cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Behavior Preference Inventory for Special Education Administrators

The purpose of this study was the development and validation of an instrument, the Behavior Preference Inventory (BPI), to measure the need values of special education administrators, utilizing Rotter's social learning theory. The five need categories of recognition-status, protection dependency, dominance, independence, and love and affection, were examined in an experimental test sample with which a validating instrument was used involving the administrator's subordinates. A normative sample involving membership of CASE contributed additional descriptive data. It is advocated that the BPI is useful as a screening device in related research on the relationship of need value to expectancy and situational determinants in decision making. It is also proposed that the instrument serve as a vehicle for the sensitization of administrators to their personality investment in decision making.
Problems of Drug Addiction and Alcoholism among Physicians

Problems of addiction and alcoholism among physicians now merit the most concerted special action by physicians individually and collectively. Physicians are at much higher risk than the general population, particularly for narcotic and sedative addiction. Despite a relatively high incidence, the numbers involved are sufficiently small to warrant a concerted focus and action. Prevention, earlier intervention, and more effective rehabilitation are demonstrably feasible and await more intensive implementation.
Effects of long‐term variation in pollinator abundance and diversity on reproduction of a generalist plant

Quantifying the benefits of pollinator abundance and diversity for plant reproduction is a critical challenge, especially given recent pollinator declines. Many studies test for pollen limitation (PL), but huge gaps remain in our understanding of how often and why plants experience PL. Most studies are limited to a few sites or years. Little existing research mechanistically links pollinator visitation with plant reproduction. Also, buffering against variability in visitation is a key but largely untested potential benefit of pollinator diversity. Long‐term studies pairing visitation data with PL experiments are essential to addressing these gaps, but extremely rare. I measured pollinator visitation, responses to pollen supplementation, and fruit weights in the generalist plant Scrophularia californica across multiple sites for 8 years. I determined how often S. californica experienced significant PL and tested mechanistic models predicting PL and fruit (capsule) weight from visitation. I then used those models to simulate pollinator loss and evaluate the relative effects of changes in visit quantity and quality. I explored the stabilizing benefits of visitor diversity by quantifying both covariation among pollinators and effects of simulated species loss on variation in PL and capsule weights. Scrophularia showed significant PL in only 26.9% of patch/year combinations tested. Visitation by the most abundant (Apis mellifera) and effective (Vespula pensylvanica) pollinators strongly predicted PL and capsule weights. Both response curves were highly nonlinear, but PL saturated more with increased visitation. Pollinator loss simulations predicted substantially increased PL and reduced capsule weights, mostly because of lower visit numbers rather than changes in visit quality. Visitation rates of individual pollinators varied substantially and without correlation. Simulated pollinator loss increased the spatial and temporal skew in visitation, resulting in higher predicted coefficients of variation for PL and capsule weights. Synthesis. Previous work predicts a nonlinear relationship between pollinator visitation and plant reproduction, but this is the first long‐term study I am aware of that quantifies such a pattern. The analysis of covariance in pollinator visitation combined with my simulation results provide novel empirical support for another important hypothesis, that multiple pollinators can provide stabilizing benefits for plant reproduction.
Mitochondrial Translocator Protein (TSPO) Is a Regulator of Fatty Acid Metabolism

Translocator protein (TSPO), first identified as a secondary target of benzodiazepines and termed the ‘peripheral’ benzodiazepine receptor (PBR), is a highly conserved protein in the outer mitochon...
Examining the Impact of Risk Perception on the Accuracy of Anisotropic, Least-Cost Path Distance Approaches for Estimating the Evacuation Potential for Near-Field Tsunamis

Coastal hazards that can strike with little or no warning, such as tsunamis, are problematic in terms of population exposure and the threat of loss of life. With projected increases in coastal populations, exposure is likely to increase among these communities. For near-field tsunamis, the evacuation window can be as little as 15 to 20 min, and evacuation can be problematic for numerous reasons, such as population demographics, limited road networks, local topographic constraints, lack of proper education, and misaligned risk perception of the general populace. It is therefore critical for tsunami evacuation planning and education to be highly effective. To address this need, we employed a participatory mapping approach to explore potential evacuation enhancement by evaluating existing least-cost path pedestrian evacuation models, perception of landscape constraints, and additional risks to nearfield tsunamis in Aberdeen, Washington. Stakeholders were tasked with drawing their understood evacuation routes on maps which were analyzed for approximate time to reach safety and compared to least-cost path pedestrian evacuation models. A quantitative analysis of selected evacuation pathways revealed participants consistently overestimated evacuation time and did not follow modeled least-cost pathways. The results suggest traditional modeling (e.g., least-cost path and agent-based models) underestimate travel time to safety. Thus, there is a need for additional outreach, notably in communities where traditional evacuation models might create a false sense of security.
HAWS: Accelerating GPU Wavefront Execution through Selective Out-of-order Execution

Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) have become an attractive platform for accelerating challenging applications on a range of platforms, from High Performance Computing (HPC) to full-featured smartphones. They can overcome computational barriers in a wide range of data-parallel kernels. GPUs hide pipeline stalls and memory latency by utilizing efficient thread preemption. But given the demands on the memory hierarchy due to the growth in the number of computing cores on-chip, it has become increasingly difficult to hide all of these stalls. In this article, we propose a novel Hint-Assisted Wavefront Scheduler (HAWS) to bypass long-latency stalls. HAWS starts by enhancing a compiler infrastructure to identify potential opportunities that can bypass memory stalls. HAWS includes a wavefront scheduler that can continue to execute instructions in the shadow of a memory stall, executing instructions speculatively, guided by compiler-generated hints. HAWS increases utilization of GPU resources by aggressively fetching/executing speculatively. Based on our simulation results on the AMD Southern Islands GPU architecture, at an estimated cost of 0.4% total chip area, HAWS can improve application performance by 14.6% on average for memory intensive applications.
The Complex Dynamics of Work, Wages, and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Participation

ABSTRACTWe analyze SNAP participation dynamics in the state of Oregon for the period 2009 to 2013 using an unusually well-linked administrative dataset on individual employment, wages, and particip...
A machine learning approach for predictive models of adverse events following spine surgery

Abstract BACKGROUND Rates of adverse events following spine surgery vary widely by patient-, diagnosis-, and procedure-related factors. It is critical to understand the expected rates of complications and to be able to implement targeted efforts at limiting these events. PURPOSE To develop and evaluate a set of predictive models for common adverse events after spine surgery. STUDY DESIGN A retrospective cohort study. PATIENT SAMPLES We extracted 345,510 patients from the Truven MarketScan (MKS) and MarketScan Medicaid Databases and 760,724 patients from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Medicare database who underwent spine surgeries between 2009 and 2013. OUTCOME MEASURES Overall adverse event (AE) occurrence and types of AE occurrence during the 30-day postoperative follow-up. METHODS We applied a least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regularization method and a logistic regression approach for predicting the risks of an overall AE and the top six most commonly observed AEs. Predictors included patient demographics, location of the spine procedure, comorbidities, type of surgery performed, and preoperative diagnosis. RESULTS The median ages of MKS and CMS patients were 49 years and 69, respectively. The most frequent individual AE was a cardiac dysfunction in CMS (10.6%) patients and a pulmonary complication (4.7%) in MKS. The area under the curve (AUC) of a prediction model for an overall AE was 0.7. Among the six individual prediction models, the model for predicting the risk of a pulmonary complication showed the greatest accuracy (AUC 0.76), and the range of AUC for these six models was 0.7 and 0.76. Medicaid status was one of the most important factors in predicting the occurrences of AEs; Medicaid recipients had increased odds of AEs by 20%–60% compared with non-Medicaid patients (odds ratios 1.28–1.6; p CONCLUSIONS We present a set of predictive models for AEs following spine surgery that account for patient-, diagnosis-, and procedure-related factors which can contribute to patient-counseling, accurate risk adjustment, and accurate quality metrics.
Prostate-specific deletion of Apc leads to early onset prostate cancer

1960 Prostate cancer causes over 42,000 deaths per year in the United States. Most deaths are due to the metastatic spread of prostate cancer throughout the body. Currently, the only effective therapy for advanced prostate cancer is androgen depletion by surgical or chemical castration. This often causes temporary remission of the tumor. Unfortunately, prostate cancer commonly recurs in these patients in a form that is androgen-independent. There is currently no effective treatment for androgen independent prostate cancer and there is an urgent need to develop effective therapies for this disease. β-catenin plays multiple roles in regulating cell growth and function. Normally, the cytoplasmic levels and nuclear localization of β-catenin is tightly regulated. In many tumors, however, this regulation is lost, either due directly to mutations in the β-catenin gene or by mutations in genes whose protein products are necessary for this regulatory process. One example is colon cancer, where the vast majority of tumors display increased cytoplasmic levels and nuclear localization of β-catenin due to loss of the APC gene. The majority of advanced prostate tumors have elevated levels of β-catenin, and mutations in the β-catenin gene have been identified in prostate tumors. β-catenin can specifically associate with the androgen receptor (AR). This interaction alters the signaling capabilities of the AR, making it more promiscuous in its ability to be activated by steroid hormones other than androgens. Based on these observations, β-catenin activation represents is a viable target for therapeutic intervention in advanced prostate cancers. We are pursuing experiments to address the effect of inappropriate activation of β-catenin in the prostate. We have created mice carrying a prostate-specific deletion in the Apc gene and found that such mice develop early onset prostate cancer. Hyperplastic changes are evident as early as five weeks of age, and evidence of carcinoma is present in all animals older than four months examined to date. Preliminary work suggests that the tumors regress after androgen ablation. Ongoing work is aimed at assessing the ability of these tumors to metastasize, and to determine how loss of Apc interacts with other mutations associated with prostate cancer to affect tumor progression.
Influence of Cueing Strategies on Gaze Behavior during Observational Learning.

