cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Welfare Reform in Delaware: "A Better Chance" for Whom?

Does welfare reform provide "A Better Chance" (ABC) forDelaware's welfare recipients? Not in terms of meeting the program's objectives. The employment and earnings impacts are modest. ABC had relatively little impact on recipients with three to five years of previous welfare experience. ABC recipients had some understanding of the broad parameters of the new rules, but not of many of the critical details. Nearly one-half of the ABC participants were financially penalized for violating the rules. Sanctions did not necessarily change their behavior, as only about 25 percent cured their sanction within six months. There is little evidence that the state has moved forward on encouraging two-parent families and discouraging teenage pregnancy and unwed motherhood. In contrast to what is reported for other states, welfare reform in Delaware has been driven from the top, by the governor, who served as cochair of the National Governors' Association's Welfare Reform Leadership Team. One clear indication of this policy direction is the difference between the staff-generated document that preceded the state's waiver request and the waiver request itself, that is, in each document's consideration of child exclusion, work requirements, and human capital development or work attachment. Despite a relatively high state median income and cost of living, Delaware's welfare-benefit levels have historically been well below the median for the United States. The state's focus, therefore, is not on welfare migration, but on the perceived welfare dependency of assistance recipients. Also in contrast to what is reported for other states, this article reviews waiver findings, not the state's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) plan or implementation. The federal requirements for the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program were set forth in Title IV-A of the Social Security Act. Since the early 1960s, Section 1115 has authorized the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to waive specified requirements in order to enable a state to carry out an experimental or pilot project that promotes the purposes of AFDC. Waiver authority was used to a limited extent during the 1980s, but the Clinton administration greatly expanded both the number and the scope of waivers. Between January 1993 and August 1996, HHS approved welfare waivers in 43 states. Delawarejoined this group
Splenocaval shunting for alleviation of portal hypertension in a dog: a case report.

Objective—To describe the construction and use of a splenocaval shunt to prevent portal hypertension in a dog with iatrogenic rupture and subsequent complete occlusion of an intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (IPSS). Study Design—Case report describing a single, client-owned animal. Results—During dissection, the back wall of an IPSS was torn. Complete shunt occlusion was required to control the hemorrhage. This resulted in the development of life-threatening portal hypertension. Emergency splenocaval shunt construction reduced the portal pressure from 47 to 20 cm H20. The dog experienced minimal postoperative complications. A second surgical procedure was performed a month later to completely ligate the splenocaval shunt. Conclusions—A splenocaval shunt can be used to divert blood from the portal to the systemic circulation to control portal hypertension. In this dog, it resulted in a successful outcome with few complications. Clinical Relevance—The splenocaval shunt could be constructed before the dissection of a difficult IPSS if problems arise as occurred in the dog described in this report. Complete IPSS occlusion can be performed without development of portal hypertension.
Lense-Thirring Type Gravitational Forces Between Disks and Cylinders

BECAUSE of the widespread interest in measuring forces between spinning cylinders and disks1,2 and the speculative nature of the conclusions reached in previous discussions, we have made a quantitative calculation of the magnitude of the forces. As in earlier calculations3, our approach is based on a weak field low velocity (EIH) approximation to general relativity. By methods familiar from potential theory in electrodynamics we first compute the first order corrections to a fiat space metric due to the presence of a spinning cylinder.
How Are We Going To Live With Alzheimer’s Disease?

Alzheimer’s disease confronts us with an ethical challenge: How do we live with dignity and quality of life in the face of progressive disability and, ultimately, death? Patients’ cognitive and decision-making impairments often make them unable to answer this question, and when professionals who provide services for older adults fail to recognize and accommodate these impairments, patients suffer. Patients and their caregivers need a health care system that fosters caregiving so that each will live with dignity and well-being. Another way to answer this question is to discover treatments that prevent disabling cognitive impairments, but this strategy will require expanding the Alzheimer’s label to include people who do not have dementia or who are even cognitively normal. Controversies are likely to occur over how best to describe the Alzheimer’s problem, measure the value of early diagnosis and treatment, and live with a brain at risk.
Prediction of B-Cell Epitopes in Listeriolysin O, a Cholesterol Dependent Cytolysin Secreted by Listeria monocytogenes

Listeria monocytogenes is a gram-positive, foodborne bacterium responsible for disease in humans and animals. Listeriolysin O (LLO) is a required virulence factor for the pathogenic effects of L. monocytogenes. Bioinformatics revealed conserved putative epitopes of LLO that could be used to develop monoclonal antibodies against LLO. Continuous and discontinuous epitopes were located by using four different B-cell prediction algorithms. Three-dimensional molecular models were generated to more precisely characterize the predicted antigenicity of LLO. Domain 4 was predicted to contain five of eleven continuous epitopes. A large portion of domain 4 was also predicted to comprise discontinuous immunogenic epitopes. Domain 4 of LLO may serve as an immunogen for eliciting monoclonal antibodies that can be used to study the pathogenesis of L. monocytogenes as well as develop an inexpensive assay.
Abstract 4192: LIN28 mRNA targets in breast cancer cells

