cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
High Field Q Slope and the Effect of Low-Temperature Baking at 3 GHz

A strong degradation of the unloaded quality factor with field, called high field $Q$ slope, is commonly observed above ${\mathrm{B}}_{p}\ensuremath{\cong}100\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{mT}$ in elliptical superconducting niobium cavities at 1.3 and 1.5 GHz. In the present experiments several 3 GHz niobium cavities were measured up to and above ${\mathrm{B}}_{p}\ensuremath{\cong}100\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{mT}$. The measurements show that a high field $Q$ slope phenomenon limits the field reach at this frequency, that the high field $Q$ slope onset field depends weakly on the frequency, and that the high field $Q$ slope can be removed by the typical empirical solution of electropolishing followed by heating to 120\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C for 48 hrs. In addition, one of the cavities reached a quench field of 174 mT and its field dependence of the quality factor was compared against global heating predicted by a thermal feedback model.
Using ECHO Clinics to Promote Capacity Building in Clinical Supervision

Introduction Project Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO™) is a hub-and-spoke knowledge-sharing network, led by expert teams who use multipoint videoconferencing to conduct virtual clinics with community providers in order to improve the quality of care. For this project, members of the Addiction Technology Transfer Center network applied this model in order to enhance workforce capacity to deliver clinical supervision for the treatment of substance use disorders. Methods Clinical supervisors ( n =66) employed in substance use disorder treatment programs were recruited to participate in this pilot study. The virtual ECHO clinic consisted of 12 total sessions, each lasting 1 hour and comprising a 15-minute mini-lecture on a clinical supervision topic and a 45-minute case presentation and review. All data were collected and analyzed between September 2016 and June 2017. Results Forty-eight staff attended at least one ECHO session (mean=6.38) and results are presented for 20 staff who completed the follow-up survey. Participants were highly satisfied with the overall intervention, organization of the clinic and the facilitation of Hub experts, relevance of the technical assistance to their work, and with the impact of the intervention on their effectiveness as a supervisor. Results also indicate that there were significant self-reported improvements in clinical supervision self-efficacy following participation in the ECHO clinic. Conclusions Results from this pilot study suggest that ECHO virtual clinics are feasible to implement for the purpose of workforce development, are well liked by participants, and can enhance clinical supervision self-efficacy among participants. Further research should explore the impact of self-efficacy on the effective implementation of clinical supervision practices. Supplement information This article is part of a supplement entitled The Behavioral Health Workforce: Planning, Practice, and Preparation, which is sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
A location-allocation model for sustainable NdFeB magnet recovery under uncertainties

Abstract Neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) magnets play a critical role in clean power products, e.g., electric vehicles and wind turbines. Since China has near monopolistic control of the supply of these magnets, many parties are interested in recovering end-of-life magnets for additional use cycles. Such a strategy requires a cost-effective approach to collect and process used magnets while maximizing the economic and environmental benefits. This paper employs fuzzy logic and non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II) to solve a location-allocation problem for NdFeB magnet recovery under supply and demand uncertainties. A Pareto front is constructed to evaluate the performance of the proposed design.
Structured Modeling of Mechatronic Components Using Multiport Templates

Mathematical modeling of mechatronic systems is increasing in its importance to industry for product development. Mathematical modeling helps companies reduce the lead time for new product development, allows for consideration of more design alternatives, provides a means for capture of engineering knowledge, and facilitates sharing of engineering efforts with suppliers. Structured modeling further assists engineers in meeting these goals by supporting effective, clear communication of model information. This paper describes a modeling environment for mechatronic system design based on structured modeling concepts. Structured modeling is implemented using a multiport template approach. A multiport template allows the engineer to create new user-defined model types, which are in turn used to create computational instances. The focus is on mechatronic component modeling. Illustrations of the method are given.
Lifetime Predictions For Carbon Steel In Natural Fresh Water

Abstract : Corrosion rates of carbon steel in Duluth-Superior Harbor (DSH) were measured over a 3-year period using weight loss, pit depth measurements and linear polarization resistance (LPR). Corrosion coupons were placed in racks throughout the harbor and removed periodically for weight loss and pit depth measurements. LPR measurements were made at rack locations. Estimated corrosion rates varied among the techniques and there were no obvious relationships between predicted rates from the three techniques. Penetration rates estimated from pit depths were not linear with time. Pit depth varied among locations, but was consistently deepest during the first year of exposure.
The Use of the Expanded FMEA in Spacecraft Fault Management