This study examined the degree to which cueing strategies were attended when participants viewed a video model using eye tracking technology. It also examined whether visual cues highlighting body movement versus the intended effect of the movement would be attended to equally. Participants (N = 55) were randomly assigned to one of five experimental groups according to the nature of the cueing strategy provided: (a) No cue (Control), (b) Visual cue focused on the arm (Internal), (c) Visual cue focused on the racket (External), (d) Arm visual cue plus verbal directive (internal + VC), and (e) Racket visual cue plus verbal directive (external + VC). Under the impression that their technique would be later assessed, all groups viewed a video model of a tennis forehand groundstroke four times while eye movements were recorded. Mean percentage time that gaze was fixated on the assigned visual cue was determined. All groups with the exception of the external + VC condition attended to the arm LookZone (LZ) significantly more than the racket LZ. Both internal groups also viewed their assigned cue a greater percentage of time than their corresponding external groups did but not more than the control condition did. These data suggest that observers of a model have a tendency to focus their visual attention on the final body segment that carries out the desired action regardless of cueing.Subscribe to TPE
Geometric Representations in Biomedical Informatics: Applications in Automated Text Analysis

This chapter is concerned with geometric representations of biomedical data. In it, we discuss how data elements with multiple features can be considered as vectors in a high-dimensional space, enabling the application of distance metrics as a means to estimate their similarity or relatedness for the purpose of information retrieval, exploration, or classification. In terms of applications, the emphasis in this chapter is on the representation of biomedical text. However, the methods are broadly applicable, and examples from other cases of biomedical research will at times be provided to illustrate this point.
The Interface of Cannabis Misuse and Schizophrenia-Spectrum Disorders

This chapter provides an overview of the complex ways in which cannabis misuse intersects with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. The centrally active constituents of Cannabis sativa are discussed, and the central endocannabinoid system is briefly reviewed. Information on cannabis use and misuse in the general population is provided, including the prevalence of use in general population samples and consequences of such use. Findings pertaining to cannabis misuse among individuals with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders are presented, along with an overview of the adverse effects of cannabis use in terms of symptoms, neurocognition, age at onset, and various aspects of the long-term course and outcomes. A discussion of the literature that suggests that cannabis use is a component cause of, or independent risk factor for, psychosis is given. Other potential mechanisms for the association are considered, including psychosis causing cannabis use or the existence of a shared diathesis that underlies both. To evaluate the literature suggesting that cannabis use, especially in early adolescence, is a component cause of schizophrenia-spectrum disorders, nine criteria for establishing causality are summarized. The chapter concludes with a brief discussion of treatment implications for clinicians and program developers, as well as prevention implications for researchers, public health officials, and policy-makers.
Polarization-sensitive nano-optic endoscope (Conference Presentation)

Polarization sensitive imaging can reveal the arrangement of tissue constituents without the need for resolving power necessary to directly visualize them. Several clinical applications for diseases in the pulmonary tract and the coronary artery can benefit from such capability. Unfortunately, robust and reliable endoscopic polarimetry is plagued by the unpredictability of the polarization state of light delivered to and collected from tissue through fiber optic catheters. We propose a nano-optic endoscope that uses polarization-sensitive metalenses to deliver and collection light of known polarization states to and from tissue, enabling measurement of tissue retardation and optic axis unambiguously.
Alzheimer’s Retinopathy: Seeing Disease in the Eyes

The neurosensory retina emerges as a prominent site of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology. As a CNS extension of the brain, the neuro retina is easily accessible for noninvasive, high-resolution imaging. Studies have shown that along with cognitive decline, patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD often suffer from visual impairments, abnormal electroretinogram patterns, and circadian rhythm disturbances that could, at least in part, be attributed to retinal damage. Over a decade ago, our group identified the main pathological hallmark of AD, amyloid β-protein (Aβ) plaques, in the retina of patients including early-stage clinical cases. Subsequent histological, biochemical and in vivo retinal imaging studies in animal models and in humans corroborated these findings and further revealed other signs of AD neuropathology in the retina. Among these signs, hyperphosphorylated tau, neuronal degeneration, retinal thinning, vascular abnormalities and gliosis were documented. Further, linear correlations between the severity of retinal and brain Aβ concentrations and plaque pathology were described. More recently, extensive retinal pericyte loss along with vascular platelet-derived growth factor receptor-β deficiency were discovered in postmortem retinas of MCI and AD patients. This progressive loss was closely associated with increased retinal vascular amyloidosis and predicted cerebral amyloid angiopathy scores. The new developments brought excitement to the field of retinal exploration in AD. Indeed, many questions still remain open, such as queries related to the temporal progression of AD-related pathology in the retina compared to the brain, the relations between retinal and cerebral changes and whether retinal signs can predict cognitive decline. The extent to which AD affects the retina, including the susceptibility of certain topographical regions and cell types, are further under intense investigation. Advances in retinal amyloid imaging, hyperspectral imaging, optical coherence tomography, and OCT-angiography encourage the use of such modalities to achieve more accurate, patient- and user-friendly, noninvasive detection and monitoring of AD. In this review, we summarize the current status in the field while addressing the many unknowns regarding Alzheimer’s retinopathy.
Hunting for Dark Matter Subhalos in Strong Gravitational Lensing with Neural Networks

