cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Normalization of serum luteinizing hormone levels in women with 46,XX spontaneous primary ovarian insufficiency

Objective To determine the proportion of women with primary ovarian insufficiency who achieve normal serum LH levels on transdermal E 2 therapy. Design Prospective. Setting Clinical research center at a national US health research facility. Patient(s) Women with spontaneous primary ovarian insufficiency (n = 137) and 70 regularly menstruating control women (n = 70). Intervention(s) Blood sampled from controls in the midfollicular phase and from patients while they were off E 2 for 2 weeks, then again 3 months later during the E 2 -only phase of hormone therapy (E 2 patch [100 μ g/d] and oral medroxyprogesterone acetate [10 mg for 12 d/mo]). Main Outcome Measure(s) Serum LH. Result(s) While on transdermal E 2 therapy, significantly more women (51.1%, 70/137; 95% confidence interval, 42%, 60%) had serum LH levels in the normal range (5/137, 3.9% at baseline). Mean (SD) serum E 2 level significantly increased on therapy to 95.4 (84.9) pg/mL. Conclusion(s) A regimen of 100 μ g/d of transdermal E 2 therapy achieves normal serum LH levels in approximately one half of women with spontaneous primary ovarian insufficiency. Theoretically, by avoiding inappropriate luteinization, physiologic E 2 therapy may improve follicle function in these women. Controlled studies to assess the effect of transdermal E 2 therapy on follicle function in these women are warranted.
Cache write generate for parallel image processing on shared memory architectures

We investigate cache write generate, our cache mode invention. We demonstrate that for parallel image processing applications, the new mode improves main memory bandwidth, CPU efficiency, cache hits, and cache latency. We use register level simulations validated by the UW-Proteus system. Many memory, cache, and processor configurations are evaluated.
Characterization and modeling of race-tracking in liquidcomposite molding processes

Abstract Liquid composite molding (LCM) processes require the impregnation of a polymeric resin through a porous preform, usually composed of glass, carbon, or Kevlar fibers. Numerical mold-filling simulations are currently being developed to predict the flow through LCM mold cavities and are a powerful design tool. The accuracy of such simulations are very sensitive to the permeability components, input provided by the user to represent the resistance to flow provided by the porous preform. Air channels can be present within a mold cavity, either unintentionally formed, or intentionally placed to enhance the mold filling process. Such channels provide paths of relatively low flow resistance, and can drastically alter flow front advancement and injection pressures, this effect being commonly referred to as ‘race-tracking'. Race-tracking must be considered in numerical mold-filling simulations, one common approach being the application of ‘equivalent permeabilities' to finite elements within a model that physically represent the air channels present. A planar rectangular mold cavity is studied here, having a single air cavity of known dimensions running along one side of the mold. This geometry provides the simplest flow configuration, all Darcy velocity components being in-plane. In this paper, the equivalent permeability magnitudes are based upon steady-state, fully developed flow through a rectangular duct. Detailed flow visualization experiments have been completed, recording flow-front advancement and injection-pressure histories, for two different preform types, and a variety of mold cavity thicknesses, preform volume fractions air-channel widths. Significant effort was made to provide exact comparisons of both flow front advancement and injection pressure, between the experiments and simulations based on the equivalent permeability approach. The comparisons are very good, the magnitude of the deviations being close to what should be expected from natural permeability variations from preform to preform. Sources for experimental error have been examined, the major limitation of these experiments being caused by the complex interaction of the acrylic mold, and stiffening bars used. The equivalent permeability approach has been shown to model flow front advancement and injection pressures very well within a Darcy's law based mold filling simulation, for the volume fractions studied (0.50 to 0.16). This study has been limited to low volume fractions, and care should be taken when extending the equivalent permeability approach to woven and stitched preform styles. An alternative numerical method was investigated, modeling flow in the preform by using Darcy's law, and one-dimensional Stokes flow in the air channel, with a variable source term to model the transverse flow into the preform. The results from the two simulations are in excellent agreement, demonstrating that the equivalent permeability approach employing Darcy's law over the entire domain, models the transverse flow into the preform from the air channel accurately.
Protecting a whole building from critical indoor contamination with optimal sensor network design and source identification methods

Abstract To maintain a healthful and secure indoor environment, it is crucial to design an effective indoor air quality (IAQ) sensor network and interpret sensor outputs for prompt IAQ controls. This paper introduces how a probability concept based inverse modeling method – the adjoint probability method – can be used to assist in designing a high-performance IAQ sensor network and identifying potential contaminant source locations for an entire building based on limited sensor outputs. The study proposes a new IAQ sensor network design and optimization method for buildings with one or more compartments on the basis of the probability calculation. With responses from optimized sensors, a two-stage integrated inverse prediction algorithm is developed that is able to identify a potential IAQ source zone (or room) in a building as well as an exact location within the room. The paper demonstrates the design of sensor networks and the application of the source identification algorithms for a residential dwelling. The case study verifies the feasibility, effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed sensor design method and the two-stage algorithm for indoor contaminant control.
A public-key-based key escrow system

