cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Determining the Prevalence and Costs of Unnecessary Referrals in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis.

Background Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) has been associated with unnecessary referrals, but the provider and patient costs associated with these referrals remain unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and associated costs of unnecessary referrals for AIS in a university hospital-based orthopaedic clinic. These data are required to estimate the cost-efficacy of scoliosis screening programs. Methods We accessed the electronic medical records of all patients referred during 2013-2014 with suspected AIS. Spine radiographs were reviewed to determine whether the referral was "unnecessary," defined as a Cobb angle <20 degrees. Patient and provider costs were estimated. Patient costs included transportation expenses and parental lost wages. Provider costs included orthopaedic evaluation, diagnostic imaging, and overhead. Transportation costs were based on actual driving distances and the Internal Revenue Service standard mileage rate. Parental lost wages and the cost of evaluation by an orthopaedic surgeon were calculated with time-driven activity-based costing. Diagnostic imaging costs were calculated with a traditional activity-based costing methodology. Results Three hundred thirty-seven patients were included. The prevalence of unnecessary referrals was 39% (n=131). 17% of patients had a Cobb angle <10 degrees and 22% had a Cobb angle between 10-20 degrees. Males were more likely to be referred unnecessarily than females, 49% to 35% (p=0.02) as were non-Caucasians (54% vs. 37%, p=0.04). No difference was noted related to source of insurance (private or public, p=0.18). The average total cost of an unnecessary referral was $782.13 USD, including $231.07 in patient costs and $551.06 in provider costs. Conclusions Nearly 40% of all referrals for AIS were deemed unnecessary. The average cost of an unnecessary referral is approximately $780, imposing significant costs on both patients and the healthcare system.Level of Evidence: III.
Thermal Studies of Milk Fat

The study of the solidification and melting of fats by thermal methods can be fascinating. It seems there is always one more factor that should have been considered after the experiment is finished. If you added an antioxidant to the fat to preserve it, did you determine the effect the added compound had on the crystallization of the fat? How do you know that the solid phase on which you just finished composition studies was completely free from adhering or entrapped liquid phase?
Selective OFDM Transmission for Simultaneous Wireless Information and Power Transfer

Simultaneous wireless information and power transfer (SWIPT) augments a wireless device's capability to transmit data by adding a harvesting component to the standard information processing receiver. With SWIPT, both information processing and energy scavenging are combined to allow a SWIPT device to become its own recurrent power source. This paper proposes, analyzes, and compares the functionality of a novel selective orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) receiver architecture and evaluates the rate-energy (R-E) tradeoff of the system. Additionally, the feasibility of harvesting sufficient energy to power the OFDM processing portion of the receiver is examined. To facilitate the evaluation, Monte Carlo simulations are run presenting system level R-E tradeoff and feasibility performance. Selective OFDM transmission is found to provide improved energy harvesting and sustainability over conventional OFDM transmission.
Legacy of Violence: Lynch Mobs and Executions in Minnesota

Review of: "Legacy of Violence: Lynch Mobs and Executions in Minnesota," by John D. Bessler.
Ivermectin for COVID-19 Treatment: Clinical Response at Quasi-Threshold Doses Via Hypothesized Alleviation of CD147-Mediated Vascular Occlusion

The worldwide spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted clinical testing of existing drugs with indicated activity against the SARS-CoV-2 virus Among antima
Should I Start With A Postpyloric Enteral Nutrition Modality

Nutrition therapy is a key element in the management of malnourished and critically ill patients. Although many aspects of enteral nutrition (EN) have been well defined by research, with clear recommendations by 3 major society guidelines, EN delivery method remains a topic for debate. The goal of this manuscript is to concisely review gastric vs postpyloric enteral feeding in critically ill adult patients and provide a set of recommendations to individualize EN delivery method based on patient characteristics and specific needs.
The Allocation and Monitoring Role of Capital Markets: Theoryand International Evidence

Capital markets perform two distinct functions: provision of capital and facilitation of good governance through information production and monitoring. I argue that the governance function has more impact on the efficiency with which resources are utilized within the firm. Based on industry level data across thirty-eight countries, I present evidence suggesting a positive relation between market-based governance and improvements in industry efficiency. The measures of governance are also positively correlated with productivity improvements and growth in real output. Furthermore, while governance affects efficiency, the capital provision services induce technological change. The evidence underscores the role of capital markets as a conduit of socially valuable governance services as distinct from capital provision.
Writing to Gaming Audiences: A Case Study

