cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A novel approach for simulation, measurement and representation of surface EMG (sEMG) signals

In this paper, we describe new methods for the simulation, measurement and representation of sEMG signals. With regard to simulation, we choose a 2-D state space model and suggest a 3-D model which can account for in- homogeneities, nonlinearities and memory in the medium and which can be hardware accelerated through FPGA. With regard to measurement we use surface electrodes with a new amplifier circuit topology, which mitigates the effects of pickup and artifacts. With regard to representation, we describe a method for using wavelets which shows promise for isolating signals of interest.
Adult attachment and perceptions of closeness

An online sample of more than 150,000 participants was used to examine whether—in addition to predicting how much intimacy people want—attachment styles also predict how people define and perceive intimacy. Results indicated that, as compared with relatively secure individuals, people with high levels of attachment anxiety required more time, affection, and self-disclosure to construe a relationship as “close.” Additionally, anxious individuals perceived less intimacy in relationship vignettes than did their less anxious peers. In contrast, highly avoidant individuals required less time, affection, and self-disclosure to define a relationship as “close,” and they perceived more intimacy in vignettes than did their more secure peers. These findings indicate that people who are relatively anxious not only want more intimacy in their relationships, but they are also less likely to perceive intimacy, as compared with their less anxious peers. Conversely, people high in avoidance not only want less intimacy, but they are also more sensitive to its presence, as compared with their less avoidant peers.
Designing and Using Alternative Assessments to Measure the Problem Solving Skills of Elementary Students

Teacher educators and school leaders are often challenged with providing relevant and meaningful professional development opportunities to improve teachersâ€™ skills in teaching creative and critical thinking. The task becomes more daunting in the wake of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act that holds school leaders accountable for improving the quality of their teachers and raising student achievement scores. Problem solving is emphasized on statewide assessments and has been endorsed by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). With the current focus on high stakes standardized testing, it is common knowledge that teachers feel pressured to prepare students to succeed on multiple-choice and select response test items. In such cases, much class time may be spent in teaching test-taking strategies, leaving less time for concept development and extended problem-solving experiences. These practices can conflict with standards-based teaching where students need even more class time to work on challenging and complex problems that require exploring multiple solutions and have students explain their reasoning (NCTM, 2000).
Riccati equations arising from boundary and point control problems

We present a survey of results on differential and algebraic Riccati equations which include the cases that arise from boundary/point control problems for partial differential equations (P.D.E.’s). As the Riccati theory rests on dynamical properties of the underlying P.D.E.’s (such as regularity, exact controllability, stabilization, etc.), particular emphasis will be paid to these. To this end, P.D.E. methods (including pseudo-differential techniques and microlocal analysis) will be emphasized. The paper will highlight an interplay between semigroups or operator methods and P.D.E. techniques. This survey is an update of the recent Springer-Verlag volume [L-T. 13].
Masses of Light Nuclei Far from Stability

In this review I would like to indicate the progress that has been made in mass determinations of light nuclei far from the valley of beta-stability. Generally, high-isospin nuclei of mass 5 ≤ A ≤ 40 will be covered which have been studied by in-beam multi-neutron transfer reactions induced by conventional projectiles and heavy ions, as well as through fragmentation reactions initiated by GeV protons. Recent attempts to utilize heavy-ion transfer reactions for accurate mass measurements of various nuclides through the f7/2 shell are also s1mmarized.
The Role of Theology in the History and Philosophy of Science

In this essay, Joshua Moritz shows how the conceptual landscape of theology been shaped by the history and philosophy of science, even as theology has informed the history and philosophical foundations of the natural sciences.
Secular dynamics of hierarchical multiple systems composed of nested binaries, with an arbitrary number of bodies and arbitrary hierarchical structure - II. External perturbations: flybys and supernovae

We extend the formalism of a previous paper to include the effects of flybys and instantaneous perturbations such as supernovae on the long-term secular evolution of hierarchical multiple systems with an arbitrary number of bodies and hierarchy, provided that the system is composed of nested binary orbits. To model secular encounters, we expand the Hamiltonian in terms of the ratio of the separation of the perturber with respect to the barycentre of the multiple system, to the separation of the widest orbit. Subsequently, we integrate over the perturber orbit numerically or analytically. We verify our method for secular encounters, and illustrate it with an example. Furthermore, we describe a method to compute instantaneous orbital changes to multiple systems, such as asymmetric supernovae and impulsive encounters. The secular code, with implementation of the extensions described in this paper, is publicly available within AMUSE, and we provide a number of simple example scripts to illustrate its usage for secular and impulsive encounters, and asymmetric supernovae. The extensions presented in this paper are a next step toward efficiently modeling the evolution of complex multiple systems embedded in star clusters.
Current Clinical Status of Cytoprotection