A key escrow system allows devices such as telephones or computers to communicate securely, while permitting a monitor such as a law enforcement agency to access encrypted communications under prescribed conditions. The U.S. government has created an escrow system using secret-key cryptography and classified algorithms, implementable in hardware only. We describe an alternative escrow system that uses public-key cryptography and nonclassified algorithms, implementable in hardware or software. The new system should give users (and perhaps governments) more confidence, be more exportable, and permit a fully automated escrow/retrieval system.
A comparative study of some mathematical models of the mean wind structure and aerodynamic drag of plant canopies

A semi-analytical method for describing the mean wind profile and shear stress within plant canopies and for estimating the roughness length and the displacement height is presented. This method incorporates density and vertical structure of the canopy and includes simple parameterizations of the roughness sublayer and shelter factor. Some of the wind profiles examined are consistent with first-order closure techniques while others are consistent with second-order closure techniques. Some profiles show a shearless region near the base of the canopy; however, none displays a secondary maximum there. Comparing several different analytical expressions for the canopy wind profile against observations suggests that one particular type of profile (an Airy function which is associated with the triangular foliage surface area density distribution) is superior to the others. Because of the numerical simplicity of the methods outlined, it is suggested that they may be profitably used in large-scale models of plant-atmosphere exchanges.
Device for high resolution positioning

Abstract This paper is a description of a high resolution actuator consisting of a smooth round shaft and a mechanism which translates when the shaft is rotated. The motion is monotonic and controllable to less than 900 angstroms per degree of rotation. The mechanism is rigid, stable, and offers an unlimited range; it is vacuum compatible, and ideally suited to the approach function for a scanning tunneling microscope.
Understand user preference of online shoppers

The tremendous growth of the Internet has created opportunities for consumers and firms to participate in an online global marketplace. It is conceivable that in the future every person with access to a computer will interact with firms marketing on the Internet. We foresee that advances in electronic commerce dramatically alter the structure of businesses, especially in the marketing area. We extend the literature on marketing channel functions to include the Internet as a new option for selling products/services directly to customers. Important factors that inference the behaviors of online shoppers are identified. A classification scheme is used to categorize products/services selling on the Internet based on characteristics such as tangibility and price from the buyer's perspective. The classification scheme helps management to understand the difference in user preference over different product categories. A survey of experienced online shoppers was conducted to validate the scheme.
Gender Differences in Organizational Commitment: Influences of Work Positions and Family Roles

Data obtained from the 1991 “Work Organizations” module of the General Social Survey (GSS) reveal a small but significant tendency for employed men to display higher organizational commitment (OC) than employed women do. This article examines the gender differences and factors that arguably heighten or dampen it. The authors consider both job models highlighting gender differences on job attributes such as autonomy or rewards, and gender models that stress socialization, family ties, and differential labor market opportunities. They find that the primary explanation for the gender difference is that men are more likely than women to hold jobs with commitment-enhancing features. Gender differences in family ties do little to affect male-female OC difference. When job attributes, career variables, and family ties are simultaneously controlled, the authors find that, if anything, women tend to exhibit slightly greater OC. Contrary to implications of some gender models, the correlates of OC do not appear to b...
Limitation of myocardial function by reduced coronary blood flow during isoproterenol action.

The interpolated decrease in heart force or isometric systolic tension that occurs during isoproterenol stimulation has been examined in terms of changes in coronary flow and myocardial metabolism. In 67 open-chest dogs under pentobarbital anesthesia, determinations were made of lactate, pyruvate, Po2 and Pco2 in arterial and coronary sinus blood; coronary flow was measured with an electromagnetic flow transducer and ventricular force with a strain gauge arch. Although the characteristic, uncomplicated effect of isoproterenol is a marked increase in coronary flow and contractile force, this is briefly interrupted by a sharp decrease in these functions, and the decrease is associated with evidence of anaerobic metabolism. This decrease is concomitant with decreased coronary perfusion pressure and is intensified by sustained infusion of isoproterenol or by lowered oxygen concentrations in the inspired air. The stage of depressed function is counteracted by mechanical maintenance of high aortic pressure or b...
From Hyperkeratosis to Apoptosis: Lessons Learned from 65 Years of Research

