cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Swelling resistance of advanced austenitic alloy A709 and its comparison with 316 stainless steel at high damage levels

Abstract Alloy A709 is an austenitic alloy developed for power boiler applications in thermal power plants and is being considered as a candidate structural material for Generation IV reactors and fusion reactors, based especially on its increased creep strength over Type 316 stainless steel. However, improved thermal creep properties would not necessarily imply improved radiation resistance, especially with respect to void swelling. Since there are currently no neutron irradiation data on A709 to high fluences, A709 and cold-worked 316 were irradiated in the present study under identical conditions to doses between 100 and 400 peak dpa using irradiation by 3.5 MeV Fe+2 ions. The swelling behavior of 316 is well-known for both neutron and ion irradiation, thus the relative swelling behavior of A709 and 316 under ion irradiation might provide an indication of the swelling behavior of A709 in a neutron irradiation environment. Swelling of A709 under ion irradiation was observed over the range of 500–600 °C, peaking at 575 °C. Both A709 and 316 eventually swelled at a rate of ∼1%/dpa under ion irradiation at 575 °C, consistent with the swelling of 316 observed during neutron irradiation. But A709 had a significantly longer transient regime than 316 at any given dpa rate, demonstrating enhanced swelling resistance of A709 over 316 under self-ion irradiation. The swelling levels reached at 400 peak dpa were 55% and 90% for A709 and 316, respectively. The assigned local dpa levels were adjusted both temporally and spatially at each dose for swelling-induced increases in the ion range and concomitant decreases in density. The duration of the transient regime in each alloy was also observed to increase as the local dpa rate increased, but with a different flux sensitivity that is speculated to arise from the very different composition of the two alloys.
Flight patterns and white grub population densities of three beetle species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in the mountains of northwestern North Carolina.

Light-trap and soil-sampling studies were conducted at higher elevations in the Appalachian Mountains of northwestern North Carolina to determine adult flight patterns and white grub population den...
PaintSHOP enables the interactive design of transcriptome- and genome-scale oligonucleotide FISH experiments

Abstract Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) allows researchers to visualize the spatial position and quantity of nucleic acids in fixed samples. Recently, considerable progress has been made in developing oligonucleotide (oligo)-based FISH methods. These methods have enabled researchers to study the three-dimensional organization of the genome at super-resolution and visualize the spatial patterns of gene expression for thousands of genes in individual cells. While considerable progress has been made in developing new molecular methods that harness complex oligo libraries for FISH, there are few existing computational tools to support the bioinformatics workflows necessary to carry out these experiments. Here, we introduce Paint Server and Homology Optimization Pipeline (PaintSHOP), an interactive platform for the reproducible design of oligo FISH experiments. PaintSHOP enables researchers to identify probes for their experimental targets efficiently, to incorporate additional necessary sequences such as primer pairs, and to easily generate standardized files documenting the design of their libraries. Our platform integrates a machine learning model that quantitatively predicts probe specificity on the genome scale into a dynamic web application that creates ready-to-order probe sets for a wide variety of applications. The goal of this freely available web resource is to democratize and standardize the process of designing complex probe sets for the oligo FISH community. PaintSHOP can be accessed at: paintshop.io
SEM-EDS analysis and characterization of glitter and shimmer cosmetic particles

Perpetrators are often aware of commonly used trace evidence in forensic casework, thereby limiting potential transfer during a crime. With the lack of common evidence left behind at a crime scene, consideration of alternative potential evidence is necessary. Glitter and shimmer particles from cosmetic products will potentially transfer from or onto an offender, crime scene, or victim. The transfer of these cosmetic particles during a close personal attack generally goes unnoticed, and thus offenders are unaware of the use of such evidence that may associate a suspect to a crime scene. In this study, 36 glitter and 40 shimmer samples were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy - energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) whereby characterization schemes were developed to help identify particles potentially transferred during close personal assaults. Samples were classified into 7 glitter and 4 shimmer groups based on elemental composition, and the developed classification models showed high potential to accurately associate or differentiate unknown cosmetic particles collected from a potential crime scene, with cross-validation accuracies ranging from 94 to 100%. Pearson results showed no overlap between inter- and intra-sample correlations, thereby suggesting low possibility of false sample identification. Analysis of variance with post-hoc Tukey test was subsequently performed to determine how well detected elements and element peak ratios differentiated the glitter and shimmer samples, respectively.
Patient factors and outcomes associated with discordance between quantitative and qualitative cardiac PET ischemia information.

