cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Primary Sarcomas of the Larynx: A Single Institutional Experience with Ten Cases.

Sarcomas infrequently arise in the larynx where the vast majority of tumors are of epithelial origin. Given their rarity, studies of these lesions are limited in number. In this series, we describe our institutional experience with ten primary sarcomas of the larynx encountered over an 18 year period, comprising 1.9% of all laryngeal malignancies observed in this timeframe. The cases include four chondrosarcomas and one example each of osteosarcoma, embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma, undifferentiated spindle cell sarcoma, well-differentiated liposarcoma, Kaposi sarcoma, and synovial sarcoma. Patients included nine males and one female, with a mean age of 59 years (range 34–75). The mean clinical follow-up time was 3.4 years (range 0–12 years). Clinically, all patients presented with vocal and/or respiratory symptoms, and all received surgical treatment with the exception of the case of Kaposi sarcoma. Of the nine patients who underwent surgical excision, two, both chondrosarcomas, experienced local recurrence. No instances of distant metastasis or death of disease had occurred at the time of preparation of this manuscript. In conclusion, primary sarcomas of the larynx are rare but tend to present with early symptoms. This likely allows for earlier detection and intervention as compared to their counterparts in other deep soft tissue locations. Pathologically, it is important, although difficult in some cases, to distinguish these neoplasms from sarcomatoid carcinoma and reactive processes. Careful morphologic and immunohistochemical evaluation, as well as correlation with the clinical and radiologic findings, is important for accurate tumor classification.
Wild Bonobos and Wild Chimpanzees and Human Diseases

Reported effects of Ebola on western lowland gorillas in the last years of the Twentieth Century brought the underestimated threat that infectious diseases pose to wildlife to the forefront of the international conservation community. Human-borne parasites have since been acknowledged to threaten different species of wildlife and particularly African great apes (Bonobos Pan paniscus, Pan troglodytes, and gorillas Gorilla gorilla) that were documented to contract diseases that affect human communities. The chapter examines 6 diseases, which have been documented to be transmitted between wildlife and humans and provides a short description of each type and its mode of transmission and discusses its potential to affecting wild bonobos within the ecological conditions in the species range and the regional biogeography.
Catalytic Asymmetric Allylic Amination with Isatins, Sulfonamides, Imides, Amines, and N-Heterocycles.

A generally useful palladium-catalyzed method for the asymmetric allylic amination with a large variety of isatins, sulfonamides, imides, amines, and N-heterocycles is introduced. A single protocol...
Network analysis as a tool to understand social development in spider monkeys.

The emerging field of network science has demonstrated that an individual's connectedness within their social network has cascading effects to other dimensions of life. Like humans, spider monkeys live in societies with high fission-fusion dynamics, and are remarkably social. Social network analysis (SNA) is a powerful tool for quantifying connections that may vary as a function of initiating or receiving social behaviors, which has been described as shifting social roles. In primatology, the SNA literature is dominated by work in catarrhines, and has yet to be applied to the study of development in a platyrrhine model. Here, SNA was utilized in combination with R-Index social role calculation to characterize social interaction patterns in juvenile and adult Colombian spider monkeys (Ateles fusciceps rufiventris). Connections were examined across five behaviors: embrace, face-embrace, grooming, agonism, and tail-wrapping from 186 hr of observation and four network metrics. Mann-Whitney U tests were utilized to determine differences between adult and juvenile social network patterns for each behavior. Face-embrace emerged as the behavior with different network patterns for adults and juveniles for every network metric. With regard to social role, juveniles were receivers, not initiators, for embrace, face-embrace, and grooming (ps < .05). Network and social role differences are discussed in light of social development and aspects of the different behaviors.
Comparison of time-frequency-analysis techniques applied in building energy data noise cancellation for building load forecasting: A real-building case study

Abstract Time-frequency analysis that disaggregates a signal in both time and frequency domain is an important supporting technique for building energy analysis such as noise cancellation in data-driven building load forecasting. There is a gap in the literature related to comparing various time–frequency-analysis techniques, especially discrete wavelet transform (DWT) and empirical mode decomposition (EMD), to guide the selection and tuning of time–frequency-analysis techniques in data-driven building load forecasting. This article provides a framework to conduct a comprehensive comparison among thirteen DWT/EMD techniques with various parameters in a load forecasting modeling task. A real campus building is used as a case study for illustration. The DWT and EMD techniques are also compared under various data-driven modeling algorithms for building load forecasting. The results in the case study show that the load forecasting models trained with noise-cancelled energy data have increased their accuracy to 9.6% on average tested under unseen data. This study also shows that the effectiveness of DWT/EMD techniques depends on the data-driven algorithms used for load forecasting modeling and the training data. Hence, DWT/EMD-based noise cancellation needs customized selection and tuning to optimize their performance for data-driven building load forecasting modeling.
Seeking to Understand the Conditions Under Which Exposure-Based Writing Therapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder is an Effective Approach: A Commentary on Dawson et al. (2020).

