cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Experimental and Theoretical Study of Rayleigh-Lamb Waves in a Plate Containing a Surface-Breaking Crack

Scattering of Rayleigh-Lamb waves by a normal surface-breaking crack in a plate has been studied both theoretically and experimentally. The two-dimensionality of the far field, generated by a ball impact source, is exploited to characterize the source function using a direct integration technique. The scattering of waves generated by this impact source by the crack is subsequently solved by employing a Green's function integral expression for the scattered field coupled with a finite element representation of the near field. It is shown that theoretical results of plate response, both in frequency and time, are similar to those obtained experimentally. Additionally, implication for practical applications are discussed.
Design and evaluation of an Open Web Platform cartography lab curriculum

AbstractRecent shifts in web map technology away from proprietary software and toward development on the Open Web Platform have increased the number and complexity of technical skills needed to do cartography on the Web. Web-based cartography curricula likewise must be adapted to prepare geography, cartography, and GIS students with the skills needed to make use of open source technology. This paper describes the design and evaluation of a novel curriculum for the laboratory component of a web mapping course offered by a university geography department. We drew from constructivist educational theory to create a scaffolded and spiralled lab curriculum that builds on prior understanding and progressively increases student independence and confidence. We evaluated the success of the new curriculum through an instructor log, student feedback on assignments, and an exit survey. The evaluation revealed significant growth in student abilities and confidence in the use of Open Web Platform-based mapping tools as ...
Introduction: On Living into the Future

In this Introduction, J. Aaron Simmons offers an account of the guiding aims and orientations of the volume. Arguing that phenomenology must be considered as not only occurring in the twenty-first century, but as presented for the twenty-first century, Simmons suggests that the contributors to this volume all offer bold proposals for specific questions, themes, and thinkers that should receive sustained attention as the debates unfold in the coming decades. The specific themes of the book include justice and value, meaning and critique, emotion and revelation, embodiment and affectivity, pragmatism, and calling phenomenology into question.
The growth of trees in gross-linked polyethylene cable insulation

The importance of treeing as a mechanism of insulation failures has been established, particularly in the life of plastic-insulated cables.1,2 This paper describes some of the results of a study of the growth of trees grown from stress concentrations introduced into actual cable insulation. Frequencies of 60, 400, and 800 Hz were used to determine the relationship between frequency and the time to breakdown.
BH3 mimetics suppress CXCL12 expression in human malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor cells.

// Christopher D. Graham 1 , Niroop Kaza 1 , Hawley C. Pruitt 1 , Lauren M. Gibson 1 , Barbara J. Klocke 1 , Lalita A. Shevde 1 , Steven L. Carroll 1, 2 , Kevin A. Roth 1, 3 1 Department of Pathology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America 2 Current Address: Medical University of South Carolina, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Charleston, South Carolina, United States of America 3 Current Address: Columbia University Medical Center, Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, New York, United States of America Correspondence to: Kevin A. Roth, email: kar2208@cumc.columbia.edu Keywords: MPNST, BH3 mimetic, CXCL12, PARP1, AT101 Received: July 13, 2016 Accepted: December 05, 2016 Published: December 31, 2016 ABSTRACT Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) are aggressive, Schwann cell-derived neoplasms of the peripheral nervous system that have recently been shown to possess an autocrine CXCL12/CXCR4 signaling loop that promotes tumor cell proliferation and survival. Importantly, the CXCL12/CXCR4 signaling axis is driven by availability of the CXCL12 ligand rather than CXCR4 receptor levels alone. Therefore, pharmacological reduction of CXCL12 expression could be a potential chemotherapeutic target for patients with MPNSTs or other pathologies wherein the CXCL12/CXCR4 signaling axis is active. AT101 is a well-established BCL-2 homology domain 3 (BH3) mimetic that we recently demonstrated functions as an iron chelator and thus acts as a hypoxia mimetic. In this study, we found that AT101 significantly reduces CXCL12 mRNA and secreted protein in established human MPNST cell lines in vitro . This effect was recapitulated by other BH3 mimetics [ABT-737 (ABT), obatoclax (OBX) and sabutoclax (SBX)] but not by desferrioxamine (DFO), an iron chelator and known hypoxia mimetic. These data suggest that CXCL12 reduction is a function of AT101’s BH3 mimetic property rather than its iron chelation ability. Additionally, this study investigates a potential mechanism of BH3 mimetic-mediated CXCL12 suppression: liberation of a negative CXCL12 transcriptional regulator, poly (ADP-Ribose) polymerase I (PARP1) from its physical interaction with BCL-2. These data suggest that clinically available BH3 mimetics might prove therapeutically useful at least in part by virtue of their ability to suppress CXCL12 expression.
Neighborhood interactions and local edaphic gradients have a weak influence on long-term vegetation dynamics in an old-growth forest community