This chapter investigates one method of ethically incorporating video games into first-year college composition through a reflective analysis of a previously taught course (a sophomore-level composition course which emphasized analysis of gaming audiences). I argue that by focusing on gaming audiences, especially audiences that are usually underrepresented in gaming spaces—including women, BIPOC gamers, LGBTQ+ gamers, and gamers with disabilities—students are required to think about video games as sociopolitical objects that have the capacity to affect or reflect the injustices of the real world. A pedagogical framing which takes various gaming audiences and their responses to gaming objects into account allows for space within the classroom to consider the roles that games and gamers have played in these real world injustices, thereby asking students to reflect on their own positions as audience members/players.
Estimation and modeling of the restricted mean time lost in the presence of competing risks

Survival data with competing or semi-competing risks are common in observational studies. As an alternative to cause-specific and subdistribution hazard ratios, the between-group difference in cause-specific restricted mean times lost (RMTL) gives the mean difference in life expectancy lost to a specific cause of death or in disease-free time lost, in the case of a nonfatal outcome, over a prespecified period. To adjust for covariates, we introduce an inverse probability weighted estimator and its variance for the marginal difference in RMTL. We also introduce an inverse probability of censoring weighted regression model for the RMTL. In simulation studies, we examined the finite sample performance of the proposed methods under proportional and nonproportional subdistribution hazards scenarios. We illustrated both methods with competing risks data from the Framingham Heart Study. We estimated sex differences in atrial fibrillation (AF)-free times lost over 40 years. We also estimated sex differences in mean lifetime lost to cardiovascular disease (CVD) and non-CVD death over 10 years among individuals with AF.
Developing county-level data of nitrogen fertilizer and manure inputs for corn production in the United States

Abstract Spatially-explicit data describing commercial nitrogen (N) fertilizer and animal manure inputs are needed to inform modeling and life cycle analysis of agricultural impacts associated with corn production. The currently available N datasets based on farm surveys and sales for the Conterminous U.S. are inappropriate for corn-based modeling at fine resolutions because they are either too coarse in scale or are not corn-specific. This work developed county-level N input data for corn production by harmonizing multiple U.S. datasets using two data fusion approaches. A top-down area-based approach allocates N fertilizer inputs into corn producing areas by combining state-level crop-specific N fertilizer application rates and percentage of area receiving N fertilizer with the county-level proportion of crop-specific planted area. Similarly, county-level manure N rates are calculated based on county-level corn planted area and livestock populations coupled with state-level application data. An alternative approach derives N needs from corn yields, crop rotations, and soil characteristics before N surplus is estimated by subtracting N needs from N rates. Nationally, the weighted averages of corn N inputs (188 kg N ha−1) based on corn planted area exceeded N needs (128 kg N ha−1) by 60 kg N ha−1 with N surplus found in 80% of all U.S. corn producing counties. Results distinguished regions of high (Midwest), moderate (Northern Plains), and low (Southeast and Northwest) N application rates and surpluses. Estimates for Western states had the greatest variability and uncertainty associated with the frequency of N rate outliers where corn production is low. The estimated N inputs for major corn producing areas generally aligned with source datasets, while further evaluation is needed for manure application rates using independent sources. This work shared the first spatially-explicit datasets for U.S. corn fertilizer and manure inputs and N needs together with methods for evaluation. Steps needed to expand access and coverage of detailed N data were identified to improve assessments of agricultural and environmental impacts.
A Mixed Method Approach to Understanding Researcher Identity

Background: Identity research in engineering education has been expanding to include multiple forms of measurement. While a variety of approaches have successfully contributed to our understanding of identity, mixed method approaches have been utilized minimally in identity research. Therefore, additional insight on the implications and affordances of mixed method approaches for identity research is needed. Purpose: Our work explored undergraduate engineering students’ researcher identity using a fully integrated mixed method approach by interweaving deductive (quantitative) and inductive (qualitative) strands of survey and interview data. We aimed to answer the research question: How can quantitative and qualitative data approaches be used in combination to explore how students conceptualize their researcher identity? Method: The data included responses from 20 undergraduate mechanical and biomedical engineering students representing six different institutions. Students completed surveys, and their survey responses served as a foundation for subsequent interviews. Both the survey and interview contained an identical item (a single anchored scale measure of researcher identity), which directly connected the two data sets. While the survey data was used during the interviews, analysis of the strands was initially separate but concurrent. Results: After initial analysis, mixing the data provided two key opportunities to attain a deep understanding of participants’ researcher identity. The anchored scale provided a platform to discuss researcher identity with participants and allowed us to look within and across participants’ experiences in unexpected ways. Our discoveries of how individual students’ conceptualizations of the identity being measured varied and how those conceptualizations changed over time were only possible through the analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data. Conclusions: Our fully integrated mixed method approach resulted in a more complete understanding of students’ researcher identities, allowing us to extend our theoretical understanding beyond what would have been possible with either method alone. Researchers exploring complex topics that can be fluid and affected by time and experience, such as identity, may benefit from integrating a similar approach into their research protocols.
Machine learning-based approach to GPS antijamming