The NASA/APL Parker Solar Probe (PSP) mission will revolutionize our understanding of the Sun by swooping to within 4 million miles of the Sun's surface. This mission targets the fundamental processes and dynamics that characterize the Sun's corona and outwardly expanding solar wind and will be the first mission to fly into the low solar corona (i.e., the Sun's atmosphere) revealing both how the corona is heated and how the solar wind is accelerated. PSP has many engineering challenges presented by the intense environment in terms of heat, solar radiation, and reaction time to “safe” the spacecraft (displayed in Figures 1 and 2). The fault management system is highly autonomous and is designed to manage the complex system robustness as well as manage fault detection and response in a timely manner. The fault management design relies heavily on the Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) which uses a systematic approach to determine the effects of each potential failure mode on that particular component/system, the spacecraft, and the mission. Once the potential effects are determined, then each failure mode is assigned a severity level, commensurate with the potential effects. For the PSP mission, the spacecraft functional FMEA was expanded to also include information about whether or not a failure mode was detectable by the spacecraft or by personnel on the ground, the timeframe for detection, and what mitigation was available to the mission team, if any. The Fault Management Team then used the FMEA to ensure that all faults had been captured, identify which faults could be detected by the spacecraft, and to build appropriate responses for the spacecraft to take during the mission.
Implications of climate changes to building energy and design

Abstract Climate change is a widely acknowledged major environmental problem whose impacts on building energy use however are not fully understood. Various climate models have been developed and used to project climate changes; however most of existing studies on climate change impacts only use few model outcomes, providing narrow predictions on the influences. This study analyzed a large number (i.e., 56) of models and scenarios. The obtained future climate data showed a wider range of potential changes and thus impacts on building energy. Four reference climate models were identified to cover the full range of the 56 models for three time periods and seven climate zones. The accuracy of model projections was validated using historical data. The study predicted the potential energy implications of climate changes to a campus building stock. Influences of these changes on utility and economics were analyzed. The study further explored the potential impacts of climate change to the current climate zones that directly relate to building energy consumption.
A device to improve fabrication of a conversion prosthesis for immediate loading of dental implants.

Abstract A common challenge of fabricating a conversion prosthesis for immediate loading of dental implants is preventing the acrylic resin from flowing over the polished metal cuff of the titanium cylinders. Excess acrylic resin that accidentally flows over the polished metal cuff and adheres to it can impede insertion and the proper fit of the conversion prosthesis after surgery. Subsequent removal of the excess acrylic resin using rotary or hand instruments can scratch and damage the polished metal cuff, resulting in increased plaque accumulation and subsequent inflammation and the potential for hard and soft tissue loss during the early stages of healing. This article describes a novel device, a conversion cap, that can be screwed into the titanium cylinders to prevent any acrylic resin from flowing over the polished metal cuff. In addition, it can be attached during finishing and polishing the conversion prosthesis or definitive prosthesis to eliminate any risk of scratches over the metal cuff and allow dental laboratory technicians and clinicians to improve the quality of the prostheses.
Machine learning approaches to automate weed detection by UAV based sensors

Applying machine learning methods and analysis on remotely sensed color, multispectral, and thermal imagery has been recognized as a potentially cost-effective approach for detecting the location of various weed species in-field. This detection approach has the potential to be an important first step for broader Site-Specific Weed Management procedures (SSWM). The objective of this research was to create a method for automating the detection of weeds in corn and soybean fields, at different stages of the growing season. Sensors based on an unmanned aerial vehicle were used to capture imagery used for this research. We focused on identifying four common weed types present in Midwestern fields. This research involved: 1) collecting color, multispectral, and thermal imagery from UAV based sensors in corn and soybean fields throughout the 2018 growing season, 2) creating individual normalized differential vegetation index (NDVI) images from the near-infrared (NIR) and red multispectral bands 3) applying image thresholding and smoothing techniques on the NDVI imagery , 4) manually drawing bounding boxes and hand labelling vegetation blobs from the processed imagery using color images as the ground truth, 5) developing a training set of these processed, labeled images that represent weeds at different crop growth stages. Preliminary results of these methods show promise in creating an affordable first step to target herbicide application.
A National Study Across Levels of Nursing Education: Can Nurses and Nursing Students Accurately Estimate Their Knowledge of Evidence-Based Practice?

Aim This national study sought to: a) describe the evidence-based practice (EBP) knowledge levels of nursing students enrolled in baccalaureate through doctorate of nursing practice programs; b) examine relationships between objective and subjective EBP knowledge measures; c) describe correlations between educational and demographic factors and EBP knowledge; and d) further evaluate validity and reliability evidence for the Evidence-Based Practice Knowledge Assessment in Nursing. Background Rigorous evaluation of students' EBP knowledge across nursing program levels is vital to enhancing education and patient care. Method A cross-sectional, correlational design using large-scale survey procedures was used in this study. Results Mean Evidence-Based Practice Knowledge Assessment in Nursing scores (N = 674 respondents from five universities in the United States) increased with greater levels of nursing education degree attainment. A weak, positive correlation was found between objective and subjective EBP knowledge measures (r = .13, p = .001). Conclusion More research is needed to identify effective approaches to EBP education in nursing programs.
Do Expectant Mothers’ Breastfeeding Plans Influence Provider Prenatal Contraceptive Counseling?:

Background:Breastfeeding and optimal birth spacing are associated with improved maternal and infant health outcomes worldwide. Provision of contraceptive advice that is aligned with recommendations...
Partners' motivations for accommodating posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in service members: The reasons for accommodation of PTSD scale.

