cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Use of BeagleBone Black Board in Engineering Design and Development

The BeagleBone Black (BBB) board is a low cost, powerful expandable computer launched by a community of developers sponsored by Texas Instruments in the early 2013. It is the newest product in the Beagle family. This board features a powerful TI Sitara™ ARM Cortex™-A8 processor which runs at 1 GHz. And a 2 GB on-board flash memory acts as the “hard drive” for the board to host a Linux operating system and other software development tools. The size of the board is small enough to fit in a mint tin box. It can be used for a variety of projects from high school fair projects to prototypes of very complex embedded systems. With a user-friendly, browser-based Bonescript programming environment called Cloud9, a learner can easily program the BBB board to rapidly prototype electronic systems that interface with real-world applications. Afterwards, as the knowledge of users develops, the board provides more complicated interfaces including C/C++ functions to access digital and analog pins aboard the ARM Cortex A8 microprocessor. The full power and capability of the BBB board may be programmed in the underlying onboard Linux operating system, such as Angstrom or Ubuntu. Moreover, the Beagle community provides a useful repository of example projects, forums and hardware/software documentation. This paper presents our work of employing the BBB board in designing engineering senior projects, and uses a case study of robot car with voice recognition senior project to compares it with Raspberry Pi and Arduino in educating engineering students to construct embedded systems. Our primary experiences demonstrate that the BBB board is an easy-to-use and cost-effective development kit which can be employed by college-level engineering students for their capstone design projects.
A Proposed Code-to-Code Benchmark for the Depletion of HTGR Fuel

Several ongoing High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor (HTGR) development projects are currently under way throughout the world, with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Next Generation Nuclear Plant representing a significant and growing activity in the United States. HTGR designs utilize graphite-moderated fuel forms and helium gas as a coolant. HTGR fuel elements are typically composed of tristructural-isotropic (TRISO) fuel particles. The TRISO particles are either dispersed in the graphite matrix of a fuel pebble for the pebble-bed design or molded into compacts/rods that are then inserted into hexagonal graphite blocks for prismatic core designs. The use of localized fuel grains within a larger fuel element results in two levels of heterogeneity that will challenge many existing lattice physics methods. Hence, advanced methods for treatment of both levels of heterogeneity effects are needed. In doubly heterogeneous (DH) systems, heterogeneous fuel particles in a moderator matrix form the fuel region of the fuel element and thus constitute the first level of heterogeneity. Fuel elements themselves are also heterogeneous with fuel and moderator or reflector regions, forming the second level of heterogeneity. The current lack of well-qualified experimental measurements for spent HGTR fuel elements limits the validation of advanced DH depletion methods. Because of this shortage of data, this benchmark has been developed as the first, simplest phase in a planned series of increasingly complex set of code-to-code benchmarks.
Promoting patriotism through mediated sports: Political economy of Bollywood sports movies

Through the lens of political economy of communication and sports, this article examines the role of Bollywood’s sports movies in promoting patriotism and constructing an Indian national identity. ...
Children With Intellectual Disability and Hospice Utilization: The Moderating Effect of Residential Care.

Background:Children with intellectual disability commonly lack access to pediatric hospice care services. Residential care may be a critical component in providing access to hospice care for childr...
Synthesis of BaCe0.7Zr0.1Y0.1Yb0.1O3-δ proton conducting ceramic by a modified Pechini method

Abstract BaCe0.7Zr0.1Y0.1Yb0.1O3-δ proton conducting material for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cell (IT-SOFC) applications has been prepared by a modified Pechini method. Pure perovskite structured material has been obtained after calcining at temperatures T ≥ 1000 °C. The microstructures of the samples sintered at different temperatures from 1350 to 1550 °C have been evaluated, revealing denser microstructures with higher sintering temperatures. The sample sintered at 1400 °C shows the highest conductivity, indicating that the beneficial effects on conductivity from denser samples is counteracted by the segregation of secondary phases in the grain boundaries at higher sintering temperatures. The thermal expansion coefficient (TEC) for BaCe0.7Zr0.1Y0.1Yb0.1O3-δ is in the range of 9.1–9.8 × 10− 6 K− 1 from 25 to 1200 °C, favorably matched to that of Pr based perovskite cathode materials for SOFC applications.
Disasters: The London Bombings, 7th of July 2005: Forward Medical Response

On 7th July 2005, four explosive devices were detonated on the London public transportation system including the underground. This chapter provides a personal account of the considerations when responding to a major incident due to a terrorist event.
Subprograms and Packages

In this chapter, subprograms and packages will be discussed. Subprograms consists of procedures and functions that can be invoked repeatly from different locations in a VHDL description. Packages define all the names of items that may be shared among several entities.
Mechanisms of Maintenance of Atrial Fibrillation