A challenging and outstanding problem in applications that involve or rely on GPS signals is to mitigate jamming. We develop a machine learning-based antijamming framework for GPS signals. Three types of jamming signals are considered: continuous wave interference, chirp and pulse jamming. In addition, white Gaussian noise is assumed to be present. From the point of view of communication, information is encoded in the coarse/acquisition (C/A) code. Multiplying the jammed signal by a sinusoidal wave and integrating over one C/A code period leads to a jammed C/A code signal. To mitigate jamming, we study three types of machine learning methods: reservoir computing (echo state network), multi-layer perceptron, and long short-term memory networks (RNNs). A machine can be trained to learn and predict the signal directly or learn and predict jamming where the real signal can be obtained by removing the jammed component from the total received signal. For a high-frequency carrier (e.g., the standard 1575.42 MHz L1 carrier), learning and prediction can be made computationally efficiently on the C/A code signal. The main result is that machine learning can be effective for predicting and extracting weak GPS signals even in a strongly jammed/noisy environment where the jamming amplitude is three orders of magnitude stronger than the GPS signal. We find that the reservoir computing scheme is stable and performs well for all three types of jamming. The multi-layer perceptron is better for predicting the jamming signal than the GPS signal itself, and the long short-term memory networks work well but only for certain jamming types. In particular, with the direct signal prediction method, the bit error rate (BER) associated with reservoir computing (RC) remains at near-zero values (less than 1%) even for jamming signal ratio (JSR) up to 60 dB for the three types of jamming. The multi-layer perceptron (MLP) method breaks down when the JSR is larger than 20 dB for continuous wave interference (CWI) and pulse jamming, 45 dB for chirp jamming. The long short-term memory (LSTM) can perform very well for the chirp jamming with a near zero error rate and give BER larger than 10% when the JSR is around 40 dB for the CWI and pulse jamming. For the jamming prediction method (indirect method), these three machine learning methods perform well, with near-zero BER (less than 1%). Overall, the RC scheme is stable and performs well for three types of jamming. Besides, RC is fast compared to LSTM method, with much less running time.
Numerical Simulation of the Coupling between Split-Ring Resonators and Antiferromagnetic Magnons

We report on the results of simulations of the terahertz response of a split ring resonator (SRR) metamaterial coupled to a hypothetical antiferromagnetic material characterized by a magnon resonance. The simulations were done using finite difference time domain (FDTD) techniques. By adjusting the magnon frequency we find a hybridization of the resonant normal modes of the SRR and the magnon manifested as an avoided crossing. By varying the physical separation between the metamaterial and the antiferromagnet with a dielectric spacer, we evaluated the coupling strength between the two.
Families still lack SSI information

Last week, I received a letter from a father whose child weighed 680 grams when he was born in early October 1993. The NICU social worker properly gave the parents several articles regarding Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Medicaid, and encouraged them to contact the U.S. Social Security Administration about benefits. The first article they read discussed the Sullivan vs. Zebley Supreme Court decision (mandating that the federal government inform qualified families about social security benefits).
De novo Thymidylate Biosynthesis and Uracil Misincorporation in DNA as Related to Neural Tube Defect and Cancer Outcomes in Mouse Models

In the absence of adequate thymidylate (dTMP) synthesis, uracil is misincorporated into DNA during replication and/or repair, as DNA polymerases do not distinguish dTTP from dUTP. Current dogma hol...
Arabidopsis Genetics and Functional Genomics in the Post-genome Era

Expressed-sequence tag and genome sequencing projects for Arabidopsis and other plants have yielded unprecedented amounts of new information about plant genes. The pending completion of the genome sequences for Arabidopsis and rice will provide comprehensive knowledge of the coding capacity of higher plant genomes. It is now possible to envision assigning the specific biological functions to all genes in an angiosperm. A variety of new experimental approaches, which are enabled by large amounts of sequence information, will be used to this effect. In particular, positional cloning of Arabidopsis genes corresponding to mutations has become a standard technique. In addition, highly efficient transformation protocols for Arabidopsis make it possible to generate very large transposon and T-DNA insertion collections. Mutants for any gene can be found in these collections with minimal effort using powerful polymerase chian reaction (PCR) screening procedures or by database searches of sequenced insertion sites. New or improved methods for targeted gene disruption and large-scale gene-silencing will also be useful, particularly for understanding the function of redundant genes. Large-scale surveys of transcript, protein and metabolite levels, and collection of the results in public databases will greatly extend our knowledge of gene-expression, gene-function and regulatory networks, and will facilitate the formulation of an integrated view of the information content and processing that regulates all aspects of plant growth and development.
Approximate Viscous Shock-Layer Method for Hypersonic Flow over Blunt-Nosed Bodies