This chapter discusses the current clinical status of cytoprotection. The concept of neuroprotection relies on the principle that delayed neuronal injury occurs after ischemia. Neurons suffer irreversible damage after only a few minutes of complete cessation of blood flow. The first practical pharmacologic agents to be clinically evaluated for cytoprotection in cerebral ischemia were the calcium channel antagonists. There are several classes of calcium channels that play a role in brain ischemia. The presynaptic N-type calcium channels are voltage-gated and regulate neurotransmitter release. Lubeluzole is a novel benzothiazole compound that has emerged as a neuroprotective agent in animal models of focal ischemia. Blockade of sodium channels may be one of the mechanisms contributing to its neuroprotective effect. Lubeluzole inhibits glutamate release after ischemia and reduces potassium-induced increases of intracellular calcium. Animal studies will probably prove to be most useful for screening potential cytoprotective drugs for efficacy, determining their mechanisms of action, and obtaining guidelines about therapeutic blood and brain levels. The combination of several neuroprotective strategies might prove synergistic.
Enzyme replacement therapy in mucopolysaccharidosis type I: progress and emerging difficulties.

Mucopolysaccharidosis type I is due to a deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme α-L-iduronidase (EC 3.2.1.76) and is associated with a defect in the catabolism of the glycosaminoglycans heparan and dermatan sulphate. The clinical picture produced by this abnormal storage is diverse and ranges from a disorder that is fatal in the early months of life, due to cardiomyopathy, to a condition compatible with a normal life-span. It has become usual to describe the phenotypes associated with this spectrum of disorders after their eponymous names, Hurler (MPS IH, severe), Scheie (MPS IS, mild) and Hurler/Scheie (MPS IH/S, intermediate). Severely affected patients have progressive learning difficulties, facial and skeletal deformities, cardiac disease, corneal clouding, respiratory compromise and joint stiffness. Patients with MPS IH typically die in the first decade of life. MPS IH/S usually have normal intelligence and die in their twenties of cardiorespiratory disease. Patients with MPS IS may have joint stiffness, aortic valve disease and corneal clouding, but are often able to live a normal life-span. Enzyme replacement therapy has been developed as a potential therapy for some patients with MPS I. This process has been helped by the study of a naturally occurring canine model of the disease, which produces a phenotype similar to MPS IH/S in the human. This review details the progress that has been made in this area and also highlights some potential problems with the introduction of therapy.
Self-Lubricating Behavior of Graphite Reinforced Metal Matrix Composites

Lubricants are extensively used between the contacting surfaces to reduce friction and wear. These lubricants are usually toxic and not readily biodegradable and thus these lubricants can cause considerable damage to the environment. The use of external lubricants can be eliminated by designing self-lubricating composite materials. These composite materials have the ability to achieve low friction and wear at the contact surfaces without any external supply of lubrication during sliding. The metal matrix composites reinforced with various self-lubricating particles such as graphite, molybdenum disulfide are being used as self-lubricating materials for various engineering applications. In this paper, the tribological behavior of metal matrix composites reinforced with graphite particles has been reviewed. More specifically, aluminum-graphite, magnesium-graphite, copper-graphite, silver-graphite and nickel-graphite composites have been studied. The influence of various variables on the friction coefficient and wear rate is discussed. It was found that the amount of graphite released on the wear surface forms a tribo film on the contact surfaces. This reduces the overall friction coefficient and wear rate. The formation and retention of this tribo layer on the sliding surface as well as its composition, area fraction, thickness and hardness are important factors in controlling the friction and wear behavior of the material and depend on the nature of the sliding surface, the test condition, environment and the graphite content in the composite. The presence of graphite tribo layer also increases the seizure resistance and enables to run under boundary lubrication without galling.
Venture Capital and Firm Performance Over the Long-Run: Evidence from High-Tech IPOs in the United States

Despite widespread interest in the key role that venture capital plays in financing young, high-tech firms, little is known about the relative performance of venture-backed firms over the long-run. Using data from the U.S. high-tech sector, this paper examines the performance and financing of venture- and non-venture-backed firms during the decade following their IPO. Venture-backed firms survive longer, grow faster, are more R&D intensive, have generally superior operating performance, raise more external equity, and have a greater cumulative impact on the U.S. high-tech sector. These findings suggest that the true legacy of venture capital finance extends well beyond the IPO.
A Retrospective Case Control Study to Identify Differences in Risk Factors for the Development of Renal Cell Carcinoma in Patients Treated at a Safety Net Hospital Compared to Patients Treated at a Private Hospital.

e16122Background: Renal cell carcinoma presentation, treatment, and outcomes vary widely according to socioeconomic factors and other patient characteristics. Our preliminary clinical observation s...
Turbulence and interphase mass diffusion assumptions on the performance of secondary settling tanks

