cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Disability as Cultural Diversity: Counseling the Hearing Impaired

In recent years, the field of counseling has begun to push for a greater awareness and broader definition of cultural diversity. However, although ethnic/racial and gender diversity has been addressed, clients who have disabilities continue to be an overlooked population. This article addresses the disability of hearing impairments, and extends cultural diversity to this disability as a means of improving our work with clients who are hearing impaired Criteria for understanding hearing impairments are given, and methods of communication are presented Misconceptions about the deaf and the hard of hearing are discussed, with an emphasis on the special characteristics of this population. Issues in counseling the hearing impaired are outlined, focusing on communication dificulties, psychological assessment, and treatment techniques. Finally, recommendations regarding research, training, and practice are given.
English Literacy in the U.S.: National Policies, Personal Consequences

This article examines the relationship between U.S. national policies on literacy, available literacy programs, and individual lives. Beginning with a discussion of the expanding role of English literacy in U.S. immigration policies, this article examines the pressures to become literate in English with consideration given to the resources that are available to do so. In the second section, language use in immigrant families is discussed with a focus on native language loss and the consequences of this loss for intergenerational relationships. The article concludes with suggestions for an approach to literacy in which the links between national policies and personal lives are made explicit. The authors make recommendations for policy and practice that take into account the plurality of literacies and the possibilities for nurturing families and communities through the development of native and second language literacy resources.
The Private Production of Public Goods: Organizational Maintenance, Managers' Objectives, and Collective Goals

I reformulate Mancur Olson's by-product theory of collective action as a theory of resource allocation by interest group managers. I then test alternative hypotheses about managers' objectives drawn from exchange theory and commitment theory. Financial data for 16 environmental citizen groups show that the production of public goods is subsidized by other activities, and revenues from member dues are not affected by spending on public goods. Spending on selective incentives and information generates revenues but also may contribute to the pursuit of collective goals. Estimated marginal revenues from fund-raising and selective incentives show that environmental citizen group managers are not preoccupied with maximizing revenues. Rather, they seek to maximize either spending on public goods or net resources available for influencing public policy and the environment, subject to a budget constraint.
Biophysical Models of Radiation Bystander Effects: 1. Spatial Effects in Three-Dimensional Tissues

Non-targeted (bystander) effects of ionizing radiation are caused by intercellular signaling; they include production of DNA damage and alterations in cell fate (i.e. apoptosis, differentiation, senescence or proliferation). Biophysical models capable of quantifying these effects may improve cancer risk estimation at radiation doses below the epidemiological detection threshold. Understanding the spatial patterns of bystander responses is important, because it provides estimates of how many bystander cells are affected per irradiated cell. In a first approach to modeling of bystander spatial effects in a three-dimensional artificial tissue, we assume the following: (1) The bystander phenomenon results from signaling molecules (S) that rapidly propagate from irradiated cells and decrease in concentration (exponentially in the case of planar symmetry) as distance increases. (2) These signals can convert cells to a long-lived epigenetically activated state, e.g. a state of oxidative stress; cells in this state are more prone to DNA damage and behavior alterations than normal and therefore exhibit an increased response (R) for many end points (e.g. apoptosis, differentiation, micronucleation). These assumptions are implemented by a mathematical formalism and computational algorithms. The model adequately describes data on bystander responses in the 3D system using a small number of adjustable parameters.
Abstraktionen zur Programmierung

Heutige Multimedia-Anwendungen, die als Produkte verfugbar sind, wurden und werden meist in herkommlichen prozeduralen Programmiersprachen (z.B. in C) realisiert. Multimediaspezifische Funktionen — wie das Verandern der Lautstarke wahrend der Wiedergabe einer Audiopassage — werden oft hoch uber hardwarespezifische Bibliotheken aufgerufen bzw. kontrolliert. Auch die Awendungsschnittstellen der Betriebssystemerweiterungen fur Multimnedia-Komponenten sind teilweise noch hardwareabhangig.
Implementing Home Blood Pressure Into Practice What More Do We Need

See related article, pp 1081–1086 The growing worldwide epidemic of high blood pressure in both developed and developing nations is a challenge on many levels.1 The need for better prevention of cardiovascular disease through control of hypertension is clear.2 Public awareness of the need to treat hypertension is partly reflected by the widespread purchases of home blood pressure devices in several of the developed countries. In the United States, Japan, and Finland, the estimates are that 55% to 75% of hypertensive patients already have a home device.3 Research studies have provided a robust epidemiological basis for supporting the greater accuracy of home blood pressure monitoring (HBPM) compared with clinic pressures for prognosis of fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular disease in long-term follow-up surveys and in cross-sectional designs.4 There is a general consensus that HBPM is more convenient, available, and less costly than ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, but the superiority of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring for special clinical problems (ie, detection of nondippers or need for sleep pressures in chronic renal disease, autonomic neuropathies, and sleep apnea) is also clearly recognized.5 Surveys of both physicians6 and patients7 suggest that HBPM is both appreciated and recognized as a valuable strategy. Several experts in the field of hypertension research and care have published appeals to expand the use of HPBM for routine care and to have it supported by health care …
Applications of dynamic nuclear polarization to the study of reactions and reagents in organic and biomolecular chemistry