Background Cardiac PET can provide quantitative myocardial blood flow (MBF) estimates. The frequency and clinical significance of discordant ischemia information between quantitative and qualitative parameters is unclear. Methods This retrospective, cohort study analyzed 256 Rb-82 stress-rest PET/CT studies. Global MBF and myocardial flow reserve (MFR) were estimated in absolute units for quantitative results and sum-stress and difference scores were used for qualitative results. Four groups of patients were evaluated based on a specific definition of concordant and discordant quantitative and qualitative results. Results 31% of cases demonstrated discordance. Factors associated with microvascular disease were more common in the groups with abnormal quantitative results, regardless of the qualitative findings. Patients with concordant abnormal results had a significantly increased risk of myocardial infarction, heart failure, percutaneous intervention, and all-cause-mortality at 1 year compared to patients with concordant normal results. In patients with discordant results of abnormal quantitative and normal qualitative findings, there was a higher prevalence of heart failure than in controls (12.5% vs 0%, p = 0.01). Conclusions Discordance in qualitative and quantitative ischemia measures from PET is common, and further study is needed to clarify its prognostic implications. Moreover, quantitative estimation of MBF and MFR appears to add value to qualitative visual interpretation by supporting qualitative findings when results are concordant. Abnormal quantitative findings, regardless of concordance or discordance with qualitative findings, occurred in patients with risk factors associated with diffuse disease and with increased risk of heart failure admission.
Opioid Use following Open versus Endoscopic Carpal Tunnel Release: A Population Study.

Open (OCTR) and endoscopic carpal tunnel release (ECTR) are both effective treatments for carpal tunnel syndrome, with similar outcomes and complication rates. Given the opioid epidemic, it is important to consider how surgical modality impacts narcotic use. We compared narcotic use after OCTR and ECTR to identify trends and risk factors for prolonged postoperative use. Methods We utilized the PearlDiver database to identify patients who underwent OCTR and ECTR between 2008 and 2015. Patients with opioid use were analyzed for trends. Early refills, prolonged postoperative opioid use, and new persistent opioid use were defined by time periods relating to the date of surgery. Age, gender, Charlson comorbidity index (CCI), and surgery type (open versus endoscopic) were analyzed as predictors for opioid use. Results A total of 29,583 patients were included: 4125 (14%) ECTR and 25,458 (86%) OCTR. Significantly more OCTR patients filled perioperative prescriptions (62% versus 60%), and the OCTR group filled higher quantities of perioperative opioids (411 OME versus 379 OME). Patients in the OCTR group were also significantly more likely to obtain early refills and to have prolonged postoperative use. There was no difference in the rate of new persistent use. Conclusions Compared with ECTR, patients who underwent OCTR filled higher quantities of opioids in the perioperative period, were more likely to obtain early refills, and were more likely to have prolonged postoperative use. These findings suggest either a lower opioid requirement after ECTR or a lower perceived requirement reflected in the difference in prescribing habits between techniques.
Biomechanics of hang-time in volleyball spike jumps.

Abstract Objective This study examined whether “hang”, an extended period of greatly reduced or zero vertical velocity of the head and trunk created by inter-segmental interactions, would be seen during skilled volleyball player spike jumps. Method Fifteen skilled volleyball hitters (eight men and seven women, age 23.26 ± 3.22 years, height 1.86 ± 0.08 m, mass 77.53 ± 10.45 kg) performed spike jumps in two hitting conditions, flexing their knees during flight as much as possible and not flexing their knees during flight. We analyzed the effect of knee flexion on the vertical and temporal components of the trajectories of the head, trunk, legs and wrist of the hitting arm to study the existence of “hang” and its underlying mechanisms. Results With knee flexion, unlike no knee flexion, the head and trunk (HT) demonstrated “hang”, characterized by a longer time of near-zero vertical velocity of the head and trunk near mid-flight (p Conclusion An extended period of reduced vertical velocity of the head and trunk near mid-flight resulted from knee flexion and then extension. This additional time at the peak of the jump could be useful to adjust to ball trajectory and to decide where, when and how to hit the ball.
Relay Variational Inference: A Method for Accelerated Encoderless VI

Variational Inference (VI) offers a method for approximating intractable likelihoods. In neural VI, inference of approximate posteriors is commonly done using an encoder. Alternatively, encoderless VI offers a framework for learning generative models from data without encountering suboptimalities caused by amortization via an encoder (e.g. in presence of missing or uncertain data). However, in absence of an encoder, such methods often suffer in convergence due to the slow nature of gradient steps required to learn the approximate posterior parameters. In this paper, we introduce Relay VI (RVI), a framework that dramatically improves both the convergence and performance of encoderless VI. In our experiments over multiple datasets, we study the effectiveness of RVI in terms of convergence speed, loss, representation power and missing data imputation. We find RVI to be a unique tool, often superior in both performance and convergence speed to previously proposed encoderless as well as amortized VI models (e.g. VAE).
FAITH BASED ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP:PRACTICES AND ATTITUDES OF CHRISTIAN CHURCHES ON VIRGINIA’S NORTHERN NECK AND EASTERN SHORE