Secondary settling tanks (SSTs), also known as secondary sedimentation tanks or secondary clarifiers, are a basic yet complicated process in a biological water resource recovery facility. In order to understand and improve SST performance, computational fluid dynamics methods have been employed over the last 30 years. In the present investigation, a Fluent-based two-dimensional axisymmetric numerical model is applied to understand the effects of the buoyancy term (Gb ) in the turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) equation and two model parameters (the coefficient of buoyancy term (C3 ) in the turbulent dissipation rate equation and the turbulent Schmidt number (σc ) in the sludge transport equation) on the performance of an SST. The results show that the hydrodynamics can only be correctly predicted by buoyancy-coupled TKE equation, unless the mixed liquor suspended solids is low and sludge settling velocity is extremely high. When the field observations show the SST is operating well, the buoyancy-decoupled TKE equation predicts the correct result, but the buoyancy-decoupled TKE equation may predict failure. Care is required in selecting the correct modeling technique for various conditions. This study provides guidance on how to avoid modeling problems and increase rates of convergence. PRACTITIONER POINTS: C3 can be set to zero to improve rate of convergence and reduce computing time. σc can be used to adjust SBH, when ESS and RAS concentrations are well calibrated to the field data, but the SBH does not fit field observation.
Assessment of Prevention Research Measuring Leading Risk Factors and Causes of Mortality and Disability Supported by the US National Institutes of Health

Importance No studies to date have examined support by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for primary and secondary prevention research in humans and related methods research that measures the leading risk factors or causes of death or disability as outcomes or exposures. Objective To characterize NIH support for such research. Design and Setting This serial cross-sectional study randomly sampled NIH grants and cooperative agreements funded during fiscal years 2012 through 2017. For awards with multiple subprojects, each was treated as a separate project. Study characteristics, outcomes, and exposures were coded from October 2015 through February 2019. Analyses weighted to reflect the sampling scheme were completed in March through June 2019. Using 2017 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and 2016 data from the Global Burden of Disease project, the leading risk factors and causes of death and disability in the United States were identified. Main Outcomes and Measures The main outcome was the percentage of the NIH prevention research portfolio measuring a leading risk factor or cause of death or disability as an outcome or exposure. Results A total of 11 082 research projects were coded. Only 25.9% (95% CI, 24.0%-27.8%) of prevention research projects measured a leading cause of death as an outcome or exposure, although these leading causes were associated with 74.0% of US mortality. Only 34.0% (95% CI, 32.2%-35.9%) measured a leading risk factor for death, although these risk factors were associated with 57.3% of mortality. Only 31.4% (95% CI, 29.6%-33.3%) measured a leading risk factor for disability-adjusted life-years lost, although these risk factors were associated with 42.1% of disability-adjusted life-years lost. Relatively few projects included a randomized clinical trial (24.6%; 95% CI, 22.5%-26.9%) or involved more than 1 leading cause (3.3%; 95% CI, 2.6%-4.1%) or risk factor (8.8%; 95% CI, 7.9%-9.8%). Conclusions and Relevance In this cross-sectional study, the leading risk factors and causes of death and disability were underrepresented in the NIH prevention research portfolio relative to their burden. Because so much is already known about these risk factors and causes, and because randomized interventions play such a vital role in the development of clinical and public health guidelines, it appears that greater attention should be given to develop and test interventions that address these risk factors and causes, addressing multiple risk factors or causes when possible.
Going wireless: An optical imaging and optogenetics system for use in awake behaving primates

Decades of studies in non-human primates (NHPs) have been conducted in conditions of strict experimental control of perception and behavior in order to understand the functions of the brain. For instance, experiments focused on visual perception often involve head fixation, unnaturally long eye fixation periods, and attention to locations away from the center of gaze. These paradigms require long training periods (months to a year). While such studies have advanced our knowledge of brain function tremendously, a recurring question is how relevant the gathered data are to natural behavior. The availability of cutting-edge technologies and computational power can free us from the limitations of classical experimental paradigms and usher in a new generation of neuroscience questions focused on how the brain functions in real world settings. Here we demonstrate a small head-mounted multimodal device for stimulating and recording domain-based cortical activity in NHPs. This device consists of an intrinsic optical signal imaging camera and a wireless LED stimulator. To evaluate the functionality of this device, we compared its imaging performance in vivo to that of current benchtop intrinsic imaging systems and demonstrated the efficacy of wireless optogenetic stimulation while conducting awake intrinsic imaging. Our device device has been constructed from off the shelf components and offers multiareal and targeted stimulation and recording capabilities in minimally restrained subjects. It has a potential to contribute to our understanding of cortical encoding of perception and behavior and could have clinical relevance for the development of brain-machine interfaces.
Doxorubicin, paclitaxel, and cisplatin based chemotherapy for the treatment of angiosarcoma: Two case reports.