LIN28 is a RNA binding protein and a pluripotency factor. It represses tumor suppressing microRNA let-7 and activates let-7 oncogene targets such as HMGA2 and c-Myc. Recent reports show that LIN28 overexpression promotes tumor cell migration and cellular transformation through repression of let-7, and that overexpression is associated with advanced stages of disease, including breast cancer. The molecular function and mode of action of LIN28 in breast cancer is not yet elucidated. To further understand the function of LIN28, we explored LIN28 mRNA targets in breast cancer cells using RNA-protein immunoprecipitation (RIP) followed by RNA sequencing (RIP-Seq). Only 418 genes (1.7% of the human total genes) are enriched more than 1.0 RPKM (reads per kilobase of exon model per million mapped reads) in the LIN28 RIP relative to control RIP. LIN28 mRNA targets in breast cancer cells function in processes that drive tumorigenesis, including cell proliferation, inflammation and metastasis. Therapeutic drugs inhibiting LIN28 could be promising in treatment of cancer. Our experiments also demonstrate that MG132, a proteasome inhibitor, inhibits LIN28 expression and modulates expression of LIN28 mRNA targets in breast cancer cells. Studies are ongoing to reveal the mechanisms by which LIN28 regulates bound targets and how proteasome inhibitors impact this regulation. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4192. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-4192
Aquatic Microbiology in a Rapidly Changing World

Aquatic Microbiology in a Rapidly Changing World We are in the era of speed and precision. Like many other disciplines in environmental biology, applied aquatic microbiology tends to move forward with new rapid and cutting edge tools to study water-related microorganisms from river banks to the abyss of the oceans. These innovations help to resolve the issues with determining the risks associated with climate change, human activities as well as the interactions between species to redefine what a healthy water environment is for all living organisms sharing these environments.
Validate and update of 3D urban features using multi-source fusion

As forecast by the United Nations in May 2007, the population of the world transitioned from a rural to an urban demographic majority with more than half living in urban areas.1 Modern urban environments are complex 3- dimensional (3D) landscapes with 4-dimensional patterns of activity that challenge various traditional 1-dimensional and 2-dimensional sensors to accurately sample these man-made terrains. Depending on geographic location, data resulting from LIDAR, multi-spectral, electro-optical, thermal, ground-based static and mobile sensors may be available with multiple collects along with more traditional 2D GIS features. Reconciling differing data sources over time to correctly portray the dynamic urban landscape raises significant fusion and representational challenges particularly as higher levels of spatial resolution are available and expected by users. This paper presents a framework for integrating the imperfect answers of our differing sensors and data sources into a powerful representation of the complex urban environment. A case study is presented involving the integration of temporally diverse 2D, 2.5D and 3D spatial data sources over Kandahar, Afghanistan. In this case study we present a methodology for validating and augmenting 2D/2.5D urban feature and attribute data with LIDAR to produce validated 3D objects. We demonstrate that nearly 15% of buildings in Kandahar require understanding nearby vegetation before 3-D validation can be successful. We also address urban temporal change detection at the object level. Finally we address issues involved with increased sampling resolution since urban features are rarely simple cubes but in the case of Kandahar involve balconies, TV dishes, rooftop walls, small rooms, and domes among other things.
Biological-control herbivores may increase competitive ability of the noxious weed Centaurea maculosa

Biocontrol organisms are generally applied in an attempt to reduce the vigor of target species and provide native species with an competitive advantage. We tested the effectiveness of a widely used biocontrol moth, Agapeta zoegana (knapweed root moth) for two years in the field and found that it had no significant direct effect on the biomass of Centaurea maculosa (spotted knapweed), one of the most destructive invasive plants in North America. Instead of releasing a native grass from competition, the reproductive output of Festuca idahoensis planted with Centaurea was significantly lower when neighboring Centaurea had been attacked by Agapeta. In a greenhouse experiment, we found that Festuca planted in pots with Centaurea that had been attacked by Trichoplusia ni (another nonnative herbivore) had significantly smaller root systems than when they were planted with Centaurea that were protected from herbivory. Root systems of Centaurea that had been attacked by Trichoplusia exuded higher levels of total sugars, but not total phenols. We hypothesize that moderate herbivory stimulated compensatory growth, induced the production of defense chemicals that also had allelopathic effects, or stimulated root exudates that altered the relationship between Centaurea and Festuca via soil microbes. Our data suggest that herbivory may increase the negative effects of C. maculosa on neighboring plants, and that some biocontrols may have indirect negative effects on native species that are not currently recognized.
Sequential restoration and unstraining of structural cross sections: Applications to extensional terranes: Discussion

