cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Propensity score based conditional group swapping for disclosure limitation of strata-defining variables.

In this paper we propose a method for statistical disclosure limitation of categorical variables that we call Conditional Group Swapping. This approach is suitable for design and strata-defining variables, the cross-classification of which leads to the formation of important groups or subpopulations. These groups are considered important because from the point of view of data analysis it is desirable to preserve analytical characteristics within them. In general data swapping can be quite distorting [13, 16, 20], especially for the relationships between the variables not only within the subpopulations but for the overall data. To reduce the damage incurred by swapping, we propose to choose the records for swapping using conditional probabilities which depend on the characteristics of the exchanged records. In particular, our approach exploits the results of propensity scores methodology for the computation of swapping probabilities. The experimental results presented in the paper show good utility properties of the method.
Bilingual Education in the Public Eye: A Case Study of New Haven, Connecticut

A telephone survey of 179 randomly selected individuals in New Haven was conducted in order to assess perceptions and opinions about the local bilingual education program. An additional 37 Spanish-speaking individuals, representing the language group serviced by the bilingual program, were interviewed in Spanish. Results showed that people had few misconceptions about the bilingual education program in terms of its goals, the average length that children remain in the program, and the proportion of the Hispanic children who are in the program; that more people favored a transitional model over maintenance of Spanish, but that there was still considerable support for maintenance; that a large proportion of the people felt bilingual education to be the best way for Spanish-speaking children to learn English, and that funding should be increased; that negative attitude towards bilingual education was related to being male, being in the generation currently in their fifties or older, and being from a home bac...
A novel, all-dielectric, microwave plasma generator towards development of plasma metamaterials

A proof of concept for a microwave microplasma generator that consists of a halved dielectric resonator is presented. The generator functions via leaking electric fields of the resonant modes — TE01δ and HEM12δ modes are explored. Computational results illustrate the electric fields, whereas the stability of resonance and coupling are studied experimentally. Finally, a working device is presented. This generator promises potentially wireless and low-loss operation. This device may find relevance in plasma metamaterials; each resonator may generate the plasma structures necessary to manipulate electromagnetic radiation. In particular, the all-dielectric nature of the generator will allow low-loss interaction with high-frequency (GHz–THz) waves.
Disruptive Behavior and Reinforcement of Academic Performance

A study designed to strengthen academic performance in 4 highly disruptive, educable mentally retarded boys revealed that merely presenting academic material on a systematic basis virtually eliminated their disruptive behavior. When differential reinforcement was applied to math or reading, it resulted in maximal performance on that subject matter which was followed by token reinforcement. Further, within 19 hours of reinforcement contingent upon academic performance, reading comprehension improved from a pre-primer to a second-grade level for two children, and from first grade to fourth grade for the other two children. The data suggest it may be possible to reduce or eliminate disruptive behavior by arranging for systematic presentation of academic material.
The HGF/c-Met pathway activates COX-2 in non-small cell lung cancer

173 Lung cancer is currently the leading cause of cancer mortality in U.S. men and women. Growth factors and their receptors play important roles in the growth and progression of lung tumors and are potential therapeutic targets for lung cancer treatment. Several studies have suggested a possible role of the hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)/c-Met system in tumor development and progression. HGF and its receptor, c-Met, have both been shown to be negative prognostic indicators of survival and recurrence in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Some of the oncogenic actions of HGF are thought to be mediated by cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) resulting in the production of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). We studied four NSCLC cell lines (201T, 273T, H23, 128-88T) each expressing different basal levels (relative range 0.23-1) of COX-2 protein for the effects of HGF on COX-2. Addition of 50ng/ml HGF increased COX-2 protein expression 10-fold by 2 hours following serum deprivation in NSCLC cells with low basal levels of COX-2 expression. The HGF induction of COX-2 occurred through both the Erk 1/2 and p38 pathways while the PI3 kinase pathway was not involved in this response. Increased COX-2 protein due to HGF stimulation in NSCLC cells resulted in a maximum 4-fold increase at 24 hours in PGE2 production and secretion demonstrated by ELISA. In turn, 100 μM PGE2 treatment of NSCLC cell lines increased cell proliferation 4-fold as measured by MTT assay. Addition of 100 μM PGE2 to normal lung fibroblasts increased production and secretion of HGF by 5-fold as measured by ELISA. These results suggest that a paracrine loop is involved in this response where stroma simulates epithelium and epithelium stimulates stroma. Additive anti-proliferative effects were observed when treating NSCLC cells in vitro with agents that target both the HGF/c-Met (c-Met antisense) and COX-2 pathways (celecoxib) versus either c-Met antisense or celecoxib alone. These preliminary findings warrant further studies into the mechanism of action of HGF on the COX-2 pathway and the effects of inhibiting this pathway as a potential therapeutic strategy for lung cancer. This work was supported by NIH grant CA79882.
Cultural Killing and Human–Animal Capability Conflict