Abstract Introduction Angiosarcoma is a rare soft tissue malignancy of endothelial cells, generally associated with a poor prognosis. Due to its rarity, randomized trials are difficult to conduct and a consensus on the treatment of angiosarcoma has not been reached. The role, efficacy, and timing of chemotherapy in AS treatment remain uncertain, and as stated, no large-scale trials have been able to establish definitive recommendations. Case descriptions Here we describe the successful use of chemotherapy followed by radiation for a case of lower extremity angiosarcoma, and a case of breast angiosarcoma treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgical resection. Systemic therapy consisted of weekly doxorubicin, paclitaxel, and cisplatin. This regimen resulted in a full clinical remission in the first patient and a pathologic complete response in the second. Discussion These cases suggest that the use of the doxorubicin, cisplatin and paclitaxel combination could be an effective alternative to radical surgical excision in extremity sarcomas, and an effective adjuvant treatment to mastectomy in cutaneous radiation-associated angiosarcoma of the breast due to their independent efficacy against angiosarcoma. A randomized trial utilizing neoadjuvant combined doxorubicin, paclitaxel and cisplatin followed by either surgery or radiation, with endpoints assessing pathologic and overall response as well as progression free survival is warranted based on these cases. Conclusion The role of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the treatment of angiosarcoma should be reconsidered considering its ability to provide important prognostic information and improve the likelihood of curative surgery.
Fuel oil hydrocarbons in Mytilus edulis in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts USA: Comparison of data from two oil spills.

Abstract A small No. 2 fuel oil spill contaminated a Mytilus edulis population in the Cape Cod Canal, Massachusetts, USA during a three day period in April 1983. Retention and release of the fuel oil compounds were assessed over several days and months. Compounds analyzed included n-alkanes, pristane, phytane, C2 -, C3 –naphthalenes, flourene, phenanthrene, C1-, C2-, C3 – phenanthrenes. Biological half-lives were calculated for the release of the compounds up to day 29 and ranged from 1.5 days to 9.9 days. Results compared favorably with similar data from a small No. 2 fuel oil spill contaminating the same population of Mytilus edulis at the same time of year, April 1978. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometer analyses of C2-, and C3- phenanthrenes documented changes in relative abundance within the isomer groupings after day 29. This suggests a within isomer grouping molecular structural control on release or enzymatic catalyzed alteration of these compounds.
Variation in Care and Clinical Outcomes Among Infants Hospitalized With Hyperbilirubinemia.

OBJECTIVES: To assess hospital-level variation in laboratory testing and intravenous fluid (IVF) use and examine the association between these interventions and hospitalization outcomes among infants admitted with neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. METHODS: We performed a retrospective multicenter study of infants aged 2 to 7 days hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of hyperbilirubinemia from December 1, 2016, to June 30, 2018, using the Pediatric Health Information System. Hospital-level variation in laboratory and IVF use was evaluated after adjusting for clinical and demographic factors and associated with hospital-level outcomes by using Pearson correlation. RESULTS: We identified 4396 infants hospitalized with hyperbilirubinemia. In addition to bilirubin level, the most frequently ordered laboratories were direct antiglobulin testing (45.7%), reticulocyte count (39.7%), complete blood cell counts (43.7%), ABO blood type (33.4%), and electrolyte panels (12.9%). IVFs were given to 26.3% of children. Extensive variation in laboratory testing and IVF administration was observed across hospitals (all P CONCLUSIONS: Substantial variation exists among hospitals in the management of infants with hyperbilirubinemia. With our results, we suggest that additional testing outside of bilirubin measurement may unnecessarily increase resource use for infants hospitalized with hyperbilirubinemia.
Supporting Metacognition during Exploratory Search with the OrgBox

Current search systems provide effective support to users engaged in fact-finding and look-up oriented tasks. However, they provide relatively little support for users engaged in exploratory search tasks that involve cognitive and metacognitive activities such as learning, synthesis, planning, and reflection. We conducted a within-subject user study (N=24) that investigated the effects of a novel knowledge organization tool called the OrgBox, designed to assist users with organizing and synthesizing information, and metacognitive activities. The OrgBox included features to allow users to drag-drop information they found through search into "boxes" that could be created, labelled, and re-arranged. Study participants completed two exploratory search tasks, one with the OrgBox, and one with the OrgDoc, a baseline tool that included features of a rich-text editor (e.g., formatting, bullets) for taking notes. In this paper, we present results from our study comparing the OrgBox and OrgDoc tools. Specifically, we investigate if there were differences in participants' (1) search interactions, (2) saving and organizing behaviors (e.g., amount of information, structure of notes), (3) perceptions of the tasks, tool usability, and quality of their task outputs, and (4) perceptions of how the tools provided support for cognitive and metacognitive activities involved in the task. Our results show that when using the OrgBox tool, participants created more grouping sections in their notes and saved more text. In terms of metacognitive support, participants perceived the OrgBox tool to provide significantly higher levels of support for three types of metacognitive activity (monitoring/tracking, evaluation, and planning) without changing their perceptions of the task difficulty.
BEACH PROCESSES AND SHORE PROTECTION ALONG THE NORTHERN COLOMBIA COAST