It's nice to see work on cross section restoration still being published. Erickson et al. (2000), however, misrepresent a previous publication (Wickham and Moeckel, 1997) by twice claiming that we assumed strain "to be a known input parameter at each point in the cross section" and then dismissing the work from further discussion because "there are many situations in which the strain cannot be measured, either because adequate strain markers are not present or not accessible" (Erickson et al., 2000, p. 235). In fact, we did not assume strain as a necessary input parameter but did provide additional equations to include it if strain measurements were available. The approach used by Erickson et al. (2000) has many similarities to our method of restoring cross sections (Wickham and Moeckel, …
Rapid projection MRI of short T/sub 2/ species with multiple small angle excitations and oscillatory-rotary field gradients

The use of images weighted by transverse relaxation time T/sub 2/ in the identification of pathology in many organ systems is reported. Recent applications by R.C. Hawkes and S. Patz (1987) of steady-state free precision (SSFP) excitation to both static readout gradient (2DFT) and cosinusoidal readout gradient techniques have investigated species with T/sub 2/ values on the order of several milliseconds. This work is extended with a one-dimensional cosinusoidal gradient to a two-dimensional projection format through a gradient that simultaneously oscillates and rotates, proposed by S.J. Norton (1987). Each position of interest is encoded (and decoded) during free decay through the unique phase modulation (demodulation) determined by the continuously time-varying gradient. Ideal reconstruction consists of long term integration of the product of the observed signal and a phase demodulation kernel. The approach for a single (or set of independent) FID(s) following a nonselective 90 degrees pulse is modified to image short as well as long T/sub 2/ species with the periodic steady state obtained by SSFP excitation. >
Fast replicated state machines over partitionable networks

The paper presents an implementation of replicated state machines in asynchronous distributed environments prone to node failures and network partitions. This implementation has several appealing properties: it guarantees that progress will be made whenever a majority of replicas can communicate with each other; it allows minority partitions to continue providing service for idempotent requests; it offers the application the choice between optimistic or safe message delivery. Performance measurements have shown that our implementation incurs low latency and achieves high throughput while providing globally consistent replicated state machine semantics.
Advanced Dopant Metrology for 45 nm and Beyond

An overview of the advanced (45 nm and beyond) ion implant and USJ metrology applications using the modulated optical reflectance (MOR) technology is provided.
Reengineering a configuration-management system

Developers at Sandia successfully reengineered a 30-year-old system, whose source code and documentation was incomplete, into a client-server application. Their strategy was to use natural-language information modeling to understand what the system did and then rely on domain and business-process experts to define functions at the procedural level. >
A ray tracing solution for diffuse interreflection

An efficient ray tracing method is presented for calculating interreflections between surfaces with both diffuse and specular components. A Monte Carlo technique computes the indirect contributions to illuminance at locations chosen by the rendering process. The indirect illuminance values are averaged over surfaces and used in place of a constant "ambient" term. Illuminance calculations are made only for those areas participating in the selected view, and the results are stored so that subsequent views can reuse common values. The density of the calculation is adjusted to maintain a constant accuracy, permitting less populated portions of the scene to be computed quickly. Successive reflections use proportionally fewer samples, which speeds the process and provides a natural limit to recursion. The technique can also model diffuse transmission and illumination from large area sources, such as the sky.
Initial Heat Production in Isometric Frog Muscle at 15 ° C

An infrared radiation-detecting system was used to measure initial heat production in bull frog sartorius muscle at 15°C. Numerous tests with the system showed that thermal artifacts were not noticeable. Many previous measurements with myothermic thermopiles were corroborated with this method. In addition, a cooling phase as large as 0.39 of peak exothermicity was found during and after relaxation. Cooling diminished with both increasing sarcomere length and increasing duration of mechanical activity. No large rapid increase in heat rate accompanied a 0.6 reactivation at the peak of twitch tension. Above rest length, initial heat rate and the heat produced up to the peak of tension decreased nearly proportionally with overlap of myofilaments, while the total twitch initial heat decreased slightly.
Assessment and management of the failing heart in children.