In 1950, shortly after completing my Ph.D. degree requirements and joining the faculty of the Animal Science Department at Cornell University, I heard about X-disease, or, more accurately, bovine hyperkeratosis, from Dr. Kenneth McEntee, a pathologist in the Veterinary College at Cornell. Affected animals developed thick skins, resembling armor plate. This was a consequence of their inability to convert carotene to vitamin A [1]; they lacrimated profusely so that their faces were constantly wet and they lost weight and eventually died. The disease, at first thought to be caused by a virus, was increasing rapidly in the United States and Europe, especially in Germany, prompting the U.S. Department of Agriculture to establish a special research program for the disease. Dr. McEntee and I, along with Dr. Peter Olafson, chairman of the Pathology Department, set out to find the cause of this disease. Luckily, we found some bread crumbs collected from beneath the slicer in a bakery in Burlington, VT, that had been fed to calves that later developed the disease. We extracted the active compound with ether and subjected the extract to column chromatography, testing each fraction for potency by monitoring plasma levels of vitamin A in test calves. Finally, we were able to crystallize the active compound(s) and identify them by spectrophotometry as highly chlorinated naphthalenes [2]. These compounds had been added to heat-resistant lubricants and fire-retardant paints and were also found in a wood preservative made in Germany. When these discoveries were published, and the napthalenes were removed, the disease rapidly disappeared, and few scientists today have ever heard of it. In retrospect, this early research achievement was a great morale booster, at a critical time in my career. My major research project—the measurement of steroids and gonadotropins in blood and tissues of cattle—was floundering. Plasma levels of steroids, particularly estrogens, proved to be lower than found in other species, and the methods we were using (differential extractions followed by column chromatography and measurement by spectrophotometry) were not adequate. The first comprehensive data correlating plasma luteinizing hormone (LH), estrogen, and progesterone levels during the bovine estrous cycle were not published until 1972 [3]. The Lesson Learned
Regulation of junctional and non‐junctional sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium release in excitation‐contraction coupling in cat atrial myocytes

We have characterized the dependence on membrane potential (Vm) and calcium current (ICa) of calcium-induced calcium release (CICR) from the junctional-SR (j-SR, in the subsarcolemmal (SS) space) and non-junctional-SR (nj-SR, in the central (CT) region of the cell) of cat atrial myocytes using whole-cell voltage-clamp together with spatially resolved laser-scanning confocal microscopy. Subsarcolemmal and central [Ca2+]i transient amplitudes and ICa had a bell-shaped dependence on Vm, but [Ca2+]i reached a maximum at more negative Vm (-10 to 0 mV) than ICa (+10 mV). Termination of ICa after a brief depolarization (2.5 to 22.5 ms) immediately interrupted only the SS [Ca2+]i transient, leaving the development of the CT [Ca2+]i transient unaffected. Block of SR function with 20 μm ryanodine and 2 μm thapsigargin, revealed that > 90 % of the control [Ca2+]i transient amplitude was attributable to active SR Ca2+ release through ryanodine receptors (RyRs). The gain of SR Ca2+ release was highest in the SS space at negative test potentials and was less pronounced in the CT region. Inhibition of Na+-Ca2+ exchange resulted in prolonged and higher amplitude [Ca2+]i transients, elevated resting [Ca2+]i, accelerated propagation of CICR, decreased extrusion of Ca2+ and an increase in j-SR Ca2+ load. Increasing the cytosolic Ca2+ buffer capacity by internal perfusion with 1 mm EGTA limited SR Ca2+ release to the SS region, indicating that Ca2+ release from nj-SR is initiated by diffusion of Ca2+ from the cell periphery and propagating CICR. Junctional-SR Ca2+ release occurred at discrete sites whose order of activation and amplitude of release varied from beat to beat. In conclusion, during normal excitation-contraction coupling in cat atrial myocytes, only Ca2+ release from the j-SR is directly activated by Ca2+ entering via ICa. Elevation of SS [Ca2+]i is required to provide the cytosolic Ca2+ gradient needed to initiate regenerative and propagating CICR from nj-SR.
Triterpenoid Quinonemethides and Related Compounds (Celastroloids)

The triterpenoid quinonemethides constitute a relatively small group of unsaturated and oxygenated D:A-friedo-nor-oleananes. In nature these nor-triterpenoid pigments are found restricted to the higher plant family, Celastraceae (including Hippocrateaceae; see Sect. 4.1). For this reason, BruNing and Wagner (10) coined the general name “celastroloids” for this class of compounds, and in this review, this term is used exclusively for all natural triterpenoid quinonemethides and their structural relatives. Celastroloids usually co-occur with other triterpenoid types like the D:A-friedo-oleananes and lupanes. Despite their structural complexity and interesting biological activities, no comprehensive review devoted specifically to celastroloids has appeared to date. However, mention has been made of celastroloids in general reviews and handbooks dealing with other triterpenoid types (1, 26,108,123) terpenoids and steroids of Sri Lankan plants (80), constituents and phytochemistry of Celastraceae (10, 63, 70, 109), triterpene phenoldienones (110), phenoHc triterpenoids of Sri Lankan Celastraceae (42, 84), and natural quinonemethides (16, 143, 144), Since approximately 70 celastroloids are presently known, a review devoted entirely to these is now appropriate.
A 16/6 idiotype—positive anti‐DNA antibody is encoded by a conserved VH gene with no somatic mutation