Abstract Emerging research reinforces the importance of partner accommodation in the interpersonal context of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A better understanding of partners’ motivations for accommodation is needed to help refine or design interventions that target accommodation. To explore partners’ motivations, we created the Reasons for Accommodation of PTSD Scale (RAPS) and evaluated it in 263 female partners of male Army soldiers who had returned from a deployment within the past 2 years. Soldiers completed a measure of military-related PTSD, and partners completed a measure of accommodation and the newly created RAPS. Factor analysis of the RAPS yielded a clear, 3-factor solution suggesting the following reasons for accommodating: (1) Relationship & Obligation, or a desire for positive relationship outcomes and a sense of duty or responsibility; (2) Helping Recovery, or a belief that avoidance was helpful for the service member; and (3) Conflict Avoidance/Helplessness, or a desire to avoid conflict or simply not knowing what else to do. Analyses of these factors in relation to soldiers’ PTSD clusters indicated that hyperarousal symptoms were uniquely associated with relationship and obligation motivations, re-experiencing symptoms were uniquely associated with helping recovery motivations, and emotional numbing symptoms were uniquely associated with conflict avoidance and helplessness motivations. Furthermore, conflict avoidance and helplessness accounted for the greatest variance in partners’ accommodation frequency and distress. Assessment of partners’ accommodative behaviors, as well as their motivations for engaging in accommodation, may aid in treatment planning and enhance outcomes for couples in which one individual has PTSD.
Combined Proteomic and Genetic Interaction Mapping Reveals New RAS Effector Pathways and Susceptibilities

Activating mutations in RAS GTPases drive one fifth of cancers, but poor understanding of many RAS effectors and regulators, and of the roles of their different paralogs, continues to impede drug development. We developed a multi-stage discovery and screening process to understand RAS function and identify RAS-related susceptibilities in lung adenocarcinoma. Using affinity purification mass spectrometry (AP/MS), we generated a protein-protein interaction map of the RAS pathway containing thousands of interactions. From this network we constructed a CRISPR dual knockout library targeting 119 RAS-related genes that we screened for genetic interactions (GIs). We found important new effectors of RAS-driven cellular functions, RADIL and the GEF RIN1, and over 250 synthetic lethal GIs, including a potent KRAS-dependent interaction between RAP1GDS1 and RHOA. Many GIs link specific paralogs within and between gene families. These findings illustrate the power of the multiomic approach to identify synthetic lethal combinations for hitherto undruggable cancers.
Assessing library topics using sentiment analysis in R: a discussion and code sample

This article discusses the use of R programing language for executing a sentiment analysis of tweets pertaining to library topics. This discussion is situated within the literature of marketing and...
Oxytocin receptors excite lateral nucleus of central amygdala by phospholipase Cβ- and protein kinase C-dependent depression of inwardly rectifying K+ channels.

Key points Activation of oxytocin receptors (OXTRs) facilitates neuronal excitability in rat lateral nucleus of central amygdala (CeL). OXTR-induced excitation is mediated by inhibition of inwardly rectifying K+ (Kir) channels. Phospholipase Cβ is necessary for OXTR-mediated excitation of CeL neurons and depression of Kir channels. OXTR-elicited depression of Kir channels and excitation of CeL neurons require the function of Ca2+ -dependent protein kinase C. Abstract Oxytocin (OXT) is a nonapeptide that exerts anxiolytic effects in the brain. The amygdala is an important structure involved in the modulation of fear and anxiety. A high density of OXT receptors (OXTRs) has been detected in the capsular (CeC) and lateral (CeL) nucleus of the central amygdala (CeA). Previous studies have demonstrated that activation of OXTRs induces remarkable increases in neuronal excitability in the CeL/C. However, the signalling and ionic mechanisms underlying OXTR-induced facilitation of neuronal excitability have not been determined. We found that activation of OXTRs in the CeL increased action potential firing frequency recorded from neurons in this region via inhibition of the inwardly rectifying K+ channels. The functions of phospholipase Cβ and protein kinase C were required for OXTR-induced augmentation of neuronal excitability. Our results provide a cellular and molecular mechanism whereby activation of OXTRs exerts anxiolytic effects.
Race, Socioeconomic Status, and Land Ownership among Freed African American Farmers: The View from Ceramic Use at the Ransom and Sarah Williams Farmstead, Manchaca, Texas