The shoreline of northern Colombia is located in the tropical zone along the south coast of Caribbean Sea. Its coastal processes are strongly influenced by the northeast trade wind, which results in the dominating northeasterly approaching wave occurring over 95% of the time. This drives a persistent southwestward longshore sand transport. The state of the beach along the generally northeast-southwest trending northern Colombia coast is strongly influenced by this constant unidirectional longshore sediment transport. At locations where this westward longshore sand transport is interrupted, naturally or anthropogenically, beach accretion occurs along the updrift shoreline coupled with erosion at the downdrift side. Natural interruption of longshore transport can be caused by tidal inlets, protruding headland, shoreline orientation change, and nearshore bathymetry variations. Anthropogenic interruption of the longshore transport along the northern Colombia coast is mainly caused by the construction of groins, as well as harbors at some locations. Numerous groins were constructed due to their local success in creating beach accretion at the drift side. However, severe beach erosion occurs along the downdrift shoreline. Shoreline protection along the northern Colombia coast, and coasts in the tropical area in general, should carefully consider the persistent unidirectional longshore sand transport and should not be misguided by the local updrift accumulation as being a successful project.
Defects in conformal crystals: Discrete versus continuous disclination models

We study the relationship between topological defect formation and ground-state 2D packings in a model of repulsions in external confining potentials. Specifically we consider screened 2D Coulombic repulsions, which conveniently parameterizes the effects of interaction range, but also serves as simple physical model of confined, parallel arrays of polyelectrolyte filaments or vortices in type II superconductors. The countervailing tendencies of repulsions and confinement to, respectively, spread and concentrate particle density leads to an energetic preference for nonuniform densities in the clusters. Ground states in such systems have previously been modeled as conformal crystals, which are composed of locally equitriangular packings whose local areal densities exhibit long-range gradients. Here we assess two theoretical models that connect the preference for nonuniform density to the formation of disclination defects, one of which assumes a continuum distributions of defects, while the second considers the quantized and localized nature of disclinations in hexagonal conformal crystals. Comparing both theoretical descriptions to numerical simulations of discrete particles clusters, we study the influence of interaction range and confining potential on the topological charge, number, and distribution of defects in ground states. We show that treating disclinations as continuously distributable well captures the number of topological defects in the ground state in the regime of long-range interactions, while as interactions become shorter range, it dramatically overpredicts the growth in total defect charge. Detailed analysis of the discretized defect theory suggests that that failure of the continuous defect theory in this limit can be attributed to the asymmetry in the preferred placement of positive vs negative disclinations in the conformal crystal ground states, as well as a strongly asymmetric dependence of self-energy of disclinations on sign of topological charge.
How Food Marketing on Instagram Shapes Adolescents’ Food Preferences: Online Randomized Trial

Background: Worldwide obesity rates have prompted 16 countries to enact policies to reduce children’s exposure to unhealthy food marketing, but few policies address online advertising practices or protect adolescents from being targeted. Given adolescents spend so much time online, it is critical to understand how persuasive Instagram food advertisements (ads) are compared with traditional food ads. To strengthen online food marketing policies, more evidence is needed on whether social media ads are more persuasive than other types of ads in shaping adolescents’ preferences. Objective: This study examined whether adolescents could identify food companies’ Instagram posts as ads, and the extent to which Instagram versus traditional food ads shape adolescents’ preferences. Methods: In Part 1, participants aged 13-17 years (N=832) viewed 8 pairs of ads and were asked to identify which ads originated from Instagram. One ad in each pair was selected from traditional sources (eg, print; online banner ad), and the other ad was selected from Instagram, but we removed the Instagram frame—which includes the logo, comments, and “likes.” In Part 2, participants were randomized to rate food ads that ostensibly originated from (1) Instagram (ie, we photoshopped the Instagram frame onto ads); or (2) traditional sources. Unbeknownst to participants, half of the ads in their condition originated from Instagram and half originated from traditional sources. Results: In Part 1, adolescents performed worse than chance when asked to identify Instagram ads (P<.001). In Part 2, there were no differences on 4 of 5 outcomes in the “labeled ad condition.” In the “unlabeled ad condition,” however, they preferred Instagram ads to traditional ads on 3 of 5 outcomes (ie, trendiness, P=.001; artistic appeal, P=.001; likeability, P=.001). Conclusions: Adolescents incorrectly identified traditional ads as Instagram posts, suggesting the artistic appearance of social media ads may not be perceived as marketing. Further, the mere presence of Instagram features caused adolescents to rate food ads more positively than ads without Instagram features.
Imaging of the Knee

