cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Intangible patterns in real space: using social science methods to enhance urban research in Egypt

While discussing form, function and energy has its value, it must be remembered that architecture is for humans. All significance, meaning and worth are for and determined by humans. As such, using methodologies from the social sciences can enhance architectural research by grounding it in approaches designed to study humans. To illustrate this, an example will be used from the author’s investigation on the changes in retail space in 20th century Alexandria, Egypt. Because of the methods employed, the author discovered several patterns of usage which were contrary to expectations. Two of these findings will be highlighted to show the benefits of a combined methodological approach. First, the character of this central city cannot simply be defined as declining because the social data shows an increase in usage and density. Second, the women’s market addresses the need for female privacy not only through the architectural design but also through the patterns spatial usage.
Wiener Modeling of a Closed Loop Vapor Compression System for Extremum Seeking Controller Design

This paper demonstrates that the dynamic relationship between the power consumption of a vapor compression system under closed loop control and its evaporator and condenser fan inputs is well described about a nominal operating point by a Wiener model, which is useful for extremum seeking controller design. Information about the input dynamics from the Wiener model is used to evaluate the tradeoff between steady-state error and convergence time for single and dual input extremum seeking controllers in simulation.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Adsorption and isolation of nucleic acids on cellulose magnetic beads using a three-dimensional printed microfluidic chip

While advances in genomics have enabled sensitive and highly parallel detection of nucleic acid targets, the isolation and extraction of the nucleic acids remain a critical bottleneck in the workflow. We present here a simple 3D printed microfluidic chip that allows for the vortex and centrifugation free extraction of nucleic acids. This novel microfluidic chip utilizes the presence of a water and oil interface to filter out the lysate contaminants. The pure nucleic acids, while bound on cellulose particles, are magnetically moved across the oil layer. We demonstrated efficient and rapid extraction of spiked Human Papillomavirus (HPV) 18 plasmids in specimen transport medium, in under 15 min. An overall extraction efficiency of 61% is observed across a range of HPV plasmid concentrations (5 × 101 to 5 × 106 copies/100 μl). The magnetic, interfacial, and viscous drag forces inside the microgeometries of the chip are modeled. We have also developed a kinetics model for the adsorption of nucleic acids on cellulose functionalized superparamagnetic beads. We also clarify here the role of carrier nucleic acids in the adsorption and isolation of nucleic acids. Based on the various mechanistic insights detailed here, customized microfluidic devices can be designed to meet the range of current and emerging point of care diagnostics needs.
Effect of Process Changes in Surgical Training on Quantitative Outcomes From Surgery Residency Programs.

Objectives The purpose of this article is to review the literature on process changes in surgical training programs and to evaluate their effect on the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Core Competencies, American Board of Surgery In-Training Examination (ABSITE) scores, and American Board of Surgery (ABS) certification. Design A literature search was obtained from MEDLINE via PubMed.gov, ScienceDirect.com, Google Scholar on all peer-reviewed studies published since 2003 using the following search queries: surgery residency training, surgical education, competency-based surgical education, ACGME core competencies, ABSITE scores, and ABS pass rate. Results Our initial search list included 990 articles on surgery residency training models, 539 on competency-based surgical education, 78 on ABSITE scores, and 33 on ABS pass rate. Overall, 31 articles met inclusion criteria based on their effect on ACGME Core Competencies, ABSITE scores, and ABS certification. Systematic review showed that 5/31, 19/31, and 6/31 articles on process changes in surgical training programs had a positive effect on patient care, medical knowledge, and ABSITE scores, respectively. ABS certification was not analyzed. The other ACGME core competencies were addressed in only 6 studies. Conclusions Several publications on process changes in surgical training programs have shown a positive effect on patient care, medical knowledge, and ABSITE scores. However, the effect on ABS certification, and other quantitative outcomes from residency programs, have not been addressed. Studies on education strategies showing evidence that residency program objectives are being achieved are still needed. This article addresses the 6 ACGME Core Competencies.
Prevalence of autism among young children aged 2-6 years in Yunyan district of Guiyang city

Objective To examine the prevalence of autism in 2-6 years old children in Yunyan district of Guiyang city. Methods Using completely random cluster sampling method,we chose 12 from 60 kindergartens in Yunyan district and 3 211 young children aged 2-6 years were seleted from the kindergartens. Clancy Autism Behavior Scale( CABS) was used for screening and the suspected autism children with CABS scores of ≥7 were diagnosed according to the criteria of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder( 4th ed.)( DSM-Ⅳ) by two pediatric neurologists. Results The total number of the children surveyed was 3 211( 1 741 males and 1 470 females). Totally 7 male autism cases were diagnosed,with a prevalence of 21. 80 /10 000. The age of the cases ranged from 3. 34 to 4. 78 years,with an average age of 4. 12 ±0. 62 years. There were no differences in the prevalenc rate of autism between the children of different age( χ2= 0. 06,P =0. 814). And the prevalence rate of autism was 19. 96 /10 000 for the Han nationality and 28. 32 /10 000 for ethnic minorities,without significant difference between the two groups( χ2= 0. 18,P = 0. 67). Conclusion There is a high prevalence rate of autism among 2-6 years old children in Yunyan district of Guiyang city and the prevalence rate is higher in the males than in the females.
Metastatic and recurrent cancer of the colon and rectum: surgical significance and management.