Recently, the heavy chain of 16/6 idiotype-positive human anti-DNA antibodies was found to be similar, but not identical, to the VH26 gene. We resequenced the VH26 gene and found that its coding sequence is actually identical to the complementary DNA sequence of the anti-DNA antibodies previously described. Together with the previous data, our findings demonstrate that some human autoantibodies are encoded directly by immunoglobulin V region genes, and that these V region genes are remarkably conserved in populations.
Dynamics of Hypoid Gear Transmission With Nonlinear Time-Varying Mesh Characteristics

The coupled translation-rotation vibratory response of hypoid geared rotor system due to loaded transmission error excitation is studied by employing a generalized 3-dimensional dynamic model. The formulation includes the effects of backlash nonlinearity as well as time-dependent mesh position and line-of-action vectors. Its mesh coupling is derived from a qquasi-static, 3-dimensional, loaded tooth contact analysis model that accounts for the precise gear geometry and profile modifications. The numerical simulations show significant tooth separation and occurrence of multi-jump phenomenon in the predicted response spectra under certain lightly loaded operating conditions. Also, resonant modes contributing to the response spectra are identified, and cases with super-harmonics are illustrated. The computational results are then analyzed to quantify the extent of nonlinear and lime-varying factors.
Use of a genetic algorithm for compact stellarator coil design

A new global optimization technique for designing stellarator coils has been developed and applied to the design of coils for the National Compact Stellarator Experiment. Using this technique coil sets were found with fewer coils and lower current densities than those obtained with traditional methods. A new coil design procedure which uses a genetic algorithm as the core optimization method is described and the resulting advanced coil designs presented.
Serum leptin concentrations are not related to dietary patterns but are related to sex, age, body mass index, serum triacylglycerol, serum insulin, and plasma glucose in the US population

Leptin is known to play a role in food intake regulation. The aim of this study was to investigate the relation between serum leptin concentrations and dietary patterns and demographic, lifestyle, and health factors in the US population. Data from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988–1994 were used to study the association between fasting serum leptin and dietary patterns, sex, race-ethnicity, smoking, age, energy and alcohol intakes, body mass index (BMI), plasma glucose, serum triacylglycerol, and serum insulin in 4009 individuals. Factor analysis was used to derive three principle factors and these were labeled as Vegetable, Fruit, and Lean Meat, Western, and Mixed dietary patterns. Serum leptin concentrations were significantly higher in Vegetable, Fruit, and Lean Meat (8.5 fg/L) and Mixed patterns (8.0 fg/L) compared to Western pattern (6.29 fg/L) (P < 0.0001). When analysis was adjusted for confounding variables, no significant association was observed between serum leptin and dietary patterns (P = 0.22). Multivariate adjusted serum leptin concentrations were significantly associated with sex (higher in women than in men; β = -1.052; P < 0.0001), age (direct relation, β = 0.006, P < 0.0001), BMI, (direct relation, β = 0.082, P < 0.0001), fasting plasma glucose (inverse relation, β = -0.024, P = 0.0146), serum triacylglycerol (direct relation, β = 0.034, P = 0.0022), and serum insulin (direct relation, β = 0.003, P < 0.0001) but not with race-ethnicity (P = 0.65), smoking (P = 0.20), energy intake (P = 0.42), and alcohol intake (P = 0.73). In this study, serum leptin was not independently associated with dietary patterns. Sex, age, BMI, serum triacylglycerol, plasma glucose, and serum insulin are independent predictors of serum leptin concentrations.
Adiabatic energy concentration in graded nanoplasmonic waveguides

We predict that surface plasmon polaritons propagating toward the tip of a tapered plasmonic waveguide are slowed down and asymptotically stopped when they tend to the tip, never actually reaching it (the travel time to the tip is logarithmically divergent). This phenomenon causes accumulation of energy and giant local fields at the tip. There are various prospective applications in nanooptics and nanotechnology.
Controllable fair queuing for meeting performance goals

Computing and storage utilities must control resource usage to meet contractual performance targets for hosted customers under dynamic conditions, including flash crowds and unexpected resource failures. This paper explores properties of proportional share resource schedulers that are necessary for stability and responsiveness under feedback control. It shows that the fairness properties commonly defined for proportional share schedulers using Weighted Fair Queuing (WFQ) are not preserved across changes to the relative weights of competing request flows. As a result, conventional WFQ schedulers are not controllable by a resource controller that adapts by adjusting the weights. The paper defines controllable fairness properties, presents an algorithm to adjust any WFQ scheduler when the weights change, and proves that the algorithm results in controllable-fair schedulers. The analytic results are confirmed by experimental evaluation using a three-tier Web service and a prototype controllable-fair scheduler called C-SFQ(D). C-SFQ(D) extends concurrency-controlled Start-time Fair Queuing (SFQ(D), which supports proportional sharing in multi-tasking computing resources. The prototype includes an adaptive control system that adjusts the flow weights in C-SFQ(D) to meet latency and throughput targets under a variety of conditions. The experimental results demonstrate the importance of controllable-fair scheduling for feedback control of computing utilities.
Top Quark Seesaw Theory of Electroweak Symmetry Breaking