An approximate axisymmetric method is presented that can calculate the surface and flowfield properties accurately for the fully viscous hypersonic flow over blunt-nosed bodies. Using the second-order pressure equation of Maslen and incorporating viscous terms into the streamwise momentum and energy equations, a simple method is obtained which can calculate both the subsonic and supersonic regions of the shock layer and does not require a starting solution for the shock shape. The turbulence model of Cebeci-Smith and the equilibrium air tables of Hansen are incorporated into the method. The method is faster than the parabolized Navier-Stokes or viscous shock-layer solvers it might replace in a preliminary design environment. Hyperboloid and sphere cone configurations at 0-deg angle of attack and with half-angles up to 45 deg have been successfully run to convergence/Surface heat-transfer and pressure predictions from the present method compare very well with the more accurate viscous shock-layer method, flight and wind-tunnel data. Distributions of flowfield properties across the shock layer also compare very well between the two methods. Because the present viscous method does not require a starting solution, it could be used to provide more accurate shock shapes for higher-order methods which currently use inviscid starting solutions.
Sequences essential for IS50 transposition: The first base-pair

Abstract Sequences near the ends of the insertion element IS50 are essential for its transposition, probably because they serve as sites upon which the IS50-encoded transposase protein acts. To determine if these essential sequences include the first base-pair at each end of IS50 we generated 5′ C to 5′ G transversions at these positions. Each mutation reduced the transposition frequency to 1% to 2% of wild-type. DNA sequence analyses showed that the mutant 5′ G is preserved during transposition.
The Idea of Pollution

Pollution is the primary target of environmental law. During the past forty years, hundreds of federal and state statutes, administrative regulations, and international treaties have established multiple approaches to addressing pollution of the air, water, and land. Yet the law still struggles to identify precisely what constitutes pollution, how much of it is tolerable, and what we should do about it. But environmental pollution is hardly the only type of pollution. Historically, the idea of pollution referred to a host of effects upon human environments. This remains evident in contemporary anthropological literature, which studies the pollution beliefs of cultures throughout the world. Moreover, the law responds to complaints of cultural pollution objecting to such phenomena as hostile work environments, violent entertainment, and pornography.This article explores how the idea of pollution can help us better understand and respond to the introduction of materials into both natural environments and human environments. It reviews the historical understanding of pollution, the unsuccessful efforts to prescribe what constitutes pollution, and the social construction of both unwanted pollutants and affected environments. The article thus encourages further consideration of how the law responds to pollution claims in all of the places that are of concern to society.
The membrane phospholipids of Neisseria meningitidis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae as characterized by fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry.

The phospholipids of Neisseria meningitidis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae were characterized by fast atom bombardment (FAB)-MS and GLC-MS. The major phospholipids were phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), followed by phosphatidylglycerol (PG), with minor amounts of phosphatidic acid (PA) and trace levels of cardiolipin (DPG). All of the phospholipid preparations were variable in their fatty acyl substituents, which included C16:1, C16:0, C18:1, C14:0, C14:1 and C12:0. By MS/MS analysis, all pathogenic Neisseria spp. phospholipids contained a saturated fatty acyl substituent and either a saturated or unsaturated fatty acyl substituent in the sn-1 and sn-2 positions, respectively. Compared with enteric bacterial species, the phospholipids of N. meningitidis and N. gonorrhoeae have increased levels of phospholipids with short-chain fatty acyl residues (i.e. increases in C12:0, C14:1 and C14:0) and variable amounts of C18:1. The percentage of total PE and PG molecules with the shorter-chain fatty acids ranges from 35 to 47% and 42 to 66%, respectively, for N. meningitidis while these respective values are <10% and <5% for Escherichia coli. The variability and variety of meningococcal and gonococcal phospholipids suggest novel genetic mechanisms of neisserial phospholipid assembly and regulation, which may be important for the biology and pathogenesis of N. meningitidis and N. gonorrhoeae.
Sister Mary Joseph Nodule: A Rare Presentation of Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Cervix.

BACKGROUND: Sister Mary Joseph nodule refers to metastatic malignancy of the periumbilical region. Umbilical metastasis is an indicator of advanced malignant disease. CASE REPORT: We present the case of an 88-year-old patient presenting with postmenopausal vaginal bleeding, inguinal lymphadenopathy, and physical findings of a palpable umbilical nodule (Sister Mary Joseph nodule). Further workup was consistent with metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix. CONCLUSION: Because Sister Mary Joseph nodule may be the only manifestation of underlying malignancy, thorough physical examination plays an important role in diagnosing the malignancy in a more confined state that may have a positive impact on the patient's length of survival.
The prevalence of calorie-deficient diets in developing countries.