More than 2 million people in the United States currently have atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common sustained arrhythmia, and more cases are predicted in the near future. 1 Despite of more than a century of intensive research, the underlying mechanisms of AF are still not fully understood. The natural structure of the atria is a complex multidimensional grid with bundles and orifices with varying size. When considering, in addition, that many of the ionic properties of atria have not been characterized yet and that AF is predisposed by several cardiac disorders that modify the substrate for activation, one realizes why AF continues to challenge scientists investigating the role of the many factors involved in its initiation and maintenance. 2 3 Analysis of the spatiotemporal organization of wave propagation during fibrillation can provide important clues about its underlying mechanisms. It is becoming widely accepted that reentrant activity is the main source of many types of ventricular fibrillation (VF) and AF; however, there is an ongoing debate on the precise nature of those reentrant sources. Although AF may be the result of the breakup of multiple, randomly propagating wavelets that rotate briefly, 4 5 it may also result from a discrete and steady rotor generating wave fronts that break at fixed heterogeneities. 3 These two different mechanisms are expected to have different signatures on fibrillation dynamics, with the latter showing more organization and stability in its patterns of wave propagation.
Scent Over-Marking

Scent over-marking is a specialized type of marking behavior in which one individual places its scent so that it covers or partially covers previously deposited scents of conspecifics. In this chapter I first review our research that shows that golden hamsters have amazing abilities to analyze such over-marks to determine which individual’s scent is on top. Next I present experiments in which we examine how they do this. Finally, I briefly discuss the functions of over-marking and of the abilities to determine the top-scent individual.
Profit System Models for Industries

In this chapter profit system models are developed for US industries. Our purpose is to estimate profit system models for different industries and use the estimated models for out-of-sample forecasts of key business variables. Industry analyses are popular in benchmarking exercises that compare individual firms’ performance to its industry. Also, industry analyses can reveal important trends that will affect individual firms. We report profit system results for the following industries: Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction (NAICS 21), Utilities (NAICS 22), Construction (NAICS 23), Manufacturing (NAICS 31–33), Wholesale Trade (NAICS 42), Retail Trade (NAICS 44–45), Transportation and Warehousing (NAICS 48–49), Information (NAICS 51), Finance and Insurance (NAICS 52), Professional and Business Services (NAICS 54–56), Education and Health Services (NAICS 61–62), and Leisure and Hospitality (NAICS 71–72). Due to data restrictions, the scope of our analyses is limited to the period 1987–2007, with forecasts covering the period 2008–2011.
Binge-Watching: A Suspenseful, Emotional, Habit

Binge-watching, simultaneously treated as both guilty pleasure and legitimate health concern in popular press and academic discussions, is a pervasive media behavior. Yet distinguishing it from oth...
Intraoperative Considerations for Laparoscopy

The laparoscopic approach for ventral hernia repair began over 20 years ago with the first published report in 1993 by Karl LeBlanc in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Despite its equivalent cost and hospital resource utilization, and patient benefits over open repair, the laparoscopic technique is still utilized in only about 20% of all ventral hernia repairs. Given the benefits to patients, logic would dictate that the relative lack of utilization is mostly due to technical difficulty and gaps in laparoscopic skill acquisition necessary for the adhesiolysis, mesh placement, and mesh fixation.
Influence of Dye-Coordinated Metal Ions on Electron Transfer Dynamics at Dye–Semiconductor Interfaces

Maximizing regeneration and minimizing recombination rates at dye–semiconductor interfaces is crucial for the realization of efficient dye-sensitized solar and photoelectrosynthesis cells. Previously it has been shown that simply coordinating the metal ion to the nonsurface bound carboxylate groups of a dye molecule can slow recombination rates and increase open-circuit voltages. However, it was unclear if the additional steric effects or charge of the metal ion were the cause of this behavior. Here we use three different redox mediators, (1) I–/I3–, (2) [tris(1,10-phenanthroline)cobalt]3+/2+, and (3) [Co(4,4′,4″-tritert-butyl-2,2′:6′,2″-terpyridine)(NCS)3]0/1– to elucidate the role, if any, of electrostatic interactions between the coordinated metal ion and mediator in dictating these interfacial electron transfer events. Using a combination of spectroscopy, electrochemistry, and solar cell measurements, we demonstrate that while electrostatic interactions may influence dye regeneration rates, for exampl...
Network, Text, and Image Analysis of Anti-Muslim Groups on Facebook

Islamophobic attitudes and overt acts of hostility toward Muslims in the United States are increasingly commonplace. The goal of this research is to begin to understand how anti-Muslim political groups use the Facebook social network to build their online communities and perpetuate their beliefs. We used the public Facebook Graph API to create a large dataset of 700,204 members of 1,870 Facebook groups spanning 10 different far-right ideologies during the time period June 2017 - March 2018. We first applied social network analysis techniques to discover which groups and ideologies shared members with anti-Muslim groups during this period. Our results show that the anti-Muslim Facebook network has unique characteristics when compared to other categories of far-right extremism. We then assessed 202 anti-Muslim Facebook group cover photos and descriptions for evidence of Islamophobic content. Results indicate that these anti-Muslim groups rely on a predictable collection of visual and linguistic cues to propagate negative stereotypes about Muslims, and that the vast majority of these groups rely heavily on symbols and language that portray Islam as a violent enemy which is deserving of violence and hostility in return. By understanding the important role Islamophobia plays in the hate ecosystem on Facebook, social media users and platform providers can be better prepared to confront and condemn anti-Muslim bias.
Quantum materials: Insights from THz and Infrared Nano-Optics