AbstractThe capabilities approach provides a promising basis for developing a theory of interspecies justice grounded in the inherent dignity of all sentient striving beings. As currently formulated, the approach provides guidance for identifying the entitlements of each being, but not for managing tradeoffs between the capabilities of humans and nonhumans. Through considering cultural practices that put human capabilities in conflict with the capabilities of animals, we propose and defend two criteria for evaluating practices that harm animals for human purposes. The adaptability criterion, derived from Nussbaum’s work on capabilities for humans, distinguishes practices that preserve the ability of people to exert ethical agency in a context of changing values and material circumstances. The regulatory criterion, derived from consideration of the interdependence of human and animal capabilities, distinguishes practices that foster the skills and habits people need to create an ecologically just social or...
The Basis for and Uses of Environmental Sampling to Assess Health Risk in Deployed Settings

ABSTRACTThe ultimate goals of environmental sampling are the protection of health, or barring that, the assessment of health impact to exposed populations. However, environmental samples collected for undefined or poorly defined reasons and that are not part of a feasible strategy of hazard identification, intervention, and follow-up will likely be of limited value. Military commanders and their advisors must be aware of the need to quickly identify potential hazards and to respond appropriately with a comprehensive plan that may include sampling. Before samples are collected, the following must be adequately addressed: (1) the reason for sampling, (2) the parameters to be measured, (3) the possible range of results that might be obtained, and (4) the actions that will be taken in response to various results. Additionally, communication of the risks to commanders and the potentially exposed population is important, particularly if the results are inconclusive.
Biceps Tendinitis (Proximal and Distal)

Bicipital tendinitis is a term that denotes an inflammatory tenosynovitis of the long head of the biceps. It is believed to be caused by repetitive overload forces, leading to microtears in the tendon causing an inflammatory response and eventual degeneration. It is rarely an isolated event and is commonly seen in association with rotator cuff and labral pathology. It manifests as pain in the anterior aspect of the shoulder, and exam findings include tenderness to palpation over the tendon. Useful provocative tests include Speed’s, Yergason’s, and the biceps load test. Treatment is mainly conservative. Various injection techniques are used, and surgery may also be indicated.
The Green Operating Room: Simple Changes to Reduce Cost and Our Carbon Footprint:

Generating over four billion pounds of waste each year, the healthcare system in the United States is the second largest contributor of trash with one-third produced by operating rooms. Our objective is to assess improvement in waste reduction and recycling after implementation of a Green Operating Room Committee (GORC) at our institution. A surgeon and nurse-initiated GORC was formed with members from corporate leadership, nursing, anesthesia, and OR staff. Initiatives for recycling opportunities, reduction of energy and water use as well as solid waste were implemented and the results were recorded. Since formation of GORC in 2008, our OR has diverted 6.5 tons of medical waste. An effort to recycle all single-use devices was implemented with annual solid waste reduction of approximately 12,860 lbs. Disposable OR foam padding was replaced with reusable gel pads at greater than $50,000 per year savings. Over 500 lbs of previously discarded batteries were salvaged from the OR and donated to charity or redistributed in the hospital ($9,000 annual savings). A "Power Down" initiative to turn off all anesthesia and OR lights and equipment not in use resulted in saving $33,000 and 234.3 metric tons of CO2 emissions reduced per year. Converting from soap to alcohol-based waterless scrub demonstrated a potential saving of 2.7 million liters of water annually. Formation of an OR committee dedicated to ecological initiatives can provide a significant opportunity to improve health care's impact on the environment and save money.
Narrow transient absorptions in late-time optical spectra of type Ia supernovae: evidence for large clumps of iron-rich ejecta?

An examination of late-time, optical spectra of type Ia supernovae revealed surprisingly narrow absorption features which only become visible a few months after maximum light. These features, most clearly seen in the late-time spectra of the bright, recent type Ia supernovae ASASSN-14lp and SN 2017bzc, appear as narrow absorptions at ~4840 A, ~5000 A, and as a sharp inflection at ~4760 A on the red side of the prominent late-time 4700 A feature. A survey of on-line archival data revealed similar features present in the spectra of ten other normal and 91T-like SNe Ia, including SN 2011fe. Unlike blue spectral features which exhibit progressive red-ward shifts, these narrow absorptions remain at the same wavelength from epoch to epoch for an individual SN, but can appear at slightly different wavelengths for each object. These features are also transient, appearing and then fading in one to three months. After ruling out instrumental, data reduction, and atmospheric affects, we discuss possible explanations including progenitor mass-loss material, interaction with material from previous novae events, and absorption by large discrete clumps of high-velocity Fe-rich ejecta.
Chapter 11 Shapeshifters