Dark matter substructures are interesting since they can reveal the properties of dark matter. Collisionless N-body simulations of cold dark matter show more substructures compared with the population of dwarf galaxy satellites observed in our local group. Therefore, understanding the population and property of subhalos at cosmological scale would be an interesting test for cold dark matter. In recent years, it has become possible to detect individual dark matter subhalos near images of strongly lensed extended background galaxies. In this work, we discuss the possibility of using deep neural networks to detect dark matter subhalos, and showing some preliminary results with simulated data. We found that neural networks not only show promising results on detecting multiple dark matter subhalos, but also learn to reject the subhalos on the lensing arc of a smooth lens where there is no subhalo.
Junctional Localization of Septin 2 Is Required for Organization of Junctional Proteins in Static Endothelial Monolayers.

Objective: Septin 2 is localized at junctions in human microvascular endothelial monolayers. The junctional localization of septin 2 is necessary for organization of cell-cell adhesion proteins of ...
Between “essential services” and culpable homicide state responses to religious organizations and the spread of the novel coronavirus in 2020

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared covid-19—the disease caused by the novel coronavirus—a global pandemic As this coronavirus spread throughout the world, most countries implemented restrictions on public gatherings that greatly limited religious communities’ ability to engage in collective worship Some religious leaders objected to these regulations, opining that faith would spare their congregants from illness or that their religious freedom is paramount to public health Meanwhile, growing numbers of covid-19 infections were being traced back to religious leaders or gatherings This article explores how governments have balanced freedom of worship and public health during the 2020 pandemic Through the comparison of controversies in South Korea, India, Brazil and the United States, it highlights the paradoxes in debates about whether to hold religious communities accountable for the spread of this highly contagious and deadly disease © koninklijke brill nv, leiden, 2020
Business models for primary health care delivery in low and middle income countries: a scoping study of nine social entrepreneurs

Social enterprises are organizations created to address social problems that use business models to sustain themselves financially. Social enterprises can help increase access to primary health care in low resource settings. Research on social enterprises in health care have focused either on high-income countries, or on secondary and tertiary care in low- and middle-income countries, where common business models include differential pricing to cross-subsidize low income populations. This is the first study to examine social enterprises providing primary health care in low- and middle-income countries using primary data. The purpose is to determine whether social enterprise is a viable model in this setting and to identify common patterns and characteristics that could inform the work of social entrepreneurs, funders, and researchers in this area. We identify social entrepreneurs working to deliver primary health care in low- and middle-income countries who have been vetted by international organizations dedicated to supporting social entrepreneurship. Through in-depth interviews, we collect information on medical processes, business processes, social impact, and organizational impact according to the Battacharyya et al. framework. We then conducted qualitative analysis to identify common patterns emerging within these four categories. Common characteristics in the business models of primary health care social enterprises include flat rate rather than differential pricing and cross-subsidizing across services rather than patients. Subscription packages and in-house IT systems were utilized to generate revenue and increase reach through telemedicine, franchising, and mobile units. In some cases, alternate revenue streams are employed to help break even. About half of the social enterprises interviewed were for-profit, and about half non-profit. The majority faced challenges in engaging with the public sector. This is still a nascent field, with most organizations being under 10 years old. Social enterprise has been demonstrated as a feasible model for providing primary health care in low resource settings, with key characteristics differing from the previously commonly studied social enterprises in tertiary care. There are opportunities to complement existing public health systems, but most organizations face challenges in doing so. More research and attention is needed by researchers, governments and funders to support social entrepreneurs and avoid parallel systems.
An Assessment of Hydrogen Addition to Methane Combustion with Argon as a Working Fluid in a Constant Volume Combustion Chamber

Combustion of natural gas in combination with hydrogen, coupled with argon as a working fluid, is a promising approach to increasing the efficiency of internal combustion engines while decreasing e...
Shorting Crypto Assets and Insider Trading

This Essay, prepared for a discussion group on insider trading and crypto assets, uses the introduction of futures trading in Bitcoin as a case study in how making it easier for investors to sell financial assets short can enhance market liquidity and reduce insider trading.
Real-World Experience with Artificial Intelligence-Based Triage in Transferred Large Vessel Occlusion Stroke Patients.