In this talk I will overview recent efforts to discover, characterize and deploy new forms of quantum matter controllable by light, gating, and nano-mechanical manipulation, effectively programming their properties 1. I will focus on enticing opportunities to investigate novel quantum phenomena using nascent nano-optical methods developed in our group 2, 3.
Design, manufacturing and testing of a Beta Stirling machine for refrigeration applications

Abstract As the concern for CO2 emissions and global warming raises, the Stirling machine appears as a candidate alternative technology to vapor compression cycles that use refrigerant fluids. In this paper, we present the design, manufacturing and testing of a Beta Stirling machine for refrigeration applications. The first part of the paper presents the principle of the Stirling cycle, the mechanical configuration of the designed machine, and the key design parameters. The second part describes the experimental test bench and instrumentation of the Stirling machine. The last part of the paper presents experimental results. The prototype typical performance is a 450 W heat lift at 4 °C and a COP of 0.9 when Nitrogen is used as the working gas. Cold end temperature variation as a function of heat lifts and charge pressure are presented. Coefficient of Performance is also discussed. Mechanical power, instantaneous torque and velocities curves are reported.
A patient-centered medical home model for comprehensive sickle cell care in infants and young children

Background The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) has been proposed as a model for comprehensive care coordination and delivery for children with sickle cell disease (SCD), yet little is known regarding the implementation of PCMH core concepts on adherence to preventative care measures, health care utilization, and parent satisfaction. Procedure We implemented the newborn cohort clinic (NCC) to explore the application of the PCMH model for infants and children with SCD from birth to age 3 years in 2011. In July 2017, we conducted a retrospective chart review to evaluate subjects currently or previously followed in the clinic. We surveyed parents in the NCC to assess their satisfaction with their experience. Results A total of 112 patients have been managed in the NCC. All patients received penicillin prophylaxis, while 70% and 73% of patients, respectively, received the 23-valent pneumococcal vaccine and an initial transcranial Doppler by age 36 months. Most (92 of 112) of the subjects utilized the emergency department (569 encounters), with 86% of encounters for fever or other sickle cell-related complications. The majority of parents indicated satisfaction with the clinic, with 71% saying clinic providers always or usually spent enough time with their child, listened carefully to them (81%) and were sensitive to family values and customs (77%). Conclusions A comprehensive sickle cell clinic as a component of a PCMH is feasible and can achieve high levels of preventative care. Parents are largely satisfied with this model of care.
Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Accessory Subunits Determine the Activity Profile of Epibatidine Derivatives

Epibatidine is a potent analgetic agent with very high affinity for brain nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR). We determined the activity profiles of three epibatidine derivatives, RTI-36, RTI-76, and RTI-102, which have affinity for brain nAChR equivalent to that of epibatidine but reduced analgetic activity. RNAs coding for nAChR monomeric subunits and/or concatamers were injected into Xenopus oocytes to obtain receptors of defined subunit composition and stoichiometry. The epibatidine analogs produced protracted activation of high sensitivity (HS) α4- and α2-containing receptors with the stoichiometry of 2alpha:3beta subunits but not low sensitivity (LS) receptors with the reverse ratio of alpha and beta subunits. Although not strongly activated by the epibatidine analogs, LS α4- and α2-containing receptors were potently desensitized by the epibatidine analogs. In general, the responses of α4(2)β2(2)α5 and β3α4β2α6β2 receptors were similar to those of the HS α4β2 receptors. RTI-36, the analog closest in structure to epibatidine, was the most efficacious of the three compounds, also effectively activating α7 and α3β4 receptors, albeit with lower potency and less desensitizing effect. Although not the most efficacious agonist, RTI-76 was the most potent desensitizer of α4- and α2-containing receptors. RTI-102, a strong partial agonist for HS α4β2 receptors, was effectively an antagonist for LS α4β2 receptors. Our results highlight the importance of subunit stoichiometry and the presence or absence of specific accessory subunits for determining the activity of these drugs on brain nAChR, affecting the interpretation of in vivo studies since in most cases these structural details are not known. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Epibatidine and related compounds are potent ligands for the high-affinity nicotine receptors of the brain, which are therapeutic targets and mediators of nicotine addiction. Far from being a homogeneous population, these receptors are diverse in subunit composition and vary in subunit stoichiometry. We show the importance of these structural details for drug activity profiles, which present a challenge for the interpretation of in vivo experiments since conventional methods, such as in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry, cannot illuminate these details.
Can we advance individual-level heat-health research through the application of stochastic weather generators?