Exposure-based writing interventions for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have shown promise when compared with waitlist conditions, placebo writing control conditions, and evidence-based, trauma-focused treatments. Recently, Dawson et al. (2020) conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine existing published randomized controlled trials investigating exposure-based writing interventions. The findings were encouraging; however, the studies included in the meta-analysis had a high degree of methodological heterogeneity. Our own work examining exposure-based writing as an intervention for PTSD has demonstrated that methodological differences in the structure of exposure-based writing can have a meaningful impact on treatment outcome. Accordingly, we urge caution in interpreting the meta-analysis findings reported by Dawson and colleagues and encourage investigation into better understanding the mechanisms underlying exposure-based writing interventions to further propel this important area of work.
The Half-Virtuous Integrity of Atticus Finch

Atticus Finch has two kinds of integrity, but only one of them is genuinely admirable. On one hand, he is rightly admired for standing up for the things he values. On the other hand, he is also praised for being “the same in his house as he is on the public streets.” But we shouldn’t praise him for this. Atticus has achieved a kind of harmony between his identity as a lawyer and other identities like parent, neighbor, citizen, and moral person. This is a good thing for him, but it isn’t morally admirable. In fact, integrating one’s identities can sometimes make it harder to act virtuously. For example, the way that Atticus organizes his identities around his commitment to the justice system prevents him from noticing his only chance to save Tom Robinson’s life. "To Kill a Mockingbird" shows that it is sometimes better to have tension in our identities. Far from presenting Atticus as the sole paradigm of ethical goodness, it shows other characters who are admirable because they are not like Atticus at all. The identities of characters like Calpurnia, Maudie, and Scout others are conflicted or divided, and these tensions allow them to be admirable in ways that Atticus is not. They can cross social boundaries, subvert their own social roles, and radically criticize their community precisely because their identities are fragmented or in flux. This should be inspiring to lawyers, and to the legal ethicists who have long worried that lawyers’ roles will cause schisms in their identities. Sometimes tension in the self is exactly what we need to be good.
Prevalence of Postprostatectomy Incontinence Requiring Anti-incontinence Surgery After Radical Prostatectomy for Prostate Cancer: A Retrospective Population-Based Analysis

PURPOSE This study aimed to examine the prevalence of surgery for postprostatectomy incontinence (PI) following minimally invasive surgery compared to conventional open surgery for prostate cancer. METHODS This retrospective cohort study used the Florida State Ambulatory Surgery and State Inpatient Databases, 2008 to 2010, radical prostatectomy (RP) patients were identified using International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-9/10 procedure codes and among this cohort, PI was identified also using ICD-9/10 codes. Surgical approaches included minimally invasive (robotic or laparoscopic) versus open (retropubic or perineal) RP. The primary outcome was the overall prevalence of surgery for PI. The secondary outcome was the association of PI requiring anti-incontinence surgery with the surgical approach for RP. RESULTS Among the 13,535 patients initially included in the study (mean age, 63.3 years), 6,932 (51.2%) underwent open RP and 6,603 (49.8%) underwent minimally invasive RP. The overall prevalence of surgical procedures for PI during the observation period among the all patients who had received RP was 3.3%. The rate of PI surgery for patients receiving minimally invasive surgery was higher than that for patients receiving open surgery (4.8% vs. 3.0%; risk difference, 1.8%; 95% confidence interval, 0.3%-3.4%). The adjusted prevalence of PI surgery for patients who had undergone laparoscopic RP was higher than that for those with retropubic RP (8.6% vs. 3.7%). CONCLUSION Among patients undergoing RP for prostate cancer, the prevalence of PI surgery is not negligible. Patients undergoing minimally invasive RP had higher adjusted rates for PI surgery compared to open approaches, which was attributed to high rate of PI surgery following laparoscopic approach and low rate of PI surgery following perineal approach. More studies are needed to establish strategies to reduce the rate of PI surgery after RP.
Data Security in Practitioner-Academic Partnerships: An Agenda for Improvement

A large and growing body of social science research uses personal information from research subjects—often collected in collaboration with non-academic partners like private enterprise, governments, or NGOs. Consideration of the complex data security obligations and obstacles that come along with academic/practitioner collaboration, however, has been piecemeal, and actual security practices vary widely from project to project. Identifying and implementing “good practices” depends on the scruples and best judgment of individual research teams because discipline-wide best practices are insufficiently consolidated. This essay makes three preliminary contributions toward the development of best practices. First, it proposes a general set of imperatives/obligations against which data security practices can be measured, and then identifies the primary threats to fulfilling these obligations. Second, it elaborates on the particular threats to data security that come along with practitioner partnerships. Finally, it suggests a non-exhaustive range of data-security practices to address different threats, and demonstrates in appendices how three off-the-shelf tools can be used to ameliorate threats to data security, especially in collaborative projects.
Does Ethnic Identity Moderate the Relationship between Racial Discrimination and Cannabis Use among US- and non-US Born Black Emerging Adults?