,assessment, and management ofcardiac failurehas changed dramatically. Diagnosis nowdepends on use of new modalities for imaging, andmore recently, on the use of molecular techniques andbiomarkers. The latter approaches help in prognos-ticating, and following the progression of, the failingheart. While the majority of new breakthroughsin the field have been in adults, with the datathen extrapolated to the child with cardiac failure,therapies for the child with end-stage heart failure,such as mechanical circulatory support and cardiactransplantation, have also significantly advanced.The purpose of this review is to focus on these newmodalities for diagnosis and treatment of cardiacfailure as seen in children. It is beyond its scope topresent a comprehensive description of the currentstate of the art in adults. The interested reader isreferred to recent reviews and consensus statementson this topic
Recent Developments and Trends in Redox Flow Batteries

Stationary energy storage systems are needed to facilitate the widespread integration of intermittent renewable electricity generators, such as solar photovoltaic and wind turbines, and to improve the energy efficiency of the electrical grid. While no single technology can meet all needs, redox flow batteries (RFBs) have shown a favorable balance of cost, safety, and performance for many high-value applications. RFBs are rechargeable electrochemical devices that utilize the reversible redox reactions of two soluble electroactive species for energy storage. A compelling feature of the RFB configuration is the independent scaling of power and energy which enables cost-effective implementation of electrochemical couples with low energy density. Aqueous RFBs have been the subject of the vast majority of research efforts to date, which have yielded industry-level demonstrations. By comparison, non-aqueous RFBs are still in their infancy but have the potential for high energy density due to the extended stability window of non-aqueous electrolytes and the enriched selection of redox materials due to the broad variety of organic solvents. This chapter aims to introduce emerging, potentially transformative, strategies for enhancing RFB technologies through molecular design, electrolyte development, and cell-level engineering. Detailed discussions focus on recent developments in redox active materials (inorganic – aqueous, organic – aqueous, inorganic – non-aqueous, and organic – non-aqueous) and in system design (interdigitated flow fields, semi-solid flow cells, and hybrid flow cells). Future research directions and key challenges for RFB technologies are also highlighted.
Finite groups with a self-centralizing subgroup of order 4

The class of finite groups having a subgroup of order 4 which is its own centralizer has been studied by Suzuki [9], Gorenstein and Walter [6], and the present author [11]. The main purpose of this paper is to strengthen Theorem 5 of [11] by using an early result of Zassenhaus [12]. In particular, we find all groups of the class which are core-free, i.e. which have no nontrivial normal subgroup of odd order. As an application, we make a determination of a certain class of primitive permutation groups.
Decisions Regarding Functions of Behavior: Scientific Versus Informal Analyses.

This study examines the role of functional analysis as the basis for development of management programs for preschool children with disabilities. Behavior management programs based on scientific analyses of the functions of behavior were designed for three children with developmental disabilities. Staff associated with the children who were uninvolved with the functional analysis were asked to informally identify the functions of behavior for each of the participants' respective target responses. Results of comparisons of scientific and informal functions of behavior are presented, along with a discussion and recommendations for functional analysis decision making and practices.
The curious case of competition in Spanish speech production

In previous studies in English examining the influence of phonological neighbourhood density in spoken word production, words with many similar sounding words, or a dense neighbourhood, were produced more quickly and accurately than words with few similar sounding words, or a sparse neighbourhood. The influence of phonological neighbourhood density on the process of spoken word production in Spanish was examined with a picture-naming task. The results showed that pictures with Spanish names from sparse neighbourhoods were named more quickly than pictures with Spanish names from dense neighbourhoods. The present pattern of results is the opposite of what has been previously found in speech production in English. We hypothesise that differences in the morphology of Spanish and English and/or the location in the word where phonological neighbours tend to occur may contribute to the processing differences observed in the two languages.
Separate and Combined Effects of Methylphenidate and a Behavioral Intervention on Disruptive Behavior in Children with Mental Retardation.

We investigated the separate and combined effects of a behavioral intervention and methylphenidate (Ritalin) on disruptive behavior and task engagement in 3 children with severe to profound mental retardation. The behavioral intervention involved differential reinforcement of appropriate behavior and guided compliance. All 3 children demonstrated decreased disruptive behavior and improved task engagement in response to the response to the behavioral intervention. Two of the 3 children demonstrated similar improvement in response to methylphenidate. Although both interventions were highly effective for these 2 participants, the relative efficacy of the interventions varied between the 2 children. There was no evidence of an additive or synergistic effect of the two interventions, but the high efficacy of each intervention alone limited our ability to detect such effects.
Vertical profiles of nitrous acid in the nocturnal urban atmosphere of Houston, TX