Individuals living in every region of the world are increasingly vulnerable to negative health outcomes due to extreme heat exposure. Children, in particular, may face long-term consequences associated with heat stress that affect their educational attainment and later life health and well-being. Retrospective individual-level analyses are useful for determining the effects of extreme heat exposure on health outcomes. Typically, future risk is inferred by extrapolating these effects using future warming scenarios that are applied uniformly over space and time without consideration of topographical or climatological gradients. We propose an alternative approach using a stochastic weather generator. This approach employs a 1 °C warming scenario to produce an ensemble of plausible future weather scenarios, and subsequently a distribution of future health risks. We focus on the effect of global warming on fetal development as measured by birth weight in Ethiopia. We demonstrate that predicted changes in birth weight are sensitive to the evolution of temperatures not quantified in a uniform warming scenario. Distributions of predicted changes in birth weight vary in magnitude and variability depending on geographic and socioeconomic region. We present these distributions alongside results from the uniform warming scenario and discuss the spatiotemporal variability of these predicted changes.
Increase disparities in breast cancer screening uptake for women with anxiety disorders.

Commentary on: Ross E, Maguire A, Mairs A, et al . Disparities in breast cancer screening uptake for women with mental illness in the United Kingdom. Am J Prev Med 2021; 60 (3):e123-e130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2020.09.010. A study, from Northern Ireland involving 57,328, reports a relationship between women undergoing psychiatric treatments with a decline in attending breast screening centers.1 ,2 While the incidence rate of breast cancers in women diagnosed with psychiatric ailments receiving treatments was comparable to the general population, the fatality rates were significantly higher in the individuals undergoing psychiatric treatments and even higher in the participants on anxiolytics …
Dosimetric benefits of dynamic conformal arc therapy-combined with active breath-hold in lung stereotactic body radiotherapy

Abstract To test the hypothesis that dynamic conformal arc therapy (DCAT) in Monaco, compared with volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT), maintains plan quality with higher delivery efficiency for lung stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) and to investigate dosimetric benefits of DCAT with active breath-hold (DCAT+ABH), compared with free-breathing (DCAT+FB) for varying tumor sizes and motions. Fifty DCAT plans were used for lung SBRT. Randomly selected 17 DCAT plans were evaluated with respect to the retrospectively generated volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plans. The maximum dose at 2 cm from planning target volume (PTV) in any direction (D2cm/Rx), the ratio of 50% prescription isodose volume to the PTV (R50%), conformity index (CI), the lung volume receiving ≥20 Gy (V20), and monitor unit (MU) were evaluated. A t-test was used to evaluate the difference of plan quality between DCAT and VMAT. Internal target volume (ITV)/integrated-gross target volume (GTV) attributed by intra-fraction motion and lung V20 were stratified for DCAT+ABH and DCAT+FB across varying GTVs. DCAT maintained plan quality (p = 0.154 for D2cm/Rx, p = 0.089 for R50%, p = 0.064 for CI, and p = 0.780 for lung V20) while reducing MUs up to 30% (p
Recurrent Backpropagation Models of the Vestibulo-Ocular Reflex Provide Experimentally Testable Predictions

Recurrent backpropagation models have been used to study the dynamic features of the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR). They demonstrate how the VOR could be brought about by nonlinear and distributed processing mechanisms operating at the neural level. The models are based on actual VOR anatomy, and reproduce the salient response properties of VOR neurons. The models predict that nonlinearity and dynamic variability in the responses of VOR neurons should decrease following sectioning of specific connections. The testability of the recurrent models encourages a continued dialog between theory and experiment.
Can You Really Keep Your Health Plan? The Limits of Grandfathering under the Affordable Care Act

This article examines the rhetoric and reality of President Obama's repeated hallmark promise during federal health reform that "you can keep your health plan," as one example of the Administration's equivocal stance toward deregulation. Although rhetorically supporting the popular preference for decreased government involvement in health care, the Obama Administration, in several instances, has achieved significant re-regulation through the intricacies of executive branch rule-making. The Affordable Care Act's "grandfather rule" (Section 1251, "Preservation of Right to Maintain Existing Coverage") purports to uphold the "you can keep your health plan" promise. But the regulatory requirements for plans to retain grandfathered status are nearly impossible to abide under existing market conditions. As a result, most plans will fairly quickly relinquish grandfathered status. When they do, the plans will have to come into full compliance with the Affordable Care Act's host of new requirements for health plans. At that point, "your plan" will necessarily change. By publicly promising one result while achieving the opposite result by agency rule-making, the Administration risks credibility and trust.
Chromatin assembly in vitro with purified recombinant ACF and NAP-1.