Logic and equity would seem to demand that when administrative agencies are creditors to a bankrupt debtor, they should have the same status as other creditors. But a creditor agency retains its regulatory authority over the debtor, permitting it to continue with agency business such as conducting enforcement proceedings and awarding licenses. As a result, though bankruptcy law and policy both strongly support equal distribution of the estate, administrative agencies have been able to circumvent these goals through the use of “shapeshifting” behaviors. This Article evaluates two dangerous shapeshifting scenarios: (1) where the agency avoids the limitations of creditor status by piercing the corporate veil and bringing its claims against the debtor's individual stakeholders; and (2) where the agency operates in two distinct roles within a single proceeding, such as its dual identity as creditor and regulator under the Second Thursday doctrine. Through these behaviors, agencies take advantage of deferential judicial review to prioritize the debts they are owed over other creditors. This Article concludes that, when administrative agencies maintain a self-interested position in bankruptcy litigation, the balance must shift away from traditional judicial deference to offer stronger protections to other creditors and to maintain the separation of powers. To begin the work of remedying shapeshifting behavior, this Article proposes two modest solutions. First, existing Bankruptcy Code provisions suggest that Congress may favor a statutory amendment that enhances the scrutiny of shapeshifting agencies. This could be accomplished through a statutory bar on creditor veil piercing or, at minimum, the imposition of a notice and hearing requirement. Second, shapeshifting behavior, once recognized, should be afforded only Skidmore deference.
Evaluation of 11C-LSN3172176 as a Novel PET Tracer for Imaging M1 Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptors in Nonhuman Primates.

The M1 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR) plays an important role in learning and memory, and therefore is a target for development of drugs for treatment of cognitive impairments in Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia. The availability of M1-selective radiotracers for positron emission tomography (PET) will help in developing therapeutic agents by providing an imaging tool for assessment of drug dose-receptor occupancy relationship. Here we report the synthesis and evaluation of 11C-LSN3172176 (ethyl 4-(6-(methyl-11C)-2-oxoindolin-1-yl)-[1,49-bipiperidine]-19-carboxylate) in non-human primates. Methods:11C-LSN3172176 was radiolabeled via the Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling method. PET scans in rhesus macaques were acquired on the Focus-220 for 2 h with arterial blood sampling and metabolite analysis to measure the input function. Blocking scans with scopolamine (50 µg/kg) and the M1-selective agent AZD6088 (0.67 and 2 mg/kg) were performed to assess tracer binding specificity and selectivity. Regional brain time-activity curves (TACs) were analyzed with the one-tissue (1T) compartment model and the multilinear analysis method (MA1) to calculate regional distribution volume (VT). Non-displaceable binding potential (BPND) values were calculated using the cerebellum as reference region. Results:11C-LSN3172176 was synthesized with >99% radiochemical purity and high molar activity. In rhesus monkeys 11C-LSN3172176 metabolized rapidly (29 ± 6% parent remaining at 15 min), and displayed fast kinetics and extremely high uptake in the brain. Imaging data were modeled well with the 1T and MA1 methods. MA1-derived VT values were high (range of 10-81 mL/cm3) in all known M1 mAChR-rich brain regions. Pre-treatment with scopolamine and AZD6088 significantly reduced the brain uptake of 11C-LSN3172176, thus demonstrating its binding specificity and selectivity in vivo. The cerebellum appeared to be a suitable reference region for derivation of BPND, which ranged from 2.42 in the globus pallidus to 8.48 in the nucleus accumbens. Conclusion:11C-LSN3172176 exhibits excellent in vivo binding and imaging characteristics in non-human primates and appears to be the first appropriate radiotracer for PET imaging of human M1 AChR.
Bridging diversity: a deliberative approach to organizing and application of usability guidelines

Designing interaction for the global society entails addressing multiple issues and challenges, ranging from the technical and economic to the legal and ethical. Usability guidelines recommend or prescribe courses of action and thus play a significant role in designing universally usable systems. Approaches to organizing and applying usability guidelines need to support processes of deliberation and tradeoff, especially when designing for bridging diversity in shared interaction contexts. This paper describes a deliberative approach to addressing some of these design challenges in a rational way. It argues for organizing guidelines by using concepts from Habermas’s discourse theory and Toulmin’s model of argumentation. Application of the approach is illustrated through a set of research-based Web design and usability guidelines. This paper contributes to the HCI literature by providing a theory-based approach to managing and deliberating on many usability guidelines and related usability issues.
Long-term metformin use may improve clinical outcomes in diabetic patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and bridging fibrosis or compensated cirrhosis.