Carcinoma of the large intestine may metastasize by a variety of routes. Each of these has some special prognostic significance which must be weighed by the surgeon. Although operations for primary localized carcinoma of the colon can be reasonably standardized, the management of cases in which metastases have already appeared or developed subsequent to resection requires considerable ingenuity and judgment on the part of the surgeon. An understanding of the prognostic significance of the various routes of spread is of practical surgical importance.
Guided Waves for Nondestructive Testing – Experiment and Analysis

Use of ultrasonic waves is continuously increasing for nondestructive evaluation (NDE) and structural health monitoring (SHM) in civil, aerospace, electrical, mechanical and bioengineering applications. Between bulk waves and guided waves, the latter is becoming more popular for NDE/SHM applications because the guided waves can propagate long distances and reach difficult to access regions. Recent advances in the research related to nondestructive testing (NDT) of composites and metals are discussed in this paper. To analyze the experimental results one often needs to understand the mechanics of wave propagation in various structures. Unfortunately, only for simple structures, such as homogeneous and layered half-spaces, plates, rods and pipes, the analytical solutions are available. Complex structural geometries with internal defects are difficult to solve analytically or numerically by the popular finite element method because at high frequencies the size of the finite elements becomes prohibitively small. An alternative mesh-free technique called the distributed point source method (DPSM) is being developed for solving such problems and is discussed here in addition to the experimental results.
A human foot motion localization algorithm using IMU

Human foot motion localization using inertial measurement unit (IMU) is a challenging problem due to IMU's drift and noise. This paper presents a localization algorithm, which can accurately estimate the position, velocity and attitude of human foot motion based on IMU measurements. The proposed algorithm works efficiently in a real-time and dynamic speed manner. A dynamic Gait Phase Detection (GPD) method is utilized to produce a high accuracy of human foot gait phase detection in dynamic speeds. We then integrate the GDP with an Inertial Navigation System (INS), a Zero Velocity Update (ZVU) and an Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) in a realtime manner to handle the IMU drift problem as well as the noise. Finally, the proposed algorithm is validated and compared with other existing techniques.
A reconfigurable microcomputer system with PA 3 (Programmable Autonomous Address-control-memory Architecture)

A programmable autonomous address-control-memory architecture (PA3) which supports memory based reconfigurable microcomputer (user structured microcomputer) is proposed. The PA3 provides finite autonomous device and executes the state transition control without CPU. The PA3 can be directly accessed as memory and support logic operation circuit of counter, and PWM, etc. When the logical function is mounted on silicon using the PA3, there is no need to relocate and rewire like FPGA. Each logic function module is achieved by loading the library which include logic function and wiring information. The performance depends on the characteristic of SRAM. The Standards bus interface of PA3 also supports both memory and peripheral buses in a microcomputer. The PA3 modeling and evaluation of the basic logical operation / function modules have been simulated.
High-performance Cholesky factorization for GPU-only execution

We present our performance analysis, algorithm designs, and the optimizations needed for the development of high-performance GPU-only algorithms, and in particular, for the dense Cholesky factorization. In contrast to currently promoted designs that solve parallelism challenges on multicore architectures by representing algorithms as Directed Acyclic Graphs (DAGs), where nodes are tasks of fine granularity and edges are the dependencies between the tasks, our designs explicitly target manycore architectures like GPUs and feature coarse granularity tasks (that can be hierarchically split into fine grain data-parallel subtasks). Furthermore, in contrast to hybrid algorithms that schedule difficult to parallelize tasks on CPUs, we develop highly-efficient code for entirely GPU execution. GPU-only codes remove the expensive CPU-to-GPU communications and the tuning challenges related to slow CPU and/or low CPU-to-GPU bandwidth. We show that on latest GPUs, like the P100, this becomes so important that the GPU-only code even outperforms the hybrid MAGMA algorithms when the CPU tasks and communications can not be entirely overlapped with GPU computations. Weachieve up to 4,300 GFlop/s in double precision on a P100 GPU, which is about 7-8x faster than high-end multicore CPUs, e.g., two 10-cores Intel Xeon E5-2650 v3 Haswell CPUs, where MKL runs up to about 500-600 Gflop/s. The new algorithm also outperforms significantly the GPU-only implementation currently available in the NVIDIA cuSOLVER library.
The Firm vs. the Market: The Transaction Cost Theories of Coase and Williamson Dehomogenized