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the methodology for the ATP-dependent assembly of periodic nucleosome arrays by using purified recombinant chromatin assembly factors. The assembly of DNA to chromatin is a critical step in the duplication and maintenance of the eukaryotic genome. Chromatin assembly is an ATP-dependent process and is mediated by the concerted action of core histone chaperones and ATP-dependent chromatin assembly machines. NAP-1, CAF-1, ASF-1, nucleoplasmin, and other histone chaperones play an essential role by escorting histones to the sites of nucleosome assembly. The reaction for chromatin assembly with plasmid DNA can be broken down in three steps: pre-binding of core histones with the chaperone, NAP-1; relaxation of the plasmid DNA (optional); and ATP-dependent nucleosome assembly. The assembled chromatin can be used directly in downstream assay reactions. Certain applications (for example, electron microscopy studies) may require further purification of the chromatin. The nucleosome arrays can be purified from chromatin assembly factors by sucrose gradient sedimentation or gel filtration. The assembly of chromatin with the linker histone H1 is discussed. H1 is efficiently incorporated in the nucleosome arrays, and these arrays possess structural and functional features of H1-containing native chromatin.
Thin-ice Arctic Acoustic Window (THAAW)

Abstract : The Arctic Ocean is currently undergoing dramatic changes, including reductions in the extent and thickness of the ice cover and extensive warming of the intermediate layers. The multiyear ice is melting. Ice keels are getting smaller. With more open water, the internal wave energy level and therefore acoustic volume scattering are likely increasing, at least during summer. What was learned about acoustic propagation and ambient noise in the Arctic during the Cold War is now obsolete. The long-term objectives of this research program are to understand the effects of changing Arctic conditions on low-frequency, deep-water propagation and on the low-frequency ambient noise field. The goal is to determine the fundamental limits to signal processing in the Arctic imposed by ocean and ice processes. The hope is that these first few new steps will lead to a larger, permanent acoustic monitoring, communications, and navigation network in the Arctic Ocean (Mikhalevsky et al., 2014). This research effort was funded as an expansion of ONR Grant N00014-12-1-0226, entitled North Pacific Acoustic Laboratory: Deep Water Acoustic Propagation in the Philippine Sea. This annual report is in addition to the annual report for ONR Grant N00014-12-1-0226 that describes the research effort in the Philippine Sea.
Simulation-Based Stability of a Representative, Large-Scale ATM Network for a Distributed Call Processing Architecture

In response to the lack of realistic performance guarantees in "store and forward" networks, the asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network has resurrected the idea of connection oriented calls. Thus, for every user call, the ATM network first determines and verifies a route, where possible, that meets the user's quality of service (QoS) requirements, and then transports the traffic along the route. In classic telephony, a typical call processing event Pe requires 200 ms while an average call duration Cd lasts 90 s. The ratio Pe/Cd = 450, is large enough to render the call processing effort meaningful. While the link bandwidth in classic telephony is 64 Kb/s and each user call is allocated an identical 8 Kb/s bandwidth, links bandwidths in ATM equal or exceed 155 Mb/s and users may be allocated, in general, much higher, variable bandwidths depending on need and availability. This paper projects that the trend of short call durations, of ftp, http, image retrieval, and email messages type, will gain increasing processing prominence in the future, fueled by our impatience and the rapid growth in the backbone link bandwidths that is already outpacing the expected increase in the average message size transported across the networks. As backbone speeds increase and call durations decrease, networks will be perceived as more responsive and potentially attract a very high rate of users interacting with the networks. Under these circumstances, it is unlikely for the traditional uniprocessor based ATM node architecture to successfully address the increased call processing demand, resulting in overall performance degradation. Therefore, new call processing architectures for ATM node are necessary. An efficient distributed call processor architecture has been presented in [1] to accelerate the call setup process. Since the architecture is designed to address a highly stressed network, just short of driving it into "instability," it is imperative that while preserving the quality of service (QoS) guarantees, the distributed call processing architecture prevent perturbations on the network during peek traffic hours. This need translates into the stability of the network in the presence of user call requests and QoS metrics. Network stability is viewed as a condition that must be satisfied so that a large scale decentralized representative high speed network will consistently perform without degradation in the presence of unexpected perturbation. This paper presents the stability study for a representative, large-scale, Private Network Network Interface (PNNI) ATM network under the distributed call processing introduced in [1].
Surface mining in Kentucky

An examination of Kentucky's experience in seeking prime authority over the implementation and enforcement of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act requirements includes a review of recent Supreme Court decisions involving other states as well as Kentucky. It also describes administrative opinions and decisions of the Department for Natural Resources and Environmental Protection (DNREP) which the state established to regulate mining activities. Constitutional limitations and guarantees are shown to circumscribe efforts to balance energy development and environmental protection. The author concludes that the Act's complexity and the interaction of state and federal regulations will continue to spawn litigation. 152 references.
Context awareness in ad-hoc communication

In this paper we talk about an effort to create a context aware environment for an ad-hoc users/services collaboration system. We show how to gather and manage context and preferences of mobile users and services and organize them. This paper describes acquiring, and managing context data and generating context-triggered actions through software agents. This paper is not intended to explain the concept of agents and the mechanics of creating and deploying them, but how we use agents to achieve context management.
Is Ransom Enough

In recent systematic theology versions of the Ransom account of the atonement have proliferated. Much of this work uses Gustav Aulen's Christus Victor as a point of departure. In this paper I first distinguish between models and theories of atonement. Then I discuss three recent theological perorations of the Ransom model as a prelude to setting out four interpretive strategies for understanding this view of atonement. I then offer some critical remarks on these strategies, concluding that the Ransom view as set forth here does not provide a complete model of atonement.
An MLEM method for joint tissue activity distribution and photon attenuation map reconstruction in PET