Background Metformin may protect against hepatocellular carcinoma and mortality among patients with type 2 diabetes. Aim To investigate whether long-term use of metformin improves survival and reduces liver-related outcomes among patients with type 2 diabetes and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. Methods A total of 191 diabetic patients with biopsy-proven non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and bridging fibrosis or compensated cirrhosis were retrospectively identified at Indiana University Medical Center between October 2004 and January 2016. Of them, 110 were users and 81 never-users of metformin. Primary outcomes were transplant-free survival, development of hepatocellular carcinoma or a first event of hepatic decompensation. Results Cirrhosis was present in 85% of metformin users and 88% of nonusers. Metformin dose was greater than or equal to 1 g/d in 104 out of 110 users and its median duration of use was 6 (95% CI: 4.4-7.9) years. The mean follow-up was 6.92 and 6.80 years for metformin users and non-users, respectively. During follow-up, 28 patients developed hepatocellular carcinoma (metformin users: 7, nonusers: 21), and 52 died (metformin users: 7, nonusers: 24) or were transplanted (metformin users: 13, non-users: 13). Metformin use was associated with lower risk of overall mortality or transplant (HR: 0.42; 95% CI: 0.24-0.74, P = 0.003) and hepatocellular carcinoma (sHR: 0.25; 95% CI: 0.11-0.58, P = 0.001), and remained independently associated with both outcomes after propensity-score and covariate-adjusted analyses. No instances of hepatotoxicity or lactic acidosis were observed. Conclusion Our study demonstrated an association between long-term metformin use and reduced the risk of all-cause mortality/transplant and hepatocellular carcinoma in diabetics with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and advanced fibrosis.
Studying the Potential of Automatic Optimizations in the Intel FPGA SDK for OpenCL

High Level Synthesis (HLS) tools, like the Intel FPGA SDK for OpenCL, improve hardware design productivity and enable efficient design space exploration, by providing simple program directives (pragmas) and/or API calls that allow hardware programmers to use higher-level languages (like HLS-C or OpenCL). However, modern HLS tools sometimes miss important optimizations that are necessary for high performance. In this poster, we present a study of the tradeoffs in HLS optimizations, and the potential of a modern HLS tool in automatically optimizing an application. We perform the study on a generic, 5-stage camera ISP pipeline using the Intel FPGA SDK for OpenCL and an Arria 10 FPGA Dev Kit. We show that automatic optimizations in the HLS tool are valuable, achieving up to 2.7x speedup over equivalent CPU execution. With further hand tuning, however, we can achieve up to 36.5x speedup over CPU. We draw several specific lessons about the effectiveness of automatic optimizations guided by simple directives and about the nature of manual rewriting required for high performance. Finally, we conclude that there is a gap in the current potential of HLS tools which needs to be filled by next-gen research.
Aqueous fluids are effective oxidizing agents of the mantle in subduction zones

Aqueous fluids produced by dehydration of the downgoing slab facilitate chemical exchange in subduction zones, but the efficiency of fluid-mediated redox transfer as a mechanism to deliver oxidized material from the slab to the sub-arc mantle remains hotly debated. Here we report the first direct measurements of the oxidation state of experimentally produced slab fluids using in situ redox sensors. Our experiments show that the dehydration of natural antigorite serpentinite at shallow subduction zone conditions (1 GPa, 800 °C) produces moderately oxidizing fluids (QFM + 2) with elevated concentrations of Na, K, Ca, and Mg. The composition and redox of the experimental fluids are then used to parameterize a thermodynamic reactive transport model to investigate the interaction of slab fluid with the sub-arc mantle from 1–4 GPa and 700–900 °C. Recently determined equation of state parameters for aqueous fluids at high pressures now enables thermodynamic modeling of aqueous fluid–rock interactions at conditions relevant to deep subduction zones for the first time. Our thermodynamic modeling demonstrates that aqueous fluid can efficiently oxidize Fe in mantle minerals via the reduction of H+ to H2 in the fluid. We estimate that < 1–3 kg of serpentinite-derived fluid at 850–900 °C is required to increase the Fe3+/ΣFe in 1 kg of sub-arc mantle from MORB-like values (0.15) to those of primitive arc basalts (0.2–0.3). We calculate that a slab fluid flux of 1.4 × 109–1.4 × 1014 kg year−1 is required to oxidize sufficient sub-arc mantle to produce the average annual flux of magmas at arcs, which overlaps with the estimated range of H2O flux in subduction zones.
Abstract 15008: Improvement in Patient Ratings of Hypertension Care in a Pragmatic Cluster-randomized Trial of Home Blood Pressure Telemonitoring and Pharmacist Care (Hyperlink 3)

Introduction: Patient ratings of their experience of care are part of the “Triple Aim”. Improvements are highly valued by health care organizations, but are hard to achieve. Hypothesis: We tested t...
A Question of Access: Exploring the Perceived Benefits and Barriers of Intelligent Voice Assistants for Improving Access to Consumer Health Resources Among Low-Income Older Adults.

Intelligent voice assistants (IVAs) such as Amazon Echo and Google Home present a promising opportunity to improve access to consumer health information and resources for older adults. However, res...
Perceptions of Gender and Race Equality in Leadership and Advancement Among Military Family Physicians.

