cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Are climate risks encouraging cover crop adoption among farmers in the southern Wabash River Basin

Abstract Cover crops represent a potential win-win opportunity to promote climate resilience by helping farmers adapt to climate risks while simultaneously mitigating multiple environmental impacts from agriculture. However, cover crop adoption rates are increasing slowly and cover less than 5% of U.S. croplands. In contrast, several Indiana counties in the southern Wabash River Basin have cover crops on more than 20 % of farmland. This qualitative study draws on 33 semi-structured interviews with farmers to understand whether climate risks are driving the above-average rates of adoption in this area. Our purposive sample of farmers was guided by whether they farmed flood-prone areas along the White and Wabash Rivers, thus making them especially sensitive to increasing flood risks from climate change. We found that while climate risks, particularly intensifying rainfall events, were a factor in some cases, most adoption was a longstanding effort to control wind-erosion on hilly areas with sandy soils. We also found that farmers experienced challenges with adoption following successful establishment of cover crops tied to climate-driven ecosystem responses. Greater spring precipitation delayed cash crop planting because of moisture retention and intensified pest pressures from increased habitat has caused replanting of cash crop seeds. Responses indicate that climate risks have mixed effects that may either discourage or encourage cover crop adoption depending on whether future outreach and policy interventions can help farmers overcome the adoption challenges they encounter.
Intracavity second harmonic generation from a WSe2 monolayer in a passively mode-locked picosecond fiber laser

A single layer WSe2 crystal is transferred on the tip of a single mode fiber that is placed in the cavity of a Yb3+ doped picosecond fiber oscillator. This intracavity monolayer generates second harmonics without affecting the stable mode-locking and laser output of the fiber oscillator. This method utilizes the higher intracavity optical intensities to increase the SHG conversion efficiency, thus combining the high nonlinear susceptibility and the phase-matching independence of a monolayer with the versatility of a fiber laser in an all-fiber integrated system. We also demonstrated a procedure to verify the monolayer placement on the fiber core by hyperspectral mapping. This intracavity SHG has possible applications for self-referencing f-2f interferometry in fiber-laser frequency combs.
Drawing for Visual Communication in Medicine: A Novel Pilot Course for Senior Medical Students.

Objective Visual aids such as drawings have been reported to improve patient comprehension, retention, and adherence. We sought to determine the feasibility of teaching live drawing for clinical communication to medical students. Design We designed a course to teach basic drawing skills and visual communication of health information to senior medical students. Data was gathered from both an intervention and control group via written pre- and post-course surveys. The intervention group also completed a survey six months after the course. Setting The course was offered as an elective at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine during February 2020. Participants The intervention group consisted of 17 enrolled students, while 17 students not taking the course served as a control group. Third year, fourth year, and research year medical students were invited to enroll in the course. Results The intervention group had significantly greater comfort with visual communication for patient care and increased objective drawing and visual communication scores compared to the control group. Visual abilities not targeted by the curriculum did not change between the intervention and control groups. At 6-months follow-up, course participants reported persistently elevated comfort in visual communication, as well as utilization of visual communication skills in their clinical practice. Conclusions These data provide initial evidence of the efficacy of an elective course aimed at developing the skill and confidence to draw for visual communication in medicine as well as support for continued efforts to further develop and disseminate this type of curriculum.
Primary biliary cholangitis: review for radiologists

Primary biliary cholangitis is a rare progressive chronic inflammation of the medium and small bile ducts that abdominal radiologists may encounter, particularly if working in a tertiary setting or at a transplant center. This brief review covers current thinking about the pathophysiology and presentation of the disease, as well as the current diagnostic criteria in use by hepatologists. Imaging strategies for diagnosis will be reviewed as well as current treatment strategies and the use of imaging in monitoring response to treatment, including image-guided elastography.
Incomplete LASIK Flap

Large-scale studies have reported numerous intraoperative and postoperative laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) flap complications with use of a mechanical microkeratome [1]. Frequently, detection of an intraoperative flap complication causes the surgeon to abort the laser ablation process. These eyes then present a management dilemma, as a repeat attempt at refractive surgery is associated with higher risks of intraoperative and postoperative complications [2].
Statistical optimization of image processing architectures for maximum resources utilization and throughput

With the evolution of modern image processing languages, hybrid architectures and easily replieatable hardware architectural components, it becomes feasible to undertake practical steps toward realizing the long-desired goal of algorithm-driven architectures. The dimensional complexity of the prerequisite computations needed to accomplish global image processing architectural optimization surely remains formidable. However, significant enhancement of the computing-power-to-cost ratio of real-world image processor systems is feasible through the statistical analysis of an application algorithm or generic sets of algorithms so as to determine the optimum connectivity and quantities of a specified repertoire of functional elements at the levels of a processor, memory control, data paths, and input/output devices. A methodology for statistical image processor architecture optimization will be described. Examples of automated statistical optimization across particular generalized architectural forms will be presented. The importance of a generalized image algebra to the long-range potential for more general application-driven architectural optimization will be discussed.
VAT Fraud and Terrorist Funding -- The Azizi Extradition Allegations Part I

