contact) and high (i.e., situation at high risk of rape) severity situations of sexual violence. The gender of the bystander was also examined by recruiting a sample of women and men. Results suggested that bystanders were more likely to intervene when the situation was more severe and when the bystander was female. Results were mixed regarding intent to help when the bystander knew the victim or the perpetrator. Moreover, these factors interacted in complicated ways such that, for example, women are equally likely to intend to help a victim whether they know the perpetrator or not while men are more likely to help a victim if the perpetrator is someone they do not know. The results of this study suggest that bystander intervention for situations involving sexual violence are complex and future research should further tease out the moderating effects. Prevention programs using a bystander framework may need some segments of training that are more gender specific and that directly address the relationship between the bystander and the victim and perpetrator.
CHAPTER 1: Correlates of Out-of-Home Placement of Handicapped Children

Summary This chapter contains a selective review of literature related to the placement of mentally retarded children out of their birth or natural homes into alternative care environments. It focuses on the differences in the correlates of placement before and after the passage of Public Law 94-142. A model of the placement process is proposed, and the factors presumed to influence placement are discussed. Factors delaying or preventing placement are also considered. We conclude that placement depends on a complex constellation of factors that are dynamic in nature.
Non-linear phenomena in oxygen transport to tissue

A non-linear partial differential equation is analyzed using multiple scale techniques and similarity transformations in order to examine the role of hemoglobin and myoglobin in facilitating oxygen transport to tissue.
Science Signaling Podcast: 26 April 2011

This Podcast features a conversation with the senior author of a Research Report published in the April 22 issue of Science . Chuan-ju Liu discusses his group’s finding that the growth factor progranulin (PGRN) bound to the tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) and antagonized signaling by TNFα. Mice lacking PGRN developed more severe inflammatory arthritis in response to immunization with collagen than normal mice, and PGRN treatment reduced the severity of symptoms in mouse models of rheumatoid arthritis.
Storks, Cabbage Patches, and the Right to Procreate

In this paper I examine the prevailing assumption that there is a right to procreate and question whether there exists a coherent notion of such a right. I argue that we should question any and all procreative activities, not just alternative procreative means and contexts. I suggest that clinging to the assumption of a right to procreate prevents serious scrutiny of reproductive behavior and that, instead of continuing to embrace this assumption, attempts should be made to provide a proper foundation for it. I argue that the focus of procreative activities and discourse on reproductive ethics should be on obligations instead of rights, as rights talk tends to obfuscate recognition of obligations toward others, particularly those who bear the most significant burdens of the procreative process. I examine some possible foundations of a right to procreate as well as John Robertson’s thoughtful account of “procreative liberty” but conclude that at the present time there exists no compelling account of a right to procreate. Finally, I conclude that in the absence of a satisfactory account of a right to procreate, we should refrain from grounding practices or polices on the assumption that there is such a right.
Complex Thought and Construction of the Self in the Face of Aging and Death

Awareness of our own aging and eventual death demands a re-construction of our sense of self. This article offers a theoretical exploration of the process by which this adaptive re-construction might take place to avoid a potential developmental crisis. The discussion utilizes ideas from study on existential psychology, ambiguous loss, complex thought, and wisdom and spiritual traditions.
Effect of Experimental Parameters on the HPLC Separation of Peptides and Proteins

Abstract This manuscript examines the effects of different experimental parameters on resolution, peak symmetry, peak width, and selectivity (peak elution order) of peptides by micro high performance liquid chromatography. The experimental parameters are: mobile phase composition, flow rate, organic modifiers, ion‐pairing agents, column temperature, the effect of packing material properties: particle size, particle porosity and reversed‐phase (RP) alkyl chain length, and column dimensions. When a mass spectrometer (MS) is used as the detector in micro‐HPLC, certain experimental parameters such as mobile phase flow rate and buffer composition have to be adjusted in order to meet the requirements of the MS procedure employed. When electrospray ionization (ESI) is the selected MS mode of operation the mobile phase flow rate should be in nL min−1 and a volatile buffer should be used to achieve maximum sensitivity. Also, it was found that the elution order (selectivity) of peptides in RP‐HPLC is affected by ty...
Partial versus full sternotomy for aortic valve replacement.