Background and Purpose: Randomized controlled trials have demonstrated the importance of time to endovascular therapy (EVT) in clinical outcomes in large vessel occlusion (LVO) acute ischemic stroke. Delays to treatment are particularly prevalent when patients require a transfer from hospitals without EVT capability onsite. A computer-aided triage system, Viz LVO, has the potential to streamline workflows. This platform includes an image viewer, a communication system, and an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm that automatically identifies suspected LVO strokes on CTA imaging and rapidly triggers alerts. We hypothesize that the Viz application will decrease time-to-treatment, leading to improved clinical outcomes. Methods: A retrospective analysis of a prospectively maintained database was assessed for patients who presented to a stroke center currently utilizing Viz LVO and underwent EVT following transfer for LVO stroke between July 2018 and March 2020. Time intervals and clinical outcomes were compared for 55 patients divided into pre- and post-Viz cohorts. Results: The median initial door-to-neuroendovascular team (NT) notification time interval was significantly faster (25.0 min [IQR = 12.0] vs. 40.0 min [IQR = 61.0]; p = 0.01) with less variation ( p < 0.05) following Viz LVO implementation. The median initial door-to-skin puncture time interval was 25 min shorter in the post-Viz cohort, although this was not statistically significant ( p = 0.15). Conclusions: Preliminary results have shown that Viz LVO implementation is associated with earlier, more consistent NT notification times. This application can serve as an early warning system and a failsafe to ensure that no LVO is left behind.
Multiphase Flow Phenomena (Gas/Solid and Gas/Liquid Systems)

The basic properties of gas/solid and gas/liquid two-phase flows are examined. In the gas/solid flow section, fluidization concepts, flow regimes, and Geldart particle classifications are discussed. In the gas/liquid flow section, an overview is provided and fundamental relations of gas/liquid two-phase flows and some differences between gas/liquid flows and single-phase flow are explained. Furthermore, classical gas/liquid flow regimes maps and co-current gas/liquid flow patterns are discussed.
Contributions of interacting biological mechanisms to soil aggregate stabilization in restored prairie

A better understanding of the soil aggregation process is needed to address a variety of concerns, including soil quality and erosion, agricultural sustainability, soil C sequestration, the mobility of hazardous chemicals and remediation of contaminated sites. We used data from a chronosequence of tallgrass prairie restorations and a path analysis approach to evaluate how the lengths of two dia size classes of fibrous roots, the length of external mycorrhizal hyphae, microbial biomass C, hot-water soluble carbohydrate C and soil organic C interact to promote the stabilization of soil aggregates. The measured binding agents accounted for 88% of the variation in macroaggregates >212 μm diameter and goodness-of-fit indexes indicated a good practical fit of the path model to the data. The restoration of macroaggregate structure in this system was apparently driven by the direct and indirect effects of roots and external hyphae, with lesser relative contributions by the three measured C pools. Although the two root size classes had similar direct effects on the percentage of macroaggregates, their indirect contributions differed substantially. Fine roots (0.2–1 mm diameter) exerted considerable indirect effects via their strong influences on external hyphae and microbial biomass C. Very fine roots (<0.2 mm dia) made a stronger contribution to soil organic C than fine roots, but their overall indirect contribution to aggregation was minimal. In addition, the relative importance of each binding agent varied for different size fractions of macroaggregates and generally supported the hypothesis that the effectiveness of various binding mechanisms depends on the physical dimensions of the binding agents relative to the spatial scales of the aggregate planes of weakness being bridged.
Protein Modifications by Activated Carcinogens I. THE ACETYLATION OF RIBONUCLEASE BY N-ACETOXY-2-FLUORENYLACETAMIDE

Abstract The postulated fragmentation of RNase by N-acetoxy-2-fluorenylacetamide (N-acetoxy-2-FAA), an activated metabolite of the carcinogen, N-hydroxy-2-fluorenylacetamide, has been investigated. The interaction of N-acetoxy-2-FAA with RNase resulted in the formation of two new proteins separable from RNase by electrophoresis and ion exchange chromatography. These proteins contained no new NH2-terminal amino acids, and their amino acid composition was identical with that of native RNase, indicating that the protein had not been modified by cleavage of the peptide chain. The alternative possibility that the formation of the additional proteins was due to a decrease in the positive charge of RNase was examined by the determination of the incorporation of 3H and 14C from N-[3H]acetoxy-[9-14C]2-FAA into RNase. The ratio of bound 3H to bound 14C, which measures the relative extent of acetylation and arylamidation in the modified proteins, suggested that acetylation rather than arylamidation was the predominant reaction modifying RNase. The conclusion that the acetyl group of N-[3H]-acetoxy-[9-14C]2-FAA had been transferred to RNase was confirmed (a) by the recovery of [3H]acetic acid from the hydrolysates of the modified protein and (b) by the isolation of e-N-acetyl-l-lysine from enzymatic hydrolysates of the modified protein. The isolation of the N-acetylated amino acid accounted in part for the decrease in the positive charge of RNase after reaction with N-acetoxy-2-FAA. The results indicate that N-acetoxy-2-FAA is an acetyl donor and modifies proteins primarily by acetylation rather than arylamidation.
Monte Carlo Methods of Neutron Beam Design for Neutron Capture Therapy at the Mit Research Reactor (MITR-II)

