cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Increased Risk of Cervical Dysplasia in Long-Term Survivors of Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation— Implications for Screening and HPV Vaccination

As more women survive allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT), the development of genital human papilloma virus (HPV)-related squamous intraepithelial lesions (SIL) warrants study. Thirty-five of 38 females followed prospectively long-term after SCT for hematological malignancies (median: 7 years posttransplant) were adults and had cervical cytology testing. Acute graft-versus-host-disease (aGVHD) occurred in 9 and chronic (cGVHD) in 34 patients. Six (17%) continued receiving systemic immunosuppressive therapy (IST) for cGVHD >3 years after SCT. Of 15 (43%) with abnormal cytology, 12 (34%) patients had HPV-related SIL (median time to SIL 51 months, range: 22-108) including high-grade SIL in 7 (20%). Patients requiring continued IST had the highest risk (odds ratio [OR] 4.6, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1-16.4; P = .019). This high incidence of SIL in long-term SCT survivors underscores the importance of gynecologic assessment after transplantation, especially in those requiring IST. This may portend an increased risk of genital or other HPV-related malignancies.
Stereo image databases for flight simulators

One of the goals of a computer vision system is to recover the three dimensional shape of a surface from its image intensities. One of the ways in which this goal can be achieved is by matching certain feature points in stereo images. Since a sparse depth map is obtained from this process, surface interpolation is also required. The authors describe an algorithm to generate a three dimensional terrain from a pair of stereo images using feature point matching. They discuss an extension to the stereo algorithm for the generation of three dimensional terrain by using the depth map to construct the terrain. A radial sweep algorithm is used to construct the three dimensional terrain from the data generated from the stereo algorithm. >
Portion size effects on daily energy intake in low-income Hispanic and African American children and their mothers.

Background: Portion size influences children's energy intakes at meals, but effects on daily intake are unknown. Objective: Effects of large portions on daily energy intake were tested in 5-y-old Hispanic and African American children from low-income families. Maternal food intake data were collected to evaluate familial susceptibility to portion size. Design: A within-subjects experimental design with reference and large portion sizes was used in a study of 59 low-income Hispanic and African American preschool-aged children and their mothers. The portion size of 3 entrees (lunch, dinner, and breakfast) and an afternoon snack served during a 24-h period were of a reference size in one condition and doubled in the other condition. Portion sizes of other foods and beverages did not vary across conditions. Weighed food intake, anthropometric measures, and self-reported data were obtained. Results: Doubling the portion size of several entrees and a snack served during a 24-h period increased energy intake from those foods by 23% (180 kcal) among children (P < 0.0001) and by 21% (270 kcal) among mothers (P < 0.0001). Child and maternal energy intakes from other foods for which portion size was not altered did not differ across conditions. Consequently, total energy intakes in the large-portion condition were 12% (P < 0.001) and 6% (P < 0.01) higher in children and mothers, respectively, than in the reference condition. Child and maternal intakes of the portion-manipulated foods were not correlated. Conclusions: Large portions may contribute to obesigenic dietary environments by promoting excess daily intakes among Hispanic and African American children.
THE PERMEABILITY OF HUMAN RED CELLS TO CATIONS AFTER TREATMENT WITH RESORCINOL, n-BUTYL ALCOHOL, AND SIMILAR LYSINS

The form of families of curves relating K loss to time in systems containing hypolytic concentrations of resorcinol and of n-butyl alcohol points to the human red cell's being slightly permeable to K and Na even when it is in isotonic NaCl (or plasma), and to the effect of the hypolytic concentrations of lysin being such as to increase this permeability. The rate of reentry of K into red cells which have lost it is more rapid than the rate of the previous loss. This may be due to the reimmersion of the lysin-treated cells in isotonic KCl producing further modifications of the ion-restricting mechanisms associated with the red cell structure. The volume changes observed in systems which show the large K-Na exchanges produced by resorcinol and by n-butyl alcohol are not the same as those which would be expected on the basis of the dual mechanism of hemolysis hypothesis or of the colloid-osmotic hemolysis hypothesis. Extensive swelling of the red cells occurs only when the concentrations of lysin are large enough to produce considerable hemolysis.
Light-scattering Mueller matrix from a fiber as a function of MgO contamination.

The light-scattering Mueller matrix for an r = 0.345-μm-radius quartz fiber, illuminated at λ = 0.4416 μm, is examined as a function of contamination with MgO crystals. When the MgO contamination is low, the matrix elements resemble those of a fiber of slightly larger radius. The MgO contamination creates higher-frequency, smaller-amplitude oscillations in the matrix elements that mask the lower-frequency oscillations indicative of a perfect cylinder. The contamination also causes scatter outside the plane of incidence.
Observations on field-emission electrons from the Los Alamos FEL photoinjector