It has become commonplace in management research to refer to "transaction cost theory," a joint Coase-Williamson approach to economic organizing. This off-the-cuff usage tends to tone down or even ...
Design and analysis of a novel brushlesshigh temperature superconducting synchronous machine

This paper discusses a high-efficiency synchronous generator using high-temperature superconductor (HTS) excitation. A novel design is proposed in which no excitation exists on the rotor. Instead, the stator is excited using DC HTS cables. The design is analyzed with finite element method and is further compared with a permanent magnet (PM) machine with similar machine dimensions. It was shown that the HTS machine provides a greater torque compared to the PM machine with higher efficiency.
Nanotechnologies in Societal Context

This chapter provides an overview of the past decade of research on the societal aspects and implications of nanotechnology in the USA. It starts by providing key terms and definitions and then outlines the contours of the social, ethical, governance, and participatory research in the USA, with key examples of nanoELSI work. The chapter argues that all these elements are different facets of responsible development and responsible innovation, and that the National Nanotechnology Initiative's investment in nanoELSI research, education and outreach has provided an unprecedented advance in scholarship and policy. The chapter proposes that nanoELSI has in some respects developed new forms of hybrid social science, ethics, historical, legal, sociological, psychological interdisciplinarity in addition to the interdisciplinary collaborations that form the basis of much nanoscale science and engineering innovation. Integration of the societal and the technical is an ongoing challenge, and the chapter cites some notable advances in this area as well.
Examining Mechanisms and Moderators of the Relationship Between Discriminatory Health Care Encounters and Attempted Suicide Among U.S. Transgender Help-Seekers

This study examined how experiences of service denial and discrimination in three health care settings-doctors' offices, emergency rooms, and mental health clinics-might contribute to attempted suicide among transgender adults. Mechanisms of this relationship were examined, including treatment receipt and the use of substances to cope with mistreatment. Perceived emotional social support was also tested as a potential protective factor against the deleterious effects of service denial and discrimination on treatment receipt, substance use, and attempted suicide. The analysis included 4190 respondents from the National Transgender Discrimination Survey. Structural equation modeling was employed to test hypothesized relationships. Being denied a greater number of services and discriminated against in more settings were associated with lower levels of treatment receipt. Service denial was also correlated with increased rates of coping-motivated substance use and elevated rates of attempted suicide. Treatment receipt mediated the relationships between service denial/discrimination and substance use. Substance use mediated the relationship between treatment receipt and attempted suicide. Higher levels of support were protective to treatment receipt when denied services in one setting, but no longer retained protective effects when denied in two or three settings. Results have critical implications for service access and delivery and policies that protect transgender help-seekers in the health care system.
A GPU-Accelerated Multivoxel Update Scheme for Iterative Coordinate Descent (ICD) Optimization in Statistical Iterative CT Reconstruction (SIR)

Statistical iterative reconstruction (SIR) algorithms have shown great potential for improving image quality in reduced and low dose X-ray computed tomography (CT). However, high computational cost and long reconstruction times have so far prevented the use of SIR in practical applications. Various optimization algorithms have been proposed to make SIR parallelizable for execution on multicore computational platforms, whereas others have sought to improve its convergence rate. Parallelizing on a set of decoupled voxels within an iterative coordinate descent (ICD) optimization framework has shown good promise to achieve both of these premises. However, so far these types of frameworks come at the price of additional complexities or are limited to parallel beam geometry only. We improve on this prior research and present a framework, which also achieves parallelism by processing sets of independent voxels, but does not introduce additional complexities and has no restrictions on beam geometry. Our method uses a novel multivoxel update (MVU) scheme within a general ICD framework fully optimized for acceleration on commodity GPUs. We also investigate different GPU memory access patterns to increase cache hit-rates that result in improved time performance in the ICD framework. Experiments demonstrate speedups of two orders of magnitude for clinical datasets in cone-beam CT geometry, compared to the single-voxel update scheme native to conventional ICD-based SIR. Finally, since our MVU scheme operates on fully independent voxels, it maintains the fast convergence properties of ICD-based SIR. Consequently, the speedups achieved by parallel computing are not diminished by slower convergence of the iterative updates or by any additional overhead to decouple conflicting voxels.
DD87: Spoiled by Rewards: Qualität oder „Achievement“? (März 2009)

Ordentlich und gut arbeiten oder vor allem schnell? Verschiedene Zeiten haben ihre Prioritaten. „Schnell? Ja, gut, aber bitte perfekt!“, hies es fruher. Und heute: „Hauptsache schnell und viel, so dass die Zahlen stimmen. Was nicht moniert wird, ist gut genug.“ Der rechtschaffene und meisterstolze Mensch in uns will gute Arbeit abliefern. Punkt. Der Homo Oeconomicus in uns will viel erreichen und verdienen. Es gibt noch andere Personen in uns – aber bei der Arbeit treffen sich oft diese zwei. Welche dominiert in Ihnen?
Software/Hardware Systems and Technology for Smart Engineering Education