Abstract The Eastern Deciduous Forest (EDF) region is undergoing a shift in species composition, the most dramatic trend being an increase in mesic taxa such as maple (Acer spp.) and American beech (Fagus grandifolia), and a subsequent decline in xeric species such as oaks (Quercus spp.). While several hypotheses have been proposed to explain these trends, most focus on allogenic processes such as disturbance and climate change, and little attention has been given to local species interactions. To help bridge this gap, we first quantify long-term changes in community composition of an old-growth forest using census data collected over a fifteen-year interval. Within two 50 × 70 m plots, all stems ⩾2.5 cm DBH were tagged and measured in 1996, and their spatial coordinates were mapped. Seedlings were measured in smaller subplots, and soil cores were sampled at these locations. Hemispherical photographs were then taken to quantify the light environment, and these procedures were replicated in 2011. As expected, we find an increase in the dominance of both American beech and sugar maple (Acer saccharum), and a marked decline for most others, particularly white oak (Quercus alba). Neighborhood models incorporating the density, basal area, and composition (i.e., conspecific versus heterospecific) of stems surrounding focal individual trees reveal that local density-dependent interactions were indeed weak for both American beech and sugar maple. At the same time, however, all other species experienced similarly weak effects. Likewise, soil resource gradients had little influence on long-term demographics, contrary to our expectations. Together, our results indicate that the changes observed across the Eastern Deciduous Forest region may indeed be most strongly impacted by allogenic disturbance processes, although we still encourage further research on the potential influence of local species interactions at mediating these dynamics, and expect neighborhood models to become an important tool in understanding the causes of compositional shifts in the EDF region.
Screening for breast cancer

This review will give a general overview of the impact of breast cancer, as well as breast cancer risk factors, identification of high-risk groups, screening modalities, and guidelines for screening average-risk and high-risk individuals, including a case discussion of the primary care provider's approach to screening.
Patient Outcomes and Pathology Practice

Abstract This article provides an abbreviated conceptual framework for viewing general issues of outcomes research and management and consideration of the emerging interest in patient-referenced outcomes in medicine and pathology. Specific issues addressed are the reasons for increased interest in outcomes research within the past decade; a review of the current language of outcomes management and research; a critique of the advantages and weaknesses of contemporary outcomes analysis and research methods; a summary of the responses of government, regulatory and accreditation organizations, medical societies, and the College of American Pathologists to the outcomes movement; and, in conclusion, a discussion of opportunities provided through outcomes management for enhanced involvement by pathologists in the care of patients.
Mimicking and Inhibiting Urea Hydrolysis in Nonwater Urinals.

Nonwater urinals are critical in the implementation of building-scale water conservation and urine diversion systems. However, because of the composition of urine and the prevalence of the urease enzyme that hydrolyzes urea, minerals readily precipitate in nonwater urinals and pipes. This leads to clogging, malodor, and possible replacement of nonwater urinals with flush urinals. Accordingly, the goal of this research was to provide an improved understanding of the urea hydrolysis process in nonwater urinals to benefit water conservation and phosphate recovery efforts. Acetic acid addition was used in nonwater urinals to inhibit the urea hydrolysis reaction by lowering the pH, thereby making the precipitation of calcium- and magnesium-containing minerals less favorable. Of the acids tested, 2.5 mL of 2500 mequiv/L acetic acid added after every urination event was able to inhibit urea hydrolysis in synthetic urine and real urine as indicated by the pH and conductivity of the effluent urine. Acid addition a...
The Massachusetts Behavioral Health Program year 5: transition to a new managed care organization.

Year 5 of the Massachusetts Behavioral Health Program was a transition to management by a new private managed care organization. Fifty-eight providers interviewed for an ongoing panel survey reported slightly lower levels of quality, access, utilization, and length of stay than a year earlier. Relationships with providers and advocates improved after an initial difficult period, while consumer and family involvement at all levels remained low. The greatest changes in managed care appeared to take place during the initial transition from fee-for-service care, but intractable problems continue, and full participation of stakeholders seems difficult to achieve.
Heuristic Model for Rapid Characterization of a SiP Switch Chip

A $4 \times 4$ silicon photonic switch based on a voltage-driven Mach–Zehnder interferometer (MZi) was modeled using transfer matrices, whose parameters were determined by fitting smoothed, wavelength-resolved transmission measurements. The model is constructed using voltages that configure each MZi in an intermediate (quadrature point) switch setting. This state is not used during normal operation of the switch. The model is then used to predict bias voltage settings for different switch configurations, such as the conventional through and cross connections, as well as other characteristics, such as crosstalk.
Continuity Planning and Disaster Recovery

Business continuity planning focuses on making sure that business will continue to run under failures, problems, disasters, etc. Response to problems can take different alternatives from avoidance, preventive or protective measures to backup and recovery measures. This chapter covers all KSAs related to those two concepts in particular.
Role of BDNF in the development of an OFC-amygdala circuit regulating sociability in mouse and human