A Maximum Likelihood Expectation Maximization (MLEM) method is proposed for joint tissue activity distribution and photon attenuation map reconstruction from Positron Emission Tomography (PET) data. It is based on a new set of latent random variables, similar to the ones used by Lange and Carson for CT [JCAT, 1984]. It results in a separable likelihood function, which simplifies maximization. The proposed method is consistent with the methods of Krol et al. for SPECT [TMI, 2001] and Shepp and Vardi for PET [TMI, 1982].
Suicide by Shotgun in Southeastern Minnesota

Suicide by shotgun is a common method of suicide with high regional variation. We sought to describe their distinct, challenging features and provide demographic and risk characteristics. We reviewed 228 gunshot wounds autopsied at Mayo Clinic from 1994 to 2014; of these, 75 (32.9%) were shotgun wounds. All were suicides and contact range. Ages ranged from 14 to 92 years old; of these, 97% were men. The majority involved the head (70.9%), were intraoral (48.2%), and had upward (73.2%) and backward (73.2%) directionality. Next most common was the chest (21.5%), with backward (94.1%) and downward (64.7%) directionality. Four involved multiple wounds. Wadding was recovered in 16 (21.3%) cases. Six (8.0%) had a survival period. Most (66.7%) took place at home. Seventy-one percent had a known psychiatric history; 32.4% had positive toxicology. Although contact range shotgun wounds cause severe destruction, entrance wound and other characteristic are identifiable with thorough scene, autopsy, and radiographic documentation.
Myths of Ethnicity and Nation: Immigration, Work, and Identity in the Belize Banana Industry

Myths of Ethnicity and Nation: Immigration, Work, and Identity in the Belize Banana Industry. Mark Moberg. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1997. 218 pp.
Extracellular domains of the neurokinin‐1 receptor: Structural characterization and interactions with substance P

The technical difficulties associated with the structure determination of membrane proteins have limited the structural information available for the ligand binding to G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). Here, we describe a reductionist approach to GPCR structure determination in which the extracellular domains of the receptor are examined by high-resolution NMR in the presence of a membrane mimetic. The resulting structural features are then incorporated into a molecular model of the receptor, utilizing the x-ray structure of rhodopsin to generate the topological orientation of the transmembrane helices. The results of our study of the neurokinin-1 receptor (NK-1R) and its interactions with substance P (SP) are detailed here. The structure of the N-terminus, NK-1R(1-39), and of the third extracellular loop, NK-1R(264-290), in the presence of dodecylphosphocholine micelles is described. Our findings provide a structural basis for the interpretation of the results from other methods including mutagenesis, fluorescence, and photoaffinity labeling experiments, resulting in an experimentally based, high-resolution model of SP binding to NK-1R.
Anomalous temperature dependence of vortex elastic properties in the flux-flow regime of Mo 77 Ge 23 /Ge multilayer superconductors

We report nonlinear electrical response in superconducting/insulating ${\mathrm{Mo}}_{77}$${\mathrm{Ge}}_{23}$/Ge multilayers. In low-anisotropy multilayers, we observe an abrupt change in the current-voltage characteristic as a function of temperature. This change corresponds to a sharp drop in the pinning drag force acting on moving vortices in the flux-flow regime at low temperatures. The decrease in pinning drag force may be related to an abrupt increase in the rigidity of the system of moving vortices.
Unequal contribution of ALS9 alleles to adhesion between Candida albicans and human vascular endothelial cells

The Candida albicans ALS (agglutinin-like sequence) family includes eight genes (ALS1 to ALS7, and ALS9) that share a common general organization, consisting of a relatively conserved 5′ domain, a central domain of tandemly repeated sequence units, and a 3′ domain of relatively variable length and sequence. To test the hypothesis that the cell-surface glycoproteins encoded by the ALS genes mediate contact between the fungal cell and host surfaces, a set of C. albicans mutant strains was systematically constructed, each lacking one of the ALS sequences. Phenotypes of the mutant strains were evaluated, primarily using adhesion assays. ALS9 is unique within the ALS family due to extensive allelic sequence variation within the 5′ domain that may result in functional differences between proteins encoded by ALS9-1 and ALS9-2. Deletion of ALS9 significantly reduces C. albicans adhesion to human vascular endothelial cell monolayers. The mutation was complemented by reintegration of a wild-type copy of ALS9-2, but not ALS9-1, suggesting allelic functional differences. Complementation of the mutation with a gene fusion between the 5′ domain of ALS9-2 and the tandem repeats and 3′ domain of ALS9-1 also restored wild-type adhesion levels. Analysis of the als9Δ/als9Δ mutant phenotype in other assays demonstrated no significant difference from a control strain for adhesion to buccal epithelial cells or laminin-coated plastic plates. The als9Δ/als9Δ mutant did not show significant differences from the control for adhesion to or destruction of cells in the reconstituted human epithelium (RHE) disease model, or for cell-wall defects, germ-tube formation or biofilm formation in a catheter model. Analysis of ALS9 allelic frequency in a collection of geographically diverse clinical isolates showed a distinct preference for ALS9-2 allelic sequences, within both the 5′ and the 3′ domain of the ALS9 coding region. These data suggest greater selective pressure to maintain the ALS9-2 allele in C. albicans isolates and imply its greater relative importance in host–pathogen interactions.
Electrostatic contributions to the stability of hyperthermophilic proteins.