A background source of electrons from the photoelectric injector (PEI) of the Los Alamos free-electron laser (FEL) experiment has been identified. This source is present without the drive laser irradiation and when the RF power is applied to the injector accelerator. Using intensified cameras and a synchroscan streak camera, these electrons have been imaged via optical transition radiation and Cerenkov radiation and characterized. The basic questions of location (photocathode), timing ( approximately 40 to 90 degrees of the RF cycle), magnitude (2.2 nC/ mu s of RF power at 26 MV/m at the photocathode), and parameter sensitivity (accelerator A field's duration and magnitude) have been answered. The properties are consistent with a field-emission mechanism. >
A toy model linking atmospheric thermal radiation and sea ice growth

A simplified analytical model of sea ice growth is presented where the atmosphere is in thermal radiative equilibrium with the ice. This makes the downwelling longwave radiation reaching the ice surface an internal variable rather than a specified forcing. Analytical results demonstrate how the ice state depends on properties of the ice and on the externally specified climate.
Role of Polymorphous Metastability in Crystal Formation Kinetics of 2,3,6,7,10,11-Hexa(4'-Octyloxy- benzoyloxy)-Triphenylene Discotic Molecules

Phase transition behaviors of a discotic liquid crystal 2,3,6,7,10,11-hexa(4'-octyloxybenzoyloxy)- triphenylene (HOBT-C8) were investigated. Four phases having different orders and symmetries existed in this system: a discotic nematic phase, a rectangular columnar (ColR) phase, an orthorhombic crystalline (CrI) phase developed upon cooling, and a monoclinic crystalline (CrII) phase formed during heating (Tang, B. Y., et al. Mater. Chem. 2001, 13, 78). The CrI phase represented a metastable phase compared to the CrII phase. On the basis of the results of differential scanning calorimetry, wide-angle X-ray diffraction, and polarized light microscopy (PLM) experiments, three crystallization-temperature (Tc) regions were identified to help study the crystallization kinetics of the CrI and CrII phases. In the large Tc region below 114 °C (region III), the CrI phase formed first despite its metastable nature (monotropic) due to the faster crystallization kinetics of the ColR f CrI phase in this region. The CrI f CrII phase transformation then followed. However, when the Tc g 115 °C in region I, which was close to the melting temperature (Tm) of the CrI phase (Tm ) 121 °C), only the CrII phase formed directly from the ColR phase. In the narrow Tc region II where 114 °C e Tc < 115 °C, primary nucleation and overall crystallization rates of CrI and CrII phases were reversed. Linear crystal growth rate measurements in PLM revealed that a minimum in the CrII phase growth rate was found in region II. This indicated that as long as the growth rates of both phases were similar and on the same growth front, the CrII phase formation could be hampered by the growth of the metastable CrI phase.
Sibling effects on substance use in adolescence: social contagion and genetic relatedness.

Prior research on sibling contagion for substance use has not attended to individual differences in the sibling relationship that may be influenced by genetic similarity. The authors utilizing data on a sample of twin and nontwin siblings participating in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). Although monozygotic twins had the highest levels of sibling contact and mutual friendships, the pattern of results for other sibling types were not consistent with genetic models, and biometric analysis indicated that shared environmental factors influenced these sibling relationship features. Application of DeFries‐ Fulker regression models provided evidence that sibling contact and mutual friendships represent a source of social contagion for adolescent smoking and drinking independent of genetic relatedness. The results are interpreted using a social contagion framework and contrasted with other competing models such as those focused on the equal environments assumption and niche selection.
Foveal cone detection statistics in color-normals and dichromats.

Abstract We measured for six male observers, the psychometric functions for the detection of two simultaneously presented points of light. The test stimuli were two 1 min point sources separated by 17 min arc, and pulsed for 0.5 msec. The stimuli varied in wavelength from 500 to 620 nm. The psychometric functions were fit with a model that assumes ideal detection and the following properties: (1) Poisson-distributed quantal absorptions; (2) binomial sampling of foveal long-wavelength-sensitive (LWS) and middle-wavelength-sensitive (MWS) cones; (3) independent responses of the LWS and MWS cones; and (4) the Smith-Pokorny fundamentals for cone spectral sensitivies. Based on χ2 fits to the psychometric functions for detecting neither, one or both of the two-point stimuli presented, estimates were derived for the minimum quantal catch by a single cone for detection (C), the number of effective cones illuminated by a point stimulus at threshold (N) and the proportion of central foveal cones of the LWS type (PL). Three observers were color-normal, two were protanopes and one was a deuteranope. A second deuteranope was included in the design but his data were too unreliable for an unambigous solution. The estimated quantal requirement C was consistently near 5 (4–6), and the effective number of illuminated cones always was 1 or 2. The plausible range of PL (98% confidence interval) for the color-normal observers was 0.48–0.68 (observer YY), 0.76–0.90 (observer MW) and 0.77–0.95 (observer DF). The best fitting PL solution for these observers were 0.61, 0.82 and 0.88, respectively. These were comparable to the values obtained from flicker photometric data. The best PL value for each of the protanopes was 0.00 and for the deuteranope the best PL value was 0.98.
The solid, calcium‐phosphate mineral phases in embryonic chick bone characterized by high‐voltage electron diffraction