Social deficits are common in many psychiatric disorders. However, due to inadequate tools for manipulating circuit activity in humans and unspecific paradigms for modeling social behaviors in rodents, our understanding of the molecular and circuit mechanisms mediating social behaviors remains relatively limited. Using human functional neuroimaging and rodent fiber photometry, we identified a mOFC-BLA projection that modulates social approach behavior and influences susceptibility to social anxiety. In humans and knock-in mice with a loss of function BDNF SNP (Val66Met), the functionality of this circuit was altered, resulting in social behavioral changes in human and mice. We further showed that the development of this circuit is disrupted in BDNF Met carriers due to insufficient BDNF bioavailability, specifically during a peri-adolescent timeframe. These findings define one mechanism by which social anxiety may stem from altered maturation of orbitofronto-amygdala projections and identify a developmental window in which BDNF-based interventions may have therapeutic potential.
Monolithic 3-D Printing of an Integrated Marchand Balun With a Dipole Antenna

We present a fast 3-D printing prototyping method for integrated antennas having internal features. Commercially available printers with soluble supports and airbrushing are utilized for fabrication and metal coating of antenna structures. This method includes modifications of the antenna geometry while preserving its integrity and performance. To get access to the interior of the design, windows are cut out of the antenna walls where the power flow shows local minima. These windows facilitate airbrushing the internal features of the antenna. As a proof of concept, we adopt a short-circuit variation of the Marchand balun whose attachment to the antenna wall facilitates its 3-D printing fabrication and rejects the common-mode resonance. The ground plane, balun, and dipole were monolithically fabricated in a single run. We then used copper deposition by airbrushing, which forms a sufficiently thick layer on the whole structure. The fabricated antenna shows a very good match to simulation results. A wideband resonance from 2.12 to 3.95 GHz is measured. The radiation pattern of the antenna remains stable across the frequency range with cross-polarization isolation higher than 30 dB. The measured gain of the antenna is 5.9 dB at 3 GHz. The fabrication techniques, discussed in this study, show promise for the future fabrication of 3-D printed integrated antennas with limited access to their interior features.
Occupational risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders among railroad maintenance-of-way workers.

Background Our objective was to examine occupational risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders of the neck, back, and knee among railroad maintenance-of-way (MOW) workers. Methods Four thousand eight-hundred sixteen active, retired, and disabled members of the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division (BMWED) completed a survey. We computed adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs) using Poisson regression for neck, back, and knee musculoskeletal symptoms by work exposures, adjusted for age, region, race/ethnicity, smoking, and potential second job and spare time vehicle vibration exposure. Results Among active male BMWED members, we found associations between use of high-vibration vehicles and neck pain (aPR = 1.47, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.07-2.03) and knee pain (aPR = 1.38, 95% CI: 1.04-1.82) for more than 1.9 years (vs 0) of full-time equivalent use; but not back pain. Back pain radiating below the knee (sciatica indicator) was associated with high-vibration vehicle use greater than 0.4 and less than 1.9 years (aPR = 1.58, 95% CI: 1.15-2.18). We also found significant associations between often or always lifting, pushing, pulling, or bending on the job (vs seldom or never) and neck pain (aPR = 2.43, 95% CI: 1.20-4.90), back pain (aPR = 1.94, 95% CI: 1.24-3.03), the sciatica indicator (aPR = 5.18, 95% CI: 1.28-20.95), and knee pain (aPR = 2.84, 95% CI: 1.47-5.51), along with positive gradients in the outcome by exposure time. Conclusions Biomechanical work exposures, including force and nonneutral postures, were associated with neck, lower back, and knee pain. Whole-body vibration, as measured by the duration of use of high-vibration vehicles, was associated with neck pain, knee pain, and sciatica. Prevention programs should address occupational risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders among MOW workers.
Guiding Principles of Community Engagement and Global Health Research: Solidarity and Subsidiarity.

Pratt et al. (2020) tackle a seeming lack of consensus about the ethical goals of community engagement (CE) in global health research. Their paper “identifies an additional or complementary role fo...
The Relationship of Preadmission Academic Variables to Academic Performance in a Doctor of Physical Therapy Program.

BACKGROUND Many health profession education programs have used predictive analytics to identify risk for academic difficulty among applicants and to identify the attributes most important for successfully completing the rigorous academic expectations to produce successful healthcare providers. The purpose of this study was to determine if select pre-admission academic factors were associated with academic performance in a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program. METHODS Admission and academic performance data were collected on 160 students in the first 5 years of a DPT program and tested for association with two measures of academic performance. RESULTS Prerequisite grade point average (pGPA) only predicted first-semester grade point average (GPA) in the program, and a pGPA of <3.695 was predictive of academic difficulty. While chemistry and physics prerequisites correlated with first-year program GPA, no individual prerequisite course was significantly associated with academic difficulty. Academic performance was not significantly associated with the number of prerequisites taken one at a time, nor with a higher incidence of course repeats. CONCLUSION Health profession educational programs can use similar methodologies to explore and develop evidence-based admissions criteria that support the retention and success of matriculated students.
An Ultra-Fast and Non-Invasive Short Circuit Protection Strategy for a WBG Power Electronics Converter with Multiple Half-Bridge Legs