Monte Carlo methods of coupled neutron/photon transport are being used in the design of filtered beams for Neutron Capture Therapy (NCT). This method of beam analysis provides segregation of each individual dose component, and thereby facilitates beam optimization. The Monte Carlo method is discussed in some detail in relation to NCI’ epithermal beam design. Ideal neutron beams (i.e., plane-wave monoenergetic neutron beams with no primary gamma-ray contamination) have been modeled both for comparison and to establish target conditions for a practical NCT epithermal beam design. Detailed models of the 5 MWt Massachusetts Institute of Technology Research Reactor (MITR-II) together with a polyethylene head phantom have been used to characterize approximately 100 beam filter and moderator configurations. Using the Monte Carlo methodology of beam design and benchmarking/calibrating our computations with measurements, has resulted in an epithermal beam design which is useful for therapy of deep-seated brain tumors. This beam is predicted to be capable of delivering a dose of 2000 RBE-cGy (cJ/kg) to a therapeutic advantage depth of 5.7 cm in polyethylene assuming 30 μ/g 10B in tumor with a ten-to-one tumor-to-blood ratio, and a beam diameter of 18.4 cm. The advantage ratio (AR) is predicted to be 2.2 with a total irradiation time of approximately 80 minutes. Further optimization work on the Malt-II epithermal beams is expected to improve the available beams.
Barking Up the Wrong Tree? Forest Sustainability in the Wake of Emerging Bioenergy Policies

Renewable energy policies generally have assumed that forests can provide a significant source of environmentally-friendly feedstocks for electricity, heat and power generation. Resistance is emerging, however, from those who fear society’s ravenous push for renewable energy solutions will lead to destructive overharvesting of forests with no net gain in GHG reduction. Policymakers face many obstacles moving forward, particularly in developing timely GHG policies in the face of scientific uncertainty on the lifecycle GHG emissions of various forest practices. Policymakers also must confront biodiversity loss and decreased soil and water quality resulting from the lack of sustainable forest management (SFM) policies. Bioenergy and forest management policy, therefore, must quickly evolve to address environmental sustainability with the urgency necessary to keep pace with renewable energy demand, and within novel future forest landscapes. Sustainability precedents exist in voluntary niche markets through application of private standards. In the U.S. however, large volumes of forests are under private ownership and remain uncertified; state forest management policies vary from state-to-state. European and international forest policy suffer from vagueness and lack of properly functioning governance. Private certification standards are increasingly referenced in bioenergy policies, but not all programs are viewed by environmental groups as equal. Unless governments can apply SFM effectively to forest-to-energy feedstocks, their role in helping meet ambitious bioenergy targets will be severely limited.
A PVT tolerant 0.18MHz to 600MHz self-calibrated digital PLL in 90nm CMOS process

This paper presents a digital PLL with logarithmic time digitizer, digitally-controlled oscillator, and start-up calibration, which achieves a constant damping factor and fractional loop bandwidth over a 0.18 MHz to 600 MHz range of output frequencies and PVT conditions, with output jitter less than 0.04 UIPP. The 0.18 mm/sup 2/ chip is implemented in 90 nm CMOS, operates over a 0.7 to 2.4 V power supply range and consumes 1.7 mW at 1 V and 520 MHz.
3C332 - a Source with an Exceptional Multiple Hot SPOT Morphology

The single most important point concerning these observations of this particular source relates to the fact that we do indeed find (possibly two) hot spots which, based on their observed properties alone, would seem to qualify them as “primary” hot spots, but there is no evidence for a jet terminating in either one of them. Therefore, although the catagorization of primary or secondary hot spots is indeed useful it, perhaps, is not yet justified to take this morphological classification one step further by identifying “primary” hot spots as always marking the termini of active jets.
Cerebrovascular injury caused by a high strain rate insult in the thorax

Abstract : Primary blast-induced traumatic brain injury (TBI) has increased in documented incidence and public prominence in recent conflicts. Evidence for a thoracic mechanism of blast-induced TBI was recently reviewed and, while the totality is compelling, data from experiments isolating this mechanism is sparse. Notably, one recent study showed pericapillar haemorrhage in brain tissue from victims of single, fatal gunshot wounds to the chest. Here, qualitative results are reported for a small field study that isolated a thoracic mechanism for TBI caused by a high strain rate insult in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus, mass 49-80 kg) in a natural environment. In each of three cases, petechiae were present on the surface of the frontal, occipital and/or left parietal lobes, along with capillary damage in the choroid plexus. The location of the projectile impact to the thorax seemed to affect the degree of damage. This may be due to the proximity to the great vessels. The data reported here provides direct evidence of a thoracic mechanism resulting in gross injury to the cerebral vasculature.
White matter integrity, hippocampal volume, and cognitive performance of a world-famous nonagenarian track-and-field athlete