Conventional radiographs are the initial radiologic study in most suspected knee disorders. Radiographs demonstrate the joint spaces as well as bones, but are relatively insensitive to soft-tissue (except those composed largely of calcium or fat), destruction of medullary bone, and early loss of cartilage. A minimum radiographic examination consists of AP and lateral projections. In patients with acute trauma, performing the lateral examination cross-table allows identification of a lipohemarthrosis, an important clue to the presence of an intraarticular fracture [1]. The addition of oblique projections increases the sensitivity of the examination for nondisplaced fractures, especially those of the tibial plateau [2]. For the early detection of articulai cartilage loss, a PA radiograph of both knees with the patient standing and knees mildly flexed is a useful adjunct projection. A joint space difference of 2 mm side-to-side correlates with grade III and higher chondrosis [3]. The tunnel projection is useful to demonstrate intercondylar osteophytes. In patients with anterior knee symptoms, an axial projection of the patellofemoral joint, such as a Merchant view, can evaluate the patellofemoral joint space and alignment [4].
Water Management: The Key Role of the International Agencies: A Water Forum Contribution

Abstract Numerous international agencies have been providing important assistance through technical advice, and some of them have been providing financing as well. Owing to ongoing and impending water crises and conflicts both within and among the developing countries, the need for such assistance is growing, but needs better coordination and the setting of priorities. Additionally, international agencies must increase their roles in setting policies that affect water use such as trade restrictions that impede export by the developing countries of high-value, labor-intensive agricultural products that consume less water. High-level international agreements are needed in order to establish an adequately staffed and funded World Water Institute that would be charged to carry out these tasks. The planning of steps needed for the establishment of the WWI should be carried out by a team drawn from staff of UN agencies, from agencies affiliated with the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research...
A Review of “Terrorist Groups and the New Tribalism: Terrorism's Fifth Wave”

The theoretical starting point for Jeffrey Kaplan's Terrorist Groups and the New Tribalism is David C. Rapoport's influential “wave” theory regarding terrorism. 1 As the name implies, Rapoport posi...
Impact of adverse childhood experiences on intimate partner violence perpetration among Sri Lankan men

In Sri Lanka, over one in three women experience intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization in their lifetime, making it a serious public health concern. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) such as child abuse and neglect, witnessing domestic violence, parental separation, and bullying are also widespread. Studies in Western settings have shown positive associations between ACEs and IPV perpetration in adulthood, but few have examined this relationship in a non-Western context. In the present study, we examined the association of ACEs with IPV perpetration among Sri Lankan men surveyed for the UN Multi-Country Study on Men and Violence in Asia and the Pacific. We found statistically significant positive associations between the number of ACE categories (ACE score) and emotional, financial, physical, and sexual IPV perpetration among Sri Lankan men. We analyzed the contributions of each ACE category and found that childhood abuse was strongly associated with perpetration of IPV in adulthood, with sexual abuse associated with the greatest increase in odds of perpetration (Adjusted odds ratio 2.36; 95% confidence interval: 1.69, 3.30). Witnessing abuse of one's mother was associated with the greatest increase in the odds of perpetrating physical IPV (AOR 1.82; 95% CI: 1.29, 2.58), while lack of a male parental figure was not associated with physical IPV perpetration (AOR 0.76; 95% CI: 0.53, 1.09). These findings support a social learning theory of IPV perpetration, in which children who are exposed to violence learn to perpetrate IPV in adulthood. They also suggest that in Sri Lanka, being raised in a female-headed household does not increase the risk of IPV perpetration in adulthood compared to being raised in a household with a male parental figure. The relationship between being raised in a female-headed household (the number of which increased dramatically during Sri Lanka's recent civil war) and perpetration of IPV warrants further study. Interventions that aim to decrease childhood abuse in Sri Lanka could both protect children now and reduce IPV in the future, decreasing violence on multiple fronts.
Prosecutorial Discretion and Environmental Crime

Prosecutorial discretion exists throughout the criminal justice system but plays a particularly significant role for environmental crime. Congress made few distinctions under the environmental laws between acts that could result in criminal, civil, or administrative enforcement. As a result, there has been uncertainty about which environmental violations will result in criminal enforcement and persistent claims about the over-criminalization of environmental violations. To address these concerns – and to delineate an appropriate role for criminal enforcement in the environmental regulatory scheme – I have proposed that prosecutors should reserve criminal enforcement for violations that involve one or more of the following aggravating factors: (1) significant environmental harm or public health effects; (2) deceptive or misleading conduct; (3) operating outside the regulatory system; or (4) repetitive violations. By doing so, prosecutors can focus on violations that undermine pollution prevention efforts and avoid targeting defendants acting in good faith or those who committed technical violations of the law. This Article presents the results of an empirical study to determine how often those factors were present in cases investigated by EPA that resulted in criminal charges from 2005-10. My empirical research demonstrates that prosecutors charged violations involving these aggravating factors for nearly every defendant prosecuted over a six-year period. Indeed, most defendants engaged in conduct that involved multiple aggravating factors. These findings suggest that prosecutors are exercising their discretion reasonably under the environmental laws and provide empirical evidence that should inform our understanding of the role of criminal enforcement and lessen concerns about over-criminalization.
Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor-Dependent Suppression by 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin of IgM Secretion in Activated B Cells