This paper presents a novel short circuit protection strategy for a wide-band gap power electronics converter composed of multiple half-bridge legs. The main approaches of the proposed strategy are a single point of monitoring (SPM) indicating the short circuit events occurred in a multiple switching legs and a non-invasive implementation of an ultra-fast short circuit current detection strategy. Ultra-high frequency (UHF) AC current, tens or hundreds of MHz, flowing through the decoupling capacitor represents the short circuit current flowing through the multiple switching legs. To capture the UHF AC current, a noninvasive MHz bandwidth magnetic current sensor is applied to the PCB conduction path of the converter. In this paper, simulation results of the short circuit current representation through the DC- link network, especially through DC capacitors, a non-invasive approach for the measurement of the decoupling capacitor current, and experimental results showing the UHF AC current sensing performance are presented.
Evaluation of the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System – All injury program’s self-directed violence data, United States, 2018

Abstract Introduction: National estimates for nonfatal self-directed violence (SDV) presenting at EDs are calculated from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System – All Injury Program (NEISS–AIP). In 2005, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Consumer Product Safety Commission added several questions on patient characteristics and event circumstances for all intentional, nonfatal SDV captured in NEISS–AIP. In this study, we evaluated these additional questions along with the parent NEISS–AIP, which together is referred to as NEISS–AIP SDV for study purposes. Methods: We used a mixed methods design to evaluate the NEISS–AIP SDV as a surveillance system through an assessment of key system attributes. We reviewed data entry forms, the coding manual, and training materials to understand how the system functions. To identify strengths and weaknesses, we interviewed multiple key informants. Finally, we analyzed the NEISS–AIP SDV data from 2018—the most recent data year available—to assess data quality by examining the completeness of variables. Results: National estimates of SDV are calculated from NEISS–AIP SDV. Quality control activities suggest more than 99% of the cause and intent variables were coded consistently with the open text field that captures the medical chart narrative. Many SDV variables have open-ended response options, making them difficult to efficiently analyze. Conclusions: NEISS–AIP SDV provides the opportunity to describe systematically collected risk factors and characteristics associated with nonfatal SDV that are not regularly available through other data sources. With some modifications to data fields and yearly analysis of the additional SDV questions, NEISS–AIP SDV can be a valuable tool for informing suicide prevention. Practical Applications: NEISS-AIP may consider updating the SDV questions and responses and analyzing SDV data on a regular basis. Findings from analyses of the SDV data may lead to improvements in ED care.
Characteristics and Outcomes of Clinic Visits Immediately Preceding Sepsis Hospitalization.

Background Existing sepsis quality improvement initiatives focus on recognition and treatment of sepsis upon hospital admission. Yet many patients are evaluated in the clinic within 1 day of sepsis hospitalization. Objectives To determine the circumstances of clinic visits that precede sepsis hospitalization, including illness severity, whether patients are referred to the hospital, and time lapse and change in illness severity between clinic and hospital evaluation. Methods In a retrospective cohort study at a tertiary academic medical center, data from electronic medical records were collected for all adult patients evaluated in an outpatient clinic within 1 day of sepsis hospitalization in 2017. Results Of 1450 patients hospitalized with sepsis, 118 had an established outpatient provider and a clinic visit within 1 day of admission and thus were included. During the clinic visit, 47 patients (39.8%) had a quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) score ≥1, and 59 (50.0%) had vital sign abnormalities. Most (74, 62.7%) were sent directly to the emergency department or hospital. Upon emergency department/hospital presentation, 62 patients (52.5%) had a worsening qSOFA score and/ or vital signs and 27 (22.9%) had worsening of multiple parameters. Median time lapse from clinic to emergency department/hospital evaluation was 3.2 hours. Conclusions One in 10 patients hospitalized for sepsis had been evaluated in a clinic within 1 day of admission. At that clinic visit, most patients had an elevated qSOFA score or abnormal vital signs and a majority were sent directly to the emergency department/hospital. Half experienced clinical deterioration between the clinic visit and arrival in the emergency department/hospital.
Modeling Recurrence in Idiopathic Subglottic Stenosis With Mobile Peak Expiratory Flow.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS We sought to establish normative peak expiratory flow (PEF) data for patients with idiopathic subglottic stenosis (iSGS), evaluate whether immediate changes in PEF after a procedure predict long-term treatment response, and test if a decline in longitudinal PEF is associated with disease recurrence. STUDY DESIGN International, prospective, 3-year multicenter cohort study of 810 patients with untreated, newly diagnosed, or previously treated iSGS. METHODS iSGS patients consented and enrolled in the North American Airway Collaborative (NoAAC) iSGS1000 cohort recorded PEF data on a mobile smartphone app. Cox regression tested the associations between the magnitude of postoperative PEF improvement and longitudinal 90-day PEF decline with the risk of disease recurrence. RESULTS Within the NoAAC iSGS1000 cohort, 810 patients participated in a 3-year prospective study comparing surgical treatment efficacy and 385 had appropriate PEF measurements and follow-up data. Of those patients, 42% (161/385) required at least one operation during study follow-up. The mean PEF preceding operative intervention was 241 L/min (95% confidence interval [CI]: 120-380) corresponding to a predicted PEF of 52%. The mean increase in PEF following a procedure was 111 L/min (95% CI: 96-125 L/min). Interestingly, the magnitude of immediate PEF improvement was not predictive of disease recurrence (hazard ratio [HR] for 100 L/min increase = 0.90, 95% CI: 0.60-1.00). However, recurrence was associated with the magnitude of PEF decline over 90 days (30% vs. 10% decline, HR = 2.2, 95% CI: 1.5-3.0). CONCLUSIONS We provide normative PEF data on a large iSGS patient cohort. The degree of PEF improvement immediately after surgery was not associated with a longer procedure-free interval. However, a 30% decline in PEF over 90 days was associated with elevated risk of disease recurrence. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 2 Laryngoscope, 131:E2841-E2848, 2021.
Machine Learning Methods to Predict Survival in Patients Following Traumatic Aortic Injury