Smart Education, Smart Classroom and Smart University innovative concepts are heavily based on implementation and active utilization of sophisticated smart software/hardware systems and smart technology on campuses and in the classrooms. The ultimate goal of related activities is to transform a traditional university into a smart university. Our approach for a design and development of Smart Engineering University (SmEU) is based on the idea that SmEU – as a smart system – should demonstrate significant maturity at various “smartness” levels, including its ability for 1) adapting, 2) sensing (awareness), 3) inferring (logical reasoning), 4) self-learning, 5) anticipating, and 6) self-organizing. This paper presents the up-to-date outcomes of on-going multi-aspect research, design and development project aimed at identification, analysis, implementation and testing of various classes of software and hardware systems, equipment and technology to strongly support SmEU concepts, and particularly, Science- Technology-Engineering-Mathematics (STEM) education.
From Mixed Economy to Entangled Political Economy: Paretian Insights into the Two Faces of Entrepreneurship

This paper combines insights from Ludwig von Mises about the mixed economy and Vilfredo Pareto about non-logical action within a social system to explore some intertemporal dynamics of an entangled system of political economy. Mises explained the inherent instability of the mixed economy. Pareto would agree from the perspective of logical action, but paid particular attention to the ineradicable presence of non-logical action in social systems. Both types of action were rational in Pareto’s scheme of thought, but they reflected different causal patterns. Both types of action originate in sentiment. For logical action, sentiment is filtered by logic. For non-logical action it is filtered by rationalization. Entrepreneurship is present in both cases, but operates to different effect between the cases. Interaction between the two types of action generates tectonic environments that are the societal equivalents of earthquakes of varying magnitude. There is, moreover, good reason to think that the intensity of the tectonics varies directly with the relative size of political entrepreneurship within the totality of human action within society.
Do Children Distinguish Between Resource Inequalities With Individual Versus Structural Origins

This study investigated children's ability to distinguish between resource inequalities with individual versus structural origins. Children (3- to 8-years-old; N = 93) were presented with resource inequalities based on either recipients' merit (individual factor) or gender (structural factor). Children were assessed on their expectations for others' allocations, own allocations, reasoning, and evaluations of others' allocations. Children perpetuated merit-based inequalities and either rectified or allocated equally in response to gender-based inequalities. Older, but not younger, children expected others to perpetuate both types of inequalities and differed in their evaluations and reasoning. Links between children's allocations and judgments were also found. Results reveal novel insights into children's developing consideration of the structural and individual factors leading to resource inequalities.
SMAP Mission: Changes in the RFI Environment

The Soil Moisture Active/Passive satellite microwave radiometer has been providing measurements of L-band thermal emission from Earth for more than 2 years. SMAP retrieves surface soil moisture from its brightness temperature measurements, and continues to provide science products to the user community. Even though the SMAP radiometer operates in a protected band, its measurements are still corrupted by Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) caused by illegal in-band transmissions or out-of-band emissions. The SMAP radiometer was designed to include special hardware to enable RFI detection and filtering using multiple detection algorithms. Given the good overall performance of SMAP algorithms to detect RFI sources, an automatic tool to report source properties automatically was developed and is now operational. This paper provides a preliminary analysis of the outputs of this reporting tool with a particular focus on the evolution of the RFI environment observed by SMAP during its period of operations.
Organizing error sources in a standard on active-sonar calibration by standard target

For standards written under the auspices of metrological institutions, formal treatment of uncertainty is a sine qua non. In the case of standards concerning instruments that measure sound underwater, the historical record shows that the treatment often consists of listing error sources without apparent structure or order. Such entries appear to be ad hoc. This may be satisfactory, but lack of an explicit structure leaves open questions about the completeness of such a list, or where to look when there is suspicion of missing significant error sources. This matter is addressed apropos of formulating a standard on the standard-target method of calibrating active sonars for imaging and measuring scattering, ultimately for publication by an international metrological institution. The following categories of error sources are identified: transducer acoustic field structure, free-field conditions, alignment of transducer and target, transmit signal, environmental state, electromagnetic noise, wetting of acoustic surfaces, target scattering properties, acoustic sampling volume, overall system response function, and range compensation. These generic sources are organized according to the Joint Committee for Guides in Metrology (JCGM) guidance document on the expression of uncertainty in measurement.
Neighborhood qualities and parenting among mothers with young children: variation by relationship status

This study investigates associations between neighborhood social processes and parenting qualities among mothers of young children and tests variation according to relationship status. Data come fr...
Magnetic and transport studies of pure V2O3 under pressure.