In recent years there has been a growing interest in the relationship between religion and the environment. The purpose of this project is to explore the environmental practices and attitudes of Christian churches in two Virginia Communities. The two communities; the Northern Neck and Eastern Shore are located on the Chesapeake Bay and have a shared history of dependence on the Bay. The results of the dissertation demonstrate the prevalence of environmental programs in the population, the nature of these programs and the respondents‘ attitudes towards a host of environmental issues. These results can be used by environmental professionals and policy makers seeking to form partnerships with the religious community and hence promote sustainability within religious institutions and their followers. It will also prove useful to religious organizations which are concerned with environmental issues.
Tool Degradation Characterization in the Friction Stir Welding of Hard Metals

In recent years, friction stir welding (FSW) has made significant strides in the joining of hard metals such as steel and titanium thanks to advancements in tool materials. While the joining of hard metals using FSW shows significant promise with these advanced tool materials, a limiting factor remains tool life. The combination of high welding temperatures and flow stresses in the FSW of hard metals causes significant degradation of the tool. Previous tool degradation studies have defined observed types of wear or tracked dimensionally how much a tool material has degraded. Understanding tool degradation on a microstructural level would lead to the development of improved tool materials thereby increasing the opportunity for FSW to be employed as a joining method for hard metals. This study characterized the pre- and postweld microstructures of three tungsten-based tool materials: Material A (99% W-1% La 2 O 3 ), Material B (75% W-25% Re), and Material C (70% W-20% Re-10% HfC). Tool degradation mechanisms were identified for each tool material based upon this characterization. Material A degraded by severe plastic deformation, Material B degraded by twinning, and Material C degraded by intergranular failure.
Projects from the Heart: For Educational Leaders

Is our work reaching selected scholars only? Are we speaking to other professionals only? How might our work be coupled with ethical dimensions so that we can address the needs of children and families in an increasingly neoliberal postmodern context? As we examine the types of scholarship that can be liberating for ourselves, our children, our families, and our communities; we need to rid ourselves of outdated scholarly notions of subjectivity-only and move toward compassion, humanity, and love. Can our fields pursue projects with ameliorative intentions? What would such projects look like?
Adaptive People and Adaptive Systems: Issues of Learning and Design

The United States is not the only nation facing these issues. As Darling-Hammond explains, “Nations around the world are reforming their school systems to meet these new demands;” they are “revising curriculum, instruction, and assessment to support the more complex knowledge and skills needed in the twenty-first century – skills needed for framing problems, seeking and organizing information and resources, and working strategically with others to manage and address dilemmas and create new products.”
Asset Status Proxies and Consumer Preference for ARMs: An Empirical Investigation Using Probit Analysis

This study investigates whether consideration of proxies for borrower asset status can contribute to understanding of consumer FRM vs. ARM mortgage choice behavior. In the context of probit analysi...
Fast Floorplanning for FPGAs

Floorplanning is a crucial step in the physical design flow for FPGAs. In this paper, we use min-cut based successive bipartitioning to floorplan circuits for application to FPGAs. The primary motivation of this work is reduction of execution lime required to accomplish the floorplanning step of device mapping. Our method includes clustering to enhance circuit performance and terminal propagation to reduce total wire length and enhance circuit routability. The floorplanner is intended to take predefined macro based designs as input. Using the Xilinx xc4000 series of FPGAs as the target architecture, we have demonstrated effective and fast floorplanning on a collection of designs.
Online News Services (Online Journalism)

Online news is in transition. This chapter focuses on the nature and status of online news and journalism, including that practiced by newspapers, magazines, and broadcast and network television and discusses its evolution over the past decade. It provides an overview of the evolution of online news. This chapter also outlines the most significant economic models that have failed, have succeeded, or are currently being tested. Competition among online newspapers, radio stations, television stations and networks, magazines, and other media is also discussed. The chapter examines the changing nature of online news and the impact of multimedia and convergence on their content and staffing. The chapter provides brief descriptions of the major American online news organizations. The primary service models for online news and a summary of online news market sizes and models conclude the discussion. Keywords: convergence; journalism; multimedia; network television; online news; online newspapers
Book reviewMingdi Yan, Olof Ramstrom (Eds.), Molecular Imprinted Materials: Science and Technology, Dekker, New York, 728 pp., ISBN 0-8247-5353-4.

Molecular imprinting and its related technology is rapidly growing, and the increased interest in this field has led to several publications over the past few years. Molecular Imprinted Materials: Science and Technology (edited Mingdi Yan, Olof Ramstrom, 2005, Dekker, Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016, USA. ISBN 0-8247-5353-4) is the latest of these textbooks and is aimed at both new readers who wish to be introduced to the field, and those already working in it. In both cases it serves as an efficient guide to the various forms of imprinting; covering techniques used; the positives, negatives and challenges, as well as giving decent practical advice on how to overcome common problems.
The variability of viability: the effect of physicians' perceptions of viability on the survival of very low--birth weight infants.