The immune system has been identified as a sensitive target for the toxic effects produced by 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). Furthermore, the B cell has been identified as a sensitive cellular target of TCDD by previous cell-type fractionation studies from this laboratory. The mechanism responsible for the immunotoxic effects produced by TCDD is unclear; however, many of the biological effects of TCDD are thought to be mediated by the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). Here, we describe two B cell lines that differ considerably in their expression of the AhR and in their sensitivity to TCDD. Our results demonstrated a marked expression of the AhR protein in the CH12.LX B cell line but not in the BCL-1 B cell line. Transcripts for the AhR were not detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction in the BCL-1 cells. The AhR nuclear translocator (ARNT) protein was highly expressed in both cell lines. In addition, the AhR and ARNT are functional in CH12.LX cells as demonstrated by TCDD-induced CYP1A1 induction. TCDD did not induce CYP1A1 in BCL-1 cells. Furthermore, TCDD treatment resulted in suppression of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced IgM secretion in CH12.LX cells. Conversely, TCDD-induced inhibition of IgM secretion was not demonstrated in LPS-stimulated BCL-1 cells, implicating a role for the AhR in the inhibition of B cell effector function. LPS-induced differentiation of the CH12.LX cells also resulted in a marked induction of Ahr expression which was not induced in LPS-stimulated BCL-1 cells. These studies have implicated the AhR as a critical factor in TCDD-induced inhibition of IgM secretion and have demonstrated an induction of AhR gene and protein expression after B cell activation.
Late Early Triassic microbial reefs of the western United States: a description and model for their deposition in the aftermath of the end-Permian mass extinction

Abstract Research in the western United States to reinvestigate and characterize the previously reported stromatolites of the latest Early Triassic (Spathian) Virgin Limestone Member of the Moenkopi Formation has shown that these microbial build-ups formed patch reef mounds. Detailed field analysis of these reef mounds and the surrounding beds has established that they attained 1–2 m of topographic relief above the seafloor. A petrographic study of these microbial mounds illustrates that they consisted of microbial fabrics, as well as voids with early marine cements and formed in the absence of in situ metazoans. These reef mounds formed during the aftermath of the end-Permian mass extinction that spanned the Early Triassic. Due to the devastation of marine metazoans at this extinction, the Early Triassic has often been deemed a reef gap because no metazoan reefs are found at this time. Whereas colonial metazoan reefs are globally absent from Lower Triassic strata, microbial build-ups similar to these described from the western United States have been found in south China, Armenia, southern Turkey and Greenland. A regional Early Permian to late Early Triassic unconformity exists in the study region. However, analysis of these microbial reefs within a global context suggests that conditions favouring microbial reef development must have existed as long as 4–8 m.y. after the end-Permian mass extinction. A depositional model of these microbial mounds indicates that flooding of the shelf with anoxic and/or CO2-rich deep waters may have fostered their occurrence.
Evidence of vascular dysfunction in young patients with successfully repaired coarctation of aorta.

It is well documented that in patients with coarctation of the aorta life expectancy is not normal even after successful coarctation repair (SCR), primarily due to cardiovascular events. We examined endothelial function in the forearm circulation, the mechanical properties and intima/media thickness in carotid and femoral arteries and the inflammatory process in normotensive patients, after coarctation repair. Fifteen patients, 29 ± 2 years old, 12 ± 2.9 years after SCR and 16 age- and sex-matched controls were enrolled in our study. Forearm blood flow was determined by gauge-strain plethysmography. Forearm vasodilatory response to reactive hyperemia was expressed as the %change from baseline to post-reactive hyperemia blood flow. High resolution ultrasound was used for determination of intima/media thickness and elastic properties of carotid and femoral arteries. Serum levels of soluble vascular adhesion molecule 1 (sVCAM-1), intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (sICAM-1), E-selectin, and interleukines 1b (IL-1b) and 6 (IL-6) were determined by ELISA. Reactive hyperemia was significantly decreased in patients compared to controls (p < 0.01). Patients with SCR had higher intima/media thickness and decreased distensibility in the carotid arteries than controls (p < 0.01 for both). Serum levels of sICAM-1, sSVCAM-1, E-selectin and IL-1b were higher in SCR group than in controls (p < 0.05 for all). Adult patients after SCR have impaired endothelial function in the forearm circulation, increased intima/media thickness, decreased distensibility in the carotid arteries and increased levels of proinflammatory cytokines and adhesion molecules than healthy controls. These results may partly explain the high incidence of coronary artery disease in patients with repaired coarctation of the aorta.
Radiative Efficiency of a Quartz Radiant Heating Tube

