cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Team-based simulations for new surgeons: Does early and often make a difference?

Abstract Background Current work hour restrictions and the expansion of requirements for surgery residents has led to decreased time on high-acuity rotations such as trauma and acute care surgery. In an effort to improve resident competency, we examined the efficacy of a new team-based trauma curriculum for postgraduate year 1 (PGY1) residents. Methods After completing required Advanced Trauma Life Support certification, PGY1s participated in a series of trauma simulations in 3-person teams from June to August. Scenarios were created to develop skills related to trauma management, teamwork, and communication. Each simulation was followed by video-based debriefing with a faculty facilitator. Clinical performance on a 1-month trauma rotation during the year was assessed by trauma faculty using a 24-item evaluation assessing management of acutely ill patients, leadership, communication, cooperation, and professionalism on a 1 (poor) to 5 (very effective) scale. Performance metrics of this intern class were compared with 2 years of previous cohorts who had not participated in any trauma-focused simulation curricula. One-way analysis of variance was used to examine differences in performance ratings across groups. Results The 2015 intern class (n = 30) each participated in 6 scenarios during their first 2 months in residency. Trauma as intended specialty and performance on preinternship Advanced Trauma Life Support course were similar across 2013, 2014, and 2015 cohorts. Average performance on the trauma rotation was 3.55 ± 0.56 for the 2013 cohort (n = 11), 3.50 ± 0.57 for the 2014 cohort (n = 11), and 4.35 ± 0.68 for the 2015 cohort (n = 12). Post hoc analyses indicated no difference between means of the 2013 and 2014 cohort. However, the mean of the 2015 cohort was statistically significantly better than both the 2013 cohort (P Conclusion Trauma-focused simulation improved PGY1 faculty ratings of performance in the clinical setting compared with previous cohorts with no such simulation experience. Adoption of these curricula is both feasible and beneficial.
The Association Between the Use of the Education Benefits from the G.I. Bill and Veterans' Health.

Background There is limited knowledge on the impact of education on veterans' health in the United States. This study specifically examines the relationship between the education benefits from the G.I. Bill and veterans' health. Methods This study used data from the 2010 National Survey of Veterans. The subjects for this study were 5,052 veterans who were eligible to receive G.I. Bill benefits, representing a total of about 12.7 million non-institutionalized veterans in the United States in 2010. The dependent variables included self-reported health status and smoking behavior. The key independent variable was whether veterans used the education benefits from the G.I. Bill compared with those who were eligible but did not use them. Findings Results from multivariate regression analyses showed that those who used the education benefits from the G.I. Bill were 4% less likely to report fair/poor health (p < 0.01) and 3% less likely to report any smoking (p < 0.05) compared with those who did not use the education benefits. Additional analyses showed that using the education benefits to attend college decreased the probability of being in fair/poor health by 4% (p < 0.10) and being a smoker by 4% (p < 0.05) compared with those who did not attend college but used their benefits for non-college attainment such as business, technical, or vocational schools. More importantly, a larger association was found between the use of the education benefits from the G.I. Bill to obtain a college degree and fair/poor health (7%, p < 0.05) and smoking behavior (9%, p < 0.01) compared with those who attended college but did not obtain a college degree. Discussion This study shows that providing opportunities for service members to complete their education also has important health benefits.
The combined use of MASW and resistivity surveys for levee assessment: A case study of the Melvin Price Reach of the Wood River Levee

Abstract Capacitively-Coupled Resistivity (CCR) and Multichannel Analysis of Surface Waves (MASW) were performed on the Melvin Price reach of the Wood River Levee that has experienced considerable piping through the foundation soil causing numerous sand boils along the landside toe of the levee. Tests were performed along the centerline crest, the landside toe, and the riverside berm of the levee. This study combined the strengths of MASW and CCR testing to resolve the distribution and stiffness of cohesive and non-cohesive materials in the body and foundation of the levee, where invasive testing was not ideal. MASW and CCR were shown to complement each other in the evaluation. CCR successfully classified the near surface clay and sand deposits along the levee and was particularly effective for soil deposits with a high degree of saturation. MASW revealed that a deeper clay layer, appears to be discontinuous at locations where old river bars cross under the levee. These bars may have eroded portions of the deeper clay layer, locally enhancing seepage rates through the foundation materials and influencing the formation of sand boils during large flood events. The use of MASW and CCR also successfully detected the locations of the major utilities crossing the levee. While CCR was the most effective method for detecting conductive utilities, MASW was more effective at detecting utilities which increased the overall stiffness of the subsurface either due to the utility itself or the backfill material around the utility. A site-specific SPT-Vs correlation was developed from the co-located boreholes and shear wave velocity profiles. Comparison of the correlation with previous studies indicates that soil stiffness and geologic age are important factors affecting SPT-Vs correlations. For levee soil deposits, which are typically young, a lower bound SPT-Vs correlation developed using similar soil deposits to the study area should be considered.
Resistance and Alternative Histories in Nineteenth-Century Women’s Writing