We study electroweak symmetry breaking involving the seesaw mechanism of quark condensation. These models produce a composite Higgs boson involving the left-handed top quark, yet the top quark mass arises naturally at the observed scale. We describe a schematic model which illustrates the general dynamical ideas. We also consider a generic low-energy effective theory which includes several composite scalars, and we use the effective potential formalism to compute their spectrum. We develop a more detailed model in which certain features of the schematic model are replaced by additional dynamics.
Estimation of the prior distribution of ground truth in the STAPLE algorithm: an empirical bayesian approach

We present a new fusion algorithm for the segmentation and parcellation of magnetic resonance (MR) images of the brain. Our algorithm is a parametric empirical Bayesian extension of the STAPLE algorithm which uses the observations to accurately estimate the prior distribution of the hidden ground truth using an expectation maximization (EM) algorithm. We use IBSR dataset for the evaluation of our fusion algorithm. We segment 128 principle gray and white matter structures of the brain using our novel method and eight other state-of-the-art algorithms in the literature. Our prior distribution estimation strategy improves the accuracy of the fusion algorithm. It was shown that our new fusion algorithm has superior performance compared to the other state-of-the-art fusion methods in the literature.
Latino/a Immigration: Actions and Outcomes Based on Perceptions and Emotions or Facts?

This article describes how the perceived increase in Latino/a immigration, the present economic conditions, and the tendency to ascribe negative attributes and behaviors to the immigrant are resulting in anti-immigration actions and laws. It directs attention to the detrimental effects that such perceptions, actions, and laws are having on the psychological and social well-being of Latino/a immigrant families and children. Efforts are taken throughout the article to differentiate perceptions from reality and facts from fiction. The article concludes with selective professional, institutional, and legislative policy recommendations that advocate for a more humane treatment of Latino/a immigrant children and families.
Residual Activity of Selected Pesticides on Laying Hens Treated for Northern Fowl Mite Control by Dipping

Abstract Aqueous suspensions of malathion, stirofos, Ravap, and carbaryl formulations (.25 to 1.0%) were tested as dips for control of the northern fowl mite (NFM), Ornithonyssus sylviarum (Canestrini and Fanzago), on caged White Leghorn hens. Hens treated with Ravap showed symptoms of organophosphorus insecticide poisoning soon after treatment and some died as a result of the dip; however, dipping with the other insecticides did not result in any apparent toxic effects. Malathion gave residual control of mites for about 4 weeks posttreatment, but both stirofos and carbaryl dips gave complete control for at least 6 weeks against repeated challenges with the NFM. There were no significant differences in the percent hen-day egg production, feed consumption, or body weight of the hens that could be attributed to any of the chemical treatments.
CONSUMER-CONTROLLED COMMUNITY STATES ON GULF OF MAINE ROCKY SHORES

Mussel beds and algal canopies on Gulf of Maine (USA) rocky shores have been hypothesized to represent stochastically determined community states, but we recently found that they were highly deterministic, consumer-controlled states in a tidal river. Mussel beds dominated high-flow habitats with high larval delivery and low consumer pressure, whereas algal canopies dominated low-flow habitats with high consumer pressure. In this paper we examine the alternative-community-state hypothesis on rocky shores on the open coast of Maine. We hypothesized that community states would be less deterministic due to reduced consumer pressure and more stochastic flow patterns. At 10 mussel-bed and 10 seaweed-canopy sites on the open coast of central Maine, we created 9-m2 and 1-m2 clearings and an unmanipulated control area, each containing control (no caging), caged, and cage-control quadrats. Independent of disturbance patch size, mussel beds and seaweed canopies rapidly began to return to their original community type in the absence of consumers (crabs and snails). With consumers present, recovery of the original communities did occur, but at a much slower pace. Our results suggest that mussel beds and algal canopies in the Gulf of Maine are deterministic consumer-controlled states, rather than being stochastically determined. If stochastic alternative community states exist in this system, they occur in a very restricted subset of habitats where the strong consumer control and determinism we have found in both tidal river and open coast habitats are relaxed.
Why Get Technical? Corruption and the Politics of Public Service Reform in the Indian States

The emergence of new information and communication technologies in the 1990s offered governments opportunities to deliver public services more effectively to their citizens. Yet national and subnational authorities have employed such technologies in highly uneven ways. Drawing on a new data set of technology policy adoption by Indian states, the author argues that political calculations drive variation in the timing and scope of technology policies. Politicians weigh the expected electoral benefits from providing new goods to citizens against the expected electoral costs of reduced access to corrupt funds because of increased transparency. The author shows that the level of bureaucratic corruption in a state is the best predictor of both when states implement policies promoting computer-enabled services and the number of services made available.This finding contrasts with arguments that posit economic or developmental conditions, or alternative electoral and institutional characteristics, as the major dri...
Acute fungal thyroiditis in a patient with acute myelogenous leukaemia