INTRODUCTION There is increasing interest in assessing gender and race-based disparities in academic medicine and healthcare leadership in civilian medicine and the U.S. Military Health System. Approximately 15% of U.S. active duty service members are women, and racial minorities are 30% of the total active duty force. This study evaluates the following factors among uniformed services family physicians: gender and race representation in attaining early career leadership positions during training and 2 years postresidency; perceptions regarding leadership opportunities and career advancement. METHODS Registered attendees (n = 300) of the 2016 Uniformed Services Academy of Family Physicians Annual Meeting were given a voluntary and anonymous online questionnaire. The main outcomes measured were early leadership assignments and perceptions about command/leadership support, gender roles in leadership assignment, confidence to achieve leadership goals, and being passed over for leadership positions. RESULTS Sixty-eight percent of registered attendees completed the study questionnaire. Statistically significant results, adjusting for service, grade, race, and gender, were that non-Caucasian family physicians were less likely to be chief residents (odds ratio 0.23, 95% CI 0.01-1.00) and less likely to have leadership positions within 2 years postresidency (odds ratio 0.30, 95% CI 0.10-0.91). Female family physicians were more likely to agree that gender has a role in assigning leadership positions (odds ratio 2.33, 95% CI 1.01-5.39). There were no differences in perceptions of command support for leadership; confidence in achieving desired leadership level; or in being passed over for leadership positions. CONCLUSIONS This study provides important information about perceived gender and race equality among uniformed services family physicians. Key findings included that non-Caucasian military family physicians were less likely to attain junior leadership positions or be assigned to academic settings; and female respondents were more likely to agree that gender has a role in assignment of leadership positions. Evaluating composite personnel records of services' family physicians would provide invaluable information to complement this study.
Let's chat about CHAT: Illuminating undergraduates' literature discussion with Cultural Historical Activity Theory

Abstract Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) has long been a robust framework and methodology primarily utilized by researchers to describe complex situations and interactions. This article discusses CHAT in a more practical way, in order to become more approachable for classroom teachers and students to employ and inform classroom interactions. Drawing from a case study, I show how CHAT was used by undergraduates in a course on children's literature as a reflective framework on interactions in small group literary discussions. This case study suggests that by using CHAT as a reflective framework, students and teachers can begin to address tensions and look for ways to innovate their practice.
A nonparametric test of market timing

Abstract In this paper, we propose a nonparametric test for market timing ability and apply the analysis to a large sample of mutual funds that have different benchmark indices. The test statistic is formed to proxy the probability that a manager loads on more market risk when the market return is relatively high. The test (i) only requires the ex post returns of funds and their benchmark portfolios; (ii) separates the quality of timing information a money manager possesses from the aggressiveness with which she reacts to such information; and (iii) is robust to different information and incentive structures, as well as to underlying distributions. Overall, we do not find superior timing ability among actively managed domestic equity funds for the period of 1980–1999. Further, it is difficult to predict funds' timing performance from their observable characteristics.
Crisis Management during the Roman Republic: The Role of Political Institutions in Emergencies

'Crisis' is the defining word for our times and it likewise played a key role in defining the scope of government during the Roman Republic. This book is a comprehensive analysis of key incidents in the history of the Republic that can be characterized as crises, and the institutional response mechanisms that were employed by the governing apparatus to resolve them. Concentrating on military and other violent threats to the stability of the governing system, this book highlights both the strengths and weaknesses of the institutional framework that the Romans created. Looking at key historical moments, Gregory K. Golden considers how the Romans defined a crisis and what measures were taken to combat them, including declaring a state of emergency, suspending all non-war-related business, and instituting an emergency military draft, as well as resorting to rule by dictator in the early Republic.
Cognitive Profile of C9orf72 in Frontotemporal Dementia and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

This review article focuses on the cognitive profile associated with the C9orf72 gene with GGGGCC (G4C2) hexanucleotide repeat expansions that is commonly found in both familial and sporadic forms of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in order to aid clinicians in the screening process. In this growing clinical continuum between FTD and ALS, understanding and recognizing a neurocognitive profile is important for diagnosis. Key features of this profile include executive dysfunction with memory impairment and language deficits as the disease progresses. Behaviorally, patients are prone to disinhibition, apathy, and psychosis. With the discovery of this mutation, studies have begun to characterize the different phenotypes associated with this mutation in terms of epidemiology, clinical presentation, imaging, and pathology. Greater awareness and increased surveillance for this mutation will benefit patients and their families in terms of access to genetic counseling, research studies, and improved understanding of the disease process.
Policy Initiatives to Support Innovation

As we discussed in Chapter 1, governmental support of innovation can be either direct or indirect. The primary indirect mechanisms used by government to stimulate innovation have historically been tied to tax policies. However, the descriptive data in Chapter 6 suggested that Federal tax incentives as a motivation for engaging in collaborative research with a university was not generally viewed as an effective policy tool.
Effectiveness of the lactational amenorrhea method in Pakistan.