Race-based experiences of discrimination (EOD) have been documented as a risk factor for substance use among Black individuals, particularly during emerging adulthood, with ethnic identity serving as a protective influence. Our study extends epidemiologic research on EOD and cannabis use by examining this relation in U.S. and non-U.S. born Black emerging adults across immigrant generations (N = 466, 30% first-generation immigrants, 49% second-generation immigrants, and 21% non-immigrants). Results from self-reported data indicated EOD were associated with an increased likelihood of lifetime cannabis use, while ethnic identity was not significantly related to any odds of lifetime cannabis use. Odds of lifetime use was lower among first-generation immigrants compared to non-immigrants. Although the interaction between ethnic identity and EOD was not significantly associated with cannabis use, the results indicated that for second-generation immigrants, the probability of lifetime use decreased as ethnic identity increased. These findings underscore the importance of ethnic identity as a protective factor for cannabis use, especially among Black immigrants who have been racialized over generations in the United States, providing implications for future study and intervention.
Validity of the attitudes toward bilingual education scale with respect to group discrimination

The Attitudes toward Bilingual Education (ABE) scale was validated with respect to its ability to discriminate between an explicitly defined group of proponents of bilingual education and a “persons-in-general” group of subjects. The obtained difference in measured attitudes were discussed within the framework of the societal implications of bilingual education programs.
Inhibition of deoxyribonucleic acid-directed ribonucleic acid polymerase by extracts of steroid-induced and noninduced Pseudomonas testosteroni.

Abstract The synthesis of ribonucleic acid, catalyzed by highly purified preparations of Escherichia coli RNA polymerase under the direction of native calf thymus DNA, was powerfully inhibited by high molecular weight fractions obtained from extracts of steroid-induced and noninduced Pseudomonas testosteroni by gel filtration on Sephadex G-100. When heat-treated DNA was used as primer, the inhibitory effect of these macromolecular fractions was no longer observed. Likewise, polyadenylate formation catalyzed by the polymerase was not affected by the macromolecular fractions with either native or heat-denatured DNA as a primer. The major components of the macromolecular fractions are DNA, RNA, and protein. Analysis of the mechanism of this inhibitory effect on RNA synthesis revealed that it was probably not the result of the breakdown of input nucleoside triphosphates or the breakdown of the product RNA. The inhibitory activity of the macromolecular fractions was greatly enhanced upon heating. The inhibition was observed when the system was saturated with primer DNA, and also when the inhibitor was added after exposure of the enzyme to primer DNA. Contrary to the reports of others, our study showed that the inhibitory activity of the macromolecular fraction derived from noninduced cells was not reversed by prior incubation with testosterone. Furthermore, no quantitative difference was observed between the inhibitory potency of macromolecular fractions derived from steroid-induced and noninduced cells. These results do not support the claim that experiments of this type permit direct demonstration of changes by enzyme inducers of the priming capacity of DNA for RNA synthesis.
Exploring the Use of Student Perspectives to Inform Topics in Teacher Education.

As FSL teacher educators look to respond to teachers’ concerns about the increasingly diverse student population in K-12 settings, empirical research may not always hold the answers—simply because there has not been much research on the topic. In an attempt to at least identify issues worthy of such empirical consideration and discussion within teacher education programs, this article explores the views of seven Grade 8 core French students who were members of an effective inclusive classroom. Drawing on the individual and focus group interview data from a larger case study of their teacher’s classroom, this article will identify two key themes that the students described as instrumental in the teacher’s attempts to be an effective, inclusive core French teacher. It is the goal of this article that these themes will help inform the decisions FSL teacher educators make about this topic within their programs.
Colchicine is a potent adjuvant for eliciting T cell responses.

The cytotoxic drug colchicine when administered to mice in conjunction with Ag was shown to have a strong adjuvant effect in generating a specific plaque-forming cell response to the protein Ag OVA, human gamma-globulin and BSA. Dissection of this phenomenon revealed that several T cell activities, including Th function, Ag-induced T cell proliferation and T cell-mediated delayed-type hypersensitivity, were also specifically induced by treating mice with colchicine + Ag. The adjuvant effect of colchicine was observed when the drug and Ag were injected in soluble form, i.e., no vehicle (e.g., oil, liposome) was necessary. The potency of colchicine as an adjuvant was equal to or more than that of conventional adjuvants such as CFA or alum.
More constraints on internal heating rate of the Earth's mantle from plume observations