Abstract Physicians who deliver babies in Alabama were surveyed to determine their level of knowledge about the survival of low-birth weight/early gestational age infants. These estimates of neonatal survival were compared to the actual neonatal survival rates at local hospitals and at the regional perinatal centers in Alabama. In addition, the physicians' knowledge of survival rates was correlated with their management decisions in hypothetical cases of premature labor Our findings indicate that physicians who perform deliveries tended to underestimate the potential for neonatal survival in premature infants. Equally as important, the range of responses varied markedly. In the hypothetical cases, management decisions often appeared to be based on incorrect information about neonatal survival. These decisions, including not electronically monitoring fetuses, not performing a cesarean section for fetal distress, and not transferring women in premature labor to a perinatal center, if made in actual cases, would result in potentially viable fetuses receiving less than optimal management.
A pyroelectric-piezoelectric valve for integrated microfluidics

A low-voltage, low-power microvalve that can be actuated either electrically using the inverse piezoelectric effect or thermally using the pyroelectric effect is presented here. The value consists of external laser-machined bulk piezoelectric unimorph actuators mechanically linked to surface micromachined nickel cap structures anchored on silicon nitride membrane tethers. A self-aligned mechanical linking process for the assembly of external bulk piezoelectric actuators to micromachined silicon structures enables motion from the piezoelectric unimorph to be coupled to tethers. Valve cap strokes as large as 4.8 /spl mu/m were realized for an actuation voltage of 10 V consuming switching energy of 600 nJ. Linear control of fluid flow in the 0-50 /spl mu/l/min was accomplished with pulse width modulated 10 Vpp drive at frequencies as high as 1 kHz.
Cul-de-sac isolates from patients with endometritis-salpingitis-peritonitis and gonococcal endocervicitis☆

Abstract Neisseria gonorrhoeae was cultured from the cul-de-sac in 11 of 17 patients with bacteriologically documented gonococcal endometritis-salpingitis and identified by Gram stain in one other instance. In five, N. gonorrhoeae was the only isolate. In six other patients, the presence of other aerobic (two) and anaerobic bacteria (three), as well as N. gonorrhoeae , was documented. In the remaining six patients, only aerobic and anaerobic organisms were isolated. The data are interpreted as supporting the concept of anaerobic superinfections following initial infection with N. gonorrhoeae late in the course of this disease entily.
Single cell activity reveals direct electron transfer in methanotrophic consortia

Multicellular assemblages of microorganisms are ubiquitous in nature, and the proximity afforded by aggregation is thought to permit intercellular metabolic coupling that can accommodate otherwise unfavourable reactions. Consortia of methane-oxidizing archaea and sulphate-reducing bacteria are a well-known environmental example of microbial co-aggregation; however, the coupling mechanisms between these paired organisms is not well understood, despite the attention given them because of the global significance of anaerobic methane oxidation. Here we examined the influence of interspecies spatial positioning as it relates to biosynthetic activity within structurally diverse uncultured methane-oxidizing consortia by measuring stable isotope incorporation for individual archaeal and bacterial cells to constrain their potential metabolic interactions. In contrast to conventional models of syntrophy based on the passage of molecular intermediates, cellular activities were found to be independent of both species intermixing and distance between syntrophic partners within consortia. A generalized model of electric conductivity between co-associated archaea and bacteria best fit the empirical data. Combined with the detection of large multi-haem cytochromes in the genomes of methanotrophic archaea and the demonstration of redox-dependent staining of the matrix between cells in consortia, these results provide evidence for syntrophic coupling through direct electron transfer.
PRISONER RESEARCH – LOOKING BACK OR LOOKING FORWARD?

Much has been written about prisoner research and the controversies surrounding prisoners as human subjects. The Institute of Medicine recently released a report addressing some of these issues. This report, which generated further controversy, needs to be fully discussed in the literature and certain aspects are examined in this work. Further, in the body of literature there has been little acknowledgement of the concept of the right of prisoners to be involved in research. This needs to be pursued from an ethical perspective and eventually a legal one. This paper explores that concept and documents some facilities in which a prisoner's right to research has occurred.
A new antibiotic: lessons and perspectives

Infectious diseases are still directly responsible for at least 13 million deaths worldwide and over 25% of the annual mortality (1,2). Annually, an estimated 1.7 million individuals in the United States acquire an infection while hospitalised, resulting in nearly 100,000 deaths (3). A major challenge, if not the major challenge for the 21st century, is antimicrobial resistance.
Electrogenicity, pH-Dependence, and Stoichiometry of the Proton-Sucrose Symport