The solid mineral phases of calcium-phosphate (Ca-P) in the long bones from embryonic chicks between the ages of 9 and 13 days have been examined by high voltage (1.0 MV) electron microscopy and electron microdiffraction. The study was undertaken to identify the chemical and crystallographic nature of the inorganic mineral phase(s) prepared under conditions which significantly reduce artifacts of specimen preparation and microscopic examination of the tissues. Electron microdiffraction patterns of solid mineral phase particles in the osteoid matrices of the subperiosteal region of tibiae were principally those of poorly crystalline hydroxyapatite. In rare instances (less than 1% of the estimated volume of the mineral phase present in the zone of early mineralization), relatively large single crystals were observed within clusters of hydroxyapatite. From calculations of both interplanar spacings and measurements of angular displacement of diffraction reflections from single crystal microdiffraction patterns, two distinct phases other than hydroxyapatite were identified: brushite and beta-tricalcium phosphate. A third phase, resembling an apatite, remains unidentified. The results suggest that very small amounts of nonapatitic phases of Ca-P exist in chicken bone tissue. No temporal relationship could be established between the nonapatitic and apatitic phases. There is at present no evidence from this study to support the concept that nonapatitic phases are precursors of a final apatitic phase in bone.
Calcific tendinitis of the flexors of the forefoot

We report a case of calcific tendinitis in the flexor tendons of the forefoot. A 33-year-old woman presented with a two-day history of foot pain but she recalled no direct trauma to the foot. Physical examination revealed redness, warmth, and tenderness on the plantar surface of the foot near the head of the first metatarsal. Radiographs showed a small focus of calcification in the flexor tendons of the great toe, diagnostic of calcific tendinitis. The patient was treated with supportive therapy and recovered.
Clinical outcomes in cardiac resynchronization therapy-defibrillator recipients 80 years of age and older.

Aims Very elderly patients have not been well-represented in the randomized trials that established the benefits of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) in heart failure (HF) patients. We therefore compared clinical outcomes in CRT-defibrillator (CRT-D) recipients ≥80 and <80 years old. Methods and results We compared mortality and time to first appropriate shock in 258 consecutive CRT-D patients ≥80 years old with New York Heart Association II–IV HF, left ventricular ejection fraction ≤35%, QRS duration ≥120 ms, and no prior sustained ventricular tachyarrhythmias to 1058 patients <80 years old implanted with CRT-D during the same timeframe. Comorbidities and medical therapy differed significantly between the groups. During 52 ± 36 months, 123 (48%) patients ≥80 and 474 (45%) patients <80 died; mortality was significantly higher among patients ≥80 [corrected hazard ratio (HR) 1.39, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.12–1.72; P = 0.003]. Among 258 patients ≥80 with device follow-up, only 20 (8%) received an appropriate shock compared with 172 (17%) shocks in 1053 patients <80 years old. Time to first appropriate shock was significantly shorter in patients <80 (corrected HR 0.51, 95% CI 0.30–0.87, P = 0.013). Older patients experienced 14 inappropriate shocks, and while life-threatening device complications were rare, complications related to the high-power components of the CRT-D system were not infrequent ( n = 11). Conclusion Mortality among CRT-D recipients ≥80 years old is higher than in younger patients but is not excessive. The risk of appropriate device shocks in older patients is relatively low and significantly less than in younger patients. These observations suggest that CRT-pacemakers should be given due consideration in elderly HF patients.
Neu proto-oncogene amplification and expression in ovarian adenocarcinoma cell lines.

Abstract In this communication, the authors summarize their characterization of eight ovarian adenocarcinoma-derived cell lines for level of neu gene amplification, expression of neu transcripts and protein, and intraperitoneal tumorigenicity in nude mice. Two of the eight cell lines in our study (SKOV3 and YAOVBIX1) exhibited five- to ninefold neu DNA sequence amplification, accompanied by up to 200-fold overexpression of transcripts and protein (p185). Both of these cell lines expressed a major approximately 7.5 kb neu-complementary transcript not previously reported in other neu-positive tumor cell lines. One pair of cell lines (YAOVBIX1 and YAOVBIX3), isolated from a single ovarian carcinoma patient's ascites sample differed dramatically in regard to level of neu gene amplification and expression. Immunohistochemical staining of the primary ovarian tumor from which these two lines were derived demonstrated populations of both neu-positive and neu-negative malignant epithelial cells. Seven of the eight ovarian carcinoma lines produced intra-abdominal tumors after intraperitoneal injection into nude mice, irrespective of level of neu gene expression. This study demonstrates tumor cell heterogeneity with regard to neu gene amplification and expression in an ovarian adenocarcinoma, reveals the overexpression of novel neu-complementary transcripts in two independently isolated ovarian adenocarcinoma cell lines, and suggests that neu gene expression is not required for intraperitoneal tumorigenicity of ovarian carcinoma xenografts in a nude mouse model system.
Designing A Mobile Application for Complementary and Alternative Medicine: A Usability Approach