[1] Our previous numerical studies of plume dynamics without secular cooling effects demonstrated that the internal heating rate of the Earth's mantle is constrained to be ∼70% by inferred plume heat flux and plume excess temperature in the upper mantle. In this paper, by integrating the secular cooling effects into the numerical studies, we demonstrate that the dependence of plume-related observations on internal heating rate is not affected by secular cooling and that the plume-related observations are only dependent on the internal heating rate and insensitive to its partitioning between radiogenic heating and secular cooling, thus confirming the conclusions of ∼70% internal heating rate from our previous numerical studies. Furthermore, we present a new analysis to constrain the internal heating rate with the plume-related observations based on the energy balance of mantle convection. The analysis shows that the internal heating rate of the mantle has a lower bound of ∼60% to satisfy the energy balance of the mantle with current plume observations, which is consistent with the conclusions from our numerical studies.
The Impact of a 'Middle-Management' Health Care Ruling

Just in time for Fourth of July holiday reading and less than a month after it heard oral arguments, the 6th Circuit issued a path-breaking set of opinions upholding the federal health reform law. Congress has the constitutional authority under the Commerce Clause, a majority of the three-judge panel held, to mandate that most citizens have health insurance or pay a penalty.As Judge Jeffrey S. Sutton wrote in the Thomas More Law Center v. Obama opinion that is rightfully getting the most attention of the three, “[c]all this mandate what you will - an affront to individual autonomy or an imperative of national health care - it meets the requirement of regulating activities that substantially affect interstate commerce.” While suggesting that he disagrees with Congress’s policy choice in this regard, Judge Sutton writes that the government has the better legal argument and that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) clearly survives a facial constitutional challenge. If supportive, long-standing Supreme Court precedent is to be overturned, doing so is not, writes Judge Sutton, the role of a “middle-management judge.”
Patient-reported outcome measures in vascular surgery

Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) after vascular surgery are becoming increasingly important in the current era of health care reform. Although a number of general quality of life instruments exist, vascular disease-specific instruments may provide more targeted data on how patients feel after specific interventions. Here we provide a review of both generic and disease-specific instruments focused on arterial conditions, including peripheral arterial disease, carotid arterial disease, and aortic disease, which have been described in the literature. While many different tools currently exist, there is a paucity of well-validated, specific instruments that accurately reflect functional and objective measures of patients' arterial disease burden. A full understanding of the existing tools available to assess patients' perceived lifestyle impact of their disease and its treatments is essential for both research and clinical purposes, and to highlight the need for additional work on this topic.
Use of categorization and structuring of messages in order to organize the discussion and reduce information overload in asynchronous textual communication tools

This paper shows how the use of categorization and structuring of messages in asynchronous textual communication tools could be useful in course delivery via the Internet in order to facilitate the argumentation and to guide the participants to reflect about their messages. Although the use of categorization caused an increase in the total number of messages, there was a reduction of the information overload and an increase in the quality of the discussion. We also show how the message categorization was used in a distance course delivered through the AulaNet environment, showing how we defined and improved the set of categories, and how it helped the students.
Rice production capacity in China.

Rice production development is the key to maintaining the food security in China.To know the rice production potential in China,the levels of realistic productivity,actual production capacity and potential production capacity were calculated.The actual rice production capacity and potential production capacity in China could reach 226.2 and 253.9 million tons,respectively,34.28 and 62.00 million tons higher than the realistic productivity.Moreover,the causes for the stagnant increase in rice yield per unit area were discussed and the scientific and technical strategies for promoting rice productivity were put forward.To further improve the rice production capacity and steadily increase national rice production,some measures are suggested,i.e.strengthening the amelioration of medium and low yield fields to improve the quality of farmland,making efforts on super high-yielding rice breeding and extension to form the variety structure dominated by widely adaptive super high-yielding rice cultivars,optimizing cultivation techniques for super high yield to construct a low-cost and high-efficiency production technology system with simplified techniques at its core,and strengthening agricultural technology extension to reduce the yield difference between realistic yield and potential yield.In short,it is needed to promote scientific and technical supporting ability to the productive capacity of rice.
High School Staff Characteristics and Mathematics Test Results

This study investigates the relationship between measures of mathematics teacher skill and student achievement in California high schools. Test scores are analyzed in relation to teacher experience and education and student demographics. The results are consistent with the hypotheses that there is a shortage of qualified mathematics teachers in California and that this shortage is associated with low student scores in mathematics. After controlling for poverty, teacher experience and preparation significantly predict test scores. Short-term strategies to increase the supply of qualified mathematics teachers could include staff development, and recruitment incentives. A long-term strategy addressing root causes of the shortage requires more emphasis on mathematics in high school and undergraduate programs.
Unwrapping the eye for visible-spectrum gaze tracking on wearable devices