On April 14, 2015 Samir Azizi, a 25 year old German/Afghan citizen, was extradited from the United States to Germany. The Extradition Compliant alleged (in 89 criminal counts) that Azizi had denied the German Treasury €61,104,368 in VAT revenue with 12 distinct Missing Trader Intra-Community (MTIC) fraud schemes. At the time of arrest the 26 year old Azizi admitted that his involvement in MTIC frauds stretched back even before 2008, the initial reference year of the Complaint. This paper assesses the Azizi extradition in two parts. The first part considers the first 26 criminal counts, representing alleged VAT losses of €15,302,965 from four MTIC schemes. The second part considers the remaining €45,801,403, in 63 criminal counts involving an additional 8 companies. Underlying both parts of this assessment is a fundamental (but unanswered) question: “Who exactly is Samir Azizi? Is he the mastermind of a multi-million euro VAT fraud, a fundraising fraudster for terrorist organizations, or a youthful face of convenience used to disguise the intentions and involvement of a larger criminal organization?” The most troubling aspect of this case (more troubling than the financial losses) are the further allegation that is underscored by Judge Howard R. Lloyd in his Extradition Order that “… there were also indicators that perpetrators were using the VAT procured through such fraud, not only for personal enrichment, but also to finance terrorism.”
Connections to Materials

This chapter presents the applications and properties of biomaterials, liquidmetal alloys, and high performance materials. The issues are provided with the chemical basics and chemical details. One of the issues dealt with is the composition of an artificial hip. Designed as a cup and ball joint, the artificial hip or prosthesis consists of two parts—the stem or femoral component and the socket or acetabular component. Inserted into the thigh bone or femur, the metal stem is composed of a titanium alloy or a cobalt–chromium–molybdenum alloy with a metal or ceramic ball-shaped head. Anchored to the hip bone, the acetabular component is a metal hemispherical shell with a plastic lining to act as a bearing for the femoral head. Both the stem and the socket may be cemented into place with a special epoxytype cement to bond the metal component to the bone. Alternatively, newer cementless surgical procedures use a porous coating of a calcium-phosphate-based ceramic to promote bone growth into porous surfaces. Hip implants of the future will replace the metal components with fiber composites that will more evenly match the stiffness of bones.
Synergy: sharing-aware component composition for distributed stream processing systems

Many emerging on-line data analysis applications require applying continuous query operations such as correlation, aggregation, and filtering to data streams in real-time. Distributed stream processing systems allow in-network stream processing to achieve better scalability and quality-of-service (QoS) provision. In this paper we present Synergy, a distributed stream processing middleware that provides sharing-aware component composition. Synergy enables efficient reuse of both data streams and processing components, while composing distributed stream processing applications with QoS demands. Synergy provides a set of fully distributed algorithms to discover and evaluate the reusability of available data streams and processing components when instantiating new stream applications. For QoS provision, Synergy performs QoS impact projection to examine whether the shared processing can cause QoS violations on currently running applications. We have implemented a prototype of the Synergy middleware and evaluated its performance on both PlanetLab and simulation testbeds. The experimental results show that Synergy can achieve much better resource utilization and QoS provision than previously proposed schemes, by judiciously sharing streams and processing components during application composition.
Access to Microdata on the Internet: Web-Based Analysis and Data Subset Extraction Tools

The Internet is increasingly being recognized as an invaluable component of education. At the college and university level, online databases and statistical tools for Web-based analysis and data subset extraction have become important instructional resources. These Internet resources enable students to formulate specific research hypotheses, identify relevant variables, and analyze large existing databases. This article describes three of these resources: the Federal Electronic Research and Review Extraction Tool (FERRET) of the U.S. Bureau of the Census, the Survey Documentation and Analysis (SDA) unit at the University of California, Berkley, and the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR), which is housed at the University of Michigan.
Bio-Pick, Place, and Perfuse: A New Instrument for Three-Dimensional Tissue Engineering

A grand challenge of tissue engineering is the fabrication of large constructs with a high density of living cells. By adapting the principles of pick-and-place machines used in the high-speed assembly of electronics, we have developed an innovative instrument, the Bio-Pick, Place, and Perfuse (Bio-P3), which picks up large complex multicellular building parts, transports them to a build area, and precisely places the parts at desired locations while perfusing the parts. These assembled parts subsequently fuse to form a larger contiguous tissue construct. Multicellular microtissues were formed by seeding cells into nonadhesive micro-molds, wherein cells self-assembled scaffold-free parts in the shape of spheroids, toroids, and honeycombs. After removal from the molds, the parts were gripped, transported (using an x, y, z controller), and released using the Bio-P3 with little to no effect on cell viability or part structure. As many as 16 toroids were stacked over a 170 μm diameter post where they fused over the course of 48 h to form a single tissue. Larger honeycomb parts were also gripped and stacked onto a build head that, like the gripper head, provided fluid suction to hold and perfuse the parts during assembly. Scaffold-free building parts help to address several of the engineering and biological challenges to large tissue biofabrication, and the Bio-P3 described in this article is a novel instrument for the controlled gripping, placing, stacking, and perfusing of living building parts for solid organ fabrication.
Yet another method for pose estimation: A probabilistic approach using points, lines, and cylinders