Nutritional well-being has become a major concern in recent years, particularly in the context of general food and basic-needs policies. Obviously, the design of policies and monitoring their effectiveness in terms of nutrition subsumes that it is possible to quantify the nutritional well-being of the population. Several attempts at quantification of the nutritional status of the population in developing countries have been made in recent years, but further improvements in the methodology of measurement as well as the essential data for deriving appropriate estimates are needed. One objective in this paper is to derive estimates of the extent of malnutrition as measured by the prevalence of calorie deficient diets on the basis of readily available data for a large number of countries. In the process, we introduce a number of changes in the methodology of measurement. The new method seems to us conceptually more correct and, as importantly, yields estimates which are more robust to slight or even large errors in the data and parameters. A second objective is to analyze the likely changes in the prevalence of calorie-deficient diets in selected countries under a variety of development policy scenarios.
ME210-VDT: a managerial framework for measuring and improving design process performance

Our goal is to train a team of student mechanical engineers such that during the design phase of new product development, they consistently outperform professional teams of experienced engineers. If the cost of such a training is low in comparison to that of other options, then its relative value will be high. Consequently, the tools and methods used in the training will constitute a pragmatic theory of high performance design management. The paper describes an ongoing project to develop the managerial framework for such a training. We begin by adapting the simulation model of an engineering organization to a project-based design class. We hypothesize that it is possible to simulate these classes with at least the same degree of realism as current computer simulations of engineering organizations. To illustrate the potential impact of this approach on design performance, we present preliminary result from the computer simulation study of ME210. ME210, Mechatronic Systems Design, is a graduate-level course based on industry-sponsored projects. Students, in three-person teams, work on one project for nine months. The inputs to the simulation program are such variables as the class organizational structure, physical layout, team composition, and communication technologies. The principal output is the schedule-performance achieved by each team and the class as a whole. While we were able to prove the hypothesis, the results demonstrated the need for theories of learning processes that are specific to project-based classes.
Evidence for unique DNA repair activity encoded by a cloned Serratia marcescens gene: suppression of Escherichia coli mutations that reduce repair of alkylated DNA.

A recombinant plasmid containing a Serratia marcescens DNA repair gene has been analyzed biochemically and genetically in Escherichia coli mutants deficient for repair of alkylated DNA. The cloned gene suppressed sensitivity to methyl methanesulfonate of an E. coli strain deficient in 3-methyladenine DNA glycosylases I and II (i.e., E. coli tag alkA) and two different E. coli recA mutants. Attempts to suppress the methyl methanesulfonate sensitivity of the E. coli recA mutant by using the cloned E. coli tag and alkA genes were not successful. Southern blot analysis did not reveal any homology between the S. marcescens gene and various known E. coli DNA repair genes. Biochemical analysis with the S. marcescens gene showed that the encoded DNA repair protein liberated 3-methyladenine from alkylated DNA, indicating that the DNA repair molecular is an S. marcescens 3-methyladenine DNA glycosylase. The ability to suppress both types of E. coli DNA repair mutations, however, suggests that the S. marcescens gene is a unique bacterial DNA repair gene.
A Fatal Arrhythmia Undetected by a Computerized Cardiac Monitor

Excerpt To the editor: A primary factor in the reduction of in-hospital mortality after myocardial infarction is the rapid recognition and subsequent treatment of arrhythmias made possible by conti...
Biology of Disease Vectors, 2nd ed.