Abstract The National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB) is a resource of diagnostic, treatment, and outcomes information in trauma patients. We leverage the NTDB and machine learning techniques to predict survival following traumatic aortic injury. We create two predictive models using the NTDB – 1) using all data and, 2) using only data available in the first hour after arrival (prospective data). Seven discriminative model types were tested before and after feature engineering to reduce dimensionality. The top performing model was XGBoost, achieving an overall accuracy of 0.893 using all data and 0.855 using prospective data. Feature engineering improved performance of all models. Glasgow Coma Scale score was the most important factor for survival, and thoracic endovascular aortic repair was more common in patients that survived. Smoking, pneumonia, and urinary tract infection predicted poor survival. We also note concerning disparities in outcomes for black and uninsured patients that may reflect differences in care.
Developmental state theory and its application in geography

The scholarship on the developmental state has been influential in some scholarly arenas, and virtually ignored in others such as human geography. Recognizing this conceptual lacuna, the purpose of this paper is to review the developmental state theory and its use in diverse fields, examine arenas of human geographic research where the application of the theory has been successful and propose arenas where the theory can prove to be beneficial. To that end, the paper first, discusses the theoretical concepts, analytical tools, theoretical relevance and limitations of developmental state theory. Since, a major focus of state scholars has been to examine various dimensions of state-industry relationships, the paper additionally, explains the state’s role in determining industrial location patterns and in framing industrial policies in the present period of neoliberalism. Next, it encapsulates the arenas in which the developmental state approach has proved to be useful. This includes studies that have analyzed the state’s role in fostering economic development, promoting welfare, shaping transnational agreements, creating private sector partnerships and in providing environmental protection. The paper then analyzes ways in which insights from the theory have informed human geographic scholarship and explains how the scope of both developmental state and human geography can be broadened by examining the state’s relation with other sectors that have been undertheorized including the agricultural sector. Finally, the paper explains how the theory can be productive in two branches of human geography including economic and labor geography.
Generalized cyclic cohomology associated with deformed commutators

The generalized cyclic cohomology is introduced which is associated with q-deformed commutators xy − qyx. Some formulas related to the trace of the product of q-deformed commutators are established. The Chern character of odd dimension associated with q-deformed commutators is studied.
Transparency and Participation in Criminal Procedure

The insiders who run the criminal justice system - judges, police, and especially prosecutors - have information, power, and self-interests that greatly influence the criminal justice process and outcomes. Outsiders - crime victims, bystanders, and most of the general public - find the system frustratingly opaque, insular, and unconcerned with proper retribution. As a result, a spiral ensues: insiders twist rules as they see fit, outsiders try to constrain them, and insiders find new ways to evade or manipulate the new rules. The gulf between insiders and outsiders undercuts the instrumental, moral, and expressive efficacy of criminal procedure in serving the criminal law's substantive goals. The gulf clouds the law's deterrent and expressive message and efficacy in healing victims; it impairs trust in and the legitimacy of the law; it provokes increasingly Draconian reactions by outsiders; and it hinders public monitoring of agency costs. The most promising solutions are to better inform crime victims and other affected locals and to give them larger roles in criminal justice. It might be possible to better monitor and check insiders, but the prospects for empowering and educating the general public are dim.
Arrangement of Integrated Avian Sarcoma Virus DNA Sequences Within the Cellular Genomes of Transformed and Revertant Mammalian Cells