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) is an important spectroscopic tool for the identification and structural characterization of molecules in chemistry and biochemistry. The most significant limitation of NMR compared to other spectroscopies is its relatively low sensitivity, which thus often requires long measurement times or large amounts of sample. A way of increasing sensitivity of single scan NMR spectra by several orders of magnitude is through hyperpolarization of nuclear spins. Dynamic nuclear polarization allows hyperpolarization of most spins in small molecules encountered in chemistry and biochemistry. NMR spectra of small amounts of samples from natural source, or from chemical synthesis can readily be acquired. Perhaps more interestingly, the availability of the entire hyperpolarized NMR signal in one single scan allows the measurement of transient processes in real time, if applied together with a stopped-flow technique. Through observation of chemical shift, different reactant and product species can be distinguished, and kinetics and mechanisms, for example in enzyme catalyzed reactions, can be elucidated. Real-time hyperpolarization-enhanced NMR is uniquely amenable to correlating atomic positions not only through space, but also over time between reactant and product species. Such correlations carry mechanistic information about a reaction, and can prove reaction pathways. Applications of this technique are emerging in different areas of chemistry concerned with rapid reactions, including not only enzymatic processes, but also chemical catalysis and protein folding.
IL28B genotype and the expression of ISGs in normal liver.

Background & Aims Both polymorphisms in the IL28B gene locus and ISG expression levels are associated with the outcome of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The two are also interrelated, although the mechanism is unknown. Favourable CC genotype at rs12979860 expresses lower baseline ISG levels and responds better to treatment than unfavourable CT and TT genotypes. Little is known about this relationship in normal, uninfected liver. This study sought to explore this relationship. Methods Normal human liver specimens (64) and HCV positive human liver specimens (95) were genotyped for IL28B rs12979860 C > T. mRNA levels of ISGs and other relevant genes were studied by qPCR. Results Most studied ISGs had significantly different expression by IL28B genotype in normal liver. CC genotype expressed the highest levels, CT intermediate and TT the lowest. This is opposite to the pattern seen in HCV patients. Principal component analysis of IL28B genotype and ISG expression further revealed a distinct set of genes correlated with the C allele (ISG15, HTATIP2, LGALS3BP, IRF2 and BCL2) and T allele (IFNα, β, γ, λ3 and CD80). Conclusion A subset of ISGs was found to be differentially expressed in normal liver by IL28B genotype. This suggests a relationship between IL28B genotype and gene expression before HCV infection.
Evolution of Adaptation and Mate Choice: Parental Relatedness Affects Expression of Phenotypic Variance in a Natural Population

Mating between relatives generally results in reduced offspring viability or quality, suggesting that selection should favor behaviors that minimize inbreeding. However, in natural populations where searching is costly or variation among potential mates is limited, inbreeding is often common and may have important consequences for both offspring fitness and phenotypic variation. In particular, offspring morphological variation often increases with greater parental relatedness, yet the source of this variation, and thus its evolutionary significance, are poorly understood. One proposed explanation is that inbreeding influences a developing organism’s sensitivity to its environment and therefore the increased phenotypic variation observed in inbred progeny is due to greater inputs from environmental and maternal sources. Alternatively, changes in phenotypic variation with inbreeding may be due to additive genetic effects alone when heterozygotes are phenotypically intermediate to homozygotes, or effects of inbreeding depression on condition, which can itself affect sensitivity to environmental variation. Here we examine the effect of parental relatedness (as inferred from neutral genetic markers) on heritable and nonheritable components of developmental variation in a wild bird population in which mate choice is often constrained, thereby leading to inbreeding. We found greater morphological variation and distinct contributions of variance components in offspring from highly related parents: inbred offspring tended to have greater environmental and lesser additive genetic variance compared to outbred progeny. The magnitude of this difference was greatest in late-maturing traits, implicating the accumulation of environmental variation as the underlying mechanism. Further, parental relatedness influenced the effect of an important maternal trait (egg size) on offspring development. These results support the hypothesis that inbreeding leads to greater sensitivity of development to environmental variation and maternal effects, suggesting that the evolutionary response to selection will depend strongly on mate choice patterns and population structure.
Glass fiber–reinforced polymer–packaged fiber Bragg grating sensors for ultra-thin unbonded concrete overlay monitoring:

The US Department of Transportation suggests a minimum thickness of 7 in (178 mm) to 8 in (203 mm) for unbonded concrete overlay. Thinner overlays driven by economic advantages have attracted worldwide attention. To prove the feasibility of thinner overlay, especially ultra-thin unbonded concrete overlays, robust overlay assessment techniques are demanded. In this article, glass fiber–reinforced polymer–packaged fiber Bragg grating sensors were developed and deployed to evaluate the early performance of fiber-reinforced unbonded concrete overlay with a thickness of 3 in (76 mm) placed on a 7.5-in (191-mm) concrete pavement, using a fabric interlayer as bond breaker. The early performance of the ultra-thin concrete overlay within a year was monitored and investigated, indicating the occurrence of transverse cracks located adjacent to the transverse cracks in the existing pavements. The numerical analysis and field experiments confirmed the accuracy and robustness of the fiber optic sensors, which showed th...
Laboratory Diagnosis of Lower Respiratory Tract Infections: Controversy and Conundrums

Lower respiratory tract infections are among the most common infectious diseases of humans worldwide. In the United States alone, pneumonia and influenza rank as the sixth leading cause of death (18). Changes in the characteristics of the population as it ages and the swelling numbers of patients with immunocompromising conditions have increased the number of individuals at risk. An expanded variety of emerging pathogens likewise provides challenges for the microbiology laboratory. Overtreatment of acute uncomplicated bronchitis, which is largely due to viruses, has led to unparalleled levels of multidrug resistance among invasive pathogens such as Streptococcous pneumoniae. Practice guidelines for a rational approach to the evaluation and treatment of patients with acute bronchitis have recently been published in an effort to decrease the overuse of antibiotics and as an attempt to prevent further increases in rates of resistance (8). The laboratory’s role here is very limited. The role of the microbiology laboratory in the diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) remains controversial. Limitations of diagnostic tests have led to the development of guidelines for empirical treatment approaches (2, 3). Less controversial is the need to establish an etiology in the hospitalized patient and the immunocompromised host with lower respiratory tract infection. This minireview addresses the major categories of lower respiratory tract infections, the most common etiologic agents, and the laboratory tests (and their limitations) available to diagnose them.
A high voltage PMOS transistor for quenching of geiger-mode avalanche photodiodes in deep submicron CMOS technologies

In this work, we present a quenching transistor with a high voltage tolerance at the drain designed to allow for safe operation of a single-photon-counting avalanche photodiode fabricated in the TSMC 0.18 mum, 1.8 V process.
Asymptomatic Gallstones Revisited: Is There a Role for Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy?

Objective To compare the mortality effects of prophylactic laparoscopic cholecystectomy with that of expectant management in persons with asymptomatic gallstones. Design Decision analytic models of the two clinical strategies using input data from a review of the published medical literature pertaining to the epidemiology, natural history, and treatment outcomes related to gallstone disease. Patients Cohorts of men and women aged 30 and 50 years with asymptomatic gallstones. Intervention Prophylactic laparoscopic cholecystectomy performed at the time of diagnosis of asymptomatic gallstones or expectant management, defined as therapeutic intervention delayed until gallstone symptoms or complications spontaneously develop. Main outcome measures Gallstone-related deaths and gallstone-related life-years lost for each age and gender cohort, by strategy. Models were subjected to rigorous sensitivity analysis to test the robustness of the results to changes in individual input variables. Outcomes were calculated with and without discounting nonfinancial benefits. Results The prophylactic laparoscopic cholecystectomy strategy led to fewer gallstone-related deaths than the expectant management strategy, but all of the deaths in the prophylactic laparoscopic cholecystectomy group occurred earlier in life. In cohorts older than age 30 years, the expectant management strategy resulted in fewer undiscounted gallstone life-years lost than the prophylactic laparoscopic cholecystectomy strategy. Discounting favored expectant management further because life-years lost were delayed compared with prophylactic surgery. Sensitivity analysis demonstrated the superiority of expectant management over a wide range of input assumptions. Conclusions Prophylactic laparoscopic cholecystectomy should not be routinely recommended for individuals with asymptomatic gallstones.
Using Excel's Matrix Operations to Facilitate Reciprocal Cost Allocations

The reciprocal method of service department cost allocation requires linear equations to be solved simultaneously. These computations are often so complex as to cause the abandonment of the reciprocal method in favor of the less sophisticated direct or step-down methods. Here is a short example demonstrating how Excel's sometimes unknown matrix operations can be used to greatly simplify the reciprocal allocation method. Students do not need to possess a strong background in matrix algebra to use this approach.
Using root cause analysis for evaluating program improvement

A common evaluation purpose is to determine whether a policy or program was implemented as intended: referred to as formative evaluation, process evaluation, or evaluating program improvement. A we...
How Does the Life Satisfaction of the Poor, Least Educated, and Least Satisfied Change as Average Life Satisfaction Increases?