Wearable devices with gaze tracking can assist users in many daily-life tasks. When used for extended periods of time, it is desirable that such devices do not employ active illumination for safety reasons and to minimize interference from other light sources such as the sun. Most non active-illumination methods for gaze tracking attempt to locate the iris contour by fitting an ellipse. Although the camera projection causes the iris to appear as an ellipse in the eye image, it is actually a circle on the eye surface. Instead of searching for an ellipse in the eye image, the method proposed in this paper searches for a circle on the eye surface. To this end, the method calibrates a three-dimensional eye model based on the location of the corners of the eye. Using the 3D eye model, an input image is first transformed so that the eye's spherical surface is warped into a plane, thus “unwrapping” the eye. The iris circle is then detected on the unwrapped image by a three-step robust circle-fitting procedure. The location of the circle corresponds to the gaze orientation on the outside image. The method is fast to calibrate and runs in realtime. Extensive experimentation on embedded hardware and comparisons with alternative methods demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed solution.
Planned direct dual-modality treatment of complex broad-necked intracranial aneurysms: four technical case reports.

OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE: Treatment of complex, broad-based intracranial aneurysms with either microsurgical clipping or endovascular coiling alone is sometimes impossible. In this study, we report the planned combined endovascular and microsurgical treatment of four complex, wide-necked aneurysms in four patients. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: Three of the four patients presented with subarachnoid hemorrhage. The fourth patient presented with a progressive neurological deficit secondary to an associated arteriovenous malformation. Three of the aneurysms were located in the posterior circulation (two broad-necked basilar apex aneurysms and one bilobed vertebrobasilar junction aneurysm with a wide-necked ventral component). The fourth aneurysm was a broad-based paraclinoid/cavernous-carotid lesion. INTERVENTION: One of the patients with a basilar apex aneurysm and the patient with the paraclinoid aneurysm underwent surgery intended to create a narrow neck that would be amenable to future coiling. The patient with the bilobed vertebrobasilar junction aneurysm underwent surgery to treat the broad-necked ventral lobe, whereas the dorsal lobe, with the neck partially buried in the brainstem, was treated endovascularly. The second patient with a basilar apex aneurysm was in poor clinical condition after subarachnoid hemorrhage and was therefore treated with coil embolization to reduce the risk of rebleeding. After the patient made a good clinical recovery, the residual aneurysm was surgically clipped. Angiographic follow-up documented the complete obliteration of all four aneurysms. Clinically, all patients had good to excellent outcomes after a follow-up period of 6 to 30 months. CONCLUSION: Complex, broad-necked aneurysms that may be difficult to treat with a single mode of therapy can be safely and successfully treated with a combination of endovascular and microsurgical techniques. For patients with broad-based aneurysms that are difficult to access surgically without incurring significant morbidity, microsurgical clipping may be used as the initial procedure to create a smaller neck. Alternatively, for patients who are in poor clinical condition after subarachnoid hemorrhage and who harbor a broad-necked aneurysm in a surgically formidable location, partial coiling may be used initially to reduce the short-term risk of rebleeding.
Direct observation of surface atomic reconstruction by pulsed-laser heating

Abstract Surface atomic reconstruction of Pt and Ir surfaces, induced by pulsed-laser heating, can be directly observed in the field ion microscope. The (1 × 1) Pt and Ir (110) planes prepared by low temperature field evaporation can be reconstructed to the (1 × 2) structure with missing rows of atoms. The Ir (001) can also be reconstructed, but the structure is very complicated. Details of it have not yet been worked out.
FACTORS AFFECTING THE VERTICAL DISTRIBUTION OF BIOLUMINESCENCE IN THE EUPHOTIC ZONE1

Throughout the diurnal cycle, no obvious relationship exists between the vertical distribution of bioluminescence and phytoplankton parameters in the euphotic zone. Instead, bioluminescence is closely related to ambient light. The principal external “light factors” that influence the amount of bioluminescence from dinoflagellates are photoinhibition and photoenhancement. Consideration of only these two factors accurately predicts the vertical distribution of bioluminescence during daylight and in darkness.
Prediction of stiffness and stresses in z-fibre reinforced composite laminates

Abstract The mechanical properties of z-pinned composite laminates were examined numerically. Finite element calculations have been performed to understand how the through-thickness reinforcement modifies the engineering elastic constants and local stress distributions. Solutions were found for four basic laminate stacking sequences, all having two percent volume fraction of z-fibres. For the stiffness analysis, a micro-mechanical finite element model was employed that was based on the actual geometric configuration of a z-pinned composite unit cell. The numerical results agreed very well with some published solutions. It showed that by adding 2% volume fraction of z-fibres, the through-thickness Young's modulus was increased by 22–35%. The reductions in the in-plane moduli were contained within 7–10%. The stress analysis showed that interlaminar stress distributions near a laminate free edge were significantly affected when z-fibres were placed within a characteristic distance of one z-fibre diameter from the free edge. Local z-fibres carried significant amount of interlaminar normal and shear stresses.
A Multiuser Detection Receiver Using Blind Antenna Array and Adaptive Parallel Interference Cancellation