Rickie-Ann Legleitner’s introduction, “Resistance and Alternative Histories in Nineteenth-Century Women’s Writing,” positions the long nineteenth century as a time of immense political and social transition within the United States. As the nation was eager to define its spaces and citizenry, Legleitner contends that works whose characters and genres defied categorization were critically dismissed and often remain overlooked. Legleitner notes that scholars in this section interconnect in their analyses of characters that resist conventional social roles and in their explorations of both textual and physical space, revealing the tension between political and social interpretations of both genre and a woman’s place in society. Additionally, Legleitner highlights this section’s examination of critically neglected works, reaffirming the need for further scholarship on lesser-known female authors, along with continued scholarship that broadens feminist considerations of the liminal while offering an expanded history of women’s writing.
Cyst location and presence of high grade dysplasia or invasive cancer in intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms of the pancreas: a seven institution study from the central pancreas consortium.

Abstract Background Traditionally, intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs) of the pancreas with “high risk stigmata” (HRS) or “worrisome features” (WF) are referred for resection. We aim to assess if IPMN location is predictive of harboring either high grade dysplasia (HGD) or invasive cancer (IC). Methods Patients undergoing resection for IPMN from seven institutions between 2000 and 2015 (n = 275) were analyzed. HRS and WF were defined by the 2012 Fukuoka international consensus guidelines. Results 168 (61%) patients had head/uncinate cysts, while 107 (39%) had neck/body/tail cysts. No differences were noted between groups with regard to age, duct type, cyst size, or presence of at least one WF. Patients with cysts in the head/uncinate were more often male (55% vs. 40%), had at least one HRS (24% vs. 11%), and more often harbored HGD or IC(49% vs. 27%)[all p Discussion Cyst location is predictive of HGD or IC in patients with IPMNs. Head/uncinated cysts are more likely to harbor malignancy compared to those of the neck/body/tail. Additional studies are needed to confirm these findings, however, cyst location should be considered part of the decision making process for surveillance vs. resection for IPMNs.
Environmentalism with Chinese Characteristics—A Review of Matthew E. Kahn and Siqi Zheng's Blue Skies over Beijing: Economic Growth and the Environment in China

China's dramatic rise from poverty to global economic prominence has been accompanied by an equally dramatic increase in environmental damages. The book under review presents an exploration of economic and political economy factors that might bring about a reversal in emissions that contribute to high pollution loadings in large urban areas. The authors highlight preference shifts associated with rapid growth of per capita income and express optimism about government responses to demands for a cleaner environment. There are some indications that China's largest cities are indeed getting cleaner air. However, total emissions (largely from heavy industry and coal-fired energy generators) continue to rise, and the mechanisms by which preference shifts turn into policy changes remain opaque. It may be that China's most polluting industries are sorting into localities where either preferences for clean air are less pronounced or local governments are less responsive. This may match a positively selected counterflow of individuals seeking better environmental amenities and more responsive government.
Osprey: Weak Supervision of Imbalanced Extraction Problems without Code

Supervised methods are commonly used for machine-learning based applications but require expensive labeled dataset creation and maintenance. Increasingly, practitioners employ weak supervision approaches, where training labels are pro-grammatically generated in higher-level but noisier ways. However, these approaches require domain experts with programming skills. Additionally, highly imbalanced data is often a significant practical challenge for these approaches. In this work, we propose Osprey, a weak-supervision system suited for highly imbalanced data, built on top of the Snorkel framework. In order to support non-coders, the programmatic labeling is decoupled into a code layer and a configuration one. This decoupling enables a rapid development of end-to-end systems by encoding the business logic into the configuration layer. We apply the resulting system on highly imbalanced (0.05% positive) social-media data using a synthetic data rebalancing and augmentation approach, and a novel technique of ensembling a generative model over the legacy rules with a learned discriminative model. We demonstrate how an existing rule-based model can be transformed easily into a weakly-supervised one. For 3 relation extraction applications based on real-world deployments at Intel, we show that with a fraction of the cost, we achieve gains of 18.5 precision points and 28.5 coverage points over prior traditionally supervised and rule-based approaches.
Testing explanatory models of the interplay between depression, neuroticism, and stressful life events: a dynamic trait-stress generation approach.