Abstract. Nitrous acid (HONO) often plays an important role in tropospheric photochemistry as a major precursor of the hydroxyl radical (OH) in early morning hours and potentially during the day. However, the processes leading to formation of HONO and its vertical distribution at night, which can have a considerable impact on daytime ozone formation, are currently poorly characterized by observations and models. Long-path differential optical absorption spectroscopy (LP-DOAS) measurements of HONO during the 2006 TexAQS II Radical and Aerosol Measurement Project (TRAMP), near downtown Houston, TX, show nocturnal vertical profiles of HONO, with mixing ratios of up to 2.2 ppb near the surface and below 100 ppt aloft. Three nighttime periods of HONO, NO 2 and O 3 observations during TRAMP were used to perform model simulations of vertical mixing ratio profiles. By adjusting vertical mixing and NO x emissions the modeled NO 2 and O 3 mixing ratios showed very good agreement with the observations. Using a simple conversion of NO 2 to HONO on the ground, direct HONO emissions, as well as HONO loss at the ground and on aerosol, the observed HONO profiles were reproduced by the model for 1–2 and 7–8 September in the nocturnal boundary layer (NBL). The unobserved increase of HONO to NO 2 ratio (HONO/NO 2 ) with altitude that was simulated by the initial model runs was found to be due to HONO uptake being too small on aerosol and too large on the ground. Refined model runs, with adjusted HONO uptake coefficients, showed much better agreement of HONO and HONO/NO 2 for two typical nights, except during morning rush hour, when other HONO formation pathways are most likely active. One of the nights analyzed showed an increase of HONO mixing ratios together with decreasing NO 2 mixing ratios that the model was unable to reproduce, most likely due to the impact of weak precipitation during this night. HONO formation and removal rates averaged over the lowest 300 m of the atmosphere showed that NO 2 to HONO conversion on the ground was the dominant source of HONO, followed by traffic emission. Aerosol did not play an important role in HONO formation. Although ground deposition was also a major removal pathway of HONO, net HONO production at the ground was the main source of HONO in our model studies. Sensitivity studies showed that in the stable NBL, net HONO production at the ground tends to increase with faster vertical mixing and stronger NO x emission. Vertical transport was found to be the dominant source of HONO aloft.
10Gb/s serial I/O receiver based on variable reference ADC

ADC-based serial I/O receiver draws growing interest with technology scaling. Power consumption remains among the key issues for both the high-speed ADC and the high-throughput DSP. This paper presents an ADC-based receiver that relaxes the ADC requirements with a simple mixed-mode pre-equalizer. Variable ADC reference level compensates for both the frontend non-ideality and the channel response while maintaining low ADC resolution.
Economic Approaches to Estimating Benefits of Regulations Affecting Addictive Goods.

The question of how to evaluate lost consumer surplus in benefit−cost analyses has been contentious. There are clear health benefits of regulations that curb consumption of goods with health risks, such as tobacco products and foods high in fats, calories, sugar, and sodium. Yet, if regulations cause consumers to give up goods they like, the health benefits they experience may be offset by some utility loss, which benefit−cost analyses of regulations need to take into account. This paper lays out the complications of measuring benefits of regulations aiming to curb consumption of addictive and habitual goods, rooted in the fact that consumers' observed demand for such goods may not be in line with their true preferences. Focusing on the important case of tobacco products, the paper describes four possible approaches for estimating benefits when consumers' preferences may not be aligned with their behavior, and identifies one as having the best feasibility for use in applied benefit−cost analyses in the near term.
Practices and education surrounding anticipated periviable deliveries among neonatal-perinatal medicine and maternal-fetal medicine fellowship programs.

Practices and education surrounding anticipated periviable deliveries among neonatal-perinatal medicine and maternal-fetal medicine fellowship programs
Efficacy of anticoagulant rodenticides against rodents

Objective To investigate the effect of Brodifacoum against rodents in field and lab experiment. Methods The lethal effect was tested by continuous force feeding, and the palatability was tested by selective feeding in laboratory. The field experiments were conducted by saturated baiting. Results The Brodifacoum formulation killed albino rats for 100% in eight days and killed white mouse 100% in nine days in laboratory. The palatability were 0.85 for albino rats and 0.79 for white mouse. Mortality was 91.91% for killing nature rodents in the field. Conclusion The formulation of Brodifacoum was better to kill the mouse. The palatability was also better. This Brodifacoum formulation could reduce the density of rodents.
Short- and Long-Term Prognostic Utility of the HEART Score in Patients Evaluated in the Emergency Department for Possible Acute Coronary Syndrome.

Introduction:The HEART score is a risk-stratification tool that was developed and validated for patients evaluated for possible acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in the emergency department (ED). We sought to determine the short-term and long-term prognostic utility of the HEART score.Methods:A retrospe
To Dream, Perchance to Think: Discussion of Papers by Noelle Burton and Christopher Bonovitz

This is a discussion of papers by Noelle Burton and Christopher Bonovitz, which explores clinical work with patients who are either developmentally incapable of articulating symbolic thought or immersed in a transference–countertransference position in which abstract thinking is foreclosed.
Wide bandwidth nonlinear surface-emitting multilayers for visible semiconductor lasers and wavelength division demultiplexers