This edition is a massive, 7-section, 57-chapter medical entomology reference text. The chapters are written by 72 experts from around the world and provide an understanding of disease vectors on a broad front, including biologic requirements of vectors, epidemiology, molecular biology, genetics, principles of control, and insecticide resistance. The text consistently emphasizes molecular biologic approaches to these topics. This book begins by discussing the vectors themselves, with chapters on mites, ticks, true bugs, lice, fleas, mosquitoes, and various dipterans such as tsetse flies and sand flies. Line drawings and black-and-white pictures abound. The number of color photos is limited; those in the kissing bug/bed bug chapter and the flea chapter are especially beautiful. Subsequent sections delve into the physiologic and genetic basis of vector biology. The final 2 sections concern controlling insects and acarines and special (laboratory) methods associated with vectors. The last section, which deals with laboratory methods, is like a giant appendix in which updates are given for the care, maintenance, and experimental infection of various disease vectors, including notes on handling, housing, rearing facilities, containment, and safety issues. One of the most helpful chapters for this reviewer was the one entitled, "Systematic Relationships among Disease Vectors," which defines molecular systematics terminology and explains how phylogenetic relationships among species are inferred from molecular data. I wish every traditional taxonomist and systematist would read this chapter. This book contains a few misspellings (e.g., the chapter title in the Table of Contents, Chapter 46), but no major errors. Its only weakness seems to be one of disunity. The title doesn't match the book's content, and the text is so comprehensive that it seems unfocused. There are chapters on chemical and genetic control of vectors, cell culture, and even research safeguards for transgenic mosquitoes. How these fit under the title biology of vectors was difficult to discern. Perhaps in future editions, the chief editor could split the book into several separate volumes, each with a more appropriate title. Nevertheless, this book is an indispensable reference and a wonderful treasure trove of information about medical entomology. Its only flaws are organizational, not factual. The chief editor, section editors, and authors are to be congratulated on this scholarly work.
Bringing SOD1 into the fold

Could similar changes in superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) underlie both familial and sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)? A new study finds that wild-type SOD1 from sporadic ALS tissues shows conformational changes similar to those seen in familial ALS and may be pathogenic as a result of the same mechanism.
Lung Pathology Associated With Pneumocystis Colonization in Infants

with upregulation of mucus in the airway. Pneumocystis infection in humans was first described in malnourished infants at the end of World War II but many clinicians associate the disease with adults who are immunocompromised. Despite the advances in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) diagnosis and treatment, PCP remains the most common opportunistic infection in individuals diagnosed with HIV and contin
Legal Education: The Consumers' Perspective

This paper is the first in a series on data collected for the Law Student Activity Patterns Project. The project is one of several discrete studies in the research program in legal education of the American Bar Foundation, conducted at the request of the American Bar Association House of Delegates, with the advice and consultation of the Special Committee for the Study of Legal Education. A major purpose of this research is to develop an understanding of the professionalization of law students in behavioral terms, that is, in terms of patterned activities and time use. However, we will first present a series of initial reports analyzing data relevant to other general concerns about contemporary legal education.
Release of carbon granules from cigarettes with charcoal filters.

Objective To inspect cigarettes with a triple granular filter for charcoal granules on the cut filter surface and, if present, to determine whether the charcoal granules on the filter are released during smoking. Design 400 Lark cigarettes in 20 packs were examined individually by each of three investigators for the presence of charcoal granules on the cut surface of the cellulose acetate filter. Without removing the cigarettes from the pack, the filters were examined with a stereo zoom microscope for charcoal granules. The percentage of cigarettes that had charcoal granules was defined, and charcoal granules on each filter were counted. Randomly selected cigarettes were then smoked by consenting adult smokers to assess whether the charcoal granules were released during smoking. Lark cigarettes were smoked with a conventional cigarette holder that had been configured to contain an in-line membrane. After smoking, the membrane was analysed microscopically for charcoal granules and other components of the filter that had been released during smoking. Results Charcoal granules were observed in 79.8% (319/400) of the cigarettes examined. The number of granules per cigarette was 3.3 (SD 3.7). Gaps between the tipping papers—the wrapping papers that surround the filter—were often seen (70%; 242 (71); n = 400 cigarettes). Further, the charcoal cavity was about 60% empty. For all smokers (n = 8/8), charcoal granules were released during smoking. The number of charcoal granules captured on the membranes was 22.5 (16.2) per cigarette. Conclusions Charcoal granules are incorporated into cigarette filters to aid in removing toxins in cigarette smoke. In studies of Lark, a popular American cigarette with a charcoal filter, charcoal granules were observed on the filter surface, and were released from the filter when the cigarettes were smoked. During smoking, the toxin-containing charcoal granules are inhaled or ingested. The specific adverse health effects of inhaling or ingesting carbon granules have not been addressed; nevertheless, the smoker, as an educated consumer, should be informed of the possible health risks.
Mouse Lemur Microscopic MRI Brain Atlas

We present a three-dimensional (3D) digital atlas of a mouse lemur head at 60-μm cubic voxel isotropic resolution. It was constructed from a 3D proton magnetic resonance image (MRI) acquired at 500 MHz. It shows views of 3D volume-rendering and movies of contiguous 2D plane cuts in three orthogonal directions. This MR data set was acquired using a spin-echo pulse sequence under conditions of strong T_2 and significant diffusion weighting. Experimental parameters were optimized to provide strong intrinsic contrast between gray and white matter. Familiar anatomical structures are clearly identifiable. Fine fiber tracts, laminations of cortices, details of the inner ears, and layering in the lateral geniculate nuclei are all visible. Anatomical identifications of structures in representative slices selected from the atlas are presented. We also describe some difficulties and trade-offs encountered in microscopic resolution MRI. We note that this type of atlas does not suffer from the spatial distortions and slice registration problems introduced by standard histological techniques. Future in vivo longitudinal studies will provide atlases describing in detail the development of the primate brain.
Deconvolution of wide field-of-view radiometer measurements of earth-emitted radiation. II - Analysis of first year of Nimbus 6 ERB data