We study subjective life satisfaction inequality in the United States using panel data from the 2005 to 2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. We aggregate individual level data to the state level and study how the average self-reported life satisfaction of various income, education, and life satisfaction groups changes with the average self-reported life satisfaction of the state. We find that the subjective life satisfaction of the least satisfied does not increase in equal proportion with the average life satisfaction of society, suggesting that increasing satisfaction levels are likely to lead to greater life satisfaction inequality. However, the life satisfaction of the poorest and least educated does increase in equal proportions with average life satisfaction.
Low-dose near-celiac arterial cholecystokinin suppresses food intake in rats

Exogenous cholecystokinin (CCK) suppresses food intake by acting on vagal sensory neurons. However, CCK doses used in behavioral experiments are generally much larger than those necessary to produce electrophysiological changes in vagal afferents. We made automated measurements of liquid food intake before, during, and after infusion of low doses of CCK octapeptide (CCK-8) through a chronic aortic catheter with its tip seated just above the celiac juncture. In parallel experiments, we made similar infusions while collecting blood from the hepatic portal and jugular veins for CCK assay. Injection of 10, 30, 50, and 70 pmol of CCK-8 suppressed feeding in a dose-dependent manner beginning 1 min postinfusion. The lowest dose to produce statistically significant suppression of preinfusion intake was 30 pmol. Infusion of the same CCK-8 doses into the jugular vein did not suppress feeding. Near-celiac injection of 30 pmol of CCK-8 produced systemic plasma CCK concentrations averaging 6.5 +/- 1 pM compared with less than 1 pM after saline injection. These findings show that exogenous CCK, by acting on tissues perfused by the celiac artery, can suppress feeding at doses that 1) are similar to those producing effects on the firing of vagal neurons and 2) do not increase plasma CCK concentrations above postprandial levels.
IL-1α Enhancement of Platinum-Mediated Anti-Tumor Activity

Cytokines or biological response modifiers have been utilized in combination with conventional chemotherapeutic agents to increase cytotoxic drug-mediated efficacy and to reduce the associated toxic side effects. Interleukin-1 (IL-1) is a multifunctional cytokine, primarily produced by monocyte/macrophages1–4, that plays a central role in the activation of T and B cells3,4, potentiates hematopoiesis both in vitro and in vivo5–9, and induces the synthesis of other cytokines and regulatory molecules3,10,11. Studies in our laboratories have demonstrated that IL-1α induces acute tumor hemorrhagic necrosis, changes in tumor blood flow, an increase of tumor clonogenic cell kill and enhancement of cytotoxic drug-mediated anti-tumor effects in murine tumor model systems12–20. We focus our discussion here on IL-1’s activities in the treatment of solid tumors either alone or in combination with the platinum agents, cisplatin or carboplatin.
Wnt/β-catenin-signaling and the formation of Müller glia-derived progenitors in the chick retina

Muller glia can be stimulated to de-differentiate, proliferate, and form Muller glia-derived progenitor cells (MGPCs) that are capable of producing retinal neurons. The signaling pathways that influence the de-differentiation of mature Muller glia and proliferation of MGPCs may include the Wnt-pathway. The purpose of this study was to investigate how Wnt-signaling influences the formation of MGPCs in the chick retina in vivo. In NMDA-damaged retinas where MGPCs are known to form, we find dynamic changes in retinal levels of potential readouts of Wnt-signaling, including dkk1, dkk3, axin2, c-myc, tcf-1, and cd44. We find accumulations of nuclear β-catenin in MGPCs that peaks at 3 days and rapidly declines by 5 days after NMDA-treatment. Inhibition of Wnt-signaling with XAV939 in damaged retinas suppressed the formation of MGPCs, increased expression of ascl1a and decreased hes5, but had no effect upon the differentiation of progeny produced by MGPCs. Activation of Wnt-signaling, with GSK3β-inhibitors, in the absence of retinal damage, failed to stimulate the formation of MGPCs, whereas activation of Wnt-signaling in damaged retinas stimulated the formation of MGPCs. In the absence of retinal damage, FGF2/MAPK-signaling stimulated the formation of MGPCs by activating a signaling network that includes Wnt/β-catenin. In FGF2-treated retinas, inhibition of Wnt-signaling reduced numbers of proliferating MGPCs, whereas activation of Wnt-signaling failed to influence the formation of proliferating MGPCs. Our findings indicate that Wnt-signaling is part of a network initiated by FGF2/MAPK or retinal damage, and activation of canonical Wnt-signaling is required for the formation of proliferating MGPCs. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 76: 983-1002, 2016.
Effect of hyperbaric oxygen on aerobic bacteria in vitro and in vivo.