Abstract Background . Recent trends suggest that smaller incisions reduce postoperative morbidity. This study tests the hypothesis that a partial upper sternotomy improves patient outcome for aortic valve replacement. Methods . A group of 50 patients who underwent aortic valve surgery through a partial upper sternotomy (group I) were compared to 50 patients who underwent aortic valve replacement through a median sternotomy during the same time period (group II). The mean age (60 ± 2 versus 63 ± 2 years; mean ± SEM) and preoperative ejection fractions (53 ± 2 versus 54 ± 2) were similar. Operations were performed with central cannulation, and antegrade/retrograde blood cardioplegia. Results . There was one death in each group. No differences were found in aortic occlusion time, mediastinal drainage, transfusion incidence, narcotic requirement, length of stay, or cost. The incidence of pleural and pericardial effusions was increased (18.4% versus 3.9%, p p Conclusions . Aortic valve replacement can be performed through a partial sternotomy with results comparable to full sternotomy. The partial sternotomy offers a cosmetic benefit, but does not significantly reduce postoperative pain, length of stay, or cost.
On the Invisibility of the Female Delinquent Peer Group

The peer group has assumed a prominent role in the explanation of male delinquency while it has been virtually ignored in accounts of female delinquency. This paper examines the following assumptions which gave rise to this discrepancy and presents data which refute them. (1) Female delinquency is equated with sexual promiscuity, symptomatic of maladjustment and social isolation. (2) Family factors exert a more powerful influence on female rather than male delinquents. (3) Girls do not form strong same-sex friendships. (4) In mixed-sex groups, girls are influenced by boys rather than other girls. A more balanccd agenda for future research is suggested in which same and opposite sex relationships are examined for both boys and girls in relation to gendered differences in group interactions and to the role of dating in desistance from gang delinquency.
Effects of wildfire ash on water chemistry and biota in South-Western U.S.A. streams

SUMMARY 1. We monitored streams within the Gila River drainage in south-western New Mexico, U.S.A., over a 5-year period, to investigate the influence of ash input on water quality and stream biota following forest wildfires. 2. Nutrients [ammonium, nitrate, soluble reactive phosphate (SRP)], potassium and alkalinity were most affected by fires; all were increased in stream water following ash input. Concentrations of each returned to prefire conditions within 4 months. Ammonium and nitrate also increased in stream water as a result of atmospheric fallout (e.g. smoke) from fires outside the catchment. 3. Periphyton biomass was not affected significantly by wildfires, although there was a shift in diatom assemblage to smaller more adnate taxa. Cocconeis placentula was frequently the dominant postfire species. 4. The influence of wildfires on macroinvertebrates ranged from minimal to dramatic reductions in density depending upon the duration of ash flows and the characteristics of the ash material that entered each system. Macroinvertebrate densities returned to prefire conditions within 1 year. 5. An in-situ ashing experiment was conducted on a first-order stream in the Gila River drainage to monitor on-site physiochemical and biotic responses during and after fire ash addition, for comparison with ash delivery from real wildfires on monitored streams. Physical–chemical parameters and algae and macroinvertebrates were monitored in an ashed and upstream reference reach for 13 months. Results generally substantiated findings from monitored streams. 6. Concentrations of major ions and nutrients, as well as turbidity, conductivity and pH, increased immediately in stream water below the point of ashing, while dissolved oxygen decreased. Changes in water chemistry were short-lived (=24 h) except for SRP. The concentration of SRP in stream water was significantly higher in the ashed reach than the control reach for at least 1 month after ash input. 7. Periphyton biomass and diatom assemblages were not significantly altered in the ashing study, whereas macroinvertebrate density was measurably lower in the ashed reach for nearly a year. Macroinvertebrate drift was over 10-fold greater in the ashed reach compared with the reference reach during ashing. Dissimilarity between macroinvertebrate communities in the reference and ashed reaches was significantly greater than variation within reaches for nearly a year.
Studies concerning the possible involvement of singlet oxygen in the microsomal oxidation of aromatic substrates.

Abstract The intimate nature of the hydroxylating species responsible for the microsomal hydroxylation of aromatic compounds is unknown. Recent work, however, has suggested that singlet molecular oxygen intermediates may be involved in biochemical reactions. It was of interest to ascertain whether molecular oxygen is incorporated into aromatic substrates by liver microsomes by an excitation of ground-state molecular oxygen to a singlet state at the active site of hydroxylation to yield the phenolic products. To test this hypothesis, liver microsomes were incubated with aromatic substrates in the presence and absence of compounds known to efficiently quench singlet oxygen. No changes in the kinetics of the hydroxylation reactions were observed in these cases. Secondly, compounds that react rapidly with singlet oxygen and have electronic and geometric characteristics similar to substrate molecules were incubated with microsomes and attempts were made to trap the singlet oxygen adducts. Results of these and other experiments are presented and indicate that the involvement of a singlet oxygen species in the aromatic hydroxylation of Type II substrates by liver microsomes is doubtful.
Alcohol-involved assault: associations with posttrauma alcohol use, consequences, and expectancies.