The electrogenicity, pH-dependence, and stoichiometry of the proton-sucrose symport were examined in plasma membrane vesicles isolated from sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L. cv Great Western) leaves. Symport mediated sucrose transport was electrogenic as demonstrated by the effect of membrane potential on DeltapH-dependent flux. In the absence of significant charge compensation, a low rate of sucrose transport was observed. When membrane potential was clamped at zero with symmetric potassium concentrations and valinomycin, the rate of sucrose flux was stimulated fourfold. In the presence of a negative membrane potential, transport increased six-fold. These results are consistent with electrogenic sucrose transport which results in a net flux of positive charge into the vesicles. The effect of membrane potential on the kinetics of sucrose transport was on V(max) only with no apparent change in K(m). Sucrose transport rates driven by membrane potential only, i.e. in the absence of DeltapH, were comparable to DeltapH-driven flux. Both membrane potential and DeltapH-driven sucrose transport were used to examine proton binding to the symport and the apparent K(m) for H(+) was 0.7 micromolar. The kinetics of sucrose transport as a function of proton concentration exhibited a simple hyperbolic relationship. This observation is consistent with kinetic models of ion-cotransport systems when the stoichiometry of the system, ion:substrate, is 1:1. Quantitative measurements of proton and sucrose fluxes through the symport support a 1:1 stoichiometry. The biochemical details of protoncoupled sucrose transport reported here provide further evidence in support of the chemiosmotic hypothesis of nutrient transport across the plant cell plasma membrane.
Patterns and Determinants of Entry in Rural County Banking Markets

In this paper I consider 115 rural markets in the USA, and both describe and explain patterns of bank and thrift entry over the past 10 years, with particular interest in the decisions of top bank holding companies to enter rural markets and the influence their presence has on entry of smaller banking institutions. The paper explores several dimensions of entry and competition in rural banking markets. In terms of explaining both numbers of banks across markets and gross and net entry within markets, market size and its growth seem to be major factors, consistent with recent literature. The role of leading bank holding companies is found to be important in stimulating entry of smaller rivals. This result is consistent with earlier work suggesting that merger and acquisition activity tends to stimulate de novo entry, while also with the view that large firm presence may be a signal to potential entrants of future growth prospects in the market.
Wildlife hunting practices and bushmeat dynamics of the Banyangi and Mbo people of Southwestern Cameroon

Abstract The Banyang-Mbo Wildlife Sanctuary, an area of lowland tropical rainforest in southwestern Cameroon, was designed by the Government of Cameroon specifically to protect 10 species and one order (Chelonia) of wildlife including some of the most endangered primates in Central and West Africa such as the drill (Mandrillus leucophaeus) and chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes). The long-settled local communities surrounding the Sanctuary maintain user rights of the forest and its natural resources as long as the conservation goals of the protected area are not compromised. A three-year study assessed local communities’ hunting dynamics in and around the sanctuary. Ten village-based assistants weighed, sexed, and aged all animal carcasses harvested by the 96 hunters participating in the study from June 1999 to March 2002. Data on weapon type, use of meat, location of kill, and price for each killed animal were also collected. We compare bushmeat dynamics and hunting cultures of two tribes living on the periphery of the Sanctuary, the Banyangi and the Mbo. A total of 13 489 animals were harvested during the study period, 4656 by Banyangi and 8833 by Mbo. Our results suggest that the condition of bushmeat when sold by hunters, either fresh or smoked, does not appear to affect the price. Bushmeat was significantly cheaper than the alternative sources of protein available in the nearest town. Although both tribes appear to use similar weapon technologies and hunting techniques, they differ with respect to amounts harvested and bushmeat use. The tribe settled deep in the forest with no road access hunts more intensively and for commercial sale outside the region, while the tribe along the road consumes or sells most of their catch locally.
Acoustic model clustering based on syllable structure

Current speech recognition systems perform poorly on conversational speech as compared to read speech, arguably due to the large acoustic variability inherent in conversational speech. Our hypothesis is that there are systematic effects in local context, associated with syllabic structure, that are not being captured in the current acoustic models. Such variation may be modeled using a broader definition of context than in traditional systems which restrict context to be the neighboring phonemes. In this paper, we study the use of word- and syllable-level context conditioning in recognizing conversational speech. We describe a method to extend standard tree-based clustering to incorporate a large number of features, and we report results on the Switchboard task which indicate that syllable structure outperforms pentaphones and incurs less computational cost. It has been hypothesized that previous work in using syllable models for recognition of English was limited because of ignoring the phenomenon of resyllabification (change of syllable structure at word boundaries), but our analysis shows that accounting for resyllabification does not impact recognition performance.
Ethical aspects of urinary diversion for women with irreparable obstetric fistulas in developing countries: response to comments by Morgan and Husain