SummaryStrains of E. coli, A. aerogenes, P. aeruginosa, S. typhimurium, P. tnirabilis, D. pneumoniae, S. aureus, and Strep, pyo-genes in broth multiply in oxygen at 30 pounds per square inch absolute (p.s.i.a.). The rate of growth and the peak titer achieved were frequently inhibited in oxygen as compared with air at 15 p.s.i.a. The inhibitory effect of oxygen was most marked with S. typhimurium, D. pneumoniae and S. aureus and was minimal or absent with P. mirabilis, A. aerogenes and E. coli. In general, 24-hour cultures were more susceptible to the inhibitory activity of oxygen than were 4-hour cultures. Each of the strains of aerobic bacteria grew on the surfaces of agar plates when incubated in oxygen or air. Although equal numbers of colonies developed in oxygen and air? differences in colonial morphology were noted in some of the strains incubated in oxygen. Exposure to oxygen at 45 p.s.i.a. did not protect mice against death from infection produced by intravenous administration of D. pneumoniae, S....
Epi-illumination darkfield through a microscope objective for imaging and spectral analysis of nanoparticle interaction with cells in culture

Existing darkfield illumination schemes are incompatible with many types of samples and/or procedures. We present a darkfield scheme which addresses these incompatibilities. We then apply the scheme to evaluate nanoparticles binding cancer cells in culture.
We Are Not Slaves: Rethinking the Rise of Carceral States through the Lens of the Prisoners' Rights Movement

In November 1966 Fred Arispe Cruz sat naked in a darkened cell in the solitary confinement wing of the O. B. Ellis Unit in the Texas state prison system. Cruz was a frequent visitor to solitary, but this particular stay seemed to him truly unjust, as the cause was the guards’ discovery of a copy of the U.S. Constitution in his cell. Cruz had been a prisoner in Texas since 1961, when he arrived at the Harlem Prison Farm on thirty-five-yearand fifteen-year convictions for aggravated robbery. Within his first year as a prisoner within the Texas Department of Corrections, Cruz continued legal work on his appeal and became one of the earliest inmate pioneers to learn law and act as a jailhouse lawyer. Texas prisoners who acted as their own attorneys wrote appeals and writs of habeas corpus for court-ordered intervention, seeking relief from what they argued were unjust and illegal detentions.1 Among his fellow prisoners, Cruz was known as one of those “writ writers,” but among prison administrators he was simply called an “agitator.” He became an avid student of the law, mastering legal precedents, rules, and procedures, and his reputation among other inmates, particularly among Chicano prisoners and black Muslim prisoners, became such that they sought him out for help on their appeals processes. As Cruz’s fame grew between 1962 and 1966, so did the animosity of his captors, who increasingly viewed him as a threat to the prison system’s otherwise-comprehensive control and power. Prison administrators barred Cruz, and any other writ writer, from keeping legal material in his cell, on the grounds that it was illegal for any inmate to work on the cases of fellow prisoners. When Ellis Prison administrators found the Constitution in Cruz’s cell, they argued that the framing document for American government constituted “legal material,” and they subsequently cast Cruz once again into the darkness of solitary confinement. This action sparked a prison-made civil rights
Multiple soliton solutions and other exact solutions for a two-mode KdV equation

In this work, we study the two-mode Korteweg–de Vries (TKdV) equation, which describes the propagation of two different waves modes simultaneously. We show that the TKdV equation gives multiple soliton solutions for specific values of the nonlinearity and dispersion parameters involved in the equation. We also derive other distinct exact solutions for general values of these parameters. We apply the simplified Hirota's method to study the specific of the parameters, which gives multiple soliton solutions. We also use the tanh/coth method and the tan/cot method to obtain other set of solutions with distinct physical structures. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Impact of stochastically distributed renewable PV generation on distribution network

Small-scale and decentralized renewable distributed generation (DG) systems, especially PV systems, will soon be dispersed in distribution networks. The objective of this study is to present tools and algorithms useful for planning distribution networks enhanced by randomly distributed DG. To remove the uncertainties of the location, the capacity, and the field orientation of randomly distributed PV systems, a stochastic simulation algorithm is implemented. The stochastic simulation analyzes the impact of stochastically dispersed residential PV systems from the perspective of energy, especially regarding peak power, electricity generation costs, and emissions, and quantifies the effects of the method of variance reduction, including importance sampling.
Computational Methods for Name Normalization Using Hypocoristic Personal Name Variants

A growing body of research addresses name normalization as part of coreference and entity resolution systems, but the problem of hypocoristics has not been systematically addressed as a component to such systems. In many languages, these name variants are governed by morphological and morphophonological constraints, providing a dataset rich in features that may be used to train and run matching systems. This paper gives a full treatment to the phenomenon of hypocoristics and presents a supervised learning method that takes advantage of their properties to untangle the relationships between hypocoristic name variants and corresponding full form names.
Abstract A66: Disparities between African Americans and Caucasians: An analysis of the SEER Program for all anatomic sites and histological tumor types