We have examined the arrangement of integrated avian sarcoma virus (ASV) DNA sequences in several different avian sarcoma virus transformed mammalian cell lines, in independently isolated clones of avian sarcoma virus transformed rat liver cells, and in morphologically normal revertants of avian sarcoma virus transformed rat embryo cells. By using restriction endonuclease digestion, agarose gel electrophoresis, Southern blotting, and hybridization with labeled avian sarcoma virus complementary DNA probes, we have compared the restriction enzyme cleavage maps of integrated viral DNA and adjacent cellular DNA sequences in four different mouse and rat cell lines transformed with either Bratislava 77 or Schmidt-Ruppin strains of avian sarcoma virus. The results of these experiments indicated that the integrated viral DNA resided at a different site within the host cell genome in each transformed cell line. A similar analysis of several independently derived clones of Schmidt-Ruppin transformed rat liver cells also revealed that each clone contained a unique cellular site for the integration of proviral DNA. Examination of several morphologically normal revertants and spontaneous retransformants of Schmidt-Ruppin transformed rat embryo cells revealed that the internal arrangement and cellular integration site of viral DNA sequences was identical with that of the transformed parent cell line. The loss of the transformed phenotype in these revertant cell lines, therefore, does not appear to be the result of rearrangement or deletions either within the viral genome or in adjacent cellular DNA sequences. The data presented support a model for ASV proviral DNA integration in which recombination can occur at multiple sites within the mammalian cell genome. The integration and maintenance of at least one complete copy of the viral genome appear to be required for continuous expression of the transformed phenotype in mammalian cells.
Developmental toxicity of OTTO Fuel II in the rat and rabbit

OTTO Fuel II (OFII) is a propellent used by the United States Navy in its Mk 46 and Mk 48 torpedoes. Owing to the possibility of human exposure during fueling and defueling operations, studies were initiated to determine if OFII was a developmental toxin. Phase I of the investigation involved dosing four groups of time-mated Fischer-344 rats with OFII. The fuel was administered dermally at the rate of 0, 400, 2000 and 4000 mg kg-1 day-1. A significant reduction in body weight was seen at necropsy in dams receiving 2000 and 4000 mg kg-1 day-1 of OFII. Fetuses from these dams also weighed significantly less than control fetuses. Phase II of the investigation involved dosing of artificially inseminated rabbits with OFII. The fuel was administered to the skin of the animal's back at the rate of 0, 100, 316 and 1000 mg kg-1 day-1. Maternal toxicity was evidenced by a significant reduction in body weight of the dams in the 1000 mg kg-1 day-1 dose group on days 20 and 25 of gestation. There were no significant differences observed in maternal weight or fetal weight at necropsy. Morphological examination of both rat and rabbit fetuses failed to reveal significant evidence of fetal malformations.
Computing the monthly Palmer Drought Index on a weekly basis: A case study comparing data estimation techniques

[1] A methodology is presented for estimating mean monthly temperature and total monthly precipitation before the month is over. The approach involves combining observed data for the month to date with daily normals for the remainder of the month. It is demonstrated to be superior to two other techniques, a persistence method and a moving window method. This normals technique allows the computation of an operational monthly Palmer Drought Index on a weekly (or even daily) basis which is consistent with historical drought indices of the recent past.
Level lifetimes and branching ratios in the z3P0 term of neutral iron

Abstract The relative intensities of all significant transitions from each level of the z 3 P 0 term in iron have been measured. The values are combined with absolute transition probabilities from the literature to determine the lifetime of each level.
Political Entertainment and the Press' Construction of Sarah Feylin

In the fall of 2008, the press became fascinated with comedian Tina Fey's Saturday Night Live impersonations of vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin. This phenomenon marks an important application of the postmodern journalistic practices of strategy-framing, hyper-personalization, and media meta-coverage. In a hybrid media environment in which the distinction between information and entertainment is obsolete, these journalistic practices can be applied to people and texts that fall outside the traditional political context. The complex dynamics among Palin, Fey, and the press provide an opportunity to move away from a linear model of “effects” toward treatment of the communication cycle itself as the object of inquiry. In this analysis, news coverage of Palin and Fey serves as the textual embodiment of Carey's (1989) notion of the “arena of dramatic forces and action” (p. 21) that is the news. Textual analysis is employed to explore how the coverage of Palin's campaign featured both Fey and Palin in a ...
Seasonal variation of carbon dioxide exchange rates above and below a boreal jack pine forest

