cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Exploring differences in perceived innovative thinking skills between first year and upperclassmen engineers

This paper addresses the question of how undergraduate engineering students view the concept of innovation and their own innovative abilities. The study took a mixed methods approach that included both a survey and focus groups to explore this question. The survey revealed significant differences in how fourth year and first year students rated their innovative thinking skills, where the fourth year students believed themselves to be more innovative. To understand why these differences exist, the research team conducted separate focus groups with upperclassmen and first year students. The two age groups defined innovation similarly, but the first year students associated innovative thinking more closely with engineering design. The upperclassmen mostly viewed their innovative thinking skills through their experiences in extracurricular activities. These differences suggest a need to incorporate innovative thinking more intentionally into engineering classrooms.
Do People with Health Insurance Coverage Who Live in Areas with High Uninsurance Rates Pay More for Emergency Department Visits

Objective To investigate the relationship between the percent uninsured in a county and expenditures associated with the typical emergency department visit. Data Sources The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey linked to county-level data from the American Community Survey, the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, and the Area Health Resources Files. Study Design We use a nationally representative sample of emergency department visits that took place between 2009 and 2013 to estimate the association between the percent uninsured in counties and the amount paid for a typical visit. Final estimates come from a diagnosis-level fixed-effects model, with additional controls for a wide variety of visit, individual, and county characteristics. Principal Findings Among those with private insurance, we find that an increase of 1 percentage point in the county uninsurance rate is associated with a $20 increase in the mean emergency department payment. No such association is observed among visits covered by other insurance types. Conclusions Results provide tentative evidence that the costs associated with high uninsurance rates spill over to those with insurance, but future research needs to replicate these findings with longitudinal data and methods before drawing causal conclusions. Recent data on changes in area uninsurance rates following the ACA's insurance expansions and subsequent changes in emergency department expenditures afford a valuable opportunity to do this.
Organic Difluoramine Derivatives

This article reviews recent developments in synthesis and characterizations of organic difluoramine (NF2) derivatives since the 1980s. Specific classes of chemical compounds are covered: cyclic difluoramino-nitramines, especially gem-bis(difluoramino)-substituted analogs of conventional nitramines; products from the relatively new transformation of electrophilic difluoramination; other classes of difluoramines such as polymers, plasticizers, and compounds not otherwise categorized. Also covered are aspects of other recently developed synthetic methodology to prepare compounds in this general class, as well as purely theoretical treatments of the chemistry and properties of this class.
Developing a GSS Appropriation Model

This paper proposes an experiment using GSS in a longitudinal study to develop an appropriation model using structural equation modeling. The study will examine the relationship of the three levels of appropriation along with outcome and decision satisfaction, determinants of system success.
Development of A Generic Microfluidic System for Electrochemical Immunoassay-Based Remote Bio/Chemical Sensors

This paper describes the development of a generic microfluidic system directed toward realizing electrochemical immunoassay-based bio/chemical detection system, specifically focusing on MEMS-based microfluidic devices and systems. The microfluidic system consists of two fluidic paths, one for sampling and one for detection. A magnetic bio-bead approach has been adopted for both sampling and manipulating the target biological molecules. Several new MEMS-based microfluidic and bio-sensing devices have been developed for the system. In this paper, the preliminary fluidic and biochemical experiment results of the realized devices such as microvalves, micropumps, flow sensors, filterless bioseparators, and on-chip immunosensors are presented.
THE ROLE OF ADH IN THE PRESSOR RESPONSE TO INTRAVENTRICULAR ANGIOTENSIN II