The theory of deconvolution considered by Smith and Green (1981) is applied to Nimbus 6 data in order to interpret the data with the maximum obtainable resolution. Attention is given to the data sample, sun-contaminated measurements, the measurement model, the deconvolution, the degree variance, the spherical harmonic coefficients, the geographical distribution of longwave radiation, time histories of zonal coefficients, and the effect of a grid system. Degree variance plots for 12 months of longwave radiation data show that the limit for a spherical harmonic representation of the Nimbus 6 wide field-of-view longwave data is 12th degree. The degree variance plots also reveal that most of the power is in the lower degree terms. Contour maps of the radiation field show the geographical distribution of earth emitted radiant exitance for each month.
Prospects for Superconductive Generators in the Electric Utility Industry

The potential application of superconducting materials to large scale use in the electric utility industry is receiving increased attention. With the demand for electric power doubling every 10 years, power generation equipment ratings have been growing rapidly. Advances in many areas of generator design technology, including (a) direct conductor cooling, (b) stator winding short circuit and 120 Hz vibration control, and (c) materials suitable for scaled-up, more highly stressed components, have allowed power densities to increase so that today 1200 MWor larger units can be built and shipped, matching the size of the larger steam supplies and steam turbines that have become available. At the same time, overall plant reliability and availability have become the most important equipment considerations and will probably govern the rate at which larger ratings or new developments will be adopted by the industry in the future.
Influence of structural and morphological factors on the mechanical properties of the polyethylenes

Relations force-longueur a temperature ambiante determinees pour une serie de polyethylenes d'une large gamme de masse moleculaire et contribution moleculaire
Use of galvanic vestibular feedback for a balance prosthesis

Activation of vestibular afferents by a bilateral bipolar galvanic vestibular stimulus (GVS) evokes medial-lateral (ML) body sway. By applying a GVS feedback signal that is a function of measured ML head motion, the potential exists for GVS to restore a useful vestibular contribution to ML balance control in vestibular-deficient subjects who remain responsive to GVS. A key to developing an effective balance prosthesis using GVS is to determine the functional relationship between GVS and its influence on the brain's internal estimate of head motion. We describe how a model-based interpretation of GVS-evoked body sway can be used to identify this functional relationship. Results indicate that the GVS-evoked internal motion estimate is effectively a low-pass filtered version of the GVS current. With preliminary data, we demonstrate that GVS feedback, compensated for the identified low-pass characteristics, can either remove the ability of a subject with normal vestibular function to use vestibular information for balance control, or can restore the ability of a subject with bilateral vestibular loss to maintain balance in a condition requiring vestibular information for balance control.
REPORTING OUR RESULTS American Society for Bariatric Surgery Distinguished Guest Lecture, Dallas, USA, 6 June 1991

Morbid obesity is a life-threatening disease that has reached epidemic proportions, especially in the upper midwestern part of the USA. The surgical treatment of morbid obesity is generally effective while the non-surgical treatment is usually not effective. Yet many of our colleagues and much of the public have not accepted these facts for a variety of reasons. Chief among them is the perception that we, as bariatric surgeons, do not really know our results. At times we have been too quick to report on a few early spectacular results, and much too slow to come forward with poor results. We can do something about this. My purpose today is to examine the way in which we should report our results. In approaching a subject, one can take a historical, a philosophical or a scientific approach, but I am not a historian, a philosopher or a statistician. With this denial, I will now feel perfectly comfortable to dabble in all three areas. Historically, I recall that the bearer of bad news is forever an orphan. Philosophically, it is the open mouth that catches the flies. In spite of these warnings, I propose to examine the subject by asking and answering, at least to some extent, a series of questions. Some answers are more obvious and shorter than others.
A simple and rapid section embedding technique for sequential light and electron microscopic examination of individually stained central neurons

Abstract A method for section embedding of central nervous tissue, and its application to light and electron microscopic examination of neurons stained by intracellular injection of horseradish peroxidase, is described. After primary fixation in aldehydes, thick (10–80 μm) sections are cut on a Vibratome. They are then treated for the histochemical demonstration of peroxidase, postfixed in osmium tetroxide, dehydrated and infiltrated with Spurr's low viscosity resin. Infiltrated sections are embedded between glass slides and coverslips coated with a transparent layer of teflon and polymerized. The resulting mount allows protracted storage and high resolution light microscopic examination of sections. When desired, the glass components can be removed and the specimen cemented to a blank block for thin sectioning and electron microscopic examination.
Historical Perspective on Image-Guided Sinus Surgery