Victim alcohol consumption is common prior to sexual assault, and a burgeoning literature suggests that victims who were intoxicated during assault may differ in post-assault adjustment compared to those who were not impaired. Less is known about potential relationships between experiencing an alcohol-involved assault (AIA) and later drinking behavior. In this study, we examined the relationships between sexual assault, subsequent drinking behavior and consequences, and alcohol expectancies in a sample of 306 undergraduate women who reported current alcohol use and reported either no trauma history (n = 53), non-AIA (n = 69), or AIA (n = 184). Differences emerged for alcohol use (F(2, 298) = 12.78, p < .001), peak blood alcohol content (F(2, 298) = 9.66, p < .001), consequences (F(2, 296) = 7.38, p < .005), and positive alcohol expectancies (F(14, 796) = 1.93, p < .05). In particular, women with an AIA reported greater alcohol use and positive expectancies compared to women with no trauma history and women with a non-alcohol influenced assault. In addition, both assault groups reported greater drinking consequences than women with no trauma history. Findings suggest that it is the women who are assaulted while under the influence of alcohol who evidence more alcohol use and alcohol-related problems following assault.
Differential Effects of Ivabradine and Ryanodine on Pacemaker Activity in Canine Sinus Node and Purkinje Fibers

Effects of Ivabradine and Ryanodine on Cardiac Pacemakers. Introduction: It is generally accepted that at least 2 major mechanisms contribute to sinus node (SN) pacemaking: a membrane voltage (mainly If) clock and a calcium (Ca) clock (localized submembrane sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ release during late diastolic depolarization). The aim of this study was to compare the contributions of each mechanism to pacemaker activity in SN and Purkinje fibers (PFs) exhibiting normal or abnormal automaticity. Methods and Results: Conventional microelectrodes were used to record action potentials in isolated spontaneously beating canine SN and free running PF in control and in the presence of 0.1 μM isoproterenol. Ryanodine (0.1–3 μM) and ivabradine (3 μM) were used to inhibit sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ release or If, respectively. To induce automaticity at low membrane potentials, PFs were superfused with BaCl2. In SN, ivabradine reduced the rate whereas ryanodine had no effect. Isoproterenol significantly accelerated automatic rate, which was decreased by ivabradine and ryanodine. In normally polarized PFs, ryanodine had no effects on the automatic rate in the absence or presence of isoproterenol, whereas ivabradine inhibited both control and isoproterenol-accelerated automaticity. In PF depolarized with BaCl2, ivabradine decreased BaCl2-induced automatic rate while ryanodine had no effect. Conclusion: In canine SN, If contributes to both basal automaticity and β-adrenergic-induced rate acceleration while the ryanodine-inhibited Ca clock appears more involved in β-adrenergic regulation of pacemaker rate. In PF, normal automaticity depends mainly on If. Inhibition of basal potassium conductance results in high automatic rates at depolarized membrane potentials with SN-like responses to inhibition of membrane and Ca clocks. (J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol, Vol. 23, pp. 650–655, June 2012)
Analysing a mixed-mode plane problem by using Jk integrals

Abstract The J1 and J2 integrals are used in conjunction with the superposition technique in fracture mechanics via finite-element stress analysis to obtain the stress intensity factors (KI and KII). Direct evaluation of the J2 integral yields results that are very sensitive to the type of crack tip modelling employed. A superposition technique is used to overcome the difficulty that results from evaluating the J2 integral at the crack faces. A simple and efficient solution procedure is developed involving only a known auxiliary solution for evaluating the J1 and J2 integrals. The finite-element solution converges to an accurate solution for contours remote from the crack tip. Numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the accuracy of the proposed approach.
Fermi-Dirac distribution of excitons in coupled quantum wells