The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is growing rapidly, and this trend has a significant impact on conventional healthcare. The lack of CAM disclosure between patients and physicians presents a serious challenge for successful treatment. The current study addresses this problem by proposing a CAM mobile application designed with a focus on usability. The goal of the study is to provide a platform where patients, physicians, and CAM practitioners can communicate, exchange ideas, and share their experiences. The mobile application is centered on the needs of the different user groups, and it provides an easy to navigate interface with responsive design, which is based on best practices in human-computer interaction. The study extends current knowledge by incorporating design science principles in the application development process and focuses on the usability of the proposed artifact to ensure successful communication on CAM between patients, physicians, and CAM practitioners.
An automated approach for extracting Barrier Island morphology from digital elevation models

Abstract The response and recovery of a barrier island to extreme storms depends on the elevation of the dune base and crest, both of which can vary considerably alongshore and through time. Quantifying the response to and recovery from storms requires that we can first identify and differentiate the dune(s) from the beach and back-barrier, which in turn depends on accurate identification and delineation of the dune toe, crest and heel. The purpose of this paper is to introduce a multi-scale automated approach for extracting beach, dune (dune toe, dune crest and dune heel), and barrier island morphology. The automated approach introduced here extracts the shoreline and back-barrier shoreline based on elevation thresholds, and extracts the dune toe, dune crest and dune heel based on the average relative relief (RR) across multiple spatial scales of analysis. The multi-scale automated RR approach to extracting dune toe, dune crest, and dune heel based upon relative relief is more objective than traditional approaches because every pixel is analyzed across multiple computational scales and the identification of features is based on the calculated RR values. The RR approach out-performed contemporary approaches and represents a fast objective means to define important beach and dune features for predicting barrier island response to storms. The RR method also does not require that the dune toe, crest, or heel are spatially continuous, which is important because dune morphology is likely naturally variable alongshore.
Relationships Between Environmental Factors and Capture Time of Male Pink Bollworm (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) Moths in Traps Baited with Sex Pheromone

Peak capture time of male pink bollworm moths, Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders), was determined from 16 pheromone traps placed at the edges of several cotton fields and monitored at 45-min intervals on each of 42 nights during the cotton growing season from April through November 1990-1992 in California’s Palo Verde Valley. Peak time of capture correlated significantly with times of sunset, sunrise, and wind speeds falling below 2.68 m/s, minimum temperature of the same and previous nights, and maximum temperature. Stepwise and backwards elimination regressions were used to develop a model of predicted capture time, which showed that minimum night temperature, time when wind speed fell below 2.68 m/s, and moon age provided a good fit. By including minimum temperature in the model, time of sunset did not correlate significantly with capture time. Predicted peak capture time occurred 30 min later for each degree increase in minimum night temperature up to 20°C and was delayed by as much as 2 h by wind speeds above 2.68 m/s before 2100 hours and by 1 h during new moon compared with full moon.
Refractory ceramics and iron smelting in East Africa

Over the last twenty years, there has been a discernible increase in the number of scholars who have focused their research on metal production, working and use in antiquity, a field of study which has come to be known as archaeometallurgy. Materials scientists and conservators have worked primarily in the laboratory while archaeologists have conducted fieldwork geared to the study of metal technology in a cultural context with laboratory analysis as one portion of the interpretive program.
Advancing Understanding of Acculturation for Adolescents of Asian Immigrants: Person-Oriented Analysis of Acculturation Strategy Among Korean American Youth

Acculturation strategy, a significant predictor of immigrant adaptation, has been under-studied with Asian Americans, in particular, Asian American youth. Using person-oriented latent profile analysis, this study identified acculturation strategies among Korean American early adolescents living in the Midwest. Two-hundred ninety-one families were interviewed in 2007 that included 220 youth (mean age 13, 47.7 % female), along with 272 mothers and 164 fathers (N = 656). They were re-interviewed in 2008 (N = 588). The study found three distinct acculturation strategies: separation (11.8 %, n = 26), integrated bicultural (66.9 %, n = 150), and modest bicultural (21.3 %, n = 44). Integrated bicultural youth reported the strongest sense of ethnic identity and the most favorable characteristics, providing empirical support for the benefit of biculturalism. The findings further suggest that separation may not be as detrimental as previously thought, and modest bicultural-biculturalism that is not fully developed-may in fact be less desirable among Korean American youth.
The relationship of molecular structure to the properties of solid dielectrics

For centuries, matter has been understood by man largely in terms of its gross, macroscopic properties. To the electrical engineer this has usually meant such properties as resistivity, permeability, permittivity, and dielectric strength. Engineering design calculations have traditionally been based on tables of experimentally-derived “average” values of such properties. The limitations of the materials described in such tables have, in a major way, delineated the frontiers of engineering achievement to date.
Analysis of drug resistance status of mycobacterium tuberculosis in Quzhou from 2011 to 2012