There are few studies of post-emancipation-period African American agrarian landowners because their numbers were small in contrast to those African Americans who remained landless. Archaeologists’ emphasis on sharecroppers has overlooked the socioeconomic diversity within the African American community and minimized the importance of land ownership to the assertion of black freedom. Using the ceramics recovered from the Ransom and Sarah Williams farmstead, an historical African American site in central Texas, I show that land ownership enhanced the lives of freed African Americans by enabling them to become self-sufficient. This self-sufficiency was an important strategy that ensured their racial and economic autonomy within a precarious agricultural economy. However, their position was liminal because racism precluded them from using their landholdings in any way beyond the achievement of self-sufficiency. Therefore, land ownership was not economically emancipatory because African Americans were not able to build wealth.
Sonification of heart rate variability can entrain bodies in motion

In this work, we introduce a co-adaptive closed-loop interface driven by audio augmented with a parameterization of the dancer's heart-rate in near real-time. In our set-up, two salsa dancers perform their routine dance (previously choreographed and well-trained) and a spontaneously improvised piece lead by the male dancer. They firstly dance their pieces while listening to the original version of the song (baseline condition). Then, we ask them to dance while listening to the music, as altered by the heart rate extracted from the female dancer in near real-time. Salsa dancing is always led by the male. As such, their challenge is to adapt, their movements, as a dyad, to the real-time change induced by the female's heart activity. Our work offers a new co-adaptive set up for dancers, new data types and analytical methods to study two forms of dance: well-rehearsed choreography and improvisation. We show that the small variations in heart activity, despite its robustness for autonomic function, can distinguish well between these two modes of dance.
Family-centered communication: A pilot educational intervention using deliberate practice and patient feedback.

Abstract Objective There are few opportunities in medical education dedicated to learning skills for effective communication in life altering patient scenarios. We therefore aimed to develop and assess a longitudinal advanced communication curriculum for pediatric residents using patient feedback and deliberate practice. Methods Pediatric residents at a large academic center were randomized into 2 groups. The intervention group received 6 educational sessions from 2019 to 2020, parent feedback of performance via the Communication Assessment Tool (CAT), and monthly communication tips. Communication skills of both groups were assessed at the end of the intervention. Results We collected 937 CAT assessments on 36 first-year residents. The intervention group demonstrated statistically significant improvement in communication skills from pre to post assessment (p = 0.0063, (odds ratio (OR) 1.76, 95 % confidence interval (CI) [1.17, 2.63]) compared to the control group (p = 0.080, OR 1.41, 95 % CI [0.96, 2.05]). Conclusions There are patient and self-identified performance gaps in communication skills for pediatric residents, underscoring the need for formalized curricula dedicated to these skills. Practice implications Our study highlights the value of deliberate practice and the integration of family feedback as an educational tool in communication skills development.
Impacts Analysis & Field Implementation of Plug-in Electric Vehicles Participation in Demand Response and Critical Peak Pricing for Commercial Buildings

Plug-in Electric Vehicles (PEVs) are becoming popular for their capabilities of reducing carbon emission. It's ability to act as a storage to provide power back to the grid while discharging can contribute to managing critical events. Critical Peak Pricing (CPP) events are some unpredictable events in which grid operators can be benefitted from consumer load control action behind the meter. This paper investigates the opportunity of electric vehicles' participation during any CPP event by activating vehicle to grid (V2G) mode of operation. A novel framework is developed to make vehicle to grid (V2G) operation efficient with a goal of reducing the overall cost for any EV owning consumer behind the meter. A Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) problem is formulated and solved to reduce the energy cost for a small commercial building that has two on-site PEVs. A range of pricing is modeled to show the effectiveness of this strategy along with all the usual constraints. The financial benefits of both the consumer and the utility operator are also discussed for this CPP handling strategy.
Unleashing the Power of Generation

If you are asked to paint a flower, you may ask many questions. “What type is it? How many petals? How many sepals? What is its size? What should be the color? Should it be bending at an angle?” What you are doing is that you are collecting the generative parameters of the flower. From these parameters, you will create a painting.
The Political Economy of the Kuznets Curve

The paper provides a political economy theory of the Kuznets curve. When development leads to increasing inequality, this can induce political instability and force democratization on political elites. Democratization leads to institutional changes which encourage redistribution and reduce inequality. Nevertheless, development does not necessarily induce a Kuznets curve, and it is shown that development may be associated with two types of nondemocratic paths: An "autocratic disaster," with high inequality and low output, and an "East Asian Miracle," with low inequality and high output. These arise either because inequality does not increase with development, or because the degree of political mobilization is low.
An architecture for provably secure computation

We describe an architecture requiring very few changes to any standard von Neumann machine that provably withstands coalitions between a malicious operating system and other users, in the sense that: If the operating system permits a program to run, then the program produces the same outputs as it would produce if it were running on an ideal, single-user machine; moreover, even if the operating system behaves according to expectations only most of the time, the programs get executed. The only information leaked by a program to the malicious coalition is the time and space requirements of the program. If the malicious operating system is dynamically replaced by a good operating system, then the latter can quickly and correctly determine what memory resources are available for future programs, as well as how much time is left for each of the currently executing programs, and can distribute these resources without any restrictions. This can be accomplished without restarting currently executing programs. To our knowledge, ours is the first attempt to provide provable guarantees along these lines, and the first treatment of any kind, provable or otherwise, for the third property.
Medical insurance, socioeconomic status, and age of onset of endstage renal disease in patients with lupus nephritis.