Fluxes of carbon dioxide were measured above and below a boreal jack pine stand with the eddy covariance method. Our goal was to examine the seasonal variation of the net carbon dioxide exchange between the ecosystem and the atmosphere and to understand the relative contributions of the vegetation and rhizosphere to these fluxes. Over the course of the growing season the jack pine stand was a small, net sink of carbon dioxide—47 g C m−2 were assimilated during a 115 day period between spring (day 144) and autumn (day 259). On a daily basis, the magnitude of the net uptake of CO2 by the forest was relatively small, less than 4 g C m−1 day−1. We also observed many days when carbon dioxide was lost from the forest stand (up to 2 g C m−2 day−1). Day to day sums of net carbon dioxide exchange exhibited little seasonality, despite the seasonality experienced by controlling environmental and biological variables. The aseasonality of net canopy CO2 exchange occurred because temporal variations associated with canopy photosynthesis and plant and microbial respiration offset one another over the growing season. Canopy photosynthesis rates of the jack pine stand were evaluated using CO2 flux measurements made above and below the canopy. Daily totals of canopy photosynthesis were a linear function of available solar energy and exhibited a quadratic dependence on temperature, with optimum photosynthesis occurring between 15 and 25°C. We also observed that the net daily uptake of carbon dioxide was independent of soil moisture in the upper 0.15 m of the soil profile, despite the wide range of soil moisture that was experienced. Finally, the net gain of carbon by a jack pine canopy came with a relatively large respiratory expense. On average, 68% of the carbon gained by photosynthesis was consumed by plant respiration, over the course of a day.
Isotope effect in chromium self-diffusion

The diffusion of $^{51}\mathrm{Cr}$ in chromium has been measured between 1100 and 1820\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C, and the data fit the Arrhenius relation $D=970\mathrm{exp}(\ensuremath{-}\frac{104000}{RT})$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$${\mathrm{sec}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$. Isotope-effect measurements, using isotopes $^{48}\mathrm{Cr}$ and $^{51}\mathrm{Cr}$, have been made over the temperature range 1440-1810\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C. The isotope effect decreases as the temperature increases in a manner similar to that found for sodium and iron in the same homologous temperature range. The large activation energy for diffusion and the low values of the isotope effect could be predominantly the result of a divacancy mechanism of diffusion over the measured temperature range.
Commutants of Toeplitz operators on the ball and annulus

In this paper we study commutants of Toeplitz operators with polynomial symbols acting on Bergman spaces of various domains. For a positive integer n, let V denote the Lebesgue volume measure on ℂn. If ω is a domain in ℂn, then the Bergman space is defined to be the set of all analytic functions from ω into ℂ such that
Impact of Waste Materials and Organic Amendments on Soil Properties and Vegetative Performance

Waste materials, and materials derived from wastes, possess many characteristics that can improve soil fertility and enhance crop performance. These materials can be particularly useful as amendments to severely degraded soils associated with mining activities. This study evaluated biosolids, composts, log yard wastes, and two organic soil treatments for improved soil fertility and vegetative performance using side-by-side comparisons. Each plot was seeded with a standardized seed mix and evaluated for a series of soil chemical and physical parameters, total vegetation response, species diversity, ecological plant response, and invasion indices. All treatments were successful at improving soil fertility and promoting a self-sustaining vegetative cover. The level of available nitrogen had a strong impact on vegetative coverage, species distribution, and extent of unseeded vegetation. For example, high nitrogen treatments promoted a grass-dominated (low forb) plant community with a low content of unseeded vegetation. In contrast, low nitrogen treatments promoted a more balanced plant community with a mixture of grass and forb species and greater susceptibility to unseeded vegetation establishment.
The kinematic consequences of invariant dynamics in children 6-18 years of age.

The effect of limb dynamics on trajectory formation is unclear. The natural frequency of a limb is the major factor in its dynamics. It has previously been shown with an indirect measurement method that the natural frequency of body segments is invariant during human growth from the age of 6 to 18. The aim of our study was to determine, using a direct measurement method, whether human growth affects: (1) lower limb dynamics (i.e. the natural frequency of the lower leg) and (2) the maximum velocities of the knee during selected motor tasks. In 20 non-disabled children, 6–18 years of age, measurements were taken of the natural frequency of the lower leg (including the foot), and the maximum velocities of knee flexion and extension during voluntary movement (MVV) and at initial and terminal swing phases of self-paced walking (WAL). The velocities were also estimated using a dynamic model and the results were compared to the measured velocities with a paired t-test. Correlations among the frequencies, velocities, and body height (an indicator of growth) were calculated. The natural frequency of the lower leg (mean ± sd, ω0= 6.58 ± 0.54 s −1), maximum velocities of knee extension and flexion during voluntary movement, (MVVe = 10.1 ± 1.8 rad s−1 and MVVf = 7.8 ± 1.3 rad s−1, respectively), and maximum velocities of knee flexion and extension during the swing phase of walking (WALf = 5.4 ± 0.6 rad s−1 and WALe = 6.3 ± 0.87 rad s−1, respectively) were each found to be independent of body height. The MVV measured velocities were 22% larger and WALf measured velocities were 25% smaller than the velocities predicted from the dynamic model (p < 0.05). The study found that a segment's dynamic properties, as well as selected kinematics, may be considered invariant with human growth.
On the numerical evaluation of elastostatic fields in locally isotropic two-dimensional composites