Dear Editor, We thank Drs. Morgan and Husain for their interest in our paper [1] and we are pleased to offer a few comments in reply. Drs Morgan and Husain [2] seem to hold the mistaken impression that we are opposed to urinary diversion in all cases in which women are incontinent due to an obstetric fistula. This is certainly not true, as any fair reading of our paper will disclose. If, after a careful consideration of the issues involved, Miriam had decided that she wanted to undergo a diversion operation, it would have been arranged for her. The process of ethical deliberation is sometimes described as “determining what ought to be done, all things considered.” We hope that Drs. Morgan and Husain are insightful and honest enough as surgeons to recognize that not every operation goes as planned, that complications can arise unexpectedly, and that major operations performed under marginal conditions—especially by surgeons who have limited experience with the procedures they are undertaking—may not end well. We say this without casting any aspersions on their own surgical talents, assuming they understand that urinary diversions in Africa have been performed by surgeons other than themselves and that not all of those operations have been successful. Some patients have died from these procedures. Our article presents a series of questions that we believe ought to be answered before one proceeds with urinary diversion in a patient with an obstetric fistula: (1) Is the fistula reparable using another operative technique – and if so, what is the likelihood of success given the risk–benefit ratio in each case? (2) Are there contraindications to a urinary diversion? (3) Can the proposed operation be carried out safely under local circumstances with the resources available? (4) Can the patient receive appropriate post-operative care, both acutely and – in view of the known complications of urinary diversion – over the long term? (5) Does the patient understand the operation and its potential consequences, in terms of both her immediate surgical risk and the long-term consequences that may ensue? We are pretty sure that there is a broad surgical consensus that holds it would be unacceptable to carry out a urinary diversion in the USA unless these questions could be answered satisfactorily. We do not understand why Drs. Morgan and Husain seem uncomfortable with these questions: to us they seem like routine matters of basic surgical ethics. African women with obstetric fistulas are overwhelmingly poor, largely uneducated, culturally stigmatized, and politically powerless in the societies in which they live. They are a classic example of a “vulnerable patient population” at risk of being abused or exploited by others as a result of their marginalized status. We remain adamant Int Urogynecol J (2009) 20:613–614 DOI 10.1007/s00192-008-0799-0
Driving nuclei with resonant electrons: Ab initio study of ( e + H 2 ) 2 Σ u +

We have calculated the cross sections for vibrational excitation and dissociative attachment in ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$ below 5 eV scattering energy. This completely ab initio calculation uses the frame-transformation method of Greene and Jungen [Adv. At. Mol. Phys. 21, 51 (1985)] for electron-vibronic coupling in resonant scattering from a neutral molecule. We found it necessary to modify their method to obtain good agreement with previous theory and experiment for v=0\ensuremath{\rightarrow}${\mathit{v}}_{\mathit{f}}$ with ${\mathit{v}}_{\mathit{f}}$=1--3; for larger ${\mathit{v}}_{\mathit{f}}$ and for dissociative attachment we obtained good agreement with previous theory and qualitative agreement with experiment. The fixed-nuclei phase shifts were derived from a fully ab initio calculation in prolate spheroidal coordinates and then transformed to spherical l=1 phase shifts. The vibrational structure of ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$ becomes evident for excitation from higher vibrational states of ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$ as well as for larger \ensuremath{\Delta}v's, confirming previous theory and experiment.
Changing Values: A 2020 Vision

SUMMARY This study examines the roles that values play in marketing and the nature of value change. The List of Values (LOV) is used to measure individual values. The study employs two futures research tools, socioeconomic scenarios and the Delphi process, to understand the nature of change in values. In addition, the cultural materialism paradigm, which rests on bio-psychological constants to explain the ways in which a society's infrastructure mediates between culture and nature, is used to examine a paradigm shift in values. The paper argues that North America and Europe are in the midst of a major paradigm shift, comparable to the shift from the Middle Ages to the Industrial Age. Implications for European values and marketing are assessed.
Physically restricted authentication with trusted hardware

Modern computer systems permit users to access protected information from remote locations. In certain secure environments, it would be desirable to restrict this access to a particular computer or set of computers. Existing solutions of machine-level authentication are undesirable for two reasons. First, they do not allow fine-grained application layer access decisions. Second, they are vulnerable to insider attacks in which a trusted administrator acts maliciously.In this work, we describe a novel approach using secure hardware that solves these problems. In our design, multiple administrators are required for installation of a system. After installation, the authentication privileges are physically linked to that machine, and no administrator can bypass these controls. We define an administrative model and detail the requirements for an authentication protocol to be compatible with our methodology. Our design presents some challenges for large-scale systems, in addition to the benefit of reduced maintenance.
Coherent pan-Asian climatic and isotopic response to orbital forcing of tropical insolation

The oxygen-18 isotope composition of calcite in stalagmites across southern and eastern Asia are highly correlated to one another on orbital time scales: large negative excursions are coincident with maxima in summer insolation in the subtropics of the Northern Hemisphere (NH). These isotopic excursions reflect changes in the precipitation-weighted isotopic composition of precipitation, δ18Op. We present results from two core experiments using an isotope-enabled climate model—the“high-insolation” and “low-insolation” experiments—in which the model is forced by extrema in NH summer insolation. Compared to the low-insolation experiment, the high-insolation climate features profound, large-scale changes in the pattern of monsoon precipitation spanning from Africa to Southeast Asia that are due to changes in the relative contributions of temperature and moisture to the near-surface equivalent potential temperature θe. Under high insolation, a more rapid increase in land surface temperature in early summer causes the greatest θe (and hence precipitation) to shift from the oceans in low insolation (such as today) to be over land in high insolation (such as the early Holocene). The model captures the general pattern of isotopic excursions seen in caves spanning from Israel to western China, including large drops in δ18Op over eastern Tibet (−7‰), the Arabian Peninsula, and northeast Africa (−4‰). Although there are large changes in precipitation over Tibet, the change in δ18Op is due to changes in the δ18O of water vapor that is delivered and subsequently precipitated; it does not inform on local precipitation amount or intensity.
Robust explicit nonlinear model predictive control with integral sliding mode