Objective To monitor the drug resistance situation of mycobacterium tuberculosis,in order to obtain the information of initial drug resistance,acquired drug resistance and multidrug resistance and provide theoretical basis for development of TB control countermeasures. Methods Sputum mycobacterium tuberculosis were collected from new- diagnosed TB patients and retreated smear- positive patients in the TB designated hospitals in Quzhou between January 1,2011 and December 31,2012 for culture,then drug resistant test was conducted on the positive culture specimens using proportional method to test six anti- TB drugs(H,R,E,S,KM,OFX). Results A total of 890 TB patients were included,the total drug resistance rate of first-line drugs(H,R,E and S) was 15. 96%(142 /890),initial drug resistance rate was 12. 78%(102 /798),acquired drug resistance rate was 43. 78%(40 /92),multidrug resistant rate was 3. 82%(34 /890),and extensively multi- drug resistance rate was 0. 22%(2 /890). Conclusion Drug- resistant TB has threatened the health of people in Quzhou,so more attention should be paid to MDR- TB control.
Word Realignment for Statistical Machine Translation

Word alignment is one of the key techniques in statistical machine translation(SMT).In this paper,we propose a word realignment method,which recognizes the inconsistent parts between the bidirectional alignments generated by IBM models at first,and refines then the word alignment by realigning the inconsistent parts.To reinforce our method,a monolingual feature is used to make benefits from large-scale monolingual corpus.The effectiveness of the method is demonstrated on a state-of-the-art phrase-based SMT system.The experimental results show that our method can achieve higher translation accuracy than the widely-adopted heuristics-based method.
Status of hearing loss in workers engaged in blasting,excavation and mining operations in a mining enterprise

[Objective]To reduce the hearing damage caused by noise in mining enterprises,decrease the rate of hearing loss in workers gradually.[Methods]389 workers of a mining enterprise were randomly collected. The occupational exposure history,past medical history,history of ear drugs,family history,and self-conscious symptom of workers were investigated by interview,and the ENT examination was performed. The results of air-conduction pure-tone hearing threshold of 389 workers were evaluated. [Results]The monotic or bilateral auditory anomalies were found in 337 workers,and the detection rate was 86. 63%. 286 workers had high frequency hearing loss,with the detection rate of 73. 52%. 51 workers had speech frequency and high frequency hearing loss( including single speech frequency hearing loss),with the detection rate of 13. 11 %. The statistical analysis showed that there was no significant difference in the detection rate of auditory anomalies among the blasting,excavation and mining groups( P 0. 05). The detection rate of speech frequency hearing loss was 13. 11%. The hearing loss of high frequency was getting aggravated in order of 3 kHz,4 kHz and 6 kHz,and the hearing curve presented the slopes down pattern,which was in accordance with the characteristic of noise-induced hearing loss. The 50th percentile( P50) of blasting group was respectively 25 dBHL,32. 5 dBHL and 40 dBHL,while P50 of excavation was respectively 25 dBHL,32. 5 dBHL and 37. 5 dBHL.[Conclusion]The detection rate of auditory anomalies among workers in this enterprise is high relatively. Therefore,the enterprises should pay attention to occupational health and safety management,adhere to carry out the occupational health surveillance,and guide the workers to use of personal protective equipment correctly,especially mining workers engaged in blasting and excavation.
Field and questionnaires evaluation of commonly used glue boards

Objective To evaluate effect of commonly used glue boards of Wuhan.Methods Residential houses and commercial households with rodent in older part of Wuhan city were selected to test 8 number of glue boards in summer,13-28 households for each number of glue board.Catching and escaping numbers of large,medium and small rats on the glue boards and other useful information were recorded in return visits.Each performance of glue boards were assigned a value,and score of each glue board was calculated.22 PCOs with Grade A qualification of Wuhan were asked to evaluate the effect of the 8 number of glue boards used before.Results C-A3 glue boards caught no rats.The most effective glue boards was K-1,rats were caught in 69.2% tested households.The average effective rate of the 8 number of glue boards was 42.4%.L-1003 glue boards caught 42.6 rats per 100 glue board,was the highest catching rate.The average catching rate of the 8 number of glue boards was 24.8%.Rat escaping occurred for each number of glue board.Lowest escape rate was 9.1% occurred for L-1003 glue boards.Escaping rate of C-A3 glue boards was 100%,the highest of the tested glue boards.The score of L-1003 glue boards was 0.746,the highest score.The lowest score was-0.415 for C-A3 glue boards.The effect order of the tested glue boards by scoring methods was similar to that estimated by escaping rates,different order involved 4 product models of one glue board maker,scoring order was identical to that of the maker.19 PCOs estimated the 8 number of glue boards used before.D-A1 glue board was estimated by just one of the PCO,other number of glue boards was estimated by 7-12 PCOs.The estimations were ranked,and order of the effect of the 7 number of glue boards was obtained.Conclusion Field test of glue board and calculating score with assign values of performance come into more credible estimation.The method is convenient and feasible,but the tested procedure and assign values need to be studied further.
Seizure-Induced Brain Damage in the Neonate

The pathophysiology of neonatal seizures, and evidence for seizure-induced brain damage are reviewed by researchers from Montreal Children's Hospital, and Universite de Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Introduction: Beyond the Hunger of Memories