In this work, we use points, fines, and the linear extremal contours of cylinders to estimate the position and orientation of the camera in the world coordinate system. Other line-based pose estimation methods use the correspondences between 3D lines in space and 2D image lines, although the model and its observation are finite line segments. We present a noise model describing the probabilistic relationship between 3D lines and cylinders and their noisy observations. The noise model takes the finite nature of the observation into account. Position and orientation of cameras are estimated using a maximum-likelihood approach. Covariance matrices, confidence limits, and standard translation and rotation errors are estimated by singular value decomposition of the Jacobian matrix. The method provides clear indications on the reliability of each of the estimated parameters, and enables the user to add appropriate information, in terms of feature correspondence, to improve the accuracy if necessary. Simulation results are used to compare this method with some of the previously published ones. The algorithm is currently being used on real data for the update of 3D CAD models of industrial environments.
Endovascular repair of AAA rupture 20 months after endoluminal stent-grafting.

PURPOSE To demonstrate the feasibility of endovascular repair of a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) previously treated with an endoluminal stent-graft. CASE REPORT An 84-year-old man with a 9.5-cm AAA underwent endoluminal repair with an Endologix stent-graft, but a type I endoleak was detected postprocedurally. The patient was discharged and lost to follow-up. Twenty months later, he suffered an aneurysm rupture, which was repaired using endovascular techniques. Although he had a postoperative course complicated by aspiration pneumonia and renal failure, he recovered fully and was discharged from the hospital with no evidence of endoleak on the postprocedural imaging studies. CONCLUSIONS Late ruptures after endoluminal AAA stent-grafting can be successfully treated with endovascular techniques.
THE IMPACT OF BELL V. WOLFISH UPON PRISONER'S RIGHTS

Abstract Bell v. Wolfish, 441 U.S. 520. 60 L. Ed. 2d 447, S. Ct. 1861 (1979) was of major importance in prisoner's rights litigation and signalled a potential return to the “hands-off” judicialapproachto correctional institutions. The case involved the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York which was built in 1975. The lower courts found the MCC lacking in several areas but the U.S. Supreme Court found (5–4) that: 1. double bunking of inmates was not ‘punishment’ 2. the publishers only rule was constitutional 3. the package receipt restriction was not a violation of due process 4. room searches of pre-trial detainees were not a violation of the right of privacy 5. visual body cavity searches were not unreasonable. The Court also emphasized the strong deference to be paid to prison officials. At the time the case was seen as an important setback for the constitutional rights of pre-trial detainees and by implication of convicted inmates also. This paper reviews primarily federal decisions nationally ...
Lesions in goats fed Toxoplasma gondii oocysts.

Abstract Tissues of 20 2–3-month-old kids and 17 2–4-year old does fed Toxoplasma gondii oocysts were examined histologically. Kids were necropsied between 3 and 50 days post-inoculation (DPI) and does were necropsied between 10 and 422 DPI. Lesions were seen in tissues of all young goats fed 1000–100000 oocysts and consisted of acute enteritis, necrosis of mesenteric lymph nodes and encephalomyelitis. Lesions were not seen in does fed 10–10000 oocysts.
Therapeutic plasma exchange in the treatment of exertional heat stroke and multiorgan failure.

Exertional heat stroke (EHS) results in a constellation of systemic inflammatory responses resulting in multiorgan failure and an extremely high mortality. We present the case of an 11-year-old obese male who suffered EHS with rhabdomyolysis and concurrent renal, pulmonary, and hepatic failure. Conventional therapies including continuous veno-venous hemodiafiltration (CVVHDF) were ineffective in preventing ongoing deterioration in clinical status. Liver biopsy was reported as “extensive hepatocyte ballooning” and liver-kidney transplantation was tentatively planned. The addition of therapeutic plasma exchange using the Prismaflex® system (Gambro, Lakewood, CO, USA) resulted in a reversal of the inflammatory process and recovery from multiorgan failure. Liver biopsy was not a reliable indicator of irreversible hepatic injury.
Semiclassical study of the collision of a highly excited Rydberg atom with the molecules HF and HCl