We recently presented results demonstrating a nonlinear cross-section enhancement of the order of one million for surface-emitted harmonic light in GaAs/AlGaAs periodic multilayer waveguides.1 The fundamental guided modes were propagating in opposite directions, and in the case of equal wavelengths, the harmonic was coupled to radiation modes in a direction perpendicular to the waveguide surface. The basic interaction was predicted and subsequently demonstrated almost ten years ago by Stegeman and Normandin in LiNbO3 waveguides.2
TU-FG-201-04: Computer Vision in Autonomous Quality Assurance of Linear Accelerators

Purpose: Routine quality assurance (QA) of linear accelerators represents a critical and costly element of a radiation oncology center. Recently, a system was developed to autonomously perform routine quality assurance on linear accelerators. The purpose of this work is to extend this system and contribute computer vision techniques for obtaining quantitative measurements for a monthly multi-leaf collimator (MLC) QA test specified by TG-142, namely leaf position accuracy, and demonstrate extensibility for additional routines. Methods: Grayscale images of a picket fence delivery on a radioluminescent phosphor coated phantom are captured using a CMOS camera. Collected images are processed to correct for camera distortions, rotation and alignment, reduce noise, and enhance contrast. The location of each MLC leaf is determined through logistic fitting and a priori modeling based on knowledge of the delivered beams. Using the data collected and the criteria from TG-142, a decision is made on whether or not the leaf position accuracy of the MLC passes or fails. Results: The locations of all MLC leaf edges are found for three different picket fence images in a picket fence routine to 0.1mm/1pixel precision. The program to correct for image alignment and determination of leaf positions requires a runtime of 21– 25 seconds for a single picket, and 44 – 46 seconds for a group of three pickets on a standard workstation CPU, 2.2 GHz Intel Core i7. Conclusion: MLC leaf edges were successfully found using techniques in computer vision. With the addition of computer vision techniques to the previously described autonomous QA system, the system is able to quickly perform complete QA routines with minimal human contribution.
Appendiceal carcinoid tumours: indications for right hemicolectomy and appendectomy

This is a review of the current best evidence pertaining to the surgical management of appendiceal carcinoid tumours and outlines a set of recommendations for right hemi colectomy and appendectomy in patients with histologically confirmed appendiceal carcinoid tumour. The management of appendiceal carcinoids is complex and several factors have been shown to influence prognosis. Surgical management is the mainstay of treatment with appendectomy and right hemi-colectomy being the surgical approaches of choice. There is still much debate as to the indications for appendectomy or right hemicolectomy. From our search of the literature eight studies were included for review and one set of guidelines. All studies included were retrospective cohort studies. There were no Cochrane reviews or systematic reviews pertaining to the management of appendiceal carcinoid tumours. There is conflicting evidence as to the management of tumours greater than 2cm. Involvement of the base of the appendix and mesoppendix involvement while not supported by the literature are supported by consensus expert opinion in two sets of guidelines as an indication for right hemicolectomy.
Tetrazine Assists Reduction of Water by Phosphines: Application in the Mitsunobu Reaction.

Reaction of 3,6-disubstituted-1,2,4,5-tetrazines with water and PEt3 forms the corresponding 1,4-dihydrotetrazine and OPEt3. Thus PEt3, as a stoichiometric reductant, reduces water, and the resulting two reducing equivalents serve to doubly hydrogenate the tetrazine. A variety of possible initial interactions between electron-deficient tetrazine and electron-rich PR3, including a charge transfer complex, were evaluated by density functional calculations which revealed that the energy of all these make them spectroscopically undetectable at equilibrium, but one of these is nevertheless suggested as the intermediate in the observed redox reaction. The relationship of this to the Mitsunobu reaction, which absorbs the components of water evolved in the conversion of alcohol and carboxylic acid to ester, with desirable inversion at the alcohol carbon, is discussed. This enables a modified Mitsunobu reaction, with tetrazine replacing EtO2CN=NCO2Et (DEAD), which has the advantage that dihydrotetrazine can be recycled to tetrazine by oxidation with O2, something impossible with the hydrogenated DEAD. For this tetrazine version, a betaine-like intermediate is undetectable, but its protonated form is characterized, including by X-ray structure and NMR spectroscopy.
Risk limiting dispatch in congested networks

Increased uncertainty due to high penetration of renewables imposes significant costs to the system operators. The added costs depend on several factors including market design, performance of renewable generation forecasting and the specific dispatch procedure. Quantifying these costs has been limited to small sample Monte Carlo approaches applied specific dispatch algorithms. The computational complexity and accuracy of these approaches has limited the understanding of tradeoffs between different factors. In this work we follow a different approach by considering a two-stage stochastic economic dispatch problem, where the optimal dispatch is called risk limiting dispatch. First we consider an uncongested network and derive the price of uncertainty, a number that characterizes the intrinsic impact of uncertainty on the integration cost of renewables. Then we extend the results to a two bus network where a transmission line may become congested. We demonstrate the existence of the price of uncertainty even in this case, under mild assumptions. We show that risk limiting dispatch is given by a set of deterministic equilibrium equations. The dispatch solution yields an important insight: congested links do not create isolated nodes, even in a two-node network. In fact, the network can support backflows in congested links, that are useful to reduce the uncertainty by averaging supply across the network.
The first Cenozoic spinicaudatans from North America