Acute suppurative thyroiditis of any origin is uncommon, but fungal infections of the gland are particularly rare. Haematogenous spread is the usual route of infection. We here present the case of a recently encountered patient with neutropenic fever and Candida thyroiditis. Fine-needle aspiration biopsy greatly aided the diagnosis. In immunocompromised patients, the specimens should be treated with special stains to detect the presence of opportunistic organisms; if any are found, appropriate therapy should be initiated.
Shielding of skyshine interference with radiation detection systems

Skyshine, the radiation scattered from the air above a source, such as radiography or x-ray imaging systems, can be a problematic source of background gamma rays that interfere with radiation detection systems even at very large distances. The effects of skyshine have been studied for many years, but almost entirely within the context of nuclear power and radioactive waste storage. These earlier studies show that modeling of skyshine is made difficult because it must take into account huge volumes of space in the models that slow analysis significantly. This paper reports on results from various modeling and measurement efforts that examine shielding approaches to the skyshine interference problem with radiation detection systems.
The Cardiovascular System — Anatomy, Physiology and Cell Biology

Biomechanics aims to explain the mechanics of life and living. From molecules to organisms, everything must obey the laws of mechanics — Y.C. Fung. The primary function of the cardiovascular system is mass transport, that is, the transport of oxygen, carbon dioxide, nutrients, waste products, hormones, etc., within the body. This system consists primarily of the heart, which serves as the pump, the blood, which serves as the conducting medium, and the vasculature, which serves as the conduit through which the blood flows. Closely related systems are the cardio-pulmonary and reno-vascular systems. The primary organs of the pulmonary system are the lungs, which facilitate the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between the blood and external environment, whereas the primary organs of the renal system are the kidneys, which serve as filters to remove waste products from the blood. Although studying the pulmonary and renal systems is important, interesting, and challenging, we shall focus on the heart and vasculature in this chapter. Moreover, within the vasculature there are numerous ‘special’ circulations, including the cerebral, coronary, pulmonary, and fetal. Our emphasis will be on general characteristics of the vasculature and heart, however.
The Archivist and Service

THE April 1968 number of the American Archivist, our Dr. Jones remarked that his greatest professional satisfaction came from seeing his work used by historians. Most of us would agree with him. Charged with the awesome responsibility of deciding which records of our age are to be available to the historians of the next, we need this encouragement. By and large the archivists and the custodians of manuscripts in North America have done superbly well. If one may judge by the reviews in the quarterlies, the historians of North America publish more history than all of the rest of the world combined. I have heard European historians marvel at the productivity of their American colleagues ; the explanation, of course, is that the European archives and research libraries simply cannot produce the material as fast as the historians can use it. Some of the American scholars who were working in Europe last summer came home dejected, their tasks unfinished, because of the slowness of the service which they encountered. Like most problems, this one has two sides. At the Madrid congress last month, some of the European archivists were saying that they could no longer cope with the swarms of American scholars calling for service, and they seriously proposed requiring an international card of introduction which would guarantee that the visitor could make good use of the service which he requested a sort of international driver's license. In private we discussed the problem of examining the candidates to determine their fitness for such a research permit. The problem of the swarms of visitors would long ago have swamped us all had it not been for the rapidly growing substitution of mail orders asking for microfilm or other machine duplicates. Many a modern historian, sitting at home and ordering microfilm, has in a few years written a book which would have required a lifetime when these services were not available. And the archives has experienced the great advantage of being able to process these orders at its convenience. Although these services which we now afford have absolutely revolutionized the writing of history, they in one way remind me of the old coal-burning locomotives, which were said to operate at about five percent efficiency. The photoduplication departments of the archives and of the university and research libraries of the Western World by their
Relationship between Y-chromosome length and first-trimester spontaneous abortions

The hypothesis that variation in Y-chromosome length is associated with repetitive fetal wastage was tested. Chromosome lengths were objectively quantitated by scanning photographic negatives of metaphases with a computer programmed to (1) select boundary thresholds and (2) construct and measure centerlines with a cubic spline-fitting algorithm. Variation in Y length among cells of different individuals was standardized by use of the ratio of the length of the Y to the average of the lengths of the No. 20s (20) in the same cell. Three groups were studied: (1) men whose wives had three or more spontaneous abortions and no live-born infants, (2) men whose wives had both abortions and normal live-born infants, and (3) control men whose wives had normal live-born infants only. Although central tendencies were similar in the three groups, the distributions of Y lengths among the three groups were significantly different (chi 2(6) = 15.33, 0.025 greater than p greater than 0.010). This difference was primarily because more of the subjects with only repetitive loss had Y lengths in the "tails" of the distribution rather than in the center. Our observations suggest the existence of an optimal Y length with respect to reproductive performance.
Decreased chronic cellular and antibody-mediated injury in the kidney following simultaneous liver-kidney transplantation