Time-resolved and cw photoluminescence of excitons in coupled quantum wells with an applied electric field is modeled using a Fermi-Dirac distribution. This distribution can result from inhomogeneous broadening due to interface roughness and the strong, short-range electric dipole repulsion between excitons. The model quantitatively explains the striking temperature dependence of the luminescence linewidth and peak position previously interpreted as a phase transition to an ordered state [T. Fukuzawa, E. E. Mendez, and J. M. Hong, Phys. Rev. Lett. 64, 3066 (1990)]. At very low temperatures (\ensuremath{\lesssim}6 K), the excitons are in a metastable distribution.
Jus Soli and Jus Sanguinis in the Colonies: The Interwar Politics of Race, Culture, and Multiracial Legal Status in British Africa

In April 1929, an unremarkable man—a local entrepreneur and defendant in a minor lawsuit—entered the High Court of Nyasaland (contemporary Malawi) and made a remarkable gesture. The son of an Indian immigrant and an African woman, Suleman Abdul Karim declared himself a “non-native” and that he should consequently be tried as such. The lawsuit brought against him concerned the ownership of a Ford truck for which he had failed to complete payment. Approximately ten months earlier on June 28, 1928, Ernest Carr of Blantyre, Nyasaland—a local auctioneer and businessman who frequently ran advertisements in The Nyasaland Times during the 1920s—had sold the Ford to Karim with a written agreement that it would be paid for with £30 as a down payment, £20 on July 31, 1928, with the remaining £50 to be paid in monthly installments of £10 starting August 31, 1928. All told, this business transaction was intended to be resolved expeditiously, with its completion by the new year of 1929. However, the minor expectation that this contract had promised was not fulfilled. Two payments were made, an initial one on the day of sale for £30 and a second several months later on November 16, this time for £8. Karim defaulted on the remaining amount. Furthermore, he failed to make an insurance premium payment of £10 to the African Guarantee and Indemnity Co. Ltd., for which Carr was a local agent. Despite these defaults, Karim had not returned the Ford. Consequently, after several more months elapsed, a claim against Karim came before the High Court on April 11, 1929.
The Nixon Administration and the Death of Allende's Chile: A Case of Assisted Suicide – By Jonathan Haslam

Drawing on an impressive variety of previously unused sources, the author of this book has written a comprehensive and provocative analysis of why the Popular Unity (UP) government of Chilean presi...
Alternative dark energies with atypical sound speeds

Abstract We study the implications on both background and perturbation evolution of introducing a Chaplygin gas component in the universe’s ingredients. We perform likelihood analyses using wide-ranging, SN1a, CMB and large scale structure observations to assess whether such a component could be a genuine alternative to a cosmological constant, Λ . We find that the current data favors behavior in an adiabatic Chaplygin gas that is akin to a cosmological constant.
Magnetism at high-index transition-metal surfaces and the effect of metalloid impurities: Ni(210)

Structural, electronic, and magnetic properties near the Ni(210) surface and the effect of Li, B, P, and Ca impurities are determined by means of the all-electron total energy/atomic force full-potential linearized augmented plane wave method with the generalized gradient approximation. For the Ni(210) clean surface, simulated with an 11-layer slab, multilayer relaxation is found to be confined to the top three layers. The magnetic moment of the surface Ni layer, $0.79{\ensuremath{\mu}}_{B},$ is enhanced by 27%, compared with its bulk value. This result confirms the well-accepted understanding that the reduced coordination number at a clean transition-metal surface with a high index leads to enhanced magnetic moments. Boron and P strongly alter the atomic structure at the Ni(210) surface, whereas Li and Ca have only a slight influence, due to the weak chemical bonding with the nickel substrate. It is found that all four selected elements exert detrimental effects on the Ni(210) surface magnetism. The effects of B and P are stronger than those of Li and Ca, mainly due to their stronger hybridization with the nickel d states. An analysis of the results for B and P suggests that it is the stronger magnetization of its free standing monolayer that makes P more detrimental than B on the nickel surface magnetism.
Visualization of Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition and Powder Spray Pyrolysis by Laser Light Scattering

Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition (APCVD) and powder spray pyrolysis are both pyrolytic thin film deposition techniques that are used to coat glass with thin films at atmospheric pressure. In the present study, the fluid dynamics of each process was investigated by laser light scattering. For each system, a 193 nm ArF excimer laser pulsed at 7 Hz was used for the analysis. In the case of the APCVD reactor, the difference in Rayleigh scattering between helium injected in the reactor and ambient air was used to characterize the process. For the powder spray process, laser scattering off the sprayed powder was used. The effect of various parameters is discussed.