A robust control strategy for stabilizing nonlinear systems in the presence of additive bounded disturbances is proposed. The proposed control architecture is a novel combination of explicit nonlinear model predictive control (EMPC) and integral sliding mode control (ISMC). Feasibility analysis of a finite-horizon optimal control problem involved in deriving the EMPC control action is performed over a polytope of interest in the state space. A sparse sampling-based boundary detection algorithm is employed to compute an approximating polynomial bounding the feasible region. A sparse-grid based interpolation scheme with Chebyshev-Gauss-Lobatto nodes and Legendre-basis polynomials are used to design the stabilizing EMPC surface. The proposed method is appealing because of the simplicity of the controller construction in conjunction with its applicability to higher-dimensional problems, which stems from the scale-ability property of sparse-grids. Robustness to the designed EMPC is provided by the ISMC. A simulated example is provided to illustrate the efficacy and performance of the proposed control strategy for the stabilization of an uncertain nonlinear dynamical system.
Modeling bioconcentration of nonpolar organic pollutants by fish

A model describing thermodynamically driven kinetic exchange of organic chemicals between fish and the aqueous environment is developed. This model considers both the biological attributes of the fish and the physicochemical properties of the chemical that determine diffusive exchange across gill membranes. Important biological characteristics addressed by the model are the fish's gill morphometry, body weight and fractional aqueous, lipid and structural organic composition. Relevant physicochemical properties are the chemical's aqueous diffusivity, molar volume and n-octanol/water partition coefficient (Kow), which is used as a surrogate to quantify chemical partitioning to the fish's lipid and structural organic fractions. Using this model, excretion rates, gill uptake efficiencies and bioconcentration factors can be predicted for nonmetabolized organic chemicals.
Is The Prevalence Of Mental Disorders A Good Measure Of The Need For Services

Mental disorders are highly prevalent, but prevalence is different from need for treatment. Some mental disorders are a major source of distress, disability, and social burden, and many people who could benefit from treatment do not receive it. Need is typically self-defined or defined by clinicians who are motivated to bring treatment to those who could benefit. Defining need appropriately requires consideration of the duration and reoccurrence of disorder, associated distress and disability, and the likelihood that treatment will be beneficial. Demand may be promoted inappropriately by clinicians and drug manufacturers who profit from expansion of demand. Future assessments of need must be based on evidence and take into account priorities for care and cost-effectiveness.
Differential Drug–Drug Interactions of the Synthetic Cannabinoids JWH-018 and JWH-073: Implications for Drug Abuse Liability and Pain Therapy

Marijuana substitutes often contain blends of multiple psychoactive synthetic cannabinoids (SCBs), including the prevalent SCBs (1-pentyl-1H-indole-3-yl)-1-naphthalenyl-methanone (JWH-018) and (1-butyl-1H-indole-3-yl)-1-naphthalenyl-methanone (JWH-073). Because SCBs are frequently used in combinations, we hypothesized that coadministering multiple SCBs induces synergistic drug–drug interactions. Drug–drug interactions between JWH-018 and JWH-073 were investigated in vivo for Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC)-like discriminative stimulus effects, analgesia, task disruption, and hypothermia. Combinations (JWH-018:JWH-073) of these drugs were administered to mice in assays of Δ9-THC discrimination, tail-immersion, and food-maintained responding, and rectal temperatures were measured. Synergism occurred in the Δ9-THC discrimination assay for two constant dose ratio combinations (1:3 and 1:1). A 1:1 and 2:3 dose ratio induced additivity and synergy, respectively, in the tail-immersion assay. Both 1:1 and 2:3 dose ratios were additive for hypothermia, whereas a 1:3 dose ratio induced subadditive suppression of food-maintained responding. In vitro drug–drug interactions were assessed using competition receptor-binding assays employing mouse brain homogenates and cannabinoid 1 receptor (CB1R)-mediated inhibition of adenylyl cyclase activity in Neuro2A wild-type cells. Interestingly, synergy occurred in the competition receptor-binding assay for two dose ratios (1:5 and 1:10), but not in the adenylyl cyclase activity assay (1:5). Altogether, these data indicate that drug–drug interactions between JWH-018 and JWH-073 are effect- and ratio-dependent and may increase the relative potency of marijuana substitutes for subjective Δ9-THC–like effects. Combinations may improve the therapeutic profile of cannabinoids, considering that analgesia but not hypothermia or task disruption was potentiated. Importantly, synergy in the competition receptor–binding assay suggests multiple CB1R-SCB binding sites.
Coordinating new product development and delivery