Abstract. A new spinicaudatan species, Estherites? jocelynae new species, is described from more than fifty specimens collected from the Medicine Lodge Formation (early Oligocene) of the Beaverhead Basin in southwestern Montana, USA. This is the first spinicaudatan species reported from Cenozoic strata of North America and is the second-youngest fossil clam shrimp described globally. The new species extends the range of the superfamily Estheriteoidea into the Paleogene. Carapaces of E.? jocelynae n. sp. are preserved as a calcium carbonate replacement of the original chitin-calcium-phosphate structure, which is an uncommon style of preservation for spinicaudatans. The unique preservation coupled with the range extension suggests that the sparse Cenozoic fossil record of spinicaudatans may be partly attributable to preservation bias related to geochemical conditions rather than exclusively to diversity decline following the end-Cretaceous mass extinction. The presence of E.? jocelynae n. sp. in the Medicin...
Wage Premiums Across the Rural-Urban Continuum: What Constitutes a “Good Job”?

Much like how beauty is in the eye of the beholder, there is no single definition of what constitutes a “good job.” What makes a given job “good” in relation to other jobs can differ in rural vs. urban areas: a job that pays relatively well compared to other available jobs in a rural area may not compare as favorably in more urbanized areas, and vice versa. While plenty of research has been done regarding wage differences in urban and rural areas, most studies have focused on how wages vary across the urban-rural continuum within specific jobs, with relatively little attention paid to how wage premiums can vary across occupations within particular communities. This study examines variations in wage premiums across five major occupational categories in metropolitan, micropolitan, and noncore US counties and tests whether population size and levels of education are good predictors of wage premiums in each size class. The results indicate that certain categories of occupations do pay relatively better or worse according to the degree of rurality, although population size and education were not exceptionally good at predicting wage premiums.
Complexes of lutein with bovine and caprine caseins and their impact on lutein chemical stability in emulsion systems: Effect of arabinogalactan

Lutein is an important xanthophyll carotenoid with many benefits to human health. Factors affecting the application of lutein as a functional ingredient in low-fat dairy-like beverages (pH 6.0-7.0) are not well understood. The interactions of bovine and caprine caseins with hydrophobic lutein were studied using UV/visible spectroscopy as well as fluorescence. Our studies confirmed that the aqueous solubility of lutein is improved after binding with bovine and caprine caseins. The rates of lutein solubilization by the binding to bovine and caprine caseins were as follows: caprine αS1-II-casein 34%, caprine αS1-I-casein 10%, and bovine casein 7% at 100 μM lutein. Fluorescence of the protein was quenched on binding supporting complex formation. The fluorescence experiments showed that the binding involves tryptophan residues and some nonspecific interactions. Scatchard plots of lutein binding to the caseins demonstrated competitive binding between the caseins and their sites of interaction with lutein. Competition experiments suggest that caprine αS1-II casein will bind a larger number of lutein molecules with higher affinity than other caseins. The chemical stability of lutein was largely dependent on casein type and significant increases occurred in the chemical stability of lutein with the following pattern: caprine αS1-II-casein > caprine αS1-I-casein > bovine casein. Addition of arabinogalactan to lutein-enriched emulsions increases the chemical stability of lutein-casein complexes during storage under accelerated photo-oxidation conditions at 25°C. Therefore, caprine αS1-II-casein alone and in combination with arabinogalactan can have important applications in the beverage industry as carrier of this xanthophyll carotenoid (lutein).
Epidemiology and burden of influenza in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

We describe influenza activity in the US Veterans Affairs (VA) population for the 2010-2011 through 2015-2016 seasons and compare with national CDC FluView data. VA confirmed influenza cases ranged from 1005 to 11 506 per season; triage calls from 6090 to 10 346; outpatient visits from 3849 to 13 406; antiviral prescriptions from 3650 to 32 826; hospitalizations from 546 to 4673; and deaths in hospitalized patients from 17 to 139. Peak activity was generally the same as observed nationally by the CDC. For the seasons analyzed, correlation between VA and CDC %ILI visits (r = .863), influenza hospitalizations (r = .953), positive tests (r = .948), and percent of tests positive (r = .938) was strong. Understanding influenza burden is important for evaluating prevention priorities and resource allocation within VA.
Women’s participation in microfinance: Does it increase their control over resources?