Objective To determine the efficacy of the lactational amenorrhea method of family planning (amenorrhea during full or nearly full breastfeeding for 6months postpartum). Design Prospective noncomparative study. Setting Normal breastfeeding women in Karachi and Multan, Pakistan, most delivered at home by a midwife. Patients Three hundred ninety-nine newly delivered mothers who successfully had breastfed a previous child and chose the lactational amenorrhea method to prevent a subsequent pregnancy, 391 of whom were followed for a full year. Interventions Mothers were taught, before or shortly after delivery, to use the method and were interviewed in their homes each month by a Lady Health Visitor. Main Outcome Measure Life-table pregnancy rates. Periods of postpartum or lactational abstinence were excluded in the calculation of the pregnancy rates. Results During full or nearly full breastfeeding, while the women were amenorrheic and not otherwise contracepting, the rate of pregnancy was 0.6%. The pregnancy rate during lactational amenorrhea alone was 1.1% at 1year postpartum. Conclusion The lactational amenorrhea method was found to be highly effective for 6months. A high degree of contraceptive protection endures for a full year during lactational amenorrhea, but not after the return of menses during breastfeeding.
The Properties of Bovine Growth Hormone: IV. CIRCULAR DICHROISM OF NATIVE AND IODINATED MOLECULES

Abstract The circular dichroism spectrum of bovine growth hormone in the wave length region 250 to 300 nm shows five peaks at 290.5, 284.5, 270, 264, and 258 nm. The longest wave length maximum at 290.5 is assigned to the 1 tryptophanyl residue. The two bands centered at 264 and 258 agree in wave length maxima with the circular dichroism bands of phenylalanyl model compounds. The two remaining peaks, although of opposite sign, are assigned in major part to tyrosyl residues. pH changes in aqueous solution have selective effects on the tryptophanyl and tyrosyl bands, whereas urea modifies them similarly. The phenylalanyl bands survive both extremes of pH and concentrated urea solutions. About half the peptide groups in bovine growth hormone participate in helical structures. In contrast to the important effects that acid and alkali have on the optical activity of the tryptophanyl and tyrosyl chromophores, the peptide dichroic activity is only slightly influenced. Most of the helical residues are, however, randomized in concentrated urea solution.
Studies on the soluble antigen of influenza virus: II. A comparison of the effects of sonic vibration and ether treatment of elementary bodies☆

A comparison was made of the effects of sonic vibration and of exposure to ether on the release of S antigen from influenza virus. Elementary body suspensions (EB) obtained by high-speed centrifugation or by one cycle of adsorption onto and elution from red cells frequently reacted directly with anti-S sera. The presence of such “external” S depended upon the length of in ovo incubation and upon the strain of virus employed. Following sonic vibration the S titers increased in the EB preparations which initially revealed some S activity, and antigen became detectable in those originally free of measurable quantities. After sonic vibration or even only after second adsorption-elution cycles, the EB suspensions, as a rule, failed to react with anti-S. Although the data indicate that sonic vibration liberated some internal S, its release was not immediately accompanied by detectable losses in infectivity nor was a change noted in the degree of sedimentation of the virus particles by high-speed centrifugation. In any event, exposure to ether proved to be a more potent means of releasing internal S than sonic vibration since no additional S was liberated from ether-treated virus by the latter technique, whereas, in contrast, sonically vibrated EB suspensions on treatment with ether yielded apparently as much S as untreated virus particles. The implications of these results have been discussed.
Distributed compression and fusion of nonnegative sparse signals for multiple-view object recognition

Visual surveillance in complex urban environments requires an intelligent system to automatically track and identify multiple objects of interest in a network of distributed cameras. The ability to perform robust object recognition is critical to compensate adverse conditions and improve performance, such as multi-object association, visual occlusion, and data fusion with hybrid sensor modalities. In this paper, we propose an efficient distributed data compression and fusion scheme to encode and transmit SIFT-based visual histograms in a multi-hop network to perform accurate 3-D object recognition. The method harnesses an emerging theory of (distributed) compressive sensing to encode high-dimensional, nonnegative sparse signals via random projection, which is unsupervised and independent to the sensor modality. A multi-hop protocol then transmits the compressed visual data to a base-station computer, which preserves a constant bandwidth regardless of the number of active camera nodes in the network. Finally, the multiple-view object features are simultaneously recovered via l1-minimization as an efficient decoder. The efficacy of the algorithm is validated using up to four Berkeley CITRIC camera motes deployed in a realistic indoor environment. The substantial computation power on the CITRIC mote also enables fast compression of SIFT-type visual features extracted from object images.
Bottom mounted active sonar for detection, localization, and tracking