Physical activity (PA) and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) are associated with successful brain and cognitive aging. However, little is known about the effects of PA, CRF, and exercise on the brain in the oldest-old. Here we examined white matter (WM) integrity, measured as fractional anisotropy (FA) and WM hyperintensity (WMH) burden, and hippocampal (HIPP) volume of Olga Kotelko (1919–2014). Olga began training for competitions at age of 77 and as of June 2014 held over 30 world records in her age category in track-and-field. We found that Olga’s WMH burden was larger and the HIPP was smaller than in the reference sample (58 healthy low-active women 60–78 years old), and her FA was consistently lower in the regions overlapping with WMH. Olga’s FA in many normal-appearing WM regions, however, did not differ or was greater than in the reference sample. In particular, FA in her genu corpus callosum was higher than any FA value observed in the reference sample. We speculate that her relatively high FA may b...
Immunogenicity of Various Mycobacteria and the Corresponding Levels of Cross-Protection Developed Between Species

Seven mycobacterial species were tested for their ability to immunize mice against subsequent tuberculous challenge. The phylogenetic relationships between the vaccine and challenge strains had little direct influence on the level of resistance; a better correlation was found between the ability of the vaccine to survive or multiply in vivo and the immunogenicity of the organism. Mycobacterium tuberculosis, M. bovis (except for an SM(R) variant), M. avium, two of three M. kansasii strains, and one strain of M. intracellulare all survived or multiplied in vivo. They induced an effective resistance against a subsequent M. tuberculosis (Erdman) or BCG challenge. The SM(R) BCG, the Bostrom strain of M. kansasii, M. scrofulaceum, three strains of M. intracellulare, and one of M. terrae and M. fortuitum were unable to survive in vivo and were nonallergenic and nonimmunogenic. No evidence was found for an interference phenomenon between the atypical mycobacteria and the BCG vaccine sufficient to explain the inadequate levels of immunization reported in some field trials.
The impact of early versus late anticonvulsant reduction after ketogenic diet initiation

The ideal timing of anticonvulsant reduction for a child started on the ketogenic diet is unclear. The records of 81 children started on the ketogenic diet consecutively over a 2-year period were reviewed for a 6-month period after diet initiation. During their first 6 months on the ketogenic diet, medications were tapered in 53 of 81 (65%) patients, with 30 of 53 (57%) considered "early" (tapered during diet initiation or within the first month afterward). No differences were seen between the early and late groups with respect to percentage with > 90% seizure reduction at 3 months (47% vs 48%), diet duration (1.1 vs 0.9 years), percentage remaining on the ketogenic diet to date (73% vs 65%), or improved alertness (63% vs 57%). Nine of fifty-three (17%) had transient seizure increases during medication tapering, with no correlation to the timing in which this occurred; however, five were taking benzodiazepines or barbiturates. All had > 50% seizure reduction at 3 months despite the transient worsening. Early reduction of anticonvulsants in children initiated on the ketogenic diet appears to be safe and well tolerated. However, it offers no specific advantage compared with a later taper.
Authenticity and Identity Theme-parking the Amanas

Many scholars see the tourist as engaged in a search for authenticity, a managed effect which tourist sites strive to produce in convincing forms and formats. This intellectual concern is reflected in the current debate over heritage, in which questions are raised as to exactly how far historic sites can and should try to achieve historical authenticity. Much of this discourse, however, seems strangely detached from social structures relating to power, social class and ethnicity. Using the case example of the Amana Colonies in southeastern Iowa, the author examines who stands to benefit from efforts to achieve authentic representations of this community's pietist and communal past. Examining the social interactions and social structures relating to both historic conservation and tourism in Amana, the author concludes that only heritage professionals appear to have a short-term interest in approximating historical reality through accurate historic representations. In the long-term perspective, however, it ...
Remote outage location by means of very-high-frequency radio systems

During the past half century, the services provided by public power utilities have changed from desirable luxuries to absolute necessities. Electric power, water, and petroleum products are transported over long distances to satisfy widespread consumer requirements with a high degree of dependability. It is this very dependability which has made the occurrence of rare, but unavoidable, outages all the more serious. Rapid detection and location of the fault can minimize the loss and hazards.
The Economic Sociologies of Pierre Bourdieu

Instead of trying to locate the economic sociology of Bourdieu, I argue that his analysis of the economy was developed over such a long time period, is so rich and goes in so many interesting direc...
Near identity of 3′ RNA secondary structure in bromoviruses and cucumber mosaic virus

Abstract The 3′ terminal sequences of RNAs 1, 2, 3 and 4 from each of the three bromoviruses (brome mosaic, cowpea chlorotic mottle and broad bean mottle viruses) and also from cucumber mosaic virus display interviral sequence similarity in addition to strong intraviral homology. Interviral similarity is much more evident when RNA secondary, rather than primary, structures are compared. The last 190 bases of the various RNAs can fold into strikingly similar, extensively base-paired secondary structures whose common features are supported by RNA structure mapping. The extreme 3′ end of each viral RNA can base-pair in two distinct configurations. Bromovirus RNA 3s each contain an unusually accessible internal oligo(A) sequence which, in brome mosaic virus at least, is located in the intercistronic noncoding region. Functional implications of these structural features are discussed.
Multicenter trial of automated border detection in cardiac MR imaging.