The semiclassical impact-parameter method is applied to the processes of state changing and energy transfer in the collision of a highly excited Rydberg atom ({ital n}{ge}20) with the polar molecules HF and HCl. The relative motion of the molecule and atomic nucleus is taken to be rectilinear; the electron-molecule and ion core-molecule interactions are represented by cutoff dipole forms. Cross sections for transitions involving quantum numbers {ital n} and {ital l} of the atom and rotational quantum number {ital j} of the molecule are obtained for a range of collision energies and initial atomic and molecular states. Comparisons are made with the results of earlier classical studies and with the quantum-mechanical impulse approximation. Collision rates are calculated and compared with experimental values for {ital l} mixing and {ital n} and {ital j} changing. The agreement between experiment and theory is shown to be satisfactory, within the uncertainties of both the measurements and the theory. Cases of agreement and disagreement between various theories are examined. One finding of the present work is that the quantum-mechanical impulse approximation appears to significantly overestimate the values of various state-changing cross sections when the internal energy defect is small. The validity of the impulse approximationmore » for collisions of Rydberg atoms with polar molecules is discussed.« less
Official Corruption During China’s Economic Transition: Historical Patterns, Characteristics, and Government Reactions:

Using available information and data, this study examines the historical patterns and characteristics of official corruption in contemporary China. The study identifies four waves of official corruption associated with different stages of the nation’s economic reform. Each wave of corruption has different forms and targets. In our analysis, the general trend is that as the nation’s economic reforms move forward, official corruption in China is becoming more serious and pervasive with more money and higher ranked officials involved in corruption cases. This is raising a serious challenge to Chinese authorities who have shown a willingness and effort to control official corruption.We conclude that without fundamental political reform, official corruption is not likely to be controlled in China.
Teen-Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery: methodological features of the first prospective multicenter study of adolescent bariatric surgery

More than 20 million adults and 2 million children and teenagers in the USA have extreme obesity (body mass index ≥ 40 kg/m2), a condition associated with premature morbidity and mortality (1, 2). In adults, bariatric surgery results in prolonged weight control and improvement in serious obesity comorbidities (3). Bariatric surgery performed late in the course of comorbid conditions may not be as effective as surgery performed earlier. Based on these factors, we proposed that surgery for extreme adolescent obesity may be a beneficial option for highly selected teenagers (4), but large-scale prospective studies using reliable and valid measures that are systematic assessed are still lacking. To facilitate and accelerate data collection and research in bariatric surgery, the National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive, and Kidney Diseases established the Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery (LABS) consortium, a prospective observational study of adults undergoing bariatric surgery. Teen-LABS, an ancillary study to LABS, is also a prospective observational cohort study with the goal of collecting coordinated clinical, epidemiological and behavioral data in adolescent bariatric surgical patients (5). The design of Teen-LABS is patterned from the second phase of LABS, using similar research methodology and data collection instruments. The detailed methodology of the LABS study is now published (6) and available in a public access domain (7). The LABS and Teen-LABS studies will afford the first opportunity to understand broad ranging outcomes of bariatric surgery using duration of obesity as the moderating variable. Such an analysis will permit a realistic estimate of the risks and benefits of bariatric surgery in adolescent years and will lead to a better understanding of the plasticity of important medical and psychosocial obesity-related comorbidities. More specifically, Teen LABS will determine whether health significantly differs between adolescents and adults seeking bariatric surgery, identify early (30 day) and intermediate term (1-2 year) health risks for adolescents and adults undergoing bariatric surgery, and compare the psychosocial status of adolescents and adults with extreme obesity undergoing surgery. Psychosocial status will be examined in three domains: eating behaviors, depressive symptoms, and health related quality of life.
Boron in the Environment

Boron has recently come to the attention of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a possible contaminant worthy of regulation, but questions must still be addressed before a regulatory determination can take place. This article reviews current knowledge about boron as it pertains to water treatment and the environment so that informed decisions can be made regarding regulations and direction of future research. Specifically, this article summarizes boron chemistry, boron occurrence, health effects of boron, existing guidelines and regulations concerning boron, and methods for removing boron from drinking water.
Computational model for the bushy cell of the cochlear nucleus

Abstract A model of the cochlear nucleus bushy cell, adapted from Rothman, Young and Manis (J. Neurophysiol. 70 (1993) 2562–2583), was implemented using GENESIS. The model had one compartment that included Na + ( G Na ) and low- and high-threshold K + channels ( G KLT and G KHT ). When G KLT was set to zero, the model cell's response to a current step changed from onset to regular sustained. When G KHT (representing Kv3.1) was reduced, the action potential became wider. The present model results support the view that the specialized functional properties of the bushy cell, i.e., fast membrane time constant, onset discharges and entrainment to high-rate pulse train, are produced by combined actions of the G KLT , G KHT and G Na channels, and that these channels adapted to optimize the bushy cell's precise temporal-encoding ability.
Lack of effect of 2. 45-GHz microwave radiation on the development of preimplantation embryos of mice

The development of preimplantation embryos after exposure to microwave radiation was studied. Female CD-1 mice were induced to superovulate, mated, and exposed to 2.45-GHz microwave or sham radiation for 3 h at power densities of 9 mW/cm2 and 19 mW/cm2 on either day 2 or 3 of pregnancy (plug day was considered day 1). Another group of mice was exposed to heat stress by placing the dams in an environmental room at an ambient temperature of 38 degrees C and relative humidity at 62% for 3 h on day 2 of pregnancy. All groups were euthanized on day 4 of pregnancy and embryos were recovered by flushing excised uterine horns. Embryos were examined for abnormalities and classified by the developmental stages. They were then treated with hypotonic solution and dissociated for counting blastomeres. Heat stress caused stunted development of embryos, but no remarkable effect of microwave radiation could be found on the development of preimplantation embryos.
Gaussian-minimum average correlation energy filters.