OBJECTIVE: Limited access to care may hasten progression to endstage renal disease (ESRD) in patients with lupus nephritis. We examined associations between type of medical insurance, socioeconomic status (SES), and age at onset of ESRD in a national, population-based cohort. METHODS: Using the United States Renal Data System, incident cases of ESRD due to lupus nephritis in the US from January 1, 1996, to June 30, 2004, were examined in this cross-sectional study (n = 7971). Age at onset of ESRD was compared among patients with different types of medical insurance and by SES. RESULTS: In each ethnic group, patients with private insurance were older at the onset of ESRD than those with no insurance or Medicaid. For example, whites with private insurance were on average 7.5 years older than those with no insurance and 8.2 years older than those with Medicaid. There were no differences in age at onset of ESRD between those with no insurance and those with Medicaid. SES, based on the socioeconomic characteristics of the patient's area of residence, was associated with age of onset of ESRD only in whites. CONCLUSION: Among patients with lupus nephritis who develop ESRD, those with private medical insurance are older when they begin ESRD treatment than those with Medicaid or no insurance. Given that medical insurance is unrelated to the age at onset of lupus nephritis, these findings suggest that progression to ESRD varies with medical insurance status, possibly because of differences in quality of care or access to care.
The Education of Special Needs Children in Uganda: Legal Policy Lessons from the United States

The American approach to special education is unique. It is grounded in an extensive statutory and regulatory framework. Its robust dispute resolution framework provides opportunities for collaboration and reconciliation while also pitting parents versus school districts in legal proceedings. The American special education experience is rich in ideas, models, good intentions and hard-earned experience. Thus it is an ideal subject for comparative analysis. In the case of Uganda, the American legal environment is particularly instructive. The legal framework regarding the provision of special education in Uganda is skeletal and largely undefined. The domestic law places emphasis of establishing structures and capacity building. While certain organizations look to the provision of education to persons with disabilities as a human rights issue, human rights instruments are short on practical approaches for implementing meaningful special education reform. This paper is not an attempt to promote and import American ideas and methodologies. Instead the intent is to inspire informed assessment of the legal and regulatory framework that guides, enables and accompanies the provision of special education services in Uganda. By comparing the status of rights of special needs students in Uganda with those in the United States we get a sense of what the future might hold. In addition, the paper provides strategic perspective for those seeking to promote and champion the rights of special needs students in Uganda.
Laboratory-induced stress and craving among individuals with prescription opioid dependence

a b s t r a c t Background: Stress and conditioned drug cues have been implicated in the initiation, maintenance and relapse to substances of abuse. Although stress and drug cues are often encountered together, little research exists on whether stress potentiates the response to drug cues. Method: Participants (N = 75) were 39 community recruited individuals with current prescription opioid (PO) dependence and 36 healthy controls. Participants stayed overnight in the hospital for one night and then completed laboratory testing the following morning. During laboratory testing, participants were randomly assigned to a stress task (Trier Social Stress Task; TSST) or a no-stress condition. Following the stress manipulation, all participants completed a PO cue paradigm. Immediately before and after the stress and cue tasks, the following were assessed: subjective (stress, craving, anger, sadness, happiness), physiological (heart rate, blood pressure, galvanic skin response), and neuroendocrine responses (cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone). Results: Internal validity of the stress task was demonstrated, as evidenced by significantly higher subjec- tive stress, as well as cortisol, heart rate and blood pressure in the TSST compared to the no-stress group. Individuals with PO dependence evidenced significantly greater reactivity to the stress task than controls. Craving increased significantly in response to the drug cue task among PO participants. No stress × cue interaction was observed. Conclusions: In this study, heightened stress reactivity was observed among individuals with PO depend- ence. Exposure to acute stress, however, did not potentiate craving in response to conditioned drug cues. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.
Immunoregulatory Responses in Experimental Disseminated Histoplasmosis: Lymphoid Organ Histopathology and Serological Studies