We report a systematic study of the resistivity and magnetic susceptibility of pure V_2O_3, the original Mott-Hubbard system at half filling, for pressures 0≤P≤25 kbar and temperatures 0.35≤T≤300 K. We also study (V_(0.99)Ti_(0.01)_2O_3 under pressure in order to elucidate the role of disorder on a metal-insulator transition in the highly correlated limit. Despite the low level of doping, we find that the two systems are very different. We observe a conventional collapsing of the Mott-Hubbard gap only for stoichiometric V_2_O3; the Ti disorder stabilizes the long-range antiferromagnetic order and a magnetic Slater gap. Moreover, we discover different P-T phase diagrams for the two systems, with a decoupling of the charge and spin degrees of freedom at the approach to the T=0, pressure-driven metal-insulator transition in pure V_2O_3.
The Regulatory Response to Globalized Free-Market Capitalist Competition, and the Free Rider Strategy as Antithetical to Technological Innovation and Education

Previously, investment in R&D resulted in increasingly productive technologies, and/or in the ability to make goods of a quality and/or sort others could not, which enabled advanced economies to pay wages sufficient to defer or ameliorate crises of overproduction. However, technological development also facilitated the free flow of technological information and expertise, rendering such advantages increasingly problematic and transient. Consequently, capitalists have increasingly abandoned free market competition, which they formerly asserted was a spur to investment in R&D, in favor of ever more stringent patent and copyright restrictions, tariffs, and opposition to others’ international mergers and acquisitions of expertise and so on, and even deferred some investment in technology and advanced education, in favor of their investment in mergers and “brain draining” acquisition of others’ technology and expertise. A “free rider” contradiction of Adam Smith’s assertion that the pursuit of each of their self-interest is to the mutual advantage of all.
Effects of dibutyryl adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate on erythropoietin production in human renal carcinoma cell cultures

A human renal carcinoma from a patient with erythrocytosis, serially transplanted into athymic nude mice, was grown in primary monolayer cell cultures. After reaching confluency, the cultured cells formed multicellular hemicysts (domes), which became more abundant as the cultures approached saturation density. Erythropoietin (Ep) production by this renal carcinoma in culture was only slightly increased at the time of semiconfluency but showed a marked increase after the cultures reached confluency, in parallel with dome formation. Dibutyryl adenosine 3′,5′-cyclic monophosphate significantly (P less than .01) stimulated Ep production and dome formation in the semiconfluent and confluent cultures of the renal carcinoma.
Philanthropic Foundation Responses to COVID-19

Philanthropic foundations are critical actors in the nonprofit sector—funding the programs of social and human service charities, fostering innovation, and serving as patrons of the arts. However, ...
Formation and properties of soda lime germanate glasses

Abstract The glass formation region has been determined for the soda lime germanate system. This system includes regions of both homogeneous and phase separated glass formation. The density, molar volume, refractive index, molar refractivity, thermal expansion coefficient, glass transformation temperature, and transformation range viscosity have been determined. The homogeneous glasses display behavior typical of the germanate anomaly, with little effect of the replacement of soda by lime. The phase separated glasses exhibit behavior which can be explained by considering the effect of morphology on glass properties.
The Macro- and Micro-Mechanics of the Colon and Rectum II: Theoretical and Computational Methods

Abnormal colorectal biomechanics and mechanotransduction associate with an array of gastrointestinal diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, diverticula disease, anorectal disorders, ileus, and chronic constipation. Visceral pain, principally evoked from mechanical distension, has a unique biomechanical component that plays a critical role in mechanotransduction, the process of encoding mechanical stimuli to the colorectum by sensory afferents. To fully understand the underlying mechanisms of visceral mechanical neural encoding demands focused attention on the macro- and micro-mechanics of colon tissue. Motivated by biomechanical experiments on the colon and rectum, increasing efforts focus on developing constitutive frameworks to interpret and predict the anisotropic and nonlinear biomechanical behaviors of the multilayered colorectum. We will review the current literature on computational modeling of the colon and rectum as well as the mechanical neural encoding by stretch sensitive afferent endings, and then highlight our recent advances in these areas. Current models provide insight into organ- and tissue-level biomechanics as well as the stretch-sensitive afferent endings of colorectal tissues yet an important challenge in modeling theory remains. The research community has not connected the biomechanical models to those of mechanosensitive nerve endings to create a cohesive multiscale framework for predicting mechanotransduction from organ-level biomechanics.
Structural characterization of the self-association domain of swallow.