A bottom-mounted, wideband active sonar system designed to detect unfriendly vessels entering a closed area is described. We present signal processing algorithms for target detection, classification, localization, and tracking, and present performance predictions based on simulations. These algorithms are shown to be effective with state of the art, realizable sonar systems. The signals are binary phase shift keyed (BPSK) with a range resolution of approximately 0.01 m and Doppler resolution of 0.5m/s. Received signals from multiple directional receive beams are basebanded and Hilbert transformed to obtain complex representation. These signals are correlated with replicas of the transmitted signal time compressed or dilated to represent a number of different hypothetical target Dopplers, giving a processed signal with three dimensions: time, channel, and target Doppler. Background interference is estimated using a block-transversal filter. The processed signal is divided by the estimated background to obtain signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) and SIR threshold crossings are detected and contiguous detections are clustered. Range is estimated using arrival time. Bearing is estimated using amplitude comparison for adjacent receive beams. Elevation is estimated using split beam phase between signals from elements separated vertically. Finally, the crossings are clustered by location and Doppler. Clusters are classified based on amplitude and estimated physical extent and shape. Clusters with sufficiently high classification are passed to a tracking algorithm that computes a Kalman filter track using clusters derived from sequential transmissions. This filter operates using linked line of sight (LOS) coordinates, a technique long used in radar. The LOS coordinates used in this application are range, range rate, bearing, and elevation. Use of such coordinates is advantageous in this application because the errors in the coordinates are nearly independent of one another. Performance of this algorithm was investigated using active acoustic signals synthesized by the Sonar Simulation Toolset (SST), a digital program written by Robert Goddard at the Applied Physics Laboratory. This program generates a complex baseband representation of the acoustic signal in each channel. This signal is processed by the detection, classification, and tracking algorithms. SST simulates effects of acoustic propagation including refraction and scattering and reflection from a target. Several simulated encounters with different target geometries are presented to illustrate detection, localization, and tracking performance.
A robust system architecture for mining semi-structured data

The value of extracting knowledge from semi-structured data is readily apparent with the explosion of the WWW and the advent of digital libraries. This paper proposes a versatile system architecture for text mining that maintains structured data components in a relational database and unstructured concepts in a concept library. After a detailed explanation of our system architecture, we briefly describe IRIS, our prototype rule generation system
Reliability Based Design Optimization with Correlated Input Variables

Reliability-based design optimization (RBDO), which includes design optimization in design space and inverse reliability analysis in standard normal space, has been recently developed under the assumption that all input variables are independent because it is difficult to construct a joint probability distribution function (PDF) of input variables with limited data such as the marginal PDF and covariance matrix. However, since in real applications, it is common that some of the input variables are correlated, the RBDO results might contain a significant error if the correlation between input variables for RBDO is not considered. In this paper, Rosenblatt and Nataf transformations, which are the most representative transformation methods and have been widely used in the reliability analysis, have been studied and compared in terms of applicability to RBDO with correlated input variables. It is identified that Nataf transformation is one of copulas and more applicable than Rosenblatt transformation. Using numerical examples, it is also shown that the correlation of input variables significantly affects the RBDO results.
Formulas for Parcel Velocity and Vorticity in a Rotating Cartesian Coordinate System

AbstractFormulas in an Eulerian framework are presented for the absolute velocity and vorticity of individual parcels in inviscid isentropic flow. The analysis is performed in a rectangular Cartesian rotating coordinate system. The dependent variables are the Lagrangian coordinates, initial velocities, cumulative temperature, entropy, and a potential. The formulas are obtained in two different ways. The first method is based on finding a matrix integrating factor for the Euler equations of motion and a propagator for the vector vorticity equation. The second method is a variational one. Hamilton’s principle of least action is used to minimize the fluid’s absolute kinetic energy minus its internal energy and potential energy subject to the Lin constraints and constraints of mass and entropy conservation. In the first method, the friction and diabatic heating terms in the governing equations are carried along in integrands so that the generalized formulas lead to Eckart’s circulation theorem. Using them to ...
Study of the conformations of stiff chain, rigid-rod and substituted rigid-rod polymers

Abstract The conformational properties of a series of rigid-rod and stiff chain polymers have been investigated using semiempirical molecular orbital calculations. Poly(2,5-benzimidazole) (ABPBI), poly(2,5-benzoxazole) (ABPBO), poly(2,6-benzothiazole) (ABPBT), poly( p -phenylene benzobisimidazole) (PPBI), poly( p -phenylene benzobisoxazole) (PBO) and poly( p -phenylene benzobisthiazole) (PBZT) have been studied. For ABPBO and both cis and trans PBO, the results indicate that a coplanar arrangement of the heterocyclic and phenyl rings gives the lowest energy. For all the other polymers considered, non-coplanar conformations were found to have the lowest energies for isolated molecules. Molecular mechanics calculations were also used to investigate the conformational properties of cis -PBO and trans -PBZT having various substituents on the phenyl ring. Substituents considered included methyl, ethyl, t -butyl, hydroxyl, phenyl, and benzthiazole groups. The results show that most substituents have surprisingly little influence on the conformations of the molecules. Small substituents, as well as large, planar substituents, were uniform in their lack of inducing a specificity of conformation in the molecules. Bulky groups, especially t -butyl, and those introducing interactions of a more specific nature, such as coulombic or hydrogen-bonding, play a greater role in making specific conformations more energetically favourable. In most cases, the substituent causes a rotation of the backbone rings away from coplanarity, but once the steric interactions are relieved, there is considerable latitude for further rotation. In most cases, the conformational freedom is such that packing considerations could significantly influence the conformations of the materials in the solid state.
SES-based ontological process for high level information fusion