Background: Studies have consistently revealed that the incidence of cancer is greater in black Americans than in white Americans for most malignant tumors. This difference has been observed primarily in cancers of the prostate gland, large intestine, breast (premenopausal), and lung. These most common cancers account for 53% of all malignant tumors in blacks and 50% in whites. However, there is no reason to assume that racial differences exist only in the most common epithelial cancers; they may also exist in other less common tumors, such as sarcomas, carcinoids, and lymphomas. Therefore, we reviewed the entire SEER Program seeking specific racial differences in patterns for the less common tumors in comparison with the more common tumors. Specifically, we investigated whether black-white differences seen in the incidence of common tumors also extend to the rare and unusual tumors and whether there are differences in the distribution of histological tumor types. Methods: Data from NCI9s SEER Program, Registry 13, (data collected from 1992 through 2005) were used to extract incident cases of tumors for blacks and whites. A total of 2,525,979 cases were reported to SEER in these years. Incident cases were stratified by tumor location, histology, age, and gender where appropriate to examine the interaction of black-white patterns of cancer incidence in the U.S. In the more commonly occurring tumors the distribution of specific histological subtypes was also compared. Incidence rates were expressed as number of cases per 100,000 persons. Results: U.S. blacks have higher rates of a number of cancers compared to U.S. whites, including those of the oral cavity, digestive system, lung, prostate, kidney, and some uncommon tumors, such as Kaposi9s sarcoma, thymomas, sarcomas, fibromas, leiomyosarcoma, and rhabdomyosarcoma. In contrast, whites have a higher incidence of cancers of the breast, ovary, testes, bladder, skin, brain, and endocrine, and hematopoietic systems, as well as childhood cancers. For some cancers, trends were increasing in whites and decreasing in blacks, and vice versa. Whites were found to have higher rates of in-situ cancers in all sites except for the GI tract. Conclusions: Analysis of the SEER registry from 1992–2005 demonstrates differential rates of cancer incidence and histological tumor types in U.S. blacks and whites for common as well as less common occurring tumors including sarcomas. These results should be considered in any analysis of the disparities. Most conspicuous was the difference in rates for the gastrointestinal cancers and hematopoietic malignancies. Gastrointestinal system cancers were significantly more common in blacks, but cancers of the hematopoietic system were more common in whites. These differences, though unresolved, may result from genomic events or environmental, dietary, or other factors including a possible differences in carcinogenic pathways, since GI cancers usually result from point mutations, but hematopoietic cancers from translocations.
Basic Water Relations

This article is a reproduction of the previous edition article by P.S. Nobel (retired), volume 3, pp. 1435–1440, © 2003, Elsevier Ltd.
Voodoo - a vector algebra for portable database performance on modern hardware

In-memory databases require careful tuning and many engineering tricks to achieve good performance. Such database performance engineering is hard: a plethora of data and hardware-dependent optimization techniques form a design space that is difficult to navigate for a skilled engineer --- even more so for a query compiler. To facilitate performance-oriented design exploration and query plan compilation, we present Voodoo, a declarative intermediate algebra that abstracts the detailed architectural properties of the hardware, such as multi- or many-core architectures, caches and SIMD registers, without losing the ability to generate highly tuned code. Because it consists of a collection of declarative, vector-oriented operations, Voodoo is easier to reason about and tune than low-level C and related hardware-focused extensions (Intrinsics, OpenCL, CUDA, etc.). This enables our Voodoo compiler to produce (OpenCL) code that rivals and even outperforms the fastest state-of-the-art in memory databases for both GPUs and CPUs. In addition, Voodoo makes it possible to express techniques as diverse as cache-conscious processing, predication and vectorization (again on both GPUs and CPUs) with just a few lines of code. Central to our approach is a novel idea we termed control vectors, which allows a code generating frontend to expose parallelism to the Voodoo compiler in a abstract manner, enabling portable performance across hardware platforms.We used Voodoo to build an alternative backend for MonetDB, a popular open-source in-memory database. Our backend allows MonetDB to perform at the same level as highly tuned in-memory databases, including HyPeR and Ocelot. We also demonstrate Voodoo's usefulness when investigating hardware conscious tuning techniques, assessing their performance on different queries, devices and data.
A New Conserved Player in Lymphatic Morphogenesis

The lymphatic system comprises a network of interconnected and blind-ended vessels whose central function is to maintain fluid homeostasis.1 Similar to the vessels of the circulatory system, the lymphatic system consists of a hierarchical network of small and large caliber vessels, which function together to allow fluid drainage. Lymphatic capillaries are lined by endothelial cells that are highly discontinuous, making them permeable to surrounding fluid to facilitate resorption. By contrast, larger lymphatic collecting ducts possess a thin smooth muscle layer and valves to promote unidirectional transport of fluid toward connection points with the circulatory system at the subclavian veins. In addition to fluid homeostasis, the lymphatic system and the constituent lymph nodes are a portal for lymphocytes, as well as antigen-presenting cells, while also functioning in lipid absorption in the digestive system.1 Given their wide-ranging importance in these normal physiological processes, it is not surprising that the lymphatic system is implicated in several pathological conditions. Indeed, inflammation is intimately associated with lymphatic function and is a central cause of lymphedema in a wide range of acquired and congenital diseases.1 Notably, congenital forms of lymphedema are associated with mutations in several genes important for lymphatic vessel formation, including those encoding the receptor tyrosine kinase FLT4 and its ligand, VEGFC.2 Articles, see p 1263 and 1276 The lymphatic system is also essential for cardiac homeostasis and has been increasingly implicated in related diseases. Importantly, lymphatic vessels can play a central role to facilitate repair of cardiac tissue after myocardial infarction.3 Indeed, injection of VEGFC after myocardial infarction can lead to sustained improvement in cardiac function, including increased ejection fraction, and reduction in both end-systolic volume and hypertrophy. In these cases, the presence of additional lymphatic vessels induced by VEGFC is thought to better resolve post-myocardial infarction edema …
Estimating spatial distribution of natural fractures by changing NMR T2 relaxation with magnetic nanoparticles