Publisher Summary The pressor action of intraventricular (IVT) angiotensin injections is caused by a central action and not by leakage of the peptide into the periphery. It has been proposed that the pressor response seen with IVT injections in the unanesthetized rat is the result of two components, namely, a central activation of sympathetic mechanisms and a release of antidiuretic hormone (ADH). Estimation of the amount of ADH release by using the rat as its own bioassay has provided evidence that central AII injections do release pressor amounts of ADH. Vasopressin released by IVT angiotensin injections provide for a fraction of the total blood pressure increase produced under normal conditions. After sympathectomy, it can produce 100% of the response. A change in the pressor response to ADH after sympathectomy is accounted for by the unmasking of the direct vasoconstrictor effects of ADH after the abolition of normal attenuating mechanisms.
Electronic Properties of SiO2 and Models for its Point Defects

Research on silicon dioxide has developed in several distinct, nearly independent patterns. The electronic band structure of crystalline SiO2 is well established, and progress is being made on amorphous SiO2. Thus the transport of electrons and holes may be understood and mechanisms for defect creation by ionizing radiation may be considered. Theoretical work on defects has centered on molecular cluster models for the defects, with considerable success as measured by comparison with various spectroscopic measurements (primarily electron spin resonance). And some of the most interesting recent work has involved the study of transient defects and development of models for them. This paper summarizes our understanding in all of these areas, with the intent of emphasizing the connections between them.
Photodynamic Therapy of Tumors a Review of PDT Dosimetry

The field of photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been the subject of a number of recent comprehensive review articles. The aim of this chapter is to deal in some depth with the dosimetry of PDT.
Reforming the Gaming Industry

Our nation’s most cutting edge industry, information technology (IT), has the poorest record in promoting women to high-level management positions, ranking last on the “boo list.” This book -- The Future of Tech is Female: How to Achieve Gender Diversity -- documents that phenomenon, using it as a starting point for an analysis of women’s role in executive positions and corporate governance generally. Thereafter the book departs greatly from all the previous literature that puts the onus on women and women alone (get a mentor, network, do more STEM, lean in). The time has long since passed when the finger should be pointed at corporations and industries that historically confine themselves to words alone and expression of noble sentiments. Multiple chapters of the book then follow with analysis of devices and conventions many countries and corporations within them have utilized in seeking to promote women to directorships and to senior management roles. Those devices include quota laws, certificate and pledge programs, formalized mentoring, mentoring combined with sponsorship, comply or explain requirements, re-directed STEM emphasis and programs, mandated disclosure, expanded (or truncated) guest worker (H-1B visa) use, mandated disclosure, and mandates for structured searches. In final Chapters 22 and 23, the book concludes by pointing out the urgent need to reform attitudes toward women in one particular IT branch, namely, the video and computer gaming field, the field that acts as a gateway to many STEM futures. Most emphatically, the book approaches the subject from the standpoint of what the industry and companies can do, as opposed to the “how to” and advice books that dominate the dialogue.
Effects of Obesity and Soy Diet on Gut Microbiota using Obese Zucker Rat Model

Obesity has been epidemic in the United States for more than two decades. The intestinal microbiota is composed of a diverse population of obligate and facultative anaerobic microorganisms, and the...
The Pivotal Role of the International Medical Graduate

* Abbreviations: AAP — : American Academy of Pediatrics ECFMG — : Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates IMG — : international medical graduate The American Medical Association Physician Masterfile reveals 26 000 physicians who attended medical school outside the United States and Canada and who are not currently in residency, declaring pediatrics as their specialty. According to the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG), in 2015, 3 countries (India, Canada, and Pakistan) contributed the highest numbers of non–US-born international medical graduates (IMGs) receiving ECFMG certification. However, there were also a sizable number of certificate holders from Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa (Nigeria).1 Non–US-born pediatricians inherently offer a broad cultural, linguistic, and ethnic diversity; as such, they may contribute to the goal in our pediatric specialty to improve workforce diversity and culturally effective health care.2,3 IMGs (including US-born IMGs) comprise >26% of the entire physician workforce in the United States. Forty-one percent of practicing IMGs are in primary care disciplines as defined by the Association of American Medical Colleges.4 They play a vital role in the care of vulnerable populations in both rural and urban underserved areas.2,5 Non–US-born IMGs also constitute a disproportionate number of subspecialists … Address correspondence to Rana Chakraborty, MD, MSc, FRCPCH, FAAP, FPIDS, PhD, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Mayo Clinic, 200 1st St SW, Rochester, MN 55905. E-mail: chakraborty.rana{at}mayo.edu
Partially Generative Neural Networks for Gang Crime Classification with Partial Information