Correlation filters with sharp δ-function correlation peaks [such as phase-only filters and minimum average correlation energy (MACE) filters] do not recognize images on which they are not trained. We show that the MACE filter cannot always recognize intermediate images of true class objects (e.g., aspect views or rotations midway between two training images). New Gaussian-MACE filters offer a solution to this problem.
What is the lowest spin for which Néel order is possible in the d=2 Heisenberg model?

An important quantity for quantum antiferromagnets in d=2 is Sc, the lowest value of spin for which Neel order is possible in the ground state of the Heisenberg Hamiltonian. By using the first three known terms of the 1/S expansion for the ground state magnetization M, together with the fact that M must vanish as (SSc)β, where β is the magnetization exponent of the n=3 classical Heisenberg model in d=3, we estimate that Sc=0.38. Our Pade analysis also estimates that for S=12, M=0.54S. If the Pade answer is the full story, the next term in the 1/S expansion will have a coefficient ≈ −23(0.2)3.
Development of a cognitive model of humans in a multi-agent framework for human-robot interaction

Partnership between a person and a robot could be enhanced if the robot were intelligent enough to recognize an individual and adapt its behavior. During the last several years, we have been developing such an intelligent robot in the form of a humanoid robot called ISAC. In this paper, we will describe a user-centric multi-agent framework for robot control and human-robot interaction and one cognitive agent called the Human Agent. Additionally, a second cognitive agent and short- and long-term memory structures for the robot are briefly described. Finally, three applications are shown to illustrate how ISAC will interact effectively with humans.
Photodissociation of Charge Tagged Peptides

Tris(2,4,6-trimethoxyphenyl) phosphonium acetyl (TMPP-Ac) was previously introduced to improve the mass spectrometric sequence analysis of peptides by fixing a permanent charge at the N-termini. However, peptides containing arginine residues did not fragment efficiently after TMPP-Ac modification. In this work, we combine charge derivatization with photodissociation. The fragmentation of TMPP-derivatized peptides is greatly improved and a series of N-terminal fragments is generated with complete sequence information. Arginine has a special effect on the fragmentation of the TMPP tagged peptides when it is the N-terminal peptide residue. Theoretical and experimental results suggest that this is due to hydrogen transfer from the charged N-terminus to the hydrogen-deficient peptide sequence.
Repetitive DNA sequences and the divergence offish populations: some hopeful beginnings

Repetitive sequences are predominant components of eukaryotic genomes, including those of fishes, but they represent largely unchartered territory for the student of fish evolution and population differentiation. Three examples of the use of repetitive sequences are presented. In one, a Hind 111 monomeric unit of an adjacent repeat (satellite) sequence was characterized, by cloning and sequencing, from the genome of the sheepshead minnow, Cyprinodon variegates, a species which ranges from Cape Cod to Mexico. The characteristic monomeric sequence of each population sample (termed the ‘canonical sequence’) is divergent. The data demonstrate that molecular drive, usually invoked only for interspecific divergence, can apparently produce characteristic suites of repetitive sequences in conspecific local populations. The two other examples deal with dispersed simple-sequences and minisatellites which provide individual-specific DNA fingerprint phenotypes. In both cases, previous allozyme studies failed to resolve potentially important variation. In Rivulus marmoratus, a selling hermaphroditic species with homozygous, clonal population structure, fingerprinting demonstrates unprecedented levels of intrapopulation genetic heterogeneity, and strongly suggests that there are significant mutational distances between even sympatric clones. The data warrant serious re-evaluation of the genetic variation of this species, its adaptive significance and its origins. In the striped bass, Morone saxatilis, a species of enormous economic and recreational importance, fingerprinting demonstrates that even hatchery stocks have very high levels of genetic variation. Though the species essentially lacks allozyme variation, it is apparently not approaching genome-wide homozygosity. Taken together, the data argue that the analyses of various kinds of repetitive sequences will play an increasingly greater role in future attempts to understand the structure and differentiation offish populations.
Clustering source code files to predict change propagation during software maintenance