Electrostatic contributions to the folding free energy of several hyperthermophilic proteins and their mesophilic homologs are calculated. In all the cases studied, electrostatic interactions are more favorable in the hyperthermophilic proteins. The electrostatic free energy is found not to be correlated with the number of ionizable amino acid residues, ion pairs or ion pair networks in a protein, but rather depends on the location of these groups within the protein structure. Moreover, due to the large free energy cost associated with burying charged groups, buried ion pairs are found to be destabilizing unless they undergo favorable interactions with additional polar groups, including other ion pairs. The latter case involves the formation of stabilizing ion pair networks as is observed in a number of proteins. Ion pairs located on the protein surface also provide stabilizing interactions in a number of cases. Taken together, our results suggest that many hyperthermophilic proteins enhance electrostatic interactions through the optimum placement of charged amino acid residues within the protein structure, although different design strategies are used in different cases. Other physical mechanisms are also likely to contribute, however optimizing electrostatic interactions offers a simple means of enhancing stability without disrupting the core residues characteristic of different protein families.
Role of aldosterone in the mechanism of potassium adaptation in the initial collecting tubule

Role of aldosterone in the mechanism of potassium adaptation in the initial collecting tubule. Studies were performed on the initial collecting tubule of the rat to determine whether potassium adaptation in this nephron segment is aldosterone-dependent. Previous studies demonstrated that chronic potassium loading, in animals with intact adrenal glands, caused an increase in transepitheliai potential difference in late distal convolution, an increase in surface density of the basolateral cell membrane, S V BLM , of principal cells in the initial collecting duct, and a rise in plasma aldosterone levels. The present study shows that epithelial changes that characterize dietary potassium loading are not dependent on hyperaldosteronism, since potential difference (-47 ± 1 vs. 40 ± 3 mv, lumen negative) and S V BLM (2.91 ±0.11 vs. 2.53 ± 0.09 µm 2 /µm 3 ) increased significantly (P V BLM in initial collecting tubule cells. In contrast to other mineralocorticoid-sensitive tissues, however, neither the acute or chronic administration of aldosterone caused an increase in potential difference in late distal convolution. These results suggest that the mechanism by which aldosterone stimulates electrolyte movement is not identical in all target tissues. Role de l'aldosterone dans le mecanisme d'adaptation au potassium dans le tubule collecteur initial. Des etudes ont ete entreprises dans le tubule collecteur initial de rat pour determiner si l'adaptation au potassium dans ce segment nephronique est dependante de l'aldosterone. Des etudes anterieures ont demontre qu'une surcharge potassique chronique, chez des animaux avec des glandes surrenales intactes, entrainait une augmentation de la difference de potentiel transepitheliai dans le tubule contourne distal terminal, une elevation de la densite de surface dans la membrane cellulaire baso-laterale, S V BLM , des cellules principales du canal collecteur initial, et une augmentation des concentrations plasmatiques d'aldosterone. Cette etude montre que les modifications epitheliales qui caracterisent la surcharge potassique alimentaire ne dependent pas d'un hyperaldosteronisme, puisque la difference de potentiel (-47 ± 1 contre 40 ± 3 mv, lumiere negative) et S V BLM (2,91 ± 0,11 contre 2,53 ± 0,09 µm 2 /µm 3 ) se sont elevees significalivement (P V BLM dans les cellules du tubule collecteur initial. Cependant, par contraste avec d'autres tissus sensibles aux mineral-ocorticoides, l'administration aigue ou chronique d'aldosterone n'a pas entraine d'augmentation de la difference de potentiel dans le contourne distal tardif. Ces resultats suggerent que le mecanisme par lequel l'aldosterone stimule le mouvement electrolytique n'est pas identique dans toutes les cellules cibles.
Effect of bench height on sit-to-stand in children without disabilities and children with cerebral palsy.