Background Classic conceptual frameworks explaining the relationship of personality traits to depression include the precursor and predisposition models. The former hypothesizes that depression is predicted by traits alone whereas the latter hypothesizes that stress, together with personality, predicts depression. Dynamic vulnerability models (DVM) expand on these perspectives by incorporating fluctuations in personality over time. The stress generation model provides an alternative view, positing that depression generates stress, creating a self-perpetuating cycle. However, these conceptual models are rarely directly compared. Method We tested these models, focusing on neuroticism and stressful life events that the participant may have contributed to, using path analysis in a sample of 550 never-depressed, adolescent females assessed five times over 3 years. Results A dynamic precursor model with stress generation was best supported. For the precursor component, neuroticism predicted subsequent depression across four assessment intervals. For the dynamic trait component, stressful life events predicted subsequent neuroticism at three of four intervals. Finally, in line with stress generation, depression consistently predicted subsequent stressful life events, and life events then predicted depression. Conclusions Finding support for the DVM is noteworthy, as this is the first comprehensive test of this model. Moreover, results supported integrating stress generation with trait vulnerability. Continued use of integrated approaches and refining the statistical implementation of these theories is necessary to advance understanding of the development of depression.
Improved survival and overt "dystonic" symptoms in a torsinA hypofunction mouse model.

Abstract DYT1 dystonia is an inherited movement disorder without obvious neurodegeneration. Multiple mutant mouse models exhibit motor deficits without overt “dystonic” symptoms and neurodegeneration. However, some mouse models do. Among the later models, the N-CKO mouse model, which has a heterozygous Tor1a/Dyt1 knockout (KO) in one allele and Nestin-cre-mediated conditional KO in the other, exhibits a severe lack of weight gain, neurodegeneration, overt “dystonic” symptoms, such as overt leg extension, weak walking, twisted hindpaw and stiff hindlimb, and complete infantile lethality. However, it is not clear if the overt dystonic symptoms were caused by the neurodegeneration in the dying N-CKO mice. Here, the effects of improved maternal care and nutrition during early life on the symptoms in N-CKO mice were analyzed by culling the litter and providing wet food to examine whether the overt dystonic symptoms and severe lack of weight gain are caused by malnutrition-related neurodegeneration. Although the N-CKO mice in this study replicated the severe lack of weight gain and overt “dystonic” symptoms during the lactation period regardless of culling at postnatal day zero or later, there was no significant difference in the brain astrocytes and apoptosis between the N-CKO and control mice. Moreover, more than half of the N-CKO mice with culling survived past the lactation period. The surviving adult N-CKO mice did not display overt “dystonic” symptoms, and in addition they still exhibited small body weight. The results suggest that the overt “dystonic” symptoms in the N-CKO mice were independent of prominent neurodegeneration, which negates the role of neurodegeneration in the pathogenesis of DYT1 dystonia.
Successful liver transplantation in mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalomyopathy (MNGIE).

Abstract Mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalomyopathy (MNGIE) is a fatal disorder characterized by progressive gastrointestinal dysmotility, peripheral neuropathy, leukoencephalopathy, skeletal myopathy, ophthalmoparesis, and ptosis. MNGIE stems from deficient thymidine phosphorylase activity (TP) leading to toxic elevations of plasma thymidine. Hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) restores TP activity and halts disease progression but has high transplant-related morbidity and mortality. Liver transplant (LT) was reported to restore TP activity in two adult MNGIE patients. We report successful LT in four additional MNGIE patients, including a pediatric patient. Our patients were diagnosed between ages 14 months and 36 years with elevated thymidine levels and biallelic pathogenic variants in TYMP. Two patients presented with progressive gastrointestinal dysmotility, and three demonstrated progressive peripheral neuropathy with two suffering limitations in ambulation. Two patients, including the child, had liver dysfunction and cirrhosis. Following LT, thymidine levels nearly normalized in all four patients and remained low for the duration of follow-up. Disease symptoms stabilized in all patients, with some manifesting improvements, including intestinal function. No patient died, and LT appeared to have a more favorable safety profile than HSCT, especially when liver disease is present. Follow-up studies will need to document the long-term impact of this new approach on disease outcome. Take Home Message: Liver transplantation is effective in stabilizing symptoms and nearly normalizing thymidine levels in patients with mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalomyopathy (MNGIE) and may have an improved safety profile over hematopoietic stem cell transplant.
Understanding roundabout safety through the application of advanced econometric techniques

Abstract Intersections present a significant safety concern, as such in an effort to reduce the more serious injuries occurring at or near intersections, many jurisdictions have turned to implementing roundabouts. Despite the advantages that roundabouts provide, crashes still occur, and less severe crashes are on the rise. The study presented in this paper investigates a crash-based analysis to better understand the factors that may influence less severe crashes to those of more severe crashes given various roundabout configurations and crash types. Using Oregon’s crash database from 2011 to 2015 a series of log likelihood ratio tests were conducted to validate that four separate random parameters binary probit models by configuration type were warranted. The outcome of each tested configuration (full, three & four leg, four leg, and three leg models) shows a major difference in both the combination and variables included in each model and the magnitude of impact of those variables. These differences illustrate that various roundabout configurations (full, three & four leg, four leg, and three leg models) do in fact have different factors highlighting the need to examined crashes at roundabouts by configuration type. Variables related to driver error, weather, alcohol use, barrier conditions, vehicle movement, location of crash, and restraint use were found as key differences between the various tested configurations.
Daily Interpersonal and Noninterpersonal Stress Reactivity in Current and Remitted Depression