We present a fast algorithm for the calculation of elastostatic fields in locally isotropic composites. The method uses an integral equation approach due to Sherman, combined with the fast multipole method and an adaptive quadrature technique. Accurate solutions can be obtained with inclusions of arbitrary shape at a cost roughly proportional to the number of points needed to resolve the interface. Large-scale problems, with hundreds of thousands of interface points can be solved using modest computational resources.
Social, environmental, and developmental issues and creativity

Parents and teachers alike have been led to believe that the motivation that stems from wanting to earn a good grade or receive a gold star or do better than the person sitting at the next desk is a positive force. However, in the case of open-ended, creative tasks—tasks for which there is more than one possible solution—extrinsic constraints have frequently proven harmful. A social-psychological approach to the study of creativity is especially useful for answering the question of how best to foster creative behavior in the classroom. Rather than focus on the (largely innate or at least immalleable) differences between creative and uncreative persons, social psychologists concentrate on “creative situations” (i.e., the particular social and environmental conditions that can positively or negatively impact the creativity of most individuals). The present article explored this research tradition and proposed a theoretical explanation for the impact of motivation on creativity that is based upon children's conceptions of work and play.
Blends containing liquid crystalline polymers: Preparation and properties of melt‐drawn fibers, unidirectional prepregs, and composite laminates

This paper discusses the effect of melt drawing on the mechanical properties and morphology of liquid crystalline polymer (LCP) and thermoplastic polymer blends. Extruded fibers and films of LCP/polymer blends were melt drawn to develop uniaxial orientation of the dispersed LCP phase. The longitudinal modulus increased with increasing draw. The increase in modulus was due to higher aspect ratio of the LCP fibrils and improved molecular orientation of the LCP chains within the fibrils. Laminated composites were prepared using the extruded sheets as prepregs. The mechanical properties and the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of the prepreg and the laminates agreed well with predictions from conventional composite lamination theories.
Rapid amidic hydrolysis: a competitive reaction pathway under basic conditions for N-(hydroxymethyl)benzamide derivatives bearing electron-donating groups

Abstract Studies of N -(hydroxymethyl)benzamide derivatives have concluded that the hydroxide-dependent reaction occurs via a specific-base catalyzed deprotonation of the hydroxyl group followed by rate-determining loss of the benzamidate and generation of the aldehyde. The 3-methyl, 4-methyl, and 4-methoxy- N -(hydroxymethyl)benzamide reaction mechanism deviates at higher [HO − ] with amidic hydrolysis becoming competitive and having reaction half-lives of ∼17 s, in 1 M KOH, I = 1.0 M (KCl), 25 °C. An intramolecular general-base catalyzed mechanism has been suggested for the amidic hydrolysis reaction.
Networks in the Policy Process: An International Perspective

Abstract This article (and more broadly this special issue) indicate that various types of policy networks, including governance networks, social networks, proto‐networks, and issue networks are defining the way that policy processes take place in various parts of the world. By focusing on network behavior in Africa, eastern Europe, and Denmark, it is clear that interorganizational cohesion, accesibility, trust generation, and “framing” issues are central to understanding network policy outcomes. Important implications regarding links between network characteristics and democracy are also suggested.
The thermal photocopier: a new concept for thermal NDT

The thermal line scanner has proven to be a successful method of rapidly scanning large areas of aircraft fuselage for delaminations and metal pipes for corrosion. The limitation of this technique is with the finite depth by which flaws can be located due to the fixed distance that the thermal camera follows the moving line source. To identify deeper flaws within a material, the thermal imager and line source must have a greater separation distance so that the heat has more time to propagate through the material. Ultimately, one would want to identify flaws at any depth requiring continual scans with greater separation between the line source and imager. The Thermal Photocopier is a hybrid of the thermal line scanner. It utilizes a moving line source and a stationary infrared camera. Any one image captured by the computer shows the sample in gradient cooling due to the moving heat source. An algorithm has been developed that reconstructs full-field images of the material at specific cool down times. These frames represent various depths into the sample as the heat propagates through the thickness of the material. Therefore, an object can be analyzed from the front to the back surface for flaws using this modified thermal detection system. This system has been tested on aluminum and composite materials of varying thickness yielding results consistent with thermographic images obtained with flash and quartz lamps.
Does informed consent alter elderly patients' preferences for colorectal cancer screening? Results of a randomized trial.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of informed consent on elderly patients’ colorectal cancer (CRC) screening preferences.
Organic matter and copper corrosion by-product release: a mechanistic study

Abstract The adverse effects of natural organic matter on copper corrosion by-product release to drinking water result from soluble complex formation, colloid mobilization/dispersion, and interference with aging processes that tend to decrease scale solubility. Organic matter can also reverse copper corrosion by-product release to drinking water by (1) fueling microbial removal of oxygen, causing re-deposition of Cu(I) to the pipe wall, and (2) sorption of soluble organic matter onto pipe surfaces during stagnation, which decreases the solution’s complexation capacity for copper.