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the robustness of a method of automated border detection in cardiac magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Thirty-seven short-axis spin-echo cardiac images were acquired from three medical centers, each with its own image-acquisition protocol. Endo- and epicardial borders and areas were derived from these images with a graph-searching-based method of edge detection. Computer results were compared with observer-traced borders. The method accurately defined myocardial borders in 36 of 37 images (97%), with excellent agreement between computer- and observer-derived endocardial and epicardial areas (correlation coefficients, .94-.99). The algorithm worked equally well for data from all three centers, despite differences in image-acquisition protocols, MR systems, and field strengths. These data suggest that a method of computer-assisted edge detection based on graph-searching principles yields endocardial and epicardial areas that correlate well with those derived by an independent observer.
Statistical models for surface renewal in heat and mass transfer. Part IV: Wall to fluidized bed heat transfer coefficients

Heat transfer coefficients were measured for glass particles at the same wall surface of a fluidized bed for which glass particle residence times were measured in a previous study. The data compared well with theoretical predictions of the dependence of heat transfer coefficients on particle residence times. Heat transfer coefficients for metal particle systems, for which direct measurements of residence times were not available, were predicted with fair accuracy by estimating residence times from a dimensionless correlation proposed in a previous study. The ability of the particle surface renewal models to accurately predict heat transfer coefficients is strong evidence of their physical validity.
Type II collagen and avascular necrosis of the femoral head.

Type II collagen is a member of a family of collagens that form long fibers. Dr. Darwin Prockop explains that any substitution of a larger amino acid for one of the more than 300 "obligate" glycine residues distorts the long, rigid helix formed by the three chains of the protein.
Nonspecific immunotherapy by Corynebacterium parvum: phase I toxicity study in 12 patients with advanced cancer.

Corynebacterium parvum, a non-specific immunopotentiator, was administered intravenously to 12 patients with advanced cancer at 2, 3, and 4 mg/m2 dose levels in combination with radiation therapy. One dose of C. parvum was given every 7 days for a total of 4 doses in 21 days. Symptoms and signs developed by these patients for a period of 3 to 6 hours during and shortly after the i.v. infusion of the first dose of C. parvum were moderately severe in nine patients and mild in three patients. For the second, third, and fourth doses of C. parvum, patients had fewer and less intense reactions and were given their treatments on an outpatient basis. There was no added morbidity to the patients' tolerance to either palliative or radical dose levels of radiation therapy. Changes in renal, hepatic, hematologic, and immunologic functions were minimal. At the above dose levels, the use of C. parvum to stimulate the reticuloendothelial system in humans by the intravenous route can be safe and well tolerated provided the side effects are appreciated and symptomatic treatments administered.
From Wire to Computer: Francis Dhomont at 80

Francis Dhomont (see Figure 1), a pioneer in electroacoustic music, is renowned internationally for his compositions-attested by numerous awards and prizes including the Magisterium Prize at Bourges (1988) and the Prix Ars Electronica (1992). Mr. Dhomont (b. 1926, Paris) recently retired to Avignon, in his native France, after a long sojourn in Montreal, Canada, where his work and teaching had a profound influence on the development of the local world of electroacoustic music. In particular, his scrutiny of Pierre Schaeffer's work and his own experiments in the earliest days of musique concrete resulted in a favored place for the development of acousmatic music in Montreal.
A Service-Learning Course for First-Year Pharmacy Students

Objectives. To describe the design of a required service-learning course offered to first- year (P1) pharmacy students, and to assess student learning and the relevance of this learning in the pharmacy curriculum. Design. A 14-week service-learning course was designed and community organizations were recruited to participate. All first-year students enrolled in the School completed the course. A post-course survey was administered to the students, inquiring about what they had learned from the course; supervisors at the students' service sites also completed a short survey. Assessment. The course and the student survey instrument were completed by 195 students, and of these 190 gave permission for the information they provided to be used in the study. Notable learning outcomes were identified, especially in the areas of communication and the social and behavioral aspects of pharmacy. Conclusion. The survey administered at the conclusion of the course described in this article demonstrated that students in...
Deoxygenation of Aldehydes and Ketones with Sodium Cyanoborohydride.

Abstract Treatment of hydroxy-substituted aromatic aldehydes and ketones with sodium cyanoborohydride yields the corresponding methylene compounds under conditions which favor intermediate carbonium ion formation.