ABSTRACTThis study drew on asset theory to explore the influence of microfinance participation on control over resources among women in Bangladesh. The association between microfinance participation and control over resources among women in Bangladesh was examined. Prevalence ratios were estimated for a sample of 9,614 women between the ages of 15 and 49 years drawn from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Surveys of 2007, 2011, and 2014, controlling for potential confounders, including urban dwelling, the presence of wealth assets, exposure to media, the number of household members, gender of household head, religion, and demographic factors. The results showed that control over resources was positively associated with microfinance participation (PR = 1.03; p < 0.05), upholding asset theory’s prediction that asset accumulation—in this case via microfinance—enhances human capital.
Mining Perioperative Data for Business Process Analysis and Redesign: A Case Study Perspective

This study examines data mining as an extension of system design to support continuous process improvement. This paper identifies how dynamic technological activities of synthesis, analysis, and evaluation can highlight complex relationships within integrated information systems through existing patterns of associated organizational data. The identification of data patterns and subsequent human contextual understanding are contributing factors that yield business process redesign opportunity and re-enforce continuous process improvement within the perioperative services of a hospital. Based on a 72month longitudinal study of a large 909 registered-bed teaching hospital, this case study investigates the operationalization of data mining in business process redesign as a method to identify, qualify, understand, and capture benefits from continuous process improvement. The theoretical and practical implications and/or limitations of this study’s results are also discussed with respect to practitioners and researchers alike.
Pediatric high-grade glioma: a review of biology, prognosis, and treatment

The incidence of high-grade gliomas (HGGs) in children is significantly lower than in adults, with less than 400 children diagnosed every year in the USA. While the histopathology of HGGs in children is very similar to those in adults, their biology is very different. Recent studies have led to an exponential increase in our understanding of the biology of these tumors, with the identification of distinct epigenetic subtypes, each with characteristic clinical and molecular profiles. The 2016 WHO classification of central nervous system tumors has recognized the most common subtype, with the poorest prognosis—“diffuse midline glioma H3 K27M-mutant”—marking a shift towards the integration of molecular features with the traditional histopathological diagnosis. Like adults, children with HGGs have a very poor prognosis overall, with treatment consisting of maximal safe surgical resection followed by radiation therapy. However, the role of temozolomide, which is a well-established adjuvant therapy for MGMT-methylated HGGs in adults, is less clear in children. In this review, we outline the epidemiology, recent advances in our understanding of biology, past landmark clinical trials, and promising therapeutic strategies for pediatric HGG.
Unsupervised classification of individual foodborne bacteria from a mixture of bacteria cultures within a hyperspectral microscope image

Author Summary: Salmonella is a leading cause of foodborne illness. Traditional detection methods require lengthy incubation periods or expensive reagent kits. Hyperspectral microscope images (HMIs) have been previously investigated as a method for early and rapid detection of bacteria by using a spectral signature that is unique to the organism. Previous HMI use with bacteria has consisted of supervised classification with hypercubes collected for single culture images isolated from highly selective growth media. In order to move forward with HMI as a detection tool in the food industry, unsupervised classification of bacteria cells in mixed culture HMIs was investigated. Four foodborne bacteria cultures, S. Typhimurium (ST) E. coli (Ec), S. aureus (Sa) and L. innocua (Li) were combined in seven different culture combinations with HMIs collected between 450 nm and 800 nm. A k-means divisive cluster analysis (CA) was implemented and mixed culture image sets were found to contain between two and four clusters. CA cluster accuracy was obtained by assigning a dummy variable of the proposed CA classification, then carrying out a discriminant analysis. From the mixed culture HMIs, 700 bacteria cells were classified and accuracies were between 91.92% and 100%, with six of the seven HMI sets resulting in > 97% accuracies. A distance measure between clusters was applied to identify unknown clusters based on single culture reference samples of the four bacteria used. Results showed that the CA has potential for unsupervised classification of bacteria cells, but the distance metric was not an adequate method for identifying the unknown cluster based on reference spectra, potentially due to the collinearity amongst bacteria spectra.
Epilogue—Looking Back, Looking Forward: The Future of Black Conservatism in the Twenty-First Century

The book concludes with a discussion of African American conservatism’s strengths and weaknesses within the four realms and identifies possible areas for growth and continued challenges to overcome. Prisock asserts that to win over the hearts and minds of more African Americans it will be imperative for African American conservatives to provide nuanced analyses and arguments of African Americans experiences in the United States that are distinguishable from their white counterparts’. Prisock also argues until both white and African American conservatives come to realize conservatism and a race-consciousness that points out the continuing significance of race within America does not have to be mutually exclusive African American conservatives will continually find themselves between a rock and a hard place around the issue of race.
Nonprofit Management Education in Schools with Public Affairs Curricula: An Analysis of the Trend Toward Curriculum Integration

For almost 20 years, scholars interested in public affairs education have called for innovation in master’s-level curricula to respond to shifts, begun in the 1960s, in how public services are deli...