In this chapter, I emphasize how Chicana/o artists and writers have been influential in rejecting essentialist notions of identity in their autobiographical work, and emphasize instead the changing phenomena of self-representation within the expanding cultural space of Las Americas. These locations of identity challenge the exceptionality model of American studies and contribute to new anthropological understandings of how people and culture are displaced or reinvent themselves.
Primitives and Vanishing Points

The discussion of Chapter 2 presented several principles for generic object detection and delineation. In particular, Principle 2 advocated the use of primitive volumetric forms as building blocks for complex object models. The idea behind such a strategy is that these simple primitive forms can be readily extracted from image data, while still maintaining expressive power by combination into complex shapes. This approach raises two natural questions: What primitives will be used? What constraints and features can be used to reliably extract them?
Aftermath: The Legacies of the Rovno Massacre

This chapter is a summary of the aftermath of the massacre of Rovno Jews in November 1941, tracking the lives of some of the 30 known survivors.
Time and Norm Optimal Controls for Linear Parabolic Equations: Necessary and Sufficient Conditions

We prove a sufficient condition for time and norm optimality of controls for linear parabolic distributed parameter systems with a pointwise bound on the controls, and explore its interplay with existing necessary conditions. This sufficient condition produces simple examples of optimal controls.
Manganese Exposure and Cognition Across the Lifespan: Contemporary Review and Argument for Biphasic Dose–Response Health Effects

Manganese (Mn) is both an essential micronutrient and potential neurotoxicant. This dual role underlies a growing body of literature demonstrating that Mn exhibits a biphasic dose-response relationship with neurocognitive outcomes. We reviewed recent epidemiologic studies from 2007 to 2016 that investigated the relationship between Mn exposure and cognitive outcomes across the lifespan: early life, school-aged children, and adulthood. In total, 27 research articles were included in this review: 12 pediatric and 15 adult studies (10 occupational and five environmental exposures). The majority of these studies provided evidence of the negative effects of Mn exposure on cognition. The pediatric literature provides evidence that both high and low levels of Mn are negatively associated with intellectual development. Future Mn research should include examination of non-linear relationships and multiple neurotoxicants across the lifespan and particularly during critical developmental windows.
Our Young (or To/For Whom I Write)

It always starts out as a blank page.Like burlap to be filled with life's details.∼There was a 4-year-old boy who followed his father's footsteps in the sand. Their backs welcomed the rising sun. B...
Digital Implementation of Soft Start-Up and Short-Circuit Protection for High-Frequency LLC Converters With Optimal Trajectory Control (OTC)

Achieving soft start-up and short-circuit protection have always been challenging for resonant converters due to severe stresses in the resonant tank. Optimal trajectory control (OTC) has been proven to be the most effective control method to optimize energy delivery with given stresses. This paper proposes a method to implement soft start-up and short-circuit protection for LLC converters by using low-cost microcontrollers (MCUs) with minimum stresses and optimal energy delivery. Our current understanding of the relationship between the switching frequency and the output voltage is based on the state-plane analysis, and the requirement for the controllers is significantly reduced when using the lookup table. Further improvement enables the application of the proposed control method to high-frequency LLC converters without increasing the cost for the controllers. This paper proposes a method to protect the LLC converter from abrupt short-circuit with low-cost MCUs, which improves transient response to short-circuit significantly, and investigates limitations when operating the high-frequency LLC converter under short-circuit conditions. The proposed methods minimize the CPU resource requirement and can be further integrated with other state-trajectory control functions within one MCU. Experimental results are demonstrated on a 500-kHz 1-kW 400-V/12-V LLC converter with 60-MHz MCU TMS320F28027.
Planar cell polarity genes Frizzled3a, Vangl2, and Scribble are required for spinal commissural axon guidance.

Abstract Background A fundamental feature of early nervous system development is the guidance of axonal projections to their targets in order to assemble neural circuits that control behavior. Spinal commissural neurons are an attractive model to investigate the multiple guidance cues that control growth cone navigation both pre- and post-midline crossing, as well as along both the dorsal–ventral (D–V) and anterior–posterior (A–P) axes. Accumulating evidence suggests that guidance of spinal commissural axons along the A–P axis is dependent on components of the planar cell polarity (PCP) signaling pathway. In the zebrafish, the earliest born spinal commissural neuron to navigate the midline and turn rostrally is termed commissural primary ascending (CoPA). Unlike mammalian systems, CoPA axons cross the midline as a single axon and allow an analysis of the role of PCP components in anterior pathfinding in single pioneering axons. Results Here, we establish CoPA cells in the zebrafish spinal cord as a model system for investigating the molecular function of planar cell polarity signaling in axon guidance. Using mutant analysis, we show that the functions of Fzd3a and Vangl2 in the anterior turning of commissural axons are evolutionarily conserved in teleosts. We extend our findings to reveal a role for the PCP gene scribble in the anterior guidance of CoPA axons. Analysis of single CoPA axons reveals that these commissural axons become responsive to PCP-dependent anterior guidance cues even prior to midline crossing. When midline crossing is prevented by dcc gene knockdown, ipsilateral CoPA axons still extend axons anteriorly in response to A–P guidance cues. We show that this ipsilateral anterior pathfinding that occurs in the absence of midline crossing is dependent on PCP signaling. Conclusion Our results demonstrate that anterior guidance decisions by CoPA axons are dependent on the function of planar cell polarity genes both prior to and after midline crossing.
A Review of the Human Health Impacts of Unconventional Natural Gas Development