Abstract Radiative efficiencies are reported for 10,15,20 and 25 kW, Φ = 0.6 and 0.8, natural gas/air flames burned with an industrial fuel/air nozzle and confined in a quartz radiant heating tube. The radiativee efficiencies of corresponding unconfined flames are also reported. Radiative efficiencies of the confined flame/tube combination are at least three times higher than those of the unconfined flames suggesting strong participation by the confining quartz tube in the heat transfer process.
Fire Suppression with Inert Gas Agents

Total flooding fire suppression tests of pure argon (IG-01) and an inert gas mixture (IG-541) were conducted in a 121 m 3 compartment with simulated electronic- cabinet fires, wood-crib fires, liquid-pool fires and spray fires. Both agents extinguished the test fires by reducing the oxygen concentration in the compartment. Small fires were challenging to extinguish while large fires were easier to extinguish. The oxygen concentration in the compartment fell t o below 10% in some of the tests with large test fires. IG-541 was uniformly distributed throughout the compartment during the tests. The distribution o f argon became stratified during the tests.
Clonal Loss of One Chromosome 11 in a Parathyroid Adenoma

Traditional cytogenetic approaches have been unsuccessful in the study of parathyroid adenomas. We now describe one parathyroid adenoma in which a molecular cytogenetic approach revealed clonal loss of one chromosome 11. Restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of the patient's normal leukocyte DNA demonstrated heterozygosity at four loci (PTH, INT2, APOA1, and ETS1) that span the length of chromosome 11. However, the adenoma DNA showed clonal deletion of one allele, i.e.loss of heterozygosity, at each locus. Use of five nonpolymorphic probes from chromosome 11 was consistent with 50% loss of total chromosome 11 DNA in the adenoma. No tumor-specific loss of heterozygosity was observed when restriction fragment length polymorphisms from five other autosomes (no. 1, 5, 6, 7, and 12) were analyzed, and an X-chromosome probe also showed no tumor DNA loss. We have demonstrated tumor-specific chromosome loss in a parathyroid adenoma; such a lesion has been described only rarely in benign tumors. Our fi...
A New Method to Resolve X-Ray Halos around Point Sources with Chandra Data and Its Application to Cygnus X-1

With excellent angular resolution, good energy resolution, and a broad energy band, the Chandra Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer (ACIS) is the best instrument for studying the X-ray halos around some Galactic X-ray point sources caused by the dust scattering of X-rays in the interstellar medium. However, the direct images of bright sources obtained with the ACIS usually suffer from severe pileup. Making use of the fact that an isotropic image could be reconstructed from its projection in to any direction, we can reconstruct the images of the X-ray halos from the data obtained with the High Energy Transition Grating Spectrometer (HETGS) and/or in continuos clocking (CC) mode. These data have no or less serious pileup and enable us to take full advantage of the excellent angular resolution of Chandra. With the reconstructed high-resolution images, we can probe the X-ray halos as close as 1" to their associated point sources. Applying this method to Cygnus X-1 observed with the Chandra HETGS in CC mode, we derived an energy-dependent radial halo flux distribution and concluded that in a circular region (2' in radius) centered a the point source: (1) relative to the total intensity, the fractional halo intensity is about 15% at keV and drops to aboout 5% at approximately 6 keV (2) about 50% of the halo photons are within the region of a radius less than 40 inches and (3) the spectrum of the pooint source is slightly distorted by the halo contamination.
The Purdue Egg Show

ABSTRACT Little eggs, big eggs, bird eggs, freak eggs and eggs brown and white were all on display at the Twelfth Annual Purdue Egg Show held May 3–6, 1920 in Lafayette, Indiana. Each year the show has grown in size and quality and this year there were 465 entries. The show is managed by freshmen Agricultural students taking Poultry and is considered one of the big and important activities in the college year. One hundred and seventeen freshmen students entered eggs and there was every evidence that each man learned a lot about eggs when selecting his entry. The prize dozen was shown by a Junior after being selected from twelve cases examined at a local packing house. This score was 99¼. Twelve Experiment Stations entered eggs coming from as far west as British Columbia and as far east as Massachusetts. The sweepstakes college egg were exhibited by Idaho, scoring . . .
On the rippling of small waves: a harmonic nonlinear nearly resonant interaction

We show that the rippling often observed on small progressive gravity waves can be explained in terms of a nearly resonant harmonic nonlinear interaction. The resonance condition is that the phase speeds of the two waves must be nearly identical. The in viscid analysis is generalized to any order in a small parameter proportional to the wave steepness. Wave tank measurements provide experimental evidence for most of the predicted results. The phenomenon of resonant rippling is further shown to be not just peculiar to capillary-gravity waves, but in fact possible for any weakly nonlinear dispersive wave system whose dispersion relation has discrete pairs of solutions nearly satisfying the resonance conditions.