Image-guided sinus surgery has developed over the course of many years. It began with framed stereotaxy using plain radiography and fluoroscopy, and has continued to incorporate new imaging technologies as they appear. The technology received a significant boost with the advent of computed tomography (CT), and currently magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is being incorporated to open new frontiers. Although initially driven by neurosurgical applications, sinus surgery was recognized early on to be an ideal environment for the application of computer-assisted surgical navigation, because the bony framework of the sinuses would limit the soft tissue shift that would adversely affect the accuracy of guidance based on preoperative imaging. Perhaps more importantly, particularly for the experienced surgeon, the image guidance machines have dramatically improved preoperative planning in addition to providing intraoperative data. Although the accuracy and reliability of computer-assisted surgical navigation has improved, significant issues still require refinement, including the need to improve methods of head position registration and the ability to update information intraoperatively. Real-time intraoperative imaging using either CT or MRI, although expensive, has begun to develop a foothold in neurosurgery and may become increasingly applicable to the field of otolaryngology. Computer-assisted surgical navigation will also continue to advance with improvements in accuracy, soft tissue imaging, registration and calibration, and the instruments used. In the same way that
The structure of the symplectic groups over semilocal domains

Dickson and Dieudonne have shown in [l] and [2] that all proper normal subgroups of a symplectic group defined over a field with more than three elements are contained in its center {f 1). Attempts at integral analogues of this theorem have been quite successful. In 1963 Klingenberg [3] effected a significant generalization of these results by extending them to an arbitrary local rings whose residue class field has characteristic not equal to two and has more than three elements. However he assumed that the underlying alternating form is unimodular, i.e., has unit discriminant. He was able to show in this case that every normal subgroup of the symplectic group is a congruence subgroup in the usual sense. In 1966 Riehm [5] generalized Klingenberg’s results by dropping the requirement that the discriminant be a unit. In doing so he restricted the ring to be a valuation ring with residue class field of characteristic not equal two and having more than three elements. In this situation it turns out that there are normal subgroups which are not congruence subgroups. In order to regain a complete discription of the normal subgroups, Riehm generalized the concept of congruence subgroup by allowing the congruence ideal to vary from entry to entry in the matrix. He was able to show that every normal subgroup of the symplectic group is a congruence subgroup in this new sense. In this paper we shall generalize these results to the case where the underlying ring is a semilocal domain with suitable residue class fields. We also drop the assumption that the discriminant be a unit, but we assume that the module has a canonical splitting (See Section 1). By using Riehm’s approach and his notion of congruence subgroup, we are able to prove the following main structure theorem of a symplectic group (listed as Theorem 7.9):
Passivity-based robust control of systems with redundant sensors and actuators

This paper considers passivity-based control of a class of uncertain linear, time-invariant systems having redundant sensors and actuators. The approach consists of robustly 'passifying'(i.e. rendering passive) the system, which is assumed to have affine parametric uncertainties in the system matrix as well as the input and output matrices. The passification is accomplished by finding constant matrices to be placed at the input and output of the system which will appropriately combine the sensor signals and distribute the control signals to the actuators. Sufficient conditions are first obtained for the system to remain passive for all parameter values that lie in a hyper-rectangular region in the parameter space. The conditions take the form of a set of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). Next, the problem of finding an optimal sensor blending matrix is considered, which will maximize the region in the parameter space in which the system remains robustly passive. The dual problem of optimal control alloca...
Properties of pressure fluctuations in an atmospheric boundary layer

From experimental data it is shown that there is a relationship between measured wind speed and associated micropressure levels. It is also shown that turbulent eddies associated with the wind vanish within distances of five to six times their size, and that these eddies exhibit normal dispersion. These results confirm, at the atmospheric scales, results previously observed only in model experiments.
Impact-Induced Seismic Activity on Asteroid 433 Eros: A Surface Modification Process

High-resolution images of the surface of asteroid 433 Eros revealed evidence of downslope movement of a loose regolith layer, as well as the degradation and erasure of small impact craters (less than ∼100 meters in diameter). One hypothesis to explain these observations is seismic reverberation after impact events. We used a combination of seismic and geomorphic modeling to analyze the response of regolith-covered topography, particularly craters, to impact-induced seismic shaking. Applying these results to a stochastic cratering model for the surface of Eros produced good agreement with the observed size-frequency distribution of craters, including the paucity of small craters.