Data Fusion (DF) process is in the interest of the military community since it provides the opportunity to achieve information superiority. The System Entity Structure (SES) is an ontology framework that can facilitate information exchange and represent knowledge in a network-centric environment. We explore an idea of adopting the SES ontology to fuse raw data into higher-level information in DF systems for Command and Control (C2). Pruning and transformation processes of the SES ontology generate various levels of information in accordance with C2 systems' needs, which support decision-making process in an automated way. C2 systems receive customized information through the SES Information Exchange Framework (IEF). Simulation results demonstrate the ontological DF process, and evaluate its performance in the application to categorization of air object flight patterns into high level user oriented classes.
Occurrence and control of the phosphogluconate oxidation pathway in normal and leukemic leukocytes.

The phosphogluconate pathway occurs in leukocytes, though less than 10 per cent of utilized glucose traverses this pathway. This per cent is higher in leukemic than in normal cells. The extent of phosphogluconate pathway metabolism is shown to be under direct control of the hexokinase level. The concentration of triphosphopyridine nucleotide and the efficiency of dihydrotriphosphopyridine- oxidizing systems also play a role in the control of phosphogluconate pathway metabolism but a secondary one, particularly in the steady state. The higher percentages of phosphogluconate pathway metabolism in leukemic cells are attributed to their deficiencies of hexokinase. Normal and leukemic leukocytes contain transaldolase and transketolase. The observed levels of phosphogluconate pathway metabolism were the same in homogenized and in intact cells. (auth)
Functional MRI of sensory motor cortex: comparison between finger-to-thumb and hand squeeze tasks.

BACKGROUND An important imaging technique that has advanced decision-making for noninvasive preoperative evaluation is functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Preoperative fMRI imaging based on blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) fMRI is routinely used to map a variety of eloquent cortex brain functions such as language, visual, and sensory-motor regions. PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to evaluate the regional volumes of sensory and motor cortex (SMC) activation by two widely used fMRI motor tasks: a simple hand squeeze (HS) versus a more complex finger-to-thumb (FTT) opposition. METHODS Ten right-handed (five males; five females) subjects were studied using a block design BOLD fMRI technique at 1.5T. A region of interest analysis was performed in the right and left SMC following a HS and FTT task with the dominant right hand. RESULTS Results show the total volume of motor and sensory activation for ipsilateral and contralateral areas for the FTT task was statistically larger than the HS task (P= .02). CONCLUSION Due to the greater degree of activation of the SMC with the FTT task, we suggest use of this task over the HS task if a patient can adequately perform the more complex FTT task. The greater SMC activation using FTT task compared to the HS task was primarily due to an increase in activation in the post-central sensory cortex. There was less lateralization, and therefore a greater degree of bilateral SMC activation, in the FTT task compared to the HS task. These results show the importance of optimization and fMRI task selection for presurgical SMC mapping.
A worksheet for tetrachoric r and standard error of tetrachoric r using Hayes diagrams and tables.

A worksheet simplifying the calculation of tetrachoric correlation coefficients and their standard errors is presented for use with Hayes' percentage difference method.
Simplified gonadotropin-releasinghormone (GnRH) stimulation test

Provocative gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) stimulation testing indirectly assesses testicular function with more sensitivity than determination of basal gonadotropin levels alone. Unfortunately, the drawbacks of multiple blood sampling and high cost have limited the clinical usefulness of this test. We herein present a simplified, two-point, thirty-minute GnRH stimulation test. Statistical analysis of data from 55 men with normal baseline gonadotropin levels, reveal that this simplified test is just as accurate as the traditional test (p less than 0.0001) without the latter's attendant difficulties. In addition, we found that normal basal gonadotropin levels had little correlation to the actual responses obtained from GnRH stimulation testing (r = 0.20 and r = 0.39 for luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone, respectively).
A Cytidine Deaminase Edits C to U in Transfer RNAs in Archaea

All canonical transfer RNAs (tRNAs) have a uridine at position 8, involved in maintaining tRNA tertiary structure. However, the hyperthermophilic archaeon Methanopyrus kandleri harbors 30 (out of 34) tRNA genes with cytidine at position 8. Here, we demonstrate C-to-U editing at this location in the tRNA’s tertiary core, and present the crystal structure of a tRNA-specific cytidine deaminase, CDAT8, which has the cytidine deaminase domain linked to a tRNA-binding THUMP domain. CDAT8 is specific for C deamination at position 8, requires only the acceptor stem hairpin for activity, and belongs to a unique family within the “cytidine deaminase–like” superfamily. The presence of this C-to-U editing enzyme guarantees the proper folding and functionality of all M. kandleri tRNAs.