Major stressful life events are known to predict depression onset, but relatively few studies have examined the interplay of daily stress and negative affect, particularly in clinical samples. Preliminary research has been inconclusive whether only current depression is characterized by amplified emotional reactivity to stress, or whether these patterns are equally strong in those with any history of depression. Twenty-three participants with current major depression, 38 with remitted depression, and 43 with no history of depression completed 2 weeks of ecological momentary assessment to examine reactivity to perceived stress, negative daily events, and interpersonal versus noninterpersonal daily events. Currently depressed individuals demonstrated greater reactivity (i.e. greater increases in negative affect) in response to daily perceived stress, relative to previously depressed and never depressed individuals. Furthermore, while previously and never depressed individuals exhibited equal reactivity to interpersonal and noninterpersonal stress, currently depressed participants were particularly sensitive to interpersonal negative events. These microlongitudinal results extend prior longitudinal evidence of the critical role of interpersonal stress in the course of major depression. The findings emphasize the importance of cognitive interventions that target negative interpretations of daily events.
Validation of Administrative Claims to Ascertain Outcomes in Pivotal Trials of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement

Abstract Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of administrative claims in ascertaining trial clinical events committee–adjudicated outcomes in the U.S. CoreValve studies. Background Real-world data offer tremendous opportunity to improve outcome ascertainment in clinical trials. However, little is known about the validity of outcomes ascertained using real-world data to capture trial endpoints. Methods Patients enrolled in 3 pivotal trials and 2 pre-market continued-access studies evaluating transcatheter aortic valve replacement were linked to Medicare fee-for-service inpatient claims. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and kappa agreement statistic of claims to detect clinical endpoints and procedural complications in trial patients were calculated. Results Claims accurately identified trial-adjudicated deaths (sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV all >99.6%; kappa 1.00). Claims had good performance in identifying trial-adjudicated permanent pacemaker implantation (sensitivity 92.2%, specificity 99.1%, PPV 96.1%, NPV 98.2%, kappa 0.93) and aortic valve reintervention (sensitivity 84.4%, specificity 99.6%, PPV 69.1%, NPV 99.8%, kappa 0.76). Claims had more modest performance in ascertaining trial-adjudicated myocardial infarction (sensitivity 63.6%, specificity 97.2%, PPV 29.9%, NPV 99.3%, kappa 0.39) and acute kidney injury (sensitivity 70.2%, specificity 85.4%, PPV 38.2%, NPV 95.7%, kappa 0.41) and the poorest performance for identifying trial-adjudicated bleeding events (sensitivity 86.4%, specificity 36.8%, PPV 35.0%, NPV 86.3%, kappa 0.16). Conclusions Compared with trial-adjudicated outcomes, claims data performed well in ascertaining death and outcomes with procedural billing codes and more modestly in identifying other outcomes. Claims may be cautiously and selectively used to augment data collection in future cardiovascular device trials.
Anatomical Changes of the Peripheral Zone Depending on Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Size and Their Potential Clinical Implications:A Review for Clinicians

AbstractIntroduction:The inverse relationship between benign prostate hypertrophy and incidence/severity of prostate cancer is well documented in the clinical literature. However, this phenomenon i...
Testing the Economic Independence Hypothesis: Union Formation Among Single Mothers in Chile:

Despite the increasing proportion of single-mother families, the literature on union formation among unpartnered parents in Latin America is scant. Using a sample from a Chilean longitudinal survey...
Are Trade Preferences a Panacea? The African Growth and Opportunity Act and African Exports

Does "infant industry" preferential access durably boost export performance? This paper exploits significant trade policy changes in the United States around the turn of the 21st century to address this question. The expansion of Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) products for less developed countries in 1997 and the implementation of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) in 2001 is used to assess whether preferential access boosts exports of eligible products in general and apparel specifically. The phase-out of the Multi-Fiber Arrangement (MFA) in 2005 is used to assess whether any expansion in apparel exports survived the erosion of preferences. To find a causal impact of these changes on exports to the United States from a given beneficiary country, the analysis uses a triple-differences regression and 26 years of newly constructed trade and tariff data at the country-product-year level (1992-2017). The analysis finds that the AGOA boosted African apparel exports, and the expansion of the GSPincreased African exports of other eligible products. While the marginal impacts on African apparel exports grew sharply in the first years of AGOA, the impacts leveled off after 2005, when the end of the MFA quotas unleashed competition from Asian countries. The illusion of sustained African apparel exports is created by three late-bloomers in East Africa offsetting the boom-bust pattern in Southern Africa and the never-significant response in Central and Western Africa. Firm-level customs data for selected countries reveal that even in East Africa, the recent export growth was driven by new entrants rather than by incumbent firms whose competitiveness might have been nurtured by the big preference margins during the early AGOA period. Understanding the heterogeneous response to trade preferences remains a challenge. However, preliminary evidence suggests that preferential access per se was not sufficient but needed to be complemented by specific domestic reforms: tariff liberalization, reduced regulatory burden, enhanced connectivity, and competitive exchange rates.
Socratic Questioning to Engage Learners