In this paper, the problem of multiuser detection for synchronous code division multiple access systems in both additive white Gaussian noise and multipath channels is addressed. A new multiuser detection receiver that uses an adaptive blind array along with an adaptive parallel interference canceler is proposed. The replacement of a conventional antenna array with a two-dimensional RAKE receiver is also considered for frequency selective Rayleigh fading channels. By using a constrained optimization criterion along with the gradient-projection algorithm, a blind algorithm for the adaptation of the array response vector is proposed. The new algorithm is superior to a few typical blind algorithms in the literature in terms of both performance and computational complexity. The proposed receiver has the ability to cancel very strong multiple access interference coming from the same direction as the desired signal. Simulation results are presented to show the excellent performance of the proposed combination scheme in comparison to that of using either a multiuser detection or adaptive antenna arrays in a severe near-far situation.
Position, navigation, and timing in the Common Operating Environment: Prototyping the PNT User equipment Modernization Architecture

Recent trends within the US military seek to leverage the rapid pace of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) platforms for military use. The US Army in particular has started efforts to define a Common Operating Environment (COE) that establishes standards and architectures allowing for a high degree of modularity and enabling hardware-agnostic software development. To reduce development costs and time to deploy systems, the COE aims to make use of COTS components when possible, integrating custom and military-off-the-shelf components as necessary. To accomplish its goals effectively, the COE must enable software developers with a uniform method of access to important resources including communications links, military standard data formats, and positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) information. In support of the US Army Product Director, Position Navigation and Timing (PD PNT) as a part of the Military GPS User Equipment (MGUE) program, The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL) has specified and prototyped the interfaces and infrastructure for PNT-enabled applications on a COTS device running the stock Android® Operating System (OS) to communicate with a military-grade PNT device. This work proposes and demonstrates Application Programming Interfaces (API) by which applications can access PNT information and an Interface Control Document (ICD) for communications with a PNT device as a baseline for the PNT portion of the COE-Handheld computing environment (CE). This paper discusses four aspects of the work: a PNT API, a device-to-handheld ICD, a prototype implementation of the Android® services and PNT device software, and a demonstration of applications using the API. An additional task to prototype an enclosure for the external device also supported this work but is not discussed here. The prototype implementation successfully demonstrated Android® applications using PNT data from external precise positioning service (PPS) receivers.
EFFECTS OF FOLIAR HERBIVORY ON MALE AND FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE TRAITS OF WILD RADISH, RAPHANUS RAPHANISTRUM

In this study, we examined how foliar herbivory affected the relative allo- cation to male and female reproductive traits in a hermaphroditic plant. In two experiments, one in the greenhouse and the other in a growth chamber, leaves of full sibling plants of the annual wild radish, Raphanus raphanistrum, received one of four damage treatments to leaves (0, 25% (two types), or 50% leaf area removal). We controlled natural damage by Pieris rapae larvae through the use of clip cages. Measurements of both male and female reproductive characters were made on a series of flowers produced by each plant over its lifetime. We measured pollen production, pollen size, ovule number, ovule size, petal size, nectar production, and sugar content. Effects of herbivory on plant phenology were also assessed. At the end of the experiment, we quantified total flower production, fruit pro- duction, number of seeds and fruit, and seed and vegetative biomass. In general, male reproductive characters were more affected than female characters by herbivory. Leaf herbivory reduced pollen number and pollen size, whereas ovule size and number were not affected. Petal size, which we also classify more as a male trait, decreased with herbivory. Plants were generally able to completely compensate for herbivory in the total number of flowers and fruit they produced; however, fewer fruits were found in the heaviest damage treatment in the growth chamber experiment. We discuss alternative ex- planations for this pattern based on developmental constraints and adaptive responses. In summary, male fitness traits were much more strongly affected by herbivory than were female traits; full compensation in seed production after herbivory may come at the cost of male reproductive success in these hermaphroditic plants.
Sources of misinterpretation for environmental plutonium measurements

Analytical and statistical uncertainties associated with low-level measurements may lead to spurious conclusions regarding the behavior of some plutonium isotopes. The general aspect of the methodology used in sample collection, preparation, radiochemical separation and alpha spectroscopy analysis of plutonium is considered. Biases and experimental artifacts that may produce inaccurate results and improper conclusions are discussed with examples from our research and from the open literature.
Association of bioavailable, free, and total testosterone with insulin resistance: influence of sex hormone-binding globulin and body fat.