This paper addresses the question that is frequently considered by software developers performing maintenance tasks on large systems: "If I make a change in this file, are there other files that need to change too?" If a development tool could automatically answer this question, then time and money could be saved during software maintenance. The proposed solution follows trends from past research results in using data mining techniques and information extracted from the CVS change repository. We define a distance measure using both the revision history of files and text-based information, cluster change sets of files, and then calculate a membership value of each file to each cluster to create groupings of files that are likely to be changed together in the future. Our approach predicts files that may need to be modified based on these clusters, and we evaluate these predictions on portions of the open-source Eclipse project.
Interferometric observations of the quiet sun at 8 millimeter wavelength

Results are reported for observations of a quiet region at the center of the sun with an interferometer operating at a wavelength of 8.33 mm and with an east-west baseline giving a maximum angular resolution of 28 arcsec. It is found that strong fluctuations occur over time scales of approximately 10 to 30 min and dominate the data at large hour angles, that smaller and more rapid fluctuations in both amplitude and phase are detected at all hour angles, and that the strong fluctuations are consistent with those that may be produced by the natural time variation of the fringe pattern during observation of a fixed source distribution. The weaker and more rapid fluctuations are tentatively attributed to antenna-tracking variations and the observation of features in a greatly extended source. The results are compared directly with those of two other interferometric studies of the quiet sun at millimeter wavelengths.
A New Class of Linear Tetrapyrroles: Acetylenic 10,10a-Didehydro-10a-homobilirubins

Novel bilirubin analogues with dipyrrinones conjoined to an acetylene rather than a methylene group were synthesized and examined spectroscopically. Despite the increased separation of the dipyrrinones forced by replacing a −CH2− by a −C⋮C− unit, molecular dynamics calculations show that, like bilirubin, they may still engage in intramolecular hydrogen bonding to carboxylic acid groups when the propionic acid chains are slightly lengthened, e.g., butanoic acids. Unlike bilirubin, however, which is bent in the middle and has a ridge-tile shape, the acetylene orients the attached dipyrrinones along a linear path, and intramolecular hydrogen bonding preserves a twisted linear molecular shape. The extended planes of the dipyrrinones intersect along the −C⋮C− axis at an angle of 136° for the conformation stabilized by intramolecular hydrogen bonding in the bis-butyric acid rubin (1b). With shorter acid chains (propionic), only one CO2H can engage an opposing dipyrrinone in intramolecular hydrogen bonding, and ...
Thermal enhancement of radiation-induced leg contracture

Abstract Early and late damage in the normal tissues of the legs of mice was compared following treatment with radiation alone or radiation followed immediately by hyperthermia. Hyperthermia was given by immersing the hind leg in a water bath at 43.0°, 43.3°, or 43.5°C for 1 hr. Damage was assayed by measuring leg contracture at various intervals from 5 to 365 days after treatment. At 5 days after treatment, only hyperthermia-induced contracture was observed. At 10 and 20 days, contracture increased with radiation dose in heated legs, but little contracture had developed in mice treated with radiation alone. By 45 through 365 days, however, contracture correlated with radiation dose both in mice treated with radiation alone as well as in those treated with radiation and hyperthermia. The greatest differential in the slopes of the dose response curves, suggesting hyperthermic radiosensitization, was seen 20 days after treatment. Nevertheless, at 365 days, contracture was still significantly greater in the mice treated with radiation and hyperthermia (43.5° bath) than in the irradiated controls. Thermal enhancement ratios (TERs) were calculated from LCD50 values (LCD50 = radiation dose that would give a stated level of leg contracture in 50% of the mice). For ≥3 mm contracture, TERs were 4.1 to 7.9 at 30 days, depending on bath temperature, but only 1.1 to 1.5 at 365 days. For an isoeffect of ≥ mm contracture, TERs were 1.9 to 5.3 at 30 days, and 0.8 to 1.8 at 365 days. Thus, contracture was enhanced more at 20 to 30 days after treatment with radiation and hyperthermia than at 120 through 365 days. Radiation damage not only appeared earlier in mice treated with hyperthermia than in those treated with radiation alone, but after the highest temperature tested (43.5° bath), contracture was greater from 5 through 365 days after treatment than in controls treated with radiation alone.
Nuances of the unenhanced abdominal CT: careful inspection discloses critical findings

Patients who have unenhanced abdominal CT scans are often critically ill. The unenhanced CT may reveal many unsuspected subtle abnormalities in the lower chest, abdomen, and pelvis and accordingly warrants careful attention. This article reviews unenhanced CT findings in the setting of pulmonary embolus, acute aortic syndromes, mesenteric and deep venous thrombosis, gastrointestinal hemorrhage, pancreatitis and its complications, as well as pyelonephritis.
The Impact of Agile Methodologies on the Quality of Information Systems: Factors Shaping Strategic Adoption of Agile Practices

Systems developers and IT project managers who apply agile methods for developing information systems (IS) subscribe to a set of values and principles. This adherence to a set of values and principles, along with a passion or fervor surrounding the agile philosophy, made us question whether the adoption of agile methodologies has an effect on information systems built, and in particular, the quality of the IS developed. In this paper we construct a conceptual model, conduct a survey of software developers, and analyze our results, which support our hypotheses about the importance of the strategic selection of a development methodology. We conclude that practicing project managers should consider the decision to use certain methodologies as part of the strategic process.
Taming Nature, Taming Workers: Constructing the Separation Between Meat Consumption and Meat Production in the U.S.