Swallow, a 62 kDa multidomain protein, is required for the proper localization of several mRNAs involved in the development of Drosophila oocytes. The dimerization of Swallow depends on a 71-residue self-association domain in the center of the protein sequence, and is significantly stabilized by a binding interaction with dynein light chain (LC8). Here, we detail the use of solution-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to characterize the structure of this self-association domain, thereby establishing that this domain forms a parallel coiled-coil and providing insight into how the stability of the dimerization interaction is regulated.
Screening for second malignancies in mycosis fungoides: non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, lung cancer, bladder cancer and melanoma

BACKGROUND Patients with mycosis fungoides (MF) are at increased risk of developing non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), lung cancer, bladder cancer and melanoma. The characteristics of patients developing these malignancies have not been specifically delineated. In addition, there are no established guidelines for screening MF patients for second malignancies. MATERIALS/METHODS We identified 742 patients with MF who developed second malignancies in the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Result-18 database. RESULTS The majority of second malignancy patients were white and male, mean age 55-67 years at diagnosis of MF, and mean age 61-72 years at diagnosis of second malignancy. The majority of patients diagnosed with second malignancies had early stage MF. MF patients with NHL, lung cancer, and bladder cancer tended to be diagnosed at earlier stages of the second malignancy than patients without MF and demonstrated better 5-year overall survival. There was no improvement in stage at diagnosis or survival for MF patients who were diagnosed with melanoma compared to patients without MF. CONCLUSIONS Improvements in survival in MF/NHL, MF/lung cancer and MF/bladder cancer patients may reflect differences in disease biology secondary to having MF or the importance of increased contact with the healthcare system. MF/melanoma data suggest that patients require regular pigmented-lesion-focused skin examinations. Tools for screening include regular lymph node examinations, pigmented-lesion-focused examinations and detailed review of systems questions. Smoking cessation counseling is key intervention in this population, as is ensuring that all age- and sex-specific cancer screenings are up-to-date (e.g. lung cancer screening, mammography, and colonoscopy). The utility of regular imaging for second malignancy screening and lab testing such as routine urinalysis requires additional study and expert consensus.
Giant axonal neuropathy: cross-sectional analysis of a large natural history cohort.

Giant axonal neuropathy (GAN) is an ultra-rare autosomal recessive, progressive neurodegenerative disease with early childhood onset that presents as a prominent sensorimotor neuropathy and commonly progresses to affect both the peripheral nervous system and central nervous system. The disease is caused by biallelic mutations in the GAN gene located on 16q23.2, leading to loss of functional gigaxonin, a substrate specific ubiquitin ligase adapter protein necessary for the regulation of intermediate filament turnover. Here, we report on cross-sectional data from the first study visit of a prospectively collected natural history study of 45 individuals, age range 3-21 years with genetically confirmed giant axonal neuropathy to describe and cross-correlate baseline clinical and functional cohort characteristics. We review causative variants distributed throughout the GAN gene in this cohort and identify a recurrent founder mutation in individuals with giant axonal neuropathy of Mexican descent as well as cases of recurrent uniparental isodisomy. Through cross correlation analysis of measures of strength, motor function, and electrophysiologic markers of disease severity, we identified the Motor Function Measure 32 (MFM-32) to have the strongest correlation across measures and age in individuals with giant axonal neuropathy. We analysed the Motor Function Measure 32 scores as they correspond to age and ambulatory status. Importantly, we identified and characterized a sub cohort of individuals with a milder form of giant axonal neuropathy and with a presentation similar to Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. Such a clinical presentation is distinct from the classic presentation of giant axonal neuropathy, and we demonstrate how the two groups diverge in performance on the Motor Function Measure 32 and other functional motor scales. We further present data on the first systematic clinical analysis of autonomic impairment in giant axonal neuropathy as performed on a subset of the natural history cohort. Our cohort of individuals with genetically confirmed giant axonal neuropathy is the largest reported to date and highlights the clinical heterogeneity and the unique phenotypic and functional characteristics of giant axonal neuropathy in relation to disease state. The present work is designed to serve as a foundation for a prospective natural history study and functions in concert with the ongoing gene therapy trial for children with giant axonal neuropathy.
Physical Validation of Trmm Tmi and PR Monthly Rain Products Over Oklahoma

The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) provides monthly rainfall estimates using data collected by the TRMM satellite. These estimates cover a substantial fraction of the earth's surface. The physical validation of TRMM estimates involves corroborating the accuracy of spaceborne estimates of areal rainfall by inferring errors and biases from ground-based rain estimates. The TRMM error budget consists of two major sources of error: retrieval and sampling. Sampling errors are intrinsic to the process of estimating monthly rainfall and occur because the satellite extrapolates monthly rainfall from a small subset of measurements collected only during satellite overpasses. Retrieval errors, on the other hand, are related to the process of collecting measurements while the satellite is overhead. One of the big challenges confronting the TRMM validation effort is how to best estimate these two main components of the TRMM error budget, which are not easily decoupled. This four-year study computed bulk sampling and retrieval errors for the TRMM microwave imager (TMI) and the precipitation radar (PR) by applying a technique that sub-samples gauge data at TRMM overpass times. Gridded monthly rain estimates are then computed from the monthly bulk statistics of the collected samples, providing a sensor-dependent gauge rain estimate that is assumed to include a TRMM equivalent sampling error. The sub-sampled gauge rain estimates are then used in conjunction with the monthly satellite and gauge (without sub- sampling) estimates to decouple retrieval and sampling errors. The computed mean sampling errors for the TMI and PR were 5.9% and 7.796, respectively, in good agreement with theoretical predictions. The PR year-to-year retrieval biases exceeded corresponding TMI biases, but it was found that these differences were partially due to negative TMI biases during cold months and positive TMI biases during warm months.
Community consequences of life-history traits in a variable environment