In simultaneous liver-kidney transplantation (SLK), the liver can protect the kidney from hyperacute rejection and may also decrease acute cellular rejection rates. Whether the liver protects against chronic injury is unknown. To answer this we studied renal allograft surveillance biopsies in 68 consecutive SLK recipients (14 with donor-specific alloantibodies at transplantation [DSA+], 54 with low or no DSA, [DSA–]). These were compared with biopsies of a matched cohort of kidney transplant alone (KTA) recipients (28 DSA+, 108 DSA–). Overall 5-year patient and graft survival was not different: 93.8% and 91.2% in SLK, and 91.9% and 77.1% in KTA. In DSA+ recipients, KTA had a significantly higher incidence of acute antibody-mediated rejection (46.4% vs. 7.1%) and chronic transplant glomerulopathy (53.6% vs. 0%). In DSA– recipients at 5 years, KTA had a significantly higher cumulative incidence of T cell–mediated rejection (clinical plus subclinical, 30.6% vs. 7.4%). By 5 years, DSA+ KTA had a 44% decline in mean GFR while DSA+SLK had stable GFR. In DSA– KTA, the incidence of a combined endpoint of renal allograft loss or over a 50% decline in GFR was significantly higher (20.4% vs. 7.4%). Simultaneously transplanted liver allograft was the most predictive factor for a significantly lower incidence of cellular (odds ratio 0.13, 95% confidence interval 0.06–0.27) and antibody-mediated injury (odds ratio 0.11, confidence interval 0.03–0.32), as well as graft functional decline (odds ratio 0.22, confidence interval 0.06–0.59). Thus, SLK is associated with reduced chronic cellular and antibody-mediated alloimmune injury in the kidney allograft.
Non-Residential Father–Child Involvement, Interparental Conflict and Mental Health of Children Following Divorce: A Person-Focused Approach

Variable-centered research has found complex relationships between child well-being and two critical aspects of the post-divorce family environment: the level of non-residential father involvement (i.e., contact and supportive relationship) with their children and the level of conflict between the father and mother. However, these analyses fail to capture individual differences based on distinct patterns of interparental conflict, father support and father contact. Using a person-centered latent profile analysis, the present study examined (1) profiles of non-residential father contact, support, and interparental conflict in the 2 years following divorce (N = 240), when children (49 % female) were between 9 and 12 years of age and (2) differences across profiles in concurrent child adjustment outcomes as well as outcomes 6 years later. Four profiles of father involvement were identified: High Contact-Moderate Conflict-Moderate Support, Low Contact-Moderate Conflict-Low Support, High Conflict-Moderate Contact-Moderate Support, and Low Conflict-Moderate Contact-Moderate Support. Concurrently, children with fathers in the group with high conflict were found to have significantly greater internalizing and externalizing problems compared to all other groups. Six years later, children with fathers in the group with low contact and low support were found to have greater internalizing and externalizing problems compared to children with fathers in the high conflict group, and also greater internalizing problems compared to children with fathers in the low conflict group. These results provide insight into the complex relationship among non-residential fathers' conflict, contact, and support in child adjustment within divorcing families.
Elektromyographisches aktivitätsverhalten des M. sphincter ani externus und M. puborectalis im defäkationstest bei patienten mit obstruktiven Entleerungsstörungen

In einer prospektiven elektromyographischen und manometrischen Studie wurde die Aktivitat des M. sphincter ani externus und M. puborectalis bei Ruhe, Kontraktion und Pressen bei 23 Frauen (Durchschnittsalter 52 Jahre) mit obstruktiven Defakationsstorungen untersucht. Als Kontrollgruppe dienten 22 gesunde Frauen mit einem durchschnittlichen Alter von 53 Jahren. In erster Linie sollte uberpruft werden, wie die beiden Muskeln sich bei einer simulierten Defakation (maximales Pressen) funktionell verhalten, und wie die Druckverhaltnisse sich im Rektum und Analkanal dabei andern. Ruhe-, Kontraktions- und Presdruck (Rektum und Analkanal) zeigten zwischen den beiden Gruppen keine signifikanten Unterschiede. Puborectalis und Externus zeigten weitgehend sowohl in der Patienten- als auch in der Kontrollgruppe ein identisches Verhalten. Bis auf die Kontraktionsamplitude des M. puborectalis konnte man keine weitere statistischen Unterschiede zwischen den beiden Gruppen nachweisen. Beim Versuch, die veranderte Aktivitat als Anismusindex zu erfassen, konnte eine solche Veranderung weder fur den M. sphincter ani externus noch fur den M. puborectalis objektiviert werden. Daraus folgern wir, das eine elektromyographisch nachgewiesene Aktivitatszunahme der willkurlichen Beckenbodenmuskulatur wahrend der Defakation weniger eine pathologische Situation, sondern vielmehr einen Funktionszustand reprasentiert.
Densification of Bi-Pb-Sr-Ca-Cu-O Bulk Superconductor by Hot Press Sintering and Critical Current Density