Medicine is a life-long learning and thinking profession. To develop future physicians into autonomous learners and thinkers, medical educators must apply interactive and thought-provoking pedagogies to medical training. Socratic questioning is a teaching methodology that develops deep knowledge and critical thinking skills vital to the art of medicine.
Protseq: An Investigation of High-Throughput, Single-Molecule Protein Sequencing via Amino Acid Conversion into DNA Barcodes

Despite a need for high-throughput protein sequencing, existing methods are not capable of sequencing the entire human proteome. We demonstrate early progress toward constructing the components of a protein sequencing technology that requires sequential capture and recording of binding over many cycles. The Barcode Cycle Sequencing (BCS) assay uses DNA-barcoded binders to construct a chain of barcodes directly onto a DNA sequencing chip that are used to identify a target. We demonstrated successful barcode capture and DNA-barcode chain sequencing for DNA-DNA and nanobody-protein binding pairs. For DNA-DNA binding, we showed assembly and sequencing of barcodes over 6 consecutive binding cycles. We additionally introduce a binder discovery pipeline called Target-Switch SELEX to discover aptamer binders. Ultimately, we envision merging BCS and Target-Switch SELEX into an end-to-end technology called ProtSeq, a high-throughput, single-molecule protein sequencing method in which DNA-barcoded aptamers read a protein’s amino acid sequence over multiple cycles of terminal amino acid degradation.
Exploring Caregiver Perceptions of a One-to-One Tablet Program for Kindergartners.

The adoption of one-to-one device programs in early childhood classrooms is a relatively new phenomenon that is quickly becoming widespread. While these devices carry potential as educational learning tools, there is still much to learn about how to successfully integrate them into classrooms and into children’s lives. One important area to consider is the interplay of home and school contexts around children’s device use for early learning. This focus group study sought to investigate caregivers’ thoughts and perceptions of their kindergarteners’ classroom-based tablet use. Participant responses revealed the complexities and nuanced challenges of navigating their children’s device use both at home and in school. Caregivers conveyed a variety of perceived benefits, but also concerns and fears related to their children’s device use. They expressed sentiments of trust in their children’s teachers and schools, and they were eager to be shared partners who supported their children’s technology use for early learning. However, they also expressed frustration at a lack of communication around school technology use, which they perceived as an obstacle to this partnership. Findings are discussed in terms of theory advancement as well as practical implications for caregivers, teachers, and school administrators.
Something Old Has Been Added

(1942). Something Old Has Been Added. The Journal of Health and Physical Education: Vol. 13, No. 2, pp. 79-116.
Do Safe Radiographic Sacral Screw Pathways Exist in a Pediatric Patient Population and Do They Change With Age

Objectives Iliosacral screw pathways in the first (S1) and second (S2) sacral segments are commonly used for adult pelvic ring stabilization. We hypothesize that radiographically "safe" pathways exist in pediatric patients. Setting Academic level I Trauma Center. Patients All patients between ages 2 and 16 years with a computed tomography scan including the pelvis obtained over a 6-week period (174 children, mean age 10.8 ± 3.9 years; 90 boys, 84 girls). Intervention The width and height at the "constriction point" in 3 safe screw pathways were measured bilaterally by 3 orthopaedists (resident, trauma fellow, trauma attending). Pathways corresponding to: (1) an "iliosacral" screw at S1, a "trans-sacral trans-iliac" (TSTI) screw at S1, and a TSTI screw at S2. Main outcome measurements (1) Mean width and height of pathways, (2) interrater reliability coefficient, (3) availability of pathways greater than 7 mm, (4) growth of pathways with age, (5) sacral morphology. Results The interrater reliability coefficient was above 0.917 for all measurements. Radiographically safe pathways were available for 99%, 51%, and 89% of children for iliosacral screws at S1 (width 16.4 ± 2.8 mm, height 15.1 ± 3.3 mm), TSTI screws at S1 (width 7.2 ± 4.9 mm, height 8.3 ± 5.6 mm), and TSTI at S2 (width 9.3 ± 2.2 mm, height 11.5 ± 2.7 mm), respectively. Conclusions Contrary to our hypothesis, almost all children aged 2-16 had a radiographically safe screw pathway for an iliosacral screw at S1, and most of the children had an available pathway for a TSTI screw at S2. However, only 51% had a pathway for a TSTI screw at S1.
Sunday sport comes to Pennsylvania: professional baseball and football triumph over the Commonwealth's archaic blue laws, 1919-1933