This review summarizes the recent epidemiologic literature examining health outcomes in communities living close to unconventional natural gas development (UNGD) and identifies areas requiring further study. To date, these studies have been primarily retrospective in design and used self-report of health symptoms or electronic health databases to obtain outcome information. Proximity to UNGD is often used as a surrogate for exposure. There is preliminary evidence linking respiratory outcomes, including asthma exacerbations, and birth outcomes, such as reduced fetal growth and preterm birth, to UNGD; however, results differ across study populations and regions. Although small, the current body of literature suggests that living near UNGD may have negative health consequences for surrounding communities, but additional work using more granular estimates of exposure or personalized monitoring is urgently needed.
Using galaxy pairs to investigate the three-point correlation function in the squeezed limit

We investigate the three-point correlation function (3PCF) in the squeezed limit by considering galaxy pairs as discrete objects and cross-correlating them with the galaxy field. We develop an efficient algorithm using Fast Fourier Transforms to compute such cross-correlations and their associated pair-galaxy bias bpg and the squeezed 3PCF coefficient Qeff. We implement our method using N-body cosmological simulations and a fiducial Halo Occupation Distribution (HOD) and present the results in both the real space and redshift space. In real space, we observe a peak in bpg and Qeff at pair separation of ~ 2 Mpc, attributed to the fact that galaxy pairs at 2 Mpc separation trace the most massive dark matter halos. We also see strong anisotropy in the bpg and Qeff signals that track the large-scale filamentary structure. In redshift space, both the 2 Mpc peak and the anisotropy are significantly smeared out along the line-of-sight due to Finger-of-God effect. In both the real space and redshift space, the squeezed 3PCF shows a factor of 2 variation, contradicting the hierarchical ansatz but offering rich information on the galaxy-halo connection. Thus, we explore the possibility of using the squeezed 3PCF to constrain the HOD. When we compare two simple HOD models that are closely matched in their projected two-point correlation function (2PCF), we do not yet see a strong variation in the 3PCF that is clearly disentangled from variations in the projected 2PCF. Nevertheless, we propose that more complicated HOD models, e.g. those incorporating assembly bias, can break degeneracies in the 2PCF and show a distinguishable squeezed 3PCF signal.
Consensus in distributed estimation

A team must agree on a common decision to minimize the expected cost. Different team members have different observations relating to the ‘state of the world’, and they may also have different prior beliefs. To reach a consensus they exchange tentative decisions based on their current information. Two questions are discussed: When do the individual estimates converge? If they converge, will a consensus be reached?
The effect of exercise on secretory and natural immunity.

The high frequency of recurrent respiratory infections following “overtraining” in competitive athletes prompted this study to examine the effects of intense prolonged exercise on mucosal immunoglobulins (Ig). In a previous study from this laboratory, it was shown that in elite athletes (US National Nordic ski team) resting salivary IgA levels are lower than in age-matched control subjects, and that IgA levels decrease further after two to three hours of exhaustive exercise (1981 US National Nordic ski competition) (1). It was unclear whether the decreases in IgA were due to the effects of exercise, to the effects of cold (1°C), to the stress of competition, or to a combination of factors. To further elucidate the role of exercise, we studied competitive bicyclists in a controlled environment and noncompetitive laboratory setting. We followed secretory Ig levels for two days after exercise in order to study the time course of suppression and return to baseline levels following cessation of exercise. In addition, we measured NK cytotoxic activity before and after exercise in order to study whether severe exercise alters other immune parameters.
Verifying the predicted uncertainty of Bayesian estimators

Bayesian state estimators, unlike maximum likelihood estimators, generate a state estimate and a probability density function (PDF) representing the predicted uncertainty of the estimate. While it is relatively straightforward to determine the accuracy of the state estimate, verifying the accuracy of the predicted uncertainty is more difficult, especially when the uncertainty is time-varying. In this work, we review two prior techniques that verify the predicted uncertainty of an estimator. We show that each technique verifies the accuracy of the estimator’s uncertainty by checking if normalized state estimates follow a chi-squared distribution. If these normalized samples do not follow the correct chi-squared distribution, one can conclude that the predicted uncertainty is unreliable. In this work, we propose to use goodness-of-fit tests to determine if normalized state estimates do not follow the correct distribution. Our results demonstrate that one of the prior techniques achieves superior performance if the true uncertainty is Gaussian. When the true uncertainty is non-Gaussian, however, our proposed goodness-of-fit method demonstrates higher discriminative power.
Postoperative continuous adductor canal block for total knee arthroplasty improves pain and functional recovery: A randomized controlled clinical trial.