Abstract The problem of quoting an optimal new product delivery time is examined. The market costs/benefits derived from the product delivery as well as the costs associated with the product development project are explicitly included in a cost model. The duration of the product's marketable life is assumed to be distributed as a random variable of phase type. Demand for the product is assumed to occur according to a nonhomogeneous Poisson process. Simple solutions for the problem are identified for the special case of a homogeneous Poisson process.
Social Change in the Woodland-Mississippian Transition: a Study of Household and Community Patterns In the American Bottom

The nature of social change during the Woodland-Mississippian transition in the central Midwest has been a contended question for some time. Because settlement pattern data can be used to infer sociopolitical organization in archaeological contexts, changes in household and community patterns in the American Bottom are used to infer the nature of social and political alterations from the Middle Woodland to the Mississippian period. It appears from the settlement data that a general trend towards smaller and more autonomous family units characterizes social change during the Woodland-Mississippian transition.
Monte Carlo simulation of phase transitions in a two-dimensional random-bond Potts model.

Using the ``multihit'' Swendsen-Wang cluster flipping method, we performed extensive Monte Carlo simulations to investigate the critical behavior of the two-dimensional (2D) eight-state random-bond Potts model. We applied finite-size-scaling techniques to extract the critical exponents for two different sets of bond strengths, from which we concluded that the transition is second order with critical exponents for both sets falling into same universality class, that of a 2D Ising model. A variation of the Lee-Kosterlitz method for determining the order of a phase transition was also applied. The double-peaked structure of the specific heat, which was found in some of the bond configurations, was also studied by simulation on periodic arrangements of strong and weak bonds.
Performance of Ethylene-Propylene Rubber Insulation in Medium and High Voltage Power Cable

A new class of EPR insulations having significantly improved electrical loss properties is described. These elastomeric insulations are compared in a number of key properties vs. XLPE which are believed significant in certain failure modes of power cables. Laboratory studies have shown that this new class of EPR's is extremely resistant to the initiation and growth of water and electrical trees. Data from the AEIC Accelerated Water/Electrochemical Tree Test are presented for high molecular weight thermoplastic PE, XLPE and EPR. In this test EPR shows a significant improvement in performance vs. PE and XLPE which is particularly evident in the high temperature (high current load) test mode.
The influence of distinctive processing on retrieval-induced forgetting

Recall of a portion of a previously experienced list benefits subsequent recall of that portion of the list but leads to poorer recall of nonpracticed items from the same set (Anderson, Bjork, & Bjork, 1994). One explanation for this retrieval-induced forgetting is that during practice of part of a set, the nonpracticed items compete for recall and are suppressed; this suppression process inhibits later recall of the nonpracticed items. Two experiments were conducted to investigate the relationship between distinctive processing of the original set and retrieval-induced forgetting, on the assumption that distinctive processing reduces response competition. In the first experiment, distinctive processing induced by difference judgments among the studied items did reduce forgetting relative to a standard encoding task and a similarity judgment task. In fact, the difference judgment task completely eliminated retrieval-induced forgetting. In the second experiment, the similarity judgment task was analyzed in relation to a task assumed to foster associative integration (Anderson & McCulloch,1999). Even though the similarity judgment met the requirements for associative integration, retrieval-induced forgetting persisted following similarity judgment. The results are consistent with the view that distinctive processing benefits memory within an organizational context (Hunt & McDaniel, 1993; Smith & Hunt, in press).
The Mother of the Sons of Zebedee (Matthew 27.56)

This brief article examines several interpretations of the role of the mother of the sons of Zebedee in Mt. 27.56. Most exegetes have neglected to assess or have insuffi ciently evaluated the mother's recurrent role in the Gospel of Matthew. The article then explains how her presence in Mt. 20.20-21 and 27.56 and her absence in Mt. 27.61 and 28.1 function to define discipleship in the Gospel of Matthew. Her absence rein forces Jesus' teachings that his disciples must leave their households and be loyal to their 'new family'. Her omission also affirms Jesus' mandate to his disciples in Mt. 28.16-20 that new disciples be added by baptizing and teaching them and, therefore, not through biological reproduction. This study of the mother's role suggests that fur ther examination of the relationship between asceticism and evangelism in the Gospel of Matthew would be fruitful.
Polyadenylation of c-mos mRNA as a control point in Xenopus meiotic maturation

c-mos protein, encoded by a proto-oncogene, is essential for the meiotic maturation of frog oocytes. Polyadenylation of c-mos messenger RNA is shown here to be a pivotal regulatory step in meiotic maturation. Maturation is prevented by selective amputation of polyadenylation signals from c-mos mRNA. Injection of a prosthetic RNA, which restores c-mos polyadenylation signals by base pairing to the amputated mRNA, rescues maturation and can stimulate translation in trans. Prosthetic RNAs may provide a general strategy by which to alter patterns of mRNA expression in vivo.