Abstract In the years following World War I, Pennsylvanians joined the rest of America in an unprecedented sports boom. They found Sunday a convenient and popular day for engaging in sporting activities, though their desires conflicted with the Commonwealth's 1794 blue law which prohibited sports and amusements on the Lord's Day. During the 20's and early 30's, Pennsylvanians in urban areas defied the Commonwealth's ban on Sunday sport, while Sabbatarian and religious groups insisted on rigid enforcement of the 1794 statute in order to preserve Pennsylvania's strict Sabbath. Sabbatarians successfully kept the blue law in force until 1933 when a combination of forces brought about its modification to permit Sunday baseball and football in Pennsylvania.
Fault, Accidents, and the Wonderful World of Blum and Kalven

THIS year Professors Walter Blum and Harry Kalven of the University of Chicago Law School published in book form the Shulman lectures they had previously given at Yale.' These lectures expounded the thesis that fault might, after all, be a sound basis for liability in automobile accident cases. And, perhaps more important, they contended that none of the myriad plans which had recently been proposed, and which in one way or the other sought their basis in some form of "risk spreading," could be supported. The breadth of the attack as well as the eminence of its authors would by themselves require a careful examination of this thesis. The fact that their position is essentially contrary to most current academic thought and, nonetheless, on the whole wrong makes such examination essential.2 What then in essence is it that Blum and Kalven are saying? The main outline of their analysis can be stated simply. First they say that there is no evidence that any automobile compensation plan can, out of its own economies, pay the added costs of non-fault compensation. If there were, and if these economies could not be achieved in another way, Blum and Kalven, like good classical economists, would accept the notion that such a plan was worthwhile. The gainers would be able to compensate the losers, and in some traditional economic sense a more
Generalized stack filters and minimum mean absolute error estimation

A class of sliding window operators called generalized stack filters is developed. This class of filters, which includes all rank order filters, stack filters, and digital morphological filters, is the set of all filters possessing the threshold decomposition architecture and a consistency property called the stacking property. A linear program is provided which determines a generalized stack filter which minimizes the mean absolute error (MAE) between the output of the filter and a desired input signal, given noisy observations of that signal. These results show that choosing the generalized stack filter that minimizes the MAE is equivalent to massively parallel threshold-crossing decision-making when these decisions are consistent with each other. >
What the Law Should (and Should Not) Learn from Child Development Research

Our legal tradition has always distinguished between children and adults and justified those distinctions in developmental terms. Only relatively recently, however, has that development been extensively studied by psychologists and still more recently, by neuroscientists. Conventional wisdom among children’s rights scholars holds that law should take account of this growing body of science and social science, and should assign rights and responsibilities that more accurately reflect the assessments of children’s capacities documented in the scientific research. In this Article I will argue that a more sophisticated understanding of child development counsels against an approach to children’s law that treats children’s capacities at certain ages as ascertainable and fixed. Instead, the law should recognize the contingent nature of children’s capacities and, as important, identities, and the role law inevitably plays in fostering or thwarting children’s growth. Over the course of the twentieth century, both psychology and law refined their approach to children and the distinctions they drew between children and adults. In the course of that refinement, the fields took an increasing interest in one another. Academics and advocates in both fields called for reform in legal rights for children that better reflected the findings of the developmental psychologists, and this has led to increased legal attention to the details of children’s capacities. This attention has improved our understanding of childhood, but it has also exacerbated some problems with our analysis of children’s rights. Both of these tendencies are evident in Roper v. Simmons, the most significant children’s rights case thus far in the twenty-first century. An increased reliance on scientific assessments of children’s capacities creates a number of problems for our analysis of children’s legal rights. First, capacity is endlessly complicated and incompletely studied, making it difficult for the law to “fit” the social science with any
(η4-Cyclo­octa­tetra­ene)(η8-cyclo­octa­tetra­ene)iodido­tantalum(V)

The title complex, [Ta(η4-C8H8)(η8-C8H8)I], lies across a crystallographic mirror plane that includes the TaV atom and the iodide ligand. One cyclo­octa­tetra­ene (cot) ring is η4-coordinating and is bis­ected by the mirror plane. The fold angle between the plane of the coordinating butadiene portion and the middle plane of the ring is 27.4 (4)°. An additional minor fold angle of 9.3 (7)° exists between the final plane in the ring and the middle plane. The other cot ring is η8-coordinating and is also cut by the mirror plane. In this case, the ring is disordered over the mirror plane, and one position is modeled with appropriate restraints and constraints with respect to distances, angles and displacement parameters (the second position is generated by symmetry). This ring is nearly planar, with an r.m.s. deviation of only 0.05 A when all eight C atoms are included in the calculation. Pairs of inter­molecular η8-cot rings are parallel stacked and slightly off center, with a centroid–centroid distance of 3.652 A. No other significant inter­molecular inter­actions are observed. The compound is of inter­est as the first structurally characterized mixed halogen–cot complex of the group 5 metals and contains the longest terminal Ta—I distance [3.0107 (5) A] reported to date.
Freedom's Ambivalent Pleasures: Richard Rodriguez and the Conservative Logic of Identity