To study immunoregulatory mechanisms in systemic histoplasmosis, a highly reproducible model of infection was established in C3H/Anf mice. Intravenous inoculation of 6- to 8-week-old mice with from 5 × 10 5 to 10 × 10 5 cells of yeast-phase Histoplasma capsulatum strain G-217B produced disseminated infection that resolved over an 8-week period without therapeutic intervention. Serological studies demonstrated complement-fixing antibody production to yeast- and mycelial-phase antigens of H. capsulatum . Complement-fixing antibody to the former was detected at week 1, and it peaked at week 3 and declined thereafter. Complement-fixing antibody to mycelial-phase antigen(s) appeared later (week 3) and did not peak until week 18. Grossly, the spleens of infected mice were enlarged from three to four times normal size during peak infection, whereas the thymuses were markedly involuted. Conversely, at week 8 the average spleen size was considerably smaller and the thymic mass was increased relative to the mass at week 3. Histopathologically, the paracortical regions of lymph nodes and the white pulp (periarteriolar lymphocyte sheaths) and marginal zones of the spleen were heavily infiltrated by granulomata at week 1. By week 8, the infiltrates in these areas had largely resolved. Thymocytes were severely depleted from the cortical lobules of the thymus at week 1; however, thymic cellularity was restored by week 8. These reciprocal changes in cellularity of the thymus and spleen during active infection may be of importance with reference to the disturbances of immunoregulation that we have observed in Histoplasma -infected mice. Images
Assessing the performance of laboratories in large external quality assurance programs

Interlaboratory quality assurance studies (external QA) are effective techniques to monitor the performance of laboratories analyzing environmental constituents. Environment Canada through the National Water Research Institute conducts intercomparison studies on waters, sediments and fish for inorganic and toxic organic constituents. Over 400 laboratories in Canada and the United States are involved in eight different ongoing external QA programs. Most studies include over 50 laboratories that analyze 15 to 30 different constituents in ten different samples. Data sets are addressed by non‐parametric statistics (ranking) in order to discern laboratory measurement bias (a systematic error high or low). Individual sample results that deviate significantly from interlaboratory medians are flagged either very high, high, low, or very low. In large studies (10 samples, 50 labs, 20 constituents) excellent performance is recognized when a laboratory has a very low frequency of flags and bias. Poor performance is ...
Enzymatic conversion of the antibiotic metronidazole to an analog of thiamine

We propose that adverse effects of the antibiotic metronidazole may be due, wholly or in part, to its conversion to a thiamine analog and consequent vitamin B1 antagonism. Consistent with this hypothesis, the drug is accepted as a substrate for the thiaminase (EC 2.5.1.2) elaborated as an exoenzyme by the human gut flora constituent Bacillus thiaminolyticus and is also a substrate for the intracellular thiaminase of the mollusk Venus mercenaria. The product, identified as the 1-[(4-amino-2-methyl-5-pyrimidinyl)methyl]-3-(2-hydroxyethyl)-2-methyl-4 - nitroimidazolium cation, is a close structural analog of thiamine and is an effective inhibitor of thiamine pyrophosphokinase in vitro. Due to its susceptibility to nucleophilic attack, the analog is unstable, releasing inorganic nitrite under mild conditions. Enzymatic alkylation reactions such as that effected by thiaminase may have general pharmacological significance as a route of increasing the electrophilicity and/or reduction potential of drugs which are heterocyclic weak bases.
Alexei Gastev and the soviet controversy over Taylorism, 1918–24

SOVIET attitudes to work are as important for an understanding of Soviet culture as is, for example, the controversy over the so-called Protestant work ethic for an understanding of modern Western culture.1 While the Soviet Union may not yet have found its Max Weber or its R. H. Tawney to argue over the origins of Soviet attitudes to work, when it does a figure of critical importance for an understanding of this aspect of Soviet culture will be Alexei Gastev. Gastev was the founder of the Central Labour Institute and a major figure in the development and popularization of Soviet ideas concerning 'scientific management', or, as that term is rendered into Russian, nauchnaya organizatsiya truda (scientific organization of work), usually abbreviated as NOT. Gastev was originally known as the most popular of the 'worker-poets' in the early Soviet years-the 'Ovid of engineers, miners, and metal workers'.2 His prose-poems celebrated the life of a new, industrial Russia, and caught the imagination of a generation of Soviet young people, who bought six editions of his Poeziya rabochego udara in the first years of Soviet rule and flocked to hear dramatic readings of his work in the studios of the Proletarian Culture movement.3 These poems were written in prison and Siberian exile before I914, when Gastev was unable to continue his trade union and revolutionary activity. While these poems are far from the level of a Mayakovsky, their use of the strong imagery and language of the Petrograd working class won Mayakovsky's praise, and the Futurists excepted Gastev from their
Module and solar cell values as a function of efficiency