OBJECTIVE—Previous reports of an association between low testosterone levels and diabetes risk were often confounded by covariation of sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) and testosterone measurements. Measurements of bioavailable and free testosterone, more reliable indexes of biologically active testosterone, were examined for their associations with markers of insulin resistance and body fat measures in 221 middle-aged nondiabetic men. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—Bioavailable and free testosterone were calculated from the concentrations of total testosterone, SHBG, and albumin, and they were not significantly correlated with SHBG (r = 0.07–0.1). In contrast, total testosterone correlated significantly with SHBG (r = 0.63). We evaluated the relationship between these measures of circulating testosterone and markers for insulin resistance (i.e., fasting insulin, C-peptide, and homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance [HOMA-IR]) as well as total body fat (assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry [DEXA]) and abdominal fat distribution (assessed by single-slice computed tomography [CT]). RESULTS—Bioavailable, free, and total testosterone and SHBG all correlated significantly with fasting insulin (age-adjusted r = −0.15 [P = 0.03], −0.14 [P = 0.03], −0.32 [P CONCLUSIONS—The inverse association between testosterone and insulin resistance, independent of SHBG, was mediated through body fat.
The behavior of effective rate constants for bimolecular reactions in an asymptotic transport regime.

Previous research has shown that rate constants measured in batch tests (κ) may over-predict the amount of product formation when used in continuum models, and that these rate constants are often much greater than effective ones (κ(eff)) determined from upscaling studies. However, there is evidence that mixing is more important than the rate constants when using upscaled models. We use a numerical two-dimensional pore-scale porous medium with an approach similar to an experimental column test, and focus on the scenario of the displacement and mixing of two solutions with irreversible bimolecular reactions. Break-through curves of multiple cross-sectional averaged concentrations are analyzed for conservative and reactive transport, as well as the segregation of reactant species along the cross-sections. We compute effective parameters for the continuum scale in order to better understand the impact of using intrinsic rate constants in upscaled models. For a range of Damkohler numbers (Da), we compute effective reaction rate parameters and a reaction effectiveness factor; the latter is described by an empirical formula that depends on the Damkohler number and captures the upscaled system behavior. Our pore-scale results also confirm the segregation concept advanced by Kapoor et al. (1997). We find that for Da>1, κ(eff)<<κ, and yet the relative difference in total mass transformation between the pore-scale simulation and what is predicted by the upscaled continuum model using κ is about 10%. The explanation for this paradox is that the early transition of the regime from rate-limited to mixing-limited results in a model that is relatively insensitive to the rate constant because mixing controls the availability of reactants. Thus, the reaction-rate parameter used in the model has limited influence on the rate of product computed.
Conferencing room for telepresence with remote participants

Many HCI researchers have demonstrated that web and video conferencing do a poor job of preserving nonverbal cues and may not be comparable to person-to-person meetings because it changes the nature of information processing and imposes more cognitive burden by users. However, many industrial conferences and meetings are moving from person-to-person communication to device-to-device communication including phone/web/video conferencing because of benefits like travel cost/time reduction, convenience, and to leverage the global workforce.To overcome limitations of device-to-device communication, novel commercial devices and research prototypes, such as spatial audio/speaker, high-definition and spatial video/display, physical surrogates, or interactive digital whiteboard, have been developed. We would like to understand better about effectiveness of these new devices for conferencing, and drive suggestion and direction for future conferencing room environment.
The effect of meals on the electrocardiogram in normal subjects.

Abstract 1.1. The effect of meals on the electrocardiographic pattern was studied in 120 experiments on 12 normal young men. 2.2. The electrocardiograms were taken before, thirty minutes after, and, in some cases, sixty minutes after standard mixed meals and high-fat content meals of 942 to 1,548 calories. 3.3. The three standard limb leads were taken in all 120 experiments, and in 24 experiments chest leads CF 1 , CF 2 , and CF 4 were also taken. The results were analyzed by precise statistical methods. 4.4. In the limb leads the significant changes observed were an increase of heart rate, increase of K QT (i.e., QT√R−R), a decrease of the T wave, a decrease of the duration of mechanical systole, a decrease of the Q-T interval, an increase of the QRS amplitude, and a left axis shift of the T axis. 5.5. Frequent but not consistent changes were observed in the P wave, range of heart rate, and K, calculated from the duration of mechanical systole. 6.6. The P-R and QRS intervals, the Q-wave, and the S-T segment showed little change. 7.7. The T wave in CF 1 became more positive; in CF 2 especially in CF 4 , the T wave was decreased. 8.8. The changes produced by the standard mixed meals and the high-fat meals were similar. 9.9. The changes observed at thirty minutes after a meal were present with only minor variations at sixty minutes after a meal. 10.10. Some practical applications to electrocardiographic procedure are discussed.
Simultaneous spectrophotometric determination of molybdenum and selenium, and of molybdenum and tellurium