More than 1 million homicides, robberies, and aggravated assaults occur in the United States each year. These crimes are often further classified into different types based on the circumstances surrounding the crime (e.g., domestic violence, gang-related). Despite recent technological advances in AI and machine learning, these additional classification tasks are still done manually by specially trained police officers. In this paper, we provide the first attempt to develop a more automatic system for classifying crimes. In particular, we study the question of classifying whether a given violent crime is gang-related. We introduce a novel Partially Generative Neural Networks (PGNN) that is able to accurately classify gang-related crimes both when full information is available and when there is only partial information. Our PGNN is the first generative-classification model that enables to work when some features of the test examples are missing. Using a crime event dataset from Los Angeles covering 2014-2016, we experimentally show that our PGNN outperforms all other typically used classifiers for the problem of classifying gang-related violent crimes.
Through their Eyes: A Photovoice and Interview Exploration of Integration Experiences of Congolese Refugee Women in Indianapolis

The goal of this study was to engage with adult women refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to understand their perceptions and experiences with integration, resettlement, and health in Indianapolis. The focus of this paper is the findings related to integration. The study was conducted in partnership with a refugee resettlement agency who identified women from DRC as a population of interest since they are a relatively new refugee group to both the USA and Indiana. A community engaged approach was used to conduct a qualitative study utilizing both the Photovoice method and semi-structured interviews with 16 women. Triangulated analysis of interview transcripts, photos, and captions created from the Photovoice discussions revealed five major themes of language acquisition, lack of stable jobs, transportation, affordable housing, and social support. Our study concludes that emphasis on early self-sufficiency negatively affected this group of refugees’ language acquisition, which in turn adversely affected multiple other aspects of the integration process including access to well-paid jobs, affordable housing, and transportation. The authors argue that emphasis on social support, both within the Congolese refugee community and the local population, along with group learning can play a critical role in improving the integration experience of women refugees.
Introduction to the Special Issue: The Use of Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment by Social Workers

Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) is an evidence based practice intended to provide education, intervention, and treatment for people at risk of developing, or who ha...
Simulations and Standardized Patients in Athletic Training: Part 1 Athletic Training Educators' Use and Perceptions

Context Athletic training educators incorporate various educational strategies to teach and assess a student's clinical skill competency. These strategies vary and include simulations and standardi...
Assessment of the Role of the Mandibular First Molar Tooth in Mandibular Fracture Patterns of 29 Dogs

Mandibular fractures at the level of the first molar tooth (M1) were assessed in 29 dogs. Patients included in this study demonstrated fractures involving the M1 tooth, tooth bud, or alveolus (if tooth was absent). Diagnostic imaging evaluation included intraoral dental radiography and/or computed tomography (CT) with 3D reconstruction. The distal root was involved in 55.2% of cases, mesial root involvement in 34.5% of cases, and the tooth was absent in 10.3% of cases. Fractures were described in the rostral-to-caudal direction. Fractures tended to occur in the caudoventral direction ( P = .057). Cases with CT imaging were also evaluated in the buccolingual direction. Fractures were found to occur significantly more frequently in the caudolingual direction ( P = .022). When classifying fracture patterns along M1 according to a previously published fracture classification system, it was noted that fractures occurred significantly more frequently in either the mesial ( P 25%) bone loss in the vertical or horizontal direction. Periodontitis was associated with 7 (24.1%) cases. These results help frame the challenges associated with fracture repair at the M1 location. Treatment planning considerations should include limited structural support caudal to fractures involving the distal root, more frequent involvement of the distal root over the mesial root, risk for poor endodontic prognosis, and the predilection for unfavorable fracture patterns to occur.
Audio Description Project: An Initiative of the American Council of the Blind