The economic value of a photovoltaic solar module in a complete system, based on the price of the energy delivered, depends on the area-related balance-of-system costs and the conversion efficiency of the module. This is shown analytically. Once a module with a certain efficiency is, or is assumed to be, on the market, the value of modules of differing efficiencies is fixed, for given array construction and installation costs. When these costs are comparable in magnitude to the module prices, a strong dependence exists of the module price, in $/W(peak), on the efficiency. When these costs are negligible, the module price in $/W(peak) approaches efficiency independence. Thus, present projections of future B-O-S costs determine the module development to be undertaken. This poses a policy dilemma, as a wrong projection now would create the wrong emphasis in the R & D programs, and hurt the future commercial viability of the systems.
Uniform Ablative Acceleration of Targets by Laser Irradiation at 10 14 W/cm 2

The authors present the first detailed investigation of the ablative acceleration of planar targets while simultaneously using high irradiance (${10}^{14}$ W/${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$), large focal diameters (1 mm), and long laser pulse duration (3 nsec). Included are measurements of target preheat, ablation pressures, and uniformity achieved under these conditions. Targets were accelerated to high velocities with velocity profile uniformity approaching that required for high-gain pellet implosions.
Inhibition of SV40 replication in simian cells by specific pBR322 DNA sequences.

SV40 DNA replication requires interactions between proteins provided by the host cell, the virus-coded A protein and a viral sequence of ∼80 base pairs (bp), which serves as an origin of DNA replication1,2. The apparent simplicity of this virus has provided a useful means of producing3,4 SV40 virions that carry specific eukaryotic genes which can infect cells in culture and replicate to a high copy number. One disadvantage to this approach is that the viral DNA sequences necessary for replication and the gene of interest must be precisely tailored to package efficiently into SV40 virus particles. In an attempt to circumvent this limitation, we have studied the replication of SV40–pBR322 plasmids after transfection into simian cells with the ultimate goal of using the viral replicon as a means of amplifying the expression of cloned fragments inserted in these vectors. Such a dual-host replicon also offers the possibility of rescuing and subsequently cloning genes which are properly expressed and stably integrated into the cell genome5. We and others (refs 5–8 and Schaffner, personal communication), have noted that such plasmids propagated in Escherichia coli replicate poorly if at all after transfection of simian cells. Further-more, recombinant plasmids isolated from the transfected simian cells subsequently show a reduced ability to retransform E. coli5. We now demonstrate that both these phenomena are related to the presence of a cis-acting DNA sequence in the bacterial vector, pBR322. SV40–pBR322 plasmids lacking this sequence replicated as effectively as authentic SV40 DNA in simian cells and were re-established as plasmids in E. coli as effectively as plasmid DNAs extracted from E. coli.
Raman and infrared spectra of metal salts of α, α-dicyano-p-toluoylcyanide: non-resonant Raman scattering in tetracyano-p-quinodimethanide

Abstract Polycrystalline samples of metal salts of α , α -dicyano- p -toluoylcyanide (DCTC − ) have been prepared. The Raman spectra of NaDCTC, CuDCTC, and AgDCTC are reported, as are the IR spectra of CuDCTC and AgDCTC. Comparison of these Raman spectra with that reported for DCTC − in solution indicates that for bands between 700 and 1700 cm −1 there is little change in peak position of the principle Raman bands with changes in ion environment. Raman spectra of films of copper tetracyano- p -quinodimethanide (CuTCNQ) are also reported and compared to that of CuDCTC. We find that bands sometimes assigned as non-totally symmetric modes of TCNQ − are due to the presence of DCTC − as an impurity.
Proximity of foods in a competitive food environment influences consumption of a low calorie and a high calorie food

The objective of this study was to test if proximity of a food or preference for a food influences food intake in a competitive food environment in which one low calorie/low fat (apple slices) and one higher calorie/higher fat (buttered popcorn) food was available in the same environment. The proximity of popcorn and apple slices was manipulated and 56 participants were randomly assigned to groups. In Group Apples Near, apple slices were placed near (within arms reach) a participant and popcorn was placed far (2m away). In Group Popcorn Near, buttered popcorn was placed near and apple slices were placed far. As a control for the absence of a proximity manipulation, Group Both Near had both test foods placed near. Although participants rated the popcorn as more liked than apples, the food that was placed closer to the participant was consumed most in the two experimental groups, regardless of preference (R(2)=0.38). Total energy intake was reduced most when popcorn was placed far from a participant compared to when it was placed near (R(2)=0.24). The effects reported here were not moderated by BMI and did not vary by sex. In all, the results support the hypothesis that making a low calorie food more proximate will reduce total energy intake and increase intake of a low calorie food, even when a higher calorie and more preferred food is also available, but less proximate.
Structure of crystalline interfaces

Abstract The structure of crystalline interfaces, as observed by transmission electron microscopy, is reviewed with emphasis on the similarity of grain and interphase boundaries of the dislocation type. Small-angle grain boundaries and low misfit interphase boundaries between similar crystal structures largely condense their mismatch into arrays of interfacial dislocations having Burgers vectors in common with dislocations located in the bulk crystals. Large-angle grain boundaries near certain misorientations corresponding to good fit between the abutting grains contain dislocations with Burgers vectors which are not found in the bulk crystal. Partially coherent interphase boundaries between quite dissimilar crystals, for example, f.c.c. and b.c.c., may also contain such dislocations. Principally, because of the difficulties involved in the acquisition of interfacial dislocations, dislocation interphase boundaries, in particular, usually do not have the minimum energy structure.
The influence of magnesium, calcium and vitamin C on tumor growth in mice with breast cancer.