Abstract Hennington G, Johnson J, Penrose J, Barr K, McMulkin ML, Vander Linden DW. Effect of bench height on sit-to-stand in children without disabilities and children with cerebral palsy. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2004;85:70–6. Objective To evaluate the effect of seat height on sit-to-stand (STS) in children with cerebral palsy (CP) and in children without disabilities. Design A mixed design (subject type by seat height) with repeated measures for seat height. Setting Motion analysis laboratory. Participants Ten children with mild CP (mean age, 10.9±2.7y) and 10 children without disabilities (mean age, 8.7±2.4y). Interventions Kinematic and force measurements of STS were completed with 6 infrared cameras and 2 forceplates. Main outcome measures Phase duration of the STS movement, amplitude and timing of ground reaction forces, and maximum head velocity during the movement. Results Children with CP took significantly longer to rise to standing (1.71s) than children without disabilities (1.24s) (F 1,18 =16.97). The extension phase of STS was also significantly longer for children with CP (.85s) than for children without disabilities (.45s) (F 1,18 =18.73). Seat height did not affect time to stand for either children with CP or children without disabilities (F 1,18 =2.82, P >.05). The duration of the extension phase, maximum horizontal and vertical velocity of the head, and maximum vertical ground reaction force were all significantly greater when children stood from the low bench height than from the higher bench height, although we found no significant differences by subject type for maximum horizontal and vertical head velocity or for maximum vertical ground reaction force. Conclusions Although children with CP were able to modify their motor programs for STS to accommodate changes in seat height as readily as nondisabled children, the speed with which they extended against gravity was slower; therefore, the total STS movement took longer for them to complete than for children without disabilities. Because the time to complete STS from the low and high bench did not differ, it would appear that time to ascend from sitting may be invariant and therefore be a motor control parameter for the STS movement.
Justice in Practice: Legal Ethnography of a Pakistani Punjabi Village

This book is a study of the traditional Pakistani Justice system and its official functioning. The author uses first-hand information from several case studies to highlight the types of conflicts and reasons that have led to the various problems within Pakistan's legal system while also suggesting propositions to solve these issues.
Current Design and Construction Practices of Bridge Pile Foundations with Emphasis on Implementation of LRFD

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) mandated the use of the load and resistance factor design (LRFD) approach in the U.S. for all new bridges initiated after September 2007. This paper presents the bridge deep foundation practices established through a nationwide survey of more than 30 DOTs in 2008. Highlighted by this study are the benefits of the LRFD as well as how the flexibility of its usage is being exploited in design practice. The study collected information on current foundation practice, pile analysis and design, pile drivability, pile design verification, and quality control. Since this is the first nationwide study conducted on the LRFD topic following the FHWA mandate, the status on the implementation of LRFD for bridge foundation design was also examined. The study found that: (1) more than 50% of the responded DOTs are using the LRFD for pile design, while 30% are still in transition to the LRFD; and (2) about 30% of the DOTs, who use the LRFD for pile foundations, are using regionally calibrated resistance factors to reduce the foundation costs.
Evidence for Superthin Filaments

We have examined a variety of invertebrate and vertebrate muscles in the electron microscope and have seen evidence of a third, very thin (25 A) filament in all of them. This filament has been seen in H zones, A bands, and I bands, as well as bridging the gap between actin and myosin filaments in greatly stretched muscle. It, thus, seems likely that, if a third filament exists, it is elastic and extends throughout the sarcomere from Z disc to Z disc, unlike the hypothetical actin-actin(s) filament of Hanson and Huxley (1955), or the actinmyosin gap filaments of Sjostrand (1962) and Carlsen, et al. (1965). These filaments therefore provide an answer to some of the present paradoxes of muscle ultrastructure.
Effect of number of receptors for gonadotropin-releasing hormone on the release of luteinizing hormone.

The relationship between number of receptors for gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and the ability of the anterior pituitary gland to release luteinizing hormone (LH) was examined in ovariectomized ewes. A GnRH antagonist was used to regulate the number of available receptors. The dose of GnRH antagonist required to saturate approximately 50 and 90% of GnRH receptors in ovariectomized ewes was determined. Thirty mm after intracarotid infusion of GnRH antagonist, ewes were killed and the number of unsaturated (i.e., those available for binding) pituitary GnRH receptors was quantified. Infusion of 10 and 150 �zg GnRH antagonist over a 5-mm period reduced binding of the labeled ligand to approximately 50 and 12% of controls, respectively. The effect of reducing the number of GnRH receptors on release of LH after varying doses of the GnRH agonist, D-A1a6 -GnRH-Pro9-ethylamide (D-A1a6 -GnRH) was then evaluated. One of four doses of D-Ala’ GnRH (0.125, 2.5, 50 and 400 Mg) was given i.v. to 48 ovariectomized ewes whose GnRH receptors had not been changed or were reduced to approximately 50 or 12% of control ewes. In ewes with a 50% reduction in GnRH receptors, total release of LH (area under response curve) was lower than that obtained for controls (P<0.01) at the 0.125-Mg dose of D-Ala (6.1 ± 0.7 cm2 vs. 13.5 ± 0.7 cm2) but was not different at the 2.5-, 50- or 400-Mg doses of D-AIa’ -GnRH. Total release of LII was greater (P<0.01) in control ewes than in ewes with 12% available GnRH receptors at all doses of D-Ala’-GnRH (controls=3.5 ± 0.7, 45.0 ± 4.7, 94.0 ± 10.6 and 130.3 ± 22.2 cm2; 12% available GnRH receptors�1.1 ± 0.4, 13.8 ± 5.2, 53.2 ± 7.2 and 62.9 ± 3.1 cm2). The relationship between release of LH and number of GnRH receptors occupied by D-Ala’ -GnRH was not linear throughout the LH response curve. From these data we suggest that reduction of GnRH receptor numbers may influence tonic release of LH, but that near maximal release of LH is not affected unless the number of GnRH receptors is reduced by more than 50%.