Abstract Natural fractures have been widely found and thought to be an important factor in creating a complex hydraulic fractures network and improving hydrocarbon production in shale reservoirs. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is extensively applied to measure in-situ petrophysical properties, and magnetic nanoparticles provide good contrast agents to distinguish hydrogen relaxation time for NMR. The objective of this paper was to estimate spatial distribution of natural fractures in shale gas reservoirs by applying magnetic nanoparticles to change the NMR relaxation times. Firstly, a three-dimensional (3D) reservoir model including multiple natural fractures was built to investigate the flow of nanoparticles and the distribution of volume magnetic susceptibility (VMS) when injecting magnetic nanoparticles. The sensitivity analyses about nanoparticle concentration and nanoparticles size were investigated. Secondly, a forward model was introduced about how to obtain Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill (CPMG) echo decay trains from given relaxation times. Thirdly, an inversion method was presented to convert the typical CPMG echo decay curve into the distribution of T 2 relaxation amplitudes and times. The inversion method was used to show the change of T 2 amplitude and time for the two synthetic cases with and without magnetic nanoparticles. The dynamic distribution of nanoparticles concentration and VMS are graphically displayed along each time step in 3D mesh. The results show that magnetic nanoparticles bring much larger VMS while most nanoparticles only flow into these natural fractures (NF) directly connected with wellbore. The others’ NF have somewhat higher VMS than matrix. Additionally, based on various sensitivity cases, a higher concentration of nanoparticles yields a stronger magnetic field, and larger nanoparticle size could lead to higher VMS, although the nanoparticles face stronger flow resistance and less diffusion movement. The CPMG decay curve is a multi-dimensional exponential function related to relaxation amplitudes and times, and the least squares minimization technique can be applied to obtain the T 2 amplitudes from CPMG curve. The comparison between two synthetic cases shows the amplitude for small T 2 time increases and the amplitude for large T 2 time reduces, which provides a clear indicator to detect the locations of natural fractures because their T 2 largely reduce. The nanoparticle model provides valuable guidance about choosing parameters for optimizing magnetic nanoparticle injection design to enhance VMS and NMR signals. The inversion model introduces an efficient path for estimating T 2 distribution and petrophysical properties from the acquired NMR CPMG signals. Additionally, magnetic Nanoparticles provide excellent relaxation contrasts to distinguish the magnetization signals of formation for estimating the spatial natural fractures distribution. Consequently, in-situ fracture characterization and the development of hydraulic fracture treatments could be beneficially improved.
Influence of Alloying and Thermal Treatment on the Strength and Cyclic Crack Resistance of Welded Joints of Alloys of the Al–Cu–Mg System. Part 2

We study welded joints of annealed sheets 6 mm in thickness made of D16M (Al–Cu–Mg) aluminum alloy, which is an analog of the foreign 2024 alloy currently attributed to difficultly welded alloys. The joints are made by the impulsive-arc method with consumable electrode with the use of a Zv1201 (Al–6.3Cu–0.3Mn) filler wire and technological inserts made of 7056 (Al–9.5Zn–1.8Mg–1.6Cu), V96 (Al–8.5Zn–2.6Mg–2.3Cu), and V92 (Al–3.5Zn–4.2Mg–0.5Cu) alloys. We study the regularities of changes in the microstructure, hardness, strength, and cyclic crack growth resistance of the joints after welding and also in the course of subsequent artificial aging or quenching and artificial aging after welding. It is established that the strength of welded joints after thermal treatment does not exceed 68% of strength of the base metal but is comparable with it in the state after welding.
Growth of symbolic number knowledge accelerates after children understand cardinality.

Abstract Children who achieve an early understanding of the cardinal value of number words (cardinal knowledge) have a superior understanding of the relations among numerals at school entry, controlling other factors (e.g., intelligence). We tested the hypothesis that this pattern emerges because an understanding of cardinal value jump starts children’s learning of the relations among numerals. Across two years of preschool, the cardinal knowledge of 179 children (85 boys) was assessed four times, as was their understanding of the relative quantity of Arabic numerals and competence at discriminating nonsymbolic quantities. Children were more accurate on nonsymbolic than numeral comparisons before they understood cardinality, but showed more rapid growth for numeral than nonsymbolic comparisons once they understood cardinality. Moreover, and with the possible exception of very small numerals (
Monitoring concentration and isotopic composition of methane in groundwater in the Utica Shale hydraulic fracturing region of Ohio.