Bi1.84Pb0.34Sr2.03Ca1.9Cu3.06Oy bulk superconductors were prepared by hot press sintering at 780°-820°C at 4.9MPa-24.5MPa in air for 2h. The relationship between the porosity (p) of the sample and hot pressing conditions was empirically formulated using the following equations, ln(p)=-3Pt/(4η)+ln(p0), η=η0exp(E/RT), where P is the hot pressing pressure, t is the hot pressing time, η is the viscosity, p0 is the porosity of the compact body, E is the activation energy for viscous flow and T is the temperature. The values of η0 and E were evaluated to be 80Pa⋅s and 184kJ/mol, respectively. With increasing bulk density, the resistivity at room temperature decreased and the critical temperature of each grain, which was evaluated from the temperature dependence of magnetization, decreased. The temperature dependence of resistivity greatly differed among samples with various bulk densities. The critical current density increased with increasing bulk density. The relationship between these superconducting properties and the bulk density was explained in terms of the two factors, that is, the increase in grain coupling strengths and the decrease in oxygen content, which were caused by the densification of the sample.
Sun-tracking imaging system for intra-hour DNI forecasts

Abstract A Sun-tracking imaging system is implemented for minimizing circumsolar image distortion for improved short-term solar irradiance forecasts. This sky-imaging system consists of a fisheye digital camera mounted on an automatic solar tracker that follows the diurnal pattern of the Sun. The Sun is located at the geometric center of the sky images where the fisheye distortion is minimized. Images from this new system provide more information about the circumsolar sky cover, which provides critical information for intra-hour solar forecasts, particularly for direct normal irradiance. An automatic masking algorithm has been developed to separate the sky area from ground obstacles and the image edges for each image that is collected. Then numerical image features are extracted from the segmented sky area and are used as exogenous inputs to MultiLayer Perceptron (MLP) models for direct normal irradiance forecasts. Sixty-seven days of irradiance and image measurements are used to train, optimize, and assess the MLP-based forecast models for solar irradiance. The results show that the MLP forecasts based on the newly proposed sky-imaging system significantly outperform the reference models in terms of statistical metrics and forecast skill, particularly for shorter horizons, achieving forecast skills 18%–50% higher than the skills of a reference MLP-based model that is based on a zenith-pointed, stationary sky-imaging system.
The Corporate Welfare State: How the Federal Government Subsidizes U.S. Businesses

The federal government spent $92 billion in direct and indirect subsidies to businesses and private-sector corporate entities - expenditures commonly referred to as corporate welfare - in fiscal year 2006. Supporters of corporate welfare programs often justify them as remedying some sort of market failure. Often the market failures on which the programs are predicated are either overblown or don't exist. Yet the federal government continues to subsidize some of the biggest companies in America. Boeing, Xerox, IBM, Motorola, Dow Chemical, General Electric, and others have received millions in taxpayer-funded benefits through programs like the Advanced Technology Program and the Export-Import Bank. In addition, the federal crop subsidy programs continue to fund the wealthiest farmers. Because the corporate welfare state transcends any specific agency - and therefore any specific congressional committee - one way to reform or terminate those programs would be through a corporate welfare reform commission (CWRC). That commission could function like the successful military base closure commission. The CWRC would compose a list of corporate welfare programs to eliminate, and then present that list to Congress, which would be required to hold an up-or-down vote on the commission's proposal.
Efficiently solving general rearrangement tasks: A fast extension primitive for an incremental sampling-based planner

Manipulating multiple movable obstacles is a hard problem that involves searching high-dimensional C-spaces. A milestone method for this problem was able to compute solutions for monotone instances. These are problems where every object needs to be transferred at most once to achieve a desired arrangement. The method uses backtracking search to find the order with which objects should be moved. This paper first proposes an approximate but significantly faster alternative for monotone rearrangement instances. The method defines a dependency graph between objects given minimum constraint removal paths (MCR) to transfer each object to its target. From this graph, the approach discovers the order of moving objects by performing topological sorting without backtracking search. The approximation arises from the limitation to consider only MCR paths, which minimize, however, the number of conflicts between objects. To solve non-monotone instances, this primitive is incorporated in a higher-level incremental search algorithm for general rearrangement planning, which operates similar to Bi-RRT. Given a start and a goal object arrangement, tree structures of reachable new arrangements are generated by using the primitive as an expansion procedure. The integrated solution achieves probabilistic completeness for the general non-monotone case and based on simulated experiments it achieves very good success ratios, solution times and path quality relative to alternatives.
Adaptive mean shift for target- tracking in FLIR imagery

In this paper, we present a novel adaptive mean-shift tracker for tracking moving targets in the FLIR imagery, captured from an airborne moving platform. First, each target's position is manually marked at the first frame to initialize the adaptive mean-shift based tracker. For each target, multiple different features are extracted from both the targets and background during tracking, and an on-line feature ranking method is deployed to adaptively select the most discriminative feature for the mean-shift iteration. In addition, to compensate the motion of the moving platform, a block matching method is applied to compute the motion vector, which will be used in the RANSAC algorithm to estimate the affine model for global motion. We test our method on the AMCOM FLIR data set, the results indicate that our Adaptive mean-shift tracker can track each target accurately and robustly.