For feminists interested in questions of freedom, the current era is as exciting as it is paradoxical. As we move into the second decade of the millennium, we find ourselves witnessing enhanced opportunities for women in many areas of life: More women than ever are earning college degrees and attending graduate and professional school, more women are now represented at the highest levels of government, and women continue to make major gains in the workplace (Rosin 2010a, 2010b). And while this progress is far from equal among the various populations of women, it is safe to say that within the United States, women today face fewer restrictions and have more options and opportunities to act in the world than ever before. Yet despite the increased presence of women and people of color within various elite circles, this is also a time of widening economic inequality. This condition of enhanced opportunity for an increasingly diverse elite alongside widespread and deepening inequality has important implications for the ways that feminists understand the dynamics of freedom today.
Brains, Bones, and Aging: Psychotropic Medications and Bone Health Among Older Adults

Psychotropic drugs are a crucial element of treatment for psychiatric disorders; however there is an established association between many classes of psychotropic medications and fracture risk among older adults, and growing evidence that some classes of medications may also impact bone mineral density (BMD). In this paper we review recent epidemiologic research on the association between psychotropic medications and osteoporosis, and discuss current controversies and unresolved issues surrounding this relationship. Key areas in need of focused inquiry include resolving whether the apparent association between psychotropic medications and BMD is due to confounding by indication, whether this relationship differs for men and women, and whether the implications of these medications for bone health vary over the life course. Clinical research to delineate the risk/benefit ratio of psychotropic medications for older adults, particularly those who are at high risk for fracture, is also needed to facilitate prescribing decisions between patients and physicians.
Pancreatic masses with inconclusive findings on spiral CT: Is there a role for MRI?

This prospective study evaluates the ability of MRI using T1-weighted fat-suppressed spin-echo (T1FS) and dynamic gadolinium chelate (Gd) enhanced spoiled-gradient echo (SGE) to detect the presence of pancreatic tumor in patients in whom spiral CT findings are inconclusive. Sixteen consecutive patients who underwent spiral CT and had findings that were considered inconclusive for pancreatic tumor underwent MR within 2 weeks of CT. Spiral CT and MR images were interpreted in a prospective fashion by separate individual investigators blinded to the results of the other imaging modality. CT was performed on a spiral CT scanner. MRI was performed on a 1.5-T MR machine. Imaging sequences included T1FS pre-Gd and post-Gd and SGE pre-Gd and immediately post-Gd. Data were analyzed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Confirmation was obtained by pancreatic biopsy (n = 4), surgical resection (n = 1), and clinical imaging (n = 4) or clinical follow-up (n = 7). MRI was superior to spiral CT (P = .027) in this selected patient group at detecting or excluding pancreatic tumor by ROC analysis, with areas under the curve of .982 and .764, respectively, which was significant (P = .041). The greatest advantage of MRI was in patients in whom spiral CT demonstrated enlargement of the pancreatic head without clear definition of tumor, which was significant (P = .033). In 10 patients with this CT appearance, MRI demonstrated a high confidence for presence of tumor in four and a high confidence of absence in six. Association of imaging findings with patient diagnosis was significant for MRI (P = .001) but not significant for CT (P = .148). The results of our study suggest that MRI may add significant diagnostic information in patients in whom spiral CT is inconclusive for the presence of pancreatic tumor. The greatest advantage of MRI was in the evaluation of patients in whom spiral CT findings revealed an indeterminate enlarged pancreatic head.
Thermochemistry of Pure-Silica Zeolites

A series of pure-silica molecular sieves (structural codes AST, BEA, CFI, CHA, IFR, ISV, ITE, MEL, MFI, MWW, and STT) is investigated by high-temperature drop solution calorimetry using lead borate solvent at 974 K. The enthalpies of transition from quartz at 298 K (in kJ/mol) are AST, 10.9 ± 1.2; BEA, 9.3 ± 0.8; CFI, 8.8 ± 0.8; CHA, 11.4 ± 1.5; IFR, 10.0 ± 1.2; ISV, 14.4 ± 1.1; ITE, 10.1 ± 1.2; MEL, 8.2 ± 1.3; MFI, 6.8 ± 0.8; MWW, 10.4 ± 1.5; and STT, 9.2 ± 1.2. The range of energies observed is quite narrow at only 6.8−14.4 kJ/mol above that of quartz, and these data are consistent with and extend the earlier findings of Petrovic et al. The enthalpy variations are correlated with the following structural parameters: framework density, nonbonded distance between Si atoms, and framework loop configurations. A strong linear correlation between enthalpy and framework density is observed, implying that it is the overall packing quality that determines the relative enthalpies of zeolite frameworks. The presence of internal silanol groups is shown to result in a slight (≤2.4 kJ/mol) destabilization of the calcined molecular sieves by comparing calorimetric data for MFI and BEA samples synthesized in hydroxide (containing internal silanol groups) and fluoride (low internal silanol group density) media.
FLAVOR SENSITIVITY OF SELECTED ANIMAL PROTEIN FOODS TO GAMMA RADIATION