Degradation of groundwater quality is a primary public concern in rural hydraulic fracturing areas. Previous studies have shown that natural gas methane (CH4) is present in groundwater near shale gas wells in the Marcellus Shale of Pennsylvania, but did not have pre-drilling baseline measurements. Here, we present the results of a free public water testing program in the Utica Shale of Ohio, where we measured CH4 concentration, CH4 stable isotopic composition, and pH and conductivity along temporal and spatial gradients of hydraulic fracturing activity. Dissolved CH4 ranged from 0.2 μg/L to 25 mg/L, and stable isotopic measurements indicated a predominantly biogenic carbonate reduction CH4 source. Radiocarbon dating of CH4 in combination with stable isotopic analysis of CH4 in three samples indicated that fossil C substrates are the source of CH4 in groundwater, with one 14C date indicative of modern biogenic carbonate reduction. We found no relationship between CH4 concentration or source in groundwater and proximity to active gas well sites. No significant changes in CH4 concentration, CH4 isotopic composition, pH, or conductivity in water wells were observed during the study period. These data indicate that high levels of biogenic CH4 can be present in groundwater wells independent of hydraulic fracturing activity and affirm the need for isotopic or other fingerprinting techniques for CH4 source identification. Continued monitoring of private drinking water wells is critical to ensure that groundwater quality is not altered as hydraulic fracturing activity continues in the region.
Helping Couples Deal with Chronic Medical or Mental Illness of a Partner or Child

A common theme seen in couple’s therapy is helping the couple recognize and resolve conflicts by helping them manage their roles as parents and partners. These conflicts can be even more difficult when the couple is parenting a child with a physical or mental difficulty or when one member of the couple is experiencing psychiatric or medical difficulties of his or her own. An illness experienced by an individual family member can have a subsequent impact on the family as a whole in terms of communication, closeness, and alteration of familial roles. The purpose of this chapter is to discuss couples therapy from an RE&CBT perspective as it relates to working with couples who have a partner with a medical or psychiatric difficulty of their own or a child with a mental/psychiatric disability or chronic medical condition. Evidence-based assessment and intervention strategies that are consistent with the CT and REBT models are presented and then are demonstrated in the context of two case studies. Additional clinical considerations are suggested to provide the reader with an overview of how to provide couples therapy in consideration of these unique contextual situations.
Family Placospongiidae Gray, 1867

Placospongiidae Gray (Demospongiae, Hadromerida) has the typical radial skeleton structure of Hadromerida and Spirastrella -like tylostyle-spiraster spicule complement but stands out by the possession of a rigidly cemented cortex of large microscleres. The cortical spicules are ovoid or bean-shaped (selenasters) or dumbbell-like (amphinolasters). The cortex is broken up into distinctive plates that are separated by contractible grooves containing oscula and ostia. Species are encrusting or branching massive and most occur in shallow tropical and subtropical waters, from the intertidal to almost 200 m. The family, until recently considered monotypic, includes two genera, Placospongia (including Physcaphora) and Onotoa (including Amphinolana).
Entity Translation and Alignment in the ACE-07 ET Task

Entities - people, organizations, locations and the like - have long been a central focus of natural language processing technology development, since entities convey essential content in human languages. For multilingual systems, accurate translation of named entities and their descriptors is critical. LDC produced Entity Translation pilot data to support the ACE ET 2007 Evaluation and the current paper delves more deeply into the entity alignment issue across languages, combining the automatic alignment techniques developed for ACE-07 with manual alignment. Altogether 84% of the Chinese-English entity mentions and 74% of the Arabic-English entity mentions are perfect aligned. The results of this investigation offer several important insights. Automatic alignment algorithms predicted that perfect alignment for the ET corpus was likely to be no greater than 55%; perfect alignment on the 15 pilot documents was predicted at 62.5%. Our results suggest the actual perfect alignment rate is substantially higher (82% average, 92% for NAM entities). The careful analysis of alignment errors also suggests strategies for human translation to support the ET task; for instance, translators might be given additional guidance about preferred treatments of name versus nominal translation. These results can also contribute to refined methods of evaluating ET systems.
Generation of Dithianyl and Dioxolanyl Radicals Using Photoredox Catalysis: Application in the Total Synthesis of the Danshenspiroketallactones via Radical Relay Chemistry.

Visible-light-induced generation of dithianyl and dioxolanyl radicals via selective hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) has been achieved. This radical relay tactic enables remote C(sp3)–H functionalization to permit rapid access to polyol and spiroketal segments, and in turn has been exploited as a key synthetic construct in the total synthesis of the danshenspiroketallactones. The conformational stability of the danshenspiroketallactones has also been defined via experiments and DFT calculations.