Abstract Study objective Investigate the use of a postoperative continuous adductor canal block (cACB) after epidural analgesia to decreases opioid consumption and improve visual analog scale (VAS) scores compared to a sham catheter. Design Double-blinded randomized placebo-controlled trial. Setting Inpatient setting in tertiary care teaching hospital with outpatient follow-up. Patients One-hundred and sixty-five subjects (cACB n = 82 and sham catheter n = 83) with end-stage degenerative joint disease undergoing elective unilateral total knee arthroplasty. Interventions Patients were block randomized to receive a cACB or sham catheter. An epidural catheter was placed preoperatively and discontinued on postoperative day 1. Patients then received a cACB with bupivacaine or sham catheter which remained for the duration of the hospitalization. Measurements Primary outcome was total opioid consumption. Secondary outcomes included VAS scores, knee range of motion (ROM), ambulation distance, and WOMAC scores. Main results Seventy patients completed the study (cACB n = 38 and sham catheter n = 32). Compared to sham catheter, in the first 20 h after placement of a cACB, patients used 22.5 mg less opioid (95% CI: −43.1 to −1.94 mg, P = 0.03). VAS score area under the curve decreased 7.8 mm (95% CI: −15.5 – −0.058 mm, P = 0.04) with a cACB. At 3-week follow-up, WOMAC scores were significantly improved with the cACB with a mean difference of 8.72 (95% CI: −17.3 to −0.11, P = 0.04). There were no statistically significant differences in secondary outcomes on postoperative day 2. Paired outcomes at 6 weeks compared to baseline ROM, showed significant improvement in knee ROM with a cACB (mean difference 11.77°, 95% CI: 3.1–20.5°, P = 0.01). Conclusion A postoperative cACB after total knee arthroplasty significantly reduces total opioid consumption and pain scores compared to sham catheter. Ambulatory ability was not affected and patients recovered function earlier. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02121392 .
Effects of Narrative Structure and Salient Decision Points in Role Playing Games

This research-in-progress paper reports an experimental study that investigates two research problems: first, how does narrative structure impact the experience of role-playing games (RPGs)? And second, what are the effects of salient decision points on players’ perceptions of narrative structure and game play? Can players perceive branching narrative without salient decision points? Previous research literature was reviewed, two hypotheses were developed based on prior research, and an experiment was designed to test these two hypotheses. The findings will likely shed light on the development of narrative and feedback structures in RPGs and other allied fields, such as digital media, virtual reality, and human-computer interaction.
Managing Forest Landscapes for Climate Change

Climate change is the defining issue of the day and probably for many subsequent generations of resource managers. Although the public and therefore the policymakers have been slow in grasping the far-reaching consequences of climate change on our social and economic institutions, they are now desperately seeking options for dealing with novel climates, ecological uncertainties, and potential social and economic dislocations. The challenges cannot be overstated, but neither can the role of scientists in helping provide the knowledge for making informed decisions. The science of landscape ecology, with its emphasis on integration and holism, has an important role to play in informing decision makers. In this paper, I explore this role in the context of managing forest landscapes.
Religion and Sexuality: The Perversion of a Natural Marriage

From the beginning of human history religion and sexuality have shared certain characteristics. But what existed in early history as a natural linguistic and liturgical marriage between two activities with certain shared emotional, psychological, and even physical goals, ended in most of the “great religions” centuries ago in divorces fueled by patriarchal fear and prejudice. The split between sexuality and religion is especially evident in the repression of women and the criminalization of sexuality characteristic of our Abrahamic religions, factors that have led all too often to tragic and perverted parodies of the old natural marriage.
Mirizzi Syndrome: Diagnosis and Management of a Challenging Biliary Disease.

Background. Mirizzi syndrome is a condition difficult to diagnose and treat, representing a particular “challenge” for the biliary surgeon. The disease can mimic cancer of the gallbladder, causing considerable diagnostic difficulties. Furthermore, it increases the risk of intraoperative biliary injury during cholecystectomy. The aim of this study is to point out some particular aspects of diagnosis and treatment of this condition. Methods. The clinical records of patients with Mirizzi syndrome, treated in the last five years, were reviewed. Clinical data, cholangiograms, preoperative diagnosis, operative procedures, and early and late results were examined. Results. Eighteen consecutive patients were treated in the last five years. Presenting symptoms were jaundice, pain, and cholangitis. Preoperative diagnosis of Mirizzi syndrome was achieved in 11 patients, while 6 had a diagnosis of gallbladder cancer and 1 of Klatskin tumor. Seventeen patients underwent surgery, including cholecystectomy in 8 cases, bile duct repair over T-tube in 3 cases, and hepaticojejunostomy in 4 cases. Two cases (11.1%) of gallbladder cancer associated with the Mirizzi syndrome were incidentally found: a patient underwent right hepatectomy and another patient was unresectable. The overall morbidity rate was 16.6%. There was no postoperative mortality. An ERCP with stent insertion was required in three cases after surgery. Sixteen patients were asymptomatic at a mean distance of 24 months (range: 6-48) after surgery. Conclusions. Mirizzi syndrome requires being treated by an experienced biliary surgeon after a careful assessment of the local situation and anatomy. The preoperative placement of a stent via ERCP can simplify the surgical procedure.