Abstract Lymphocyte mediated cytotoxicity of tumor cells requires the establishment of a firm adhesion between lymphocyte and tumor cell. This occurs most efficiently in the presence of magnesium (Mg), but may also occur with calcium (Ca). To determine the value of oral supplements of Mg and Ca, and also of vitamin C (VC) on tumor growth, 70 C3H/HEJ mice, 5 to 6 weeks of age, were divided into groups being supplemented with Mg, Ca, Mg and Ca, VC, and controls. These supplements, added to the animals' water, gave concentrations of 2 mg/cc for Mg, 0.36 mg/cc for Ca, and 1 mg/cc for VC. Two weeks later, all animals were inoculated by trochar with equal pieces of C3HBA mouse mammary adenocarcinoma averaging 9.0 mg. Tumor size was measured at weekly intervals and animals were followed to death. Survival in those receiving Mg and Ca (mean 10.73 weeks) was statistically significantly longer than those receiving Mg alone, Ca alone, or controls, but not significantly longer than VC (mean 10.60 weeks), P
Event detection using variable module graphs for home care applications

Technology has reached new heights making sound and video capture devices ubiquitous and affordable. We propose a paradigm to exploit this technology for home care applications especially for surveillance and complex event detection. Complex vision tasks such as event detection in a surveillance video can be divided into subtasks such as human detection, tracking, recognition, and trajectory analysis. The video can be thought of as being composed of various features. These features can be roughly arranged in a hierarchy from low-level features to high-level features. Low-level features include edges and blobs, and high-level features include objects and events. Loosely, the low-level feature extraction is based on signal/image processing techniques, while the high-level feature extraction is based on machine learning techniques. Traditionally, vision systems extract features in a feed-forward manner on the hierarchy, that is, certain modules extract low-level features and other modules make use of these low-level features to extract high-level features. Along with others in the research community, we have worked on this design approach. In this paper, we elaborate on recently introduced V/M graph. We present our work on using this paradigm for developing applications for home care applications. Primary objective is surveillance of location for subject tracking as well as detecting irregular or anomalous behavior. This is done automatically with minimal human involvement, where the system has been trained to raise an alarm when anomalous behavior is detected.
Atopic conditions in search of pathogenesis and therapy.

Allergy and asthma have reached epidemic proportions, with almost 20% of Americans affected, 1 and both have been associated with obesity 2 and stress, 3 which are prominent in our society. 4 Moreover, there has been an emergence or recognition of a number of additional conditions that share many symptoms traditionally associated with classic allergic diseases. These conditions are quite distinct in that such patients are not typically allergic in the usual sense of having positive radioallergosorbent test and skin prick test results to known antigens. Such conditions include mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), 5 coronary hypersensitivity (Kounis) syndrome, 6 multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) syndrome, 7 gluten intolerance without celiac disease, 8 food intolerance associated with attention-deficit/hypersensitivity disorder, 9 and autism. 10 Additional conditions include cyclic vomiting syndrome, 11 cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS), 12 myalgic encephalopathy or chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), 13 and fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). 14 Most patients with MCAS present with abdominal pain or diarrhea, skin reactions and flushing, and headaches or memory and concentration difficulties (brain fog) associated with activation of the unique tissue immune cell, the mast cell (MC). MCAS should be suspected when there is unexplained multiorgan involvement in the absence of elevated serum tryptase levels. In Kounis syndrome, patients experience sudden unexplained coronary events, often immediately after some hypersensitivity reaction, suspected to activate intracoronary MC to release proinflammatory mediators. The MCS syndrome is a chronic condition characterized by not only nausea, fatigue, dizziness, and headaches but also inflammation of skin, joints, gastrointestinal tract, and airways, often resembling MCAS. These symptoms develop when patients are exposed to triggers that include smoke, pesticides, plastics, synthetic fabrics, scented products, and paints. Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired social interactions, language loss, and repetitive behaviors. It is often precipitated after some infectious or stress trigger and can be associated with gastrointestinal and skin reactions. Cyclic vomiting syndrome is a gastrointestinal disorder seen primarily in children, characterized by bouts of unexplained vomiting, often precipitated by stress that may overlap with MCS syndrome. IC or PBS is defined as low pelvic pain or pressure associated with increased daytime frequency of urination and nocturia