Models of interspecific competition in a stochastic environment show that the effects of environmental fluctuations on species coexistence can be expected to vary from community to community. However, by taking account of some basic properties of the species in a community it is possible to predict whether environmental fluctuations should promote coexistence, promote competitive exclusion or have no effect on species coexistence. One such property is the way the growth rates of the species respond to the joint effects of environment and competition. In simple (additive) models the joint effect of environment and competition is the sum of their separate effects. Deviations from ad ditivity, in either the direction of subadditivity or superadditivity, are important deter minants of species coexistence in a fluctuating environment. Such nonadditive growth rates are predicted on the basis of life-history traits, heterogeneity within a population and heterogeneity in space. Nonadditive growth rates have intuitive interpretations in terms of buffers and amplifiers of the joint effects of environment and competition. A second property concerns the way fluctuations in the strength of competition are related to environmental fluctuations. We argue that favorable environmental conditions at some stage in the life cycle of an organism may lead to more competition for resources needed at a later stage, and hence positive covariance between environment and competi tion. In the presence of positive covariance, subadditive growth rates promote coexistence in a fluctuating environment, while superadditive growth rates promote competitive exclusion. Negative covariance between environment and competition reverses these conclusions.
Evaluation of Friction Spot Welds in Aluminum Alloys

The Friction Spot Welding (FSSW) process as invented by GKSS in Germany has shown potential for application in several industrial fields as a solid state joining technology. This study evaluates this "refill" method of friction spot welding in aluminum sheet. Efforts to date have concentrated on simple flat lap joints. Process and tool development studies have been performed and have focused on understanding and managing material flow in order to minimize flash, ensure full consolidation and produce a nearly flush surface. The metallurgical and mechanical properties as a function of tool geometry and processing parameters are discussed and the lap shear strength is shown in this preliminary work to compare favorably to riveting and resistance spot welding.
Mapping of a retinoic acid-responsive element in the promoter region of the complement factor H gene

Retinoic acid receptors are members of the steroid/thyroid hormone receptor superfamily. Pursuant to the discovery that dexamethasone increases complement factor H expression, we examined the effects of retinoic acid on this gene. Both H mRNA and protein levels are increased by retinoic acid in L cells. Using the luciferase reporter gene system we have identified a region of the H promoter required for the retinoic acid response. This region contains an imperfect palindrome of the TGACC motif, present in thyroid hormone and estrogen-responsive elements. We demonstrate specific binding of the retinoic acid receptor beta to this sequence of the H gene by DNA-protein gel retardation assay. Therefore, these studies extend the sphere of influence of the retinoids to complement, an intrinsic component of the humoral immune system.
Estimation and comparison of the glottal source waveform across stress styles using glottal inverse filtering

An iterative method to extract the glottal waveform using inverse filtering is presented. The method is then applied to the analysis of glottal waveforms from utterances displaying eleven different styles of speech: normal, slow, fast, angry, loud, soft, clear, question, two different task loading conditions, and speech produced while the talker is presented with noise through headphones (Lombard effect). Results of the analysis are presented in terms of statistical descriptors of the extracted glottal waveforms for each style. Typical examples of the waveforms, displaying the salient features of each, are shown, and a qualitative discussion of the results is presented. It is concluded that this method of extracting glottal waveforms using inverse filtering, while time-consuming, gives reasonable results. The extracted waveforms are consistent across utterances, and changes in the glottal waveshape that theoretically should occur under different stress conditions are present in the extracted glottal waveforms. >
Convergent evolution of weakly electric fishes from floodplain habitats in Africa and South America

An assemblage of seven gymnotiform fishes in Venezuela was compared with an assemblage of six mormyriform fishes in Zambia to test the assumption of convergent evolution in the two groups of very distantly related, weakly electric, noctournal fishes. Both assemblages occur in strongly seasonal floodplain habitats, but the upper Zambezi floodplain in Zambia covers a much larger area. The two assemblages had broad diet overlap but relatively narrow overlap of morphological attributes associated with feeding. The gymnotiform assemblage had greater morphological variation, but mormyriforms had more dietary variation. There was ample evidence of evolutionary convergence based on both morphology and diet, and this was despite the fact that species pairwise morphological similarity and dietary similarity were uncorrelated in this dataset. For the most part, the two groups have diversified in a convergent fashion within the confines of their broader niche as nocturnal invertebrate feeders. Both assemblages contain midwater planktivores, microphagous vegetation-dwellers, macrophagous benthic foragers, and long-snouted benthic probers. The gymnotiform assemblage has one piscivore, a niche not represented in the upper Zambezi mormyriform assemblage, but present in the form of Mormyrops deliciousus in the lower Zambezi and many other regions of Africa.
Biomethane from Biomass, Biowaste, and Biofuels