Abstract A method is reported for the extraction of molybdenum-phenylfluorone by chloroform. The extraction is complete whether perchlorate ions are present or not but the extractions in the presence of perchlorate ions gave a somewhat more sensitive procedure for the spectrophotometric determination of molybdenum in the solvent phase as the molybdenum-phenylfluorone complex. A procedure is reported for the simultaneous determination of molybdenum and selenium, and molybdenum and tellurium. The method involves first the formation and solvent extraction of the molybdenum-phenylfluorone complex by chloroform in the presence of perchlorate ions, followed by determination of selenium in the remaining aqueous phase as selenium-diethyldithiocarbamate complex after solvent extraction with 2-ethyl-1-hexanol in the presence of perchlorate ions. A similar procedure is reported for the simultaneous determination of molybdenum and tellurium except that in the determination of molybdenum, the phenylfluorone complex is extracted by chloroform in the absence of perchlorate ions. Tellurium is determined in the remaining aqueous phase as tellurium-diethyldithiocarbamate complex after solvent extraction by 2-ethyl-1-hexanol solvent extraction in the presence of perchlorate ions.
A NEW RENORMALIZATION GROUP APPROACH TO MULTISCALE PROBLEMS

A new renormalization group is presented which exploits invariance with respect to more than one scale. The method is illustrated by a simple model, and future applications to fields such as critical phenomena and supersymmetry are speculated upon.
Involvement of cyclic nucleotides in the beating response of rat heart cells in culture.

Abstract The relationships of cyclic adenosine 3′,5′-monophosphate (cyclic AMP) concentration and cyclic guanosine 3′,5′-monophosphate (cyclic GMP) concentration to beating behaviour of cultured rat heart cells are reported. Cyclic AMP has a positive chronotropic effect and cyclic GMP has a negative inotropic effect on the beating of cultured rat heart cells. Rate and intensity of beating were measured using an automatic light sensitive monitor. Cultured cells were treated with cardioactive drugs until a physiological response was observed and recorded on the monitor at which time the cells were analyzed for cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP concentrations. Direct addition of dibutyryl cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP resulted in an increase in the rate of beating and a decrease in beating intensity, respectively. Both cyclic nucleotides affected rate and intensity of beating but significant relationships could be obtained only between cyclic AMP vs rate and cyclic GMP vs intensity.
College Student Suicide.

This article reviews the topic of college student suicide. Empirical and theoretical studies are reviewed. The research is presented in distinct sections. First, we present background information on college student suicide emphasized in a select number of cited literature reviews, followed by a review of a select number of key quantitative studies aimed at investigating risk factors and predictors of suicide among the college student population. Next, we discuss a select number of articles offering suggestions for the treatment and prevention of suicide based on the literature, including those articles that specifically explain developed prevention programs. Finally, obstacles to prevention are examined. Recommendations and future directions for research and practice are examined, which are particularly significant in light of tragic events on many different college campuses in recent years.
Application of heterojunction bipolar transistor integrated circuits in high speed lightwave systems

Heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) based on III-V compound semiconductors offer significant performance advantages in ultrahigh speed digital and analog circuits, and, as a result, they are attractive candidates for use in multigigabit lightwave systems. HBTs incorporate an emitter with bandgap wider than that of the base, and are able to use higher base doping and lower emitter doping than their homojunction counterparts. This yields low base resistance and low emitter base capacitance. Electron velocity in III-Vs is higher than in Si, yielding shorter transit times. Use of semi-insulating substrates reduces parasitic capacitances, including collector substrate and pad contributions. Fabrication based on III-Vs allows integration of optical and electronic devices.
Isolation and characterization of a novel cytochrome P450 (CYP2 family) isoform from channel catfish

Abstract Channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) express at least four isoforms of cytochrome P450 (CYP) that are cross-reactive with anti-CYP2K1 (rainbow trout) antibodies. These proteins appear to be the major constitutive CYPs in the liver of I. punctatus and show distinct sex- and age-specific variations in expression. The objective of the present work was to purify a CYP2-related hepatic CYP from I. punctatus. Hepatic microsomes were prepared from channel catfish liver and solubilized with sodium cholate and polidocanol. CYP proteins were precipitated with polyethyleneglycol and applied to an octylamino-Sepharose CL-4b column. CYP-containing fractions were subsequently subjected to chromatography on DEAE-sepharose, HA-ultragel, and CM-cellulose columns. A single heme protein (ca. 47 kDa), which reacted with anti-CYP2K1 antibodies, was resolved. A sequence for the first 15 amino acids was determined. This sequence showed homology with both CYP2M1 and CP2K1 isoforms. Expression of this band is down regulated by exposure to ethanol and fenitrothion. However, no correlation with several CYP-mediated catalytic activities has been detected as yet.