Raw protein foods derived from 20 different species of animals of different biological classifications were irradiated with gamma irradiation over a range of doses. The intensity of irradiated flavor developed in each case was determined by an expert panel. Relative flavor sensitivities and threshold doses were estimated.
Cretaceous karst guyots: New evidence for inheritance of atoll morphology from subaerial erosional terrain

Data from recent surveys and drilling suggest that carbonate platforms over a wide region of the oceanic western Pacific became emergent by amounts of 100–200 m during late Albian time, ca. 100 Ma. The resulting erosional landscapes, now modified by differential compaction over the buried volcanic basement hills, included central basins surrounded by perimeter rims, sinkhole-like depressions, and perimeter benches interpreted as wave-cut terraces. Resubmergence resulted in the sealing of atoll-like erosional topography by pelagic sediments. These Cretaceous proto-atolls, now guyots, provide evidence that ancient as well as modern atolls inherit their form mainly from subaerial landscapes.
Pierre Duhem’s virtue epistemology

Abstract Duhem’s concept of ‘good sense’ is central to his philosophy of science, given that it is what allows scientists to decide between competing theories. Scientists must use good sense and have intellectual and moral virtues in order to be neutral arbiters of scientific theories, especially when choosing between empirically adequate theories. I discuss the parallels in Duhem’s views to those of virtue epistemologists, who understand justified belief as that arrived at by a cognitive agent with intellectual and moral virtues, showing how consideration of Duhem as a virtue epistemologist offers insights into his views, as well as providing possible answers to some puzzles about virtue epistemology. The extent to which Duhem holds that the intellectual and moral virtues of the scientist determine scientific knowledge has not been generally noticed.
Thermal vaporization-vacuum ultraviolet laser ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry of single aerosol particles.

Single aerosol particles of ethylene glycol and oleic acid are vaporized on a heater at temperatures between 500 and 700 K, and the resulting vapor plume is ionized by a 10.5-eV vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) laser. The mass spectra are compared to those obtained by CO2 laser vaporization followed by VUV laser ionization. The relative intensities of the parent and fragment ion peaks are remarkably similar for the two modes of vaporization. A Maxwell−Boltzmann distribution of speeds accurately describes the dependence of the signal as a function of the VUV laser pulse timing. The signal levels obtained with this design are sufficient to obtain good-quality mass spectra.
On the Method of Inclusion and Exclusion

Abstract Let Ω be an arbitrary set, , a σ-field of subsets of Ω, and V (A), a finite, countably additive set function defined on . Let A 1, A 2, · · ·, be a sequence of subsets of Ω belonging to . Denote by Hk , k = 0, 1, 2, · · ·, the set of elements of Ω which belong to exactly k sets among A 1, A 2, · · ·. In the theory of probability, in combinatorial analysis and in the theory of numbers there frequently arises the problem of finding V(Hk ), k = 0, 1, 2, · · ·. In this paper V(Hk ) is found if V(Ω) and V(Ai 1 Ai 2 · · · Ai r ), 1 ≤ i 1 < i 2< · · · < ir , are known.
Blood-feeding patterns of midges of the Culicoides variipennis complex in Kern County, California.

The capillary-precipitin method was used to identify blood meals of biting midges of the Culicoides variipennis complex that were collected in Kern County, California from 1965 to 1969. Blood meals were identified for 325 of 409 specimens tested. All 325 feedings were on mammals, of which 45.6% were on leporids and 50.8% were on bovids.
OARDAS stray radiation analysis software

OARDAS (Off-Axis Rejection Design Analysis Software) is a Raytheon in-house code designed to aid in stray light analysis. The code development started in 1982, and by 1986 the program was fully operational. Since that time, the work has continued--not with the goal of creating a marketable product, but with a focus on creating a powerful, user- friendly, highly graphical tool that makes stray light analysis as easy and efficient as possible. The goal has been to optimize the analysis process, with a clear emphasis on designing an interface between computer and user that allows each to do what he does best. The code evolution has resulted in a number of analysis features that are unique to the industry. This paper looks at a variety of stray light analysis problems that the analyst is typically faced with and shows how they are approached using OARDAS.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.