Biogas can be made from most biomass and waste materials regardless of the composition and over a large range of moisture contents, with limited feedstock preparation. Methane-producing communities are very stable and resilient, but they are also complex and largely undefined. The methanogenic Archaebacteria uniquely catabolize acetic acid and one-carbon compounds to methane. The methanogens are obligate anaerobes that can pick up electrons from dead-end fermentations, through interspecies hydrogen transfer, and shuttle these electrons through a unique form of respiration which results in the reduction of carbon dioxide to methane. Codigestion with manure often enhances the conversion of other biomass and waste feedstocks through balancing micronutrients. Organic acids, pH, and alkalinity are related parameters that influence digester performance. The major alkalis contributing to alkalinity are ammonia and bicarbonate. Biowastes and biomass crops can be gasified in a reduced atmosphere combustion process to convert the biomass into a mixture of CH4, CO2, CO, and H2. Any improvement in conversion efficiency that enhances cellulosic ethanol yields is equally applicable for biomass conversion to methane. Methane yields from seaweeds, grasses, and crops all approach theoretical yields, such that as much as 80% of biomass energy content could be recovered in methane. Processing of terrestrial and marine energy crops to biomethane can result in higher energy yields than that of other biofuels.
Ottawa's GM food plan faces criticism

Some observers aren't impressed by a new federal action plan on the future of food biotechnology, which is Ottawa's response to the Royal Society of Canada's Expert Scientific Panel Report on the Safety of Genetically Modified (GM) Foods. Greenpeace representative Eric Darier describes it as “a
Ochratoxicosis in Beagle Dogs III. Terminal Renal Ultrastructural Alterations

Three young male Beagle dogs were given daily oral doses of 0.3 mg/kg body weight of crystalline ochratoxin A. Three untreated Beagle dogs served as controls. The principals survived for 11–15 days and were killed. Cytomorphologic alterations were seen primarily in the endomembrane system of the renal epithelial cells of the proximal convoluted tubules. Increased amounts of smooth-surfaced membranes were present as linear and concentric arrays and as large and small vesicles in many proximal tubular epithelial cells. Few basilar infoldings of the plasma membrane were present in proximal tubular epithelial cells of the principals, but extracellular basilar labyrinth was extensive in proximal tubular epithelial cells of the control kidney. Many tubular epithelial cells contained lipid droplets and cytoplasmic accumulations of phospholipids. The mitochondria usually appeared normal. Prominent ultrastructural alterations of the interstitium included separation between tubular basement membranes, increase in t...
‘Nothing Stops a Bullet Like a Job’: Homeboy Industries and Restorative Justice

Homeboy Industries stands in downtown Los Angeles as a beacon of hope for many. Over the past twenty years, Homeboy has developed from humble beginnings into a bustling enterprise consisting of six businesses that include everything from a bakery, cafe, and catering company to landscaping, merchandise, and a printing press. Operating in part as a gang intervention program and in part as a career development center, Homeboy until recently employed over 400 gang members across these various businesses at any given time. The charismatic founder of Homeboy Industries, Father Greg Boyle, S.J., or “G-Dog” as he is known to the homeboys, has a motto that "nothing stops a bullet like a job." Unlike most businesses, however, the organization's goal is for its employees to move on from gang life and Homeboy Industries to productive careers elsewhere. With its numerous success stories, Homeboy Industries serves as a model of how restorative justice can be implemented in a community. By offering free tattoo removal, employment, vocational training, and, most importantly, kinship, Homeboy Industries provides an opportunity for offenders to reform their lives. While it cannot and does not stop gang violence entirely, Homeboy Industries gives its employees a forum to share their stories, to come to grips with what led them to crime, to discover a "family" that was never available at home, and to realize their potential. Though much of Homeboy Industries' success draws from the warmth and compassion of its founder, the basic structure of Homeboy Industries can be applied and adapted to other cities.
Regulatory processes and population cyclicity in laboratory populations of Anagasta kühniella (Zeller) (lepidoptera: Phycitidae) V. Host finding and parasitization in a “small” universe by an entomophagous parasite, Venturia canescens (Gravenhorst) (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae)

Host finding by the entomophagous parasite,Venturia canescens (Grav.), parasitizingAnagasta kuhniella (Zeller) was studied.
The Psychosocial Implications of Hysterectomy

The emotional stability of a patient can greatly influence the course of an illness. For this reason, pertinent information that explores the psychosocial needs of hysterectomy patients is valuable in developing a holistic approach to patient care. This article explores the psychosocial implications of the loss of reproductive ability due to an intrusive procedure and provides the nurse with information on which to base emotional care.