In this article we examine corporate and state actions implicated in manufacturing the extension, and precipitating the collapse, of the fictional distance separating production from consumption in contemporary agro-food systems. We investigate this phenomena via the case of the U.S. beef industry. Specifically, we examine regulatory initiatives and corporate responses aimed at addressing the two most important issues confronting the industry today: bacteriological meat contamination and an over-reliance on Latino immigrant labour. We focus most intently on two U.S. government regulatory initiatives and accompanying strategies of resistance. The first of these regulatory initiatives is Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points, or HACCP as it is commonly called. HACCP was designed to enhance meat safety regulations inside packing plants and in the face of a rising number of bacteriological infection outbreaks. The second initiative, 'Operation Prime Beef', later re-named 'Operation Vanguard', was launched by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) responding to public pressures to eliminate meatpacking as a powerful 'magnet' for undocumented workers. State efforts to introduce new regulatory requirements in meatpacking plants, especially in the current neoliberal climate, are met with intense resistance by meat corporations - often successfully. However, these regulatory activities, the public debates that often surround them, and the increasingly dense and politicized networks they engender, also serve to mobilize social actors interested in alternative food provisioning systems. The analysis is informed by an eclectic combination of insights from Political Economy and Post-structural approaches such as Actor Network Theory or ANT
Megestrol acetate for anorexia and cachexia

Based on promising preliminary information obtained from uncontrolled pilot studies, several randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trials have been launched to evaluate the effectivene
Increasing Pedigree Contribution to Dairy Sire Evaluation

Abstract Methods to improve contributions of ancestor information to sire evaluations computed by the Modified Contemporary Comparison were studied. Pedigree index (one-half evaluation of sire plus one-fourth evaluation of maternal grandsire) was used to indicate ancestor merit with adjustment for type of sampling program and birth date. For Holsteins, effect of sampling through artificial insemination was 35 kg for milk yield; effect of birth date (trend of daughter merit not accounted for by pedigree index or type of sampling) was 7.3 kg/yr for milk yield and .36 kg/yr for fat yield. Trends were larger for milk and fat yields of Ayrshires, Brown Swiss, Guernseys, and Jerseys except for fat yield of Ayrshires, which had no significant trend. Correlations of daughter merit with pedigree index and with present group average (average daughter merit of bulls with similar pedigree indexes for milk yield) were computed. For milk yield, correlations of daughter merit with pedigree index and with group average were nearly the same; however, for fat yield, pedigree index had a higher correlation with daughter merit than did group average. Accounting for residual trend resulted in further increase of correlation. Replacing one-fourth evaluation of maternal grandsire with one-half Cow Index of dam also improved correlations slightly. Evaluations can be modified so that pedigree index adjusted by birth date replaces group average in representing ancestor merit. Such evaluations better predict performance of future daughters than do evaluations with grouping by pedigree index for milk yield, particularly for evaluations for fat yield. Dam's Cow Index provides little additional information.
Sorting in Heterogeneous Contests

This paper establishes the efficient sorting of contests when the actions of workers are not observable to firms and the workers are heterogeneous by utilizing the assumption that the productivitie...
Adopted Chinese girls come of age: Feelings about adoption, ethnic identity, academic functioning, and global self-esteem

Abstract Developmentally salient constructs (e.g., adoption, ethnicity and competence) play important roles in trans-racial adoptees' self-esteem during adolescence. Understanding how adoptees' feelings about adoption, ethnic socialization and academic functioning are related to their self-esteem may help foster resilience in this population. The current study included 234 adopted Chinese youth (95.7% female; Mean age: 13.6 years), 97.4% of whom were raised in families where one or both parents were White. The adoptees' feelings about adoption was assessed with the Adoption Dynamics Questionnaire (ADQ), their ethnic socialization was assessed with the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM) and the Ethnic Marginality subscale from the Belongingness and Ethnic Identity scale, their academic functioning was assessed with the Academic Functioning subscale adapted from the Social Skills Rating System (SSRS), and finally their global self-esteem was assessed with the Rosenberg Self-esteem scale (RSE). Simple correlations showed that scores of all scales were significantly correlated with global self-esteem score. Analyses of variance (ANOVAs) showed that the ethnic labels that the adoptees used to describe their ethnicity did not differentiate their global self-esteem scores. Regression analyses revealed that positive affect towards adoption, ethnic identity affirmation, ethnic marginality, academic functioning, and an interaction between positive affect towards adoption and ethnic marginality significantly predicted global self-esteem ( R 2 = 36.45%).
Trade blocs, currency blocs and the reorientation of world trade in the 1930s

We analyze the impact of commercial and financial policies on the reorientation of trade in the 1930s. We report evidence that commercial policies attenuated prior connections between income growth and trade, and that exchange rate instability marginally discouraged international trade. In contrast, the tendency toward regionalization commonly ascribed to the formation of trade and currency blocs was already evident to a considerable extent prior to the regional policy initiatives of the 1930s. This reorientation is more properly attributed to ongoing historical forces such as commercial and financial links between countries forged over many years.
Determination and application in GLC of semilog function of retention time and chain length: Effect of temperature variation on function

The equation relating the log of the reaction time to chain length is extended to include equivalent chain lengths, relative retention times and separation factors. The temperature dependence of the slope and the dependence of the constant on the slope is shown.
Receipt of opioid agonist treatment in the Veterans Health Administration: facility and patient factors.

Abstract Background Opioid agonist treatment (OAT)—through licensed clinic settings (C-OAT) using methadone or buprenorphine or office-based settings with buprenorphine (O-OAT)—is an evidence-based treatment for opioid dependence. Because of limited availability of on-site C-OAT ( n = 28 of 128 facilities) in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), O-OAT use has been encouraged. This study examined OAT utilization across VHA facilities and the patient and facility factors related to variability in utilization. Method We examined 12 months of VHA administrative data (fiscal year [FY] 2008, October 2007 through September 2008) for evidence of OAT utilization and substance use disorder program data from an annual VHA survey. Variability in OAT utilization across facilities and patient and facility factors related to OAT utilization were examined using mixed-effects, logistic regression models. Results Among 128 VHA facilities, 35,240 patients were diagnosed with an opioid use disorder. Of those, 27.3% received OAT: 22.2% received C-OAT and 5.1% received O-OAT with buprenorphine. Substantial facility-level variability in proportions of patients treated with OAT was found, ranging from 0% to 66% with 44% of facilities treating Conclusion In FY2008, prior to the VHA national mandate of access to buprenorphine OAT, substantial variation in the use of OAT existed, partially explained by patient- and facility-level factors. Implementation efforts should focus on increasing access to this evidence-based treatment, especially in facilities at the low end of the distribution.
Composition of shelf methane seeps on the Cascadia Continental Margin

[1] Methane reservoirs and seeps are an active component of the continental margin carbon budget and represent a poorly characterized pathway for reduced carbon cycling and methane input to the atmosphere. Active gas seeps from three shelf settings on the Cascadia Continental Margin off Oregon and Northern California contain nearly pure methane with a heavy carbon isotope composition (−29 to −35‰). An extensive study of the gas seep at Coquille Bank, Oregon, revealed a warm, buoyant pore fluid associated with the pockmark. As methane enters the water column above these seeps in a steady gas stream, a fraction escapes directly to the atmosphere while the balance dissolves into local seawater. Measured oxidation rates are too slow for significant local oxidation within the water column near the seep. Large mats of pink and white bacteria, including Beggiatoa spp. are found around the vent, demonstrating the activity of sulfide oxidizers in this ecosystem.
MRSI correlates of cognitive–behavioral therapy in pediatric obsessive–compulsive disorder

Abstract Background The brain mechanisms of cognitive–behavioral therapy (CBT), a highly effective treatment for pediatric obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), are unknown. Neuroimaging in adult OCD indicates that CBT is associated with metabolic changes in striatum, thalamus, and anterior cingulate cortex. We therefore probed putative metabolic effects of CBT on these brain structures in pediatric OCD using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging ( 1 H MRSI). Method Five unmedicated OCD patients (4 ♀, 13.5 ± 2.8) and 9 healthy controls (7 ♀, 13.0 ± 2.5) underwent MRSI (1.5 T, repetition-time/echo-time = 1500/30 ms) of bilateral putamen, thalamus and pregenual anterior cingulate cortex (pACC). Patients were rescanned after 12 weeks of exposure-based CBT. The Children's Yale–Brown Obsessive–Compulsive Scale (CY-BOCS) of OCD symptoms was administered before and after CBT. Results Four of 5 patients responded to CBT (mean 32.8% CY-BOCS reduction). Multiple metabolite effects emerged. Pre-CBT, N -acetyl-aspartate + N -acetyl-aspartyl-glutamate (tNAA) in left pregenual anterior cingulate cortex (pACC) was 55.5% higher in patients than controls. Post-CBT, tNAA (15.0%) and Cr (23.9%) in left pACC decreased and choline compounds (Cho) in right thalamus increased (10.6%) in all 5 patients. In left thalamus, lower pre-CBT tNAA, glutamate + glutamine (Glx), and myo -inositol (mI) predicted greater post-CBT drop in CY-BOCS ( r = 0.98) and CY-BOCS decrease correlated with increased Cho. Conclusions Interpretations are offered in terms of the Glutamatergic Hypothesis of Pediatric OCD. Similar to 18 FDG-PET in adults, objectively measurable regional MRSI metabolites may indicate pediatric OCD and predict its response to CBT.