Reviewed November 2018Reviewed by Rachael E. VacantiOhio UniversityIn the early 1990s, technological advances allowed more films to become accessible to the blind. However, researchers had no way t...
The effects of restored hydrologic connectivity on floodplain trapping vs. release of phosphorus, nitrogen, and sediment along the Pocomoke River, Maryland USA

Abstract River channelization and artificial levees have decreased the hydrologic connectivity of river-floodplain systems around the world. In response, restoration through enhancing connectivity has been advocated to improve the functions of floodplains, but uncertain benefits and the possibility of phosphate release from re-flooded soils has limited implementation. In this study, we measured change in floodplain P, N, and sediment mass balances after restoration along channelized reaches in the lowland Pocomoke River, Maryland USA. Two floodplains (one headwater, one mainstem) restored through partial levee breaches were compared to two additional mainstem floodplains (one natural unchannelized, one unrestored channelized). Potential soluble reactive P (SRP) release from soil cores during experimental laboratory floods; soil P, Fe, and Al fractionation; and deposition and P and N content of sediment were measured before and after the restoration period, as well as in situ inputs and release of SRP and dissolved inorganic N from soils after restorations. Potential SRP release, during both the before and after restoration period, was greatest at the channelized mainstem and restored mainstem sites, lower at the restored headwater site, and small at the natural mainstem site. Both restored sites had smaller potential SRP release after restoration compared to before restoration. In situ SRP release slightly exceeded inputs to soils at connected sites during the post-restoration period, with less net release at the restored sites compared to the natural mainstem site. The magnitude of gross and net SRP release from soils in the field was smaller than, and uncorrelated with, potential SRP release estimated from laboratory experimental floods. Gross soil SRP release rates in the field were predictable using the ratio of soil oxalate-extractable P/Al. Sedimentation inputs of P and N increased at all sites during the post-restoration period, with rates at restored sites intermediate compared to the much higher rates at the natural mainstem site and somewhat lower rates at the channelized mainstem site. These sediment inputs of nutrients were much larger than rates of inorganic P and N release from soils, indicating net trapping of P and N after restoration. Restoring floodplain hydrologic connectivity showed moderate success at increasing the trapping of P, N, and sediment, with relatively little phosphate release, and therefore improving water quality.
Open Problem—M/G/k/SRPT Under Medium Load

The shortest remaining processing time (SRPT) scheduling policy has been deployed in many computer systems, such as web servers (Harchol-Balter et al. 2003), networks (Montazeri et al. 2018), datab...
A System Theoretic Investigation of Cortisol Dysregulation in Fibromyalgia Patients with Chronic Fatigue

Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) are complex medical conditions with similar symptoms such as anxiety, fatigue, depression, headaches, muscle aches and joint pain. The etiology of both these syndromes is unknown. The objective of this study is to characterize FMS, both in the presence and in the absence of CFS, by analyzing variations in cortisol secretion patterns, timings, amplitudes, and the number of the underlying pulses as well as infusion and clearance rates. The comparison is performed against matched healthy control subjects. We estimate the hormonal secretory events by deconvolving cortisol data using a two-step coordinate descent approach. The first step implements a sparse recovery approach to infer the amplitudes and the timings of the cortisol secretion events from limited cortisol hormone data. The main advantage of this method is estimating the cortisol secretory events using a system theoretic approach. The second step is to estimate the physiological system parameters (i.e. infusion and clearance rates). This approach has been verified on healthy individuals previously. Our results show that the clearance rate of cortisol by the liver is relatively lower in patients as compared to the matched healthy individuals. This suggests that there is a relatively higher accumulation of serum cortisol in patients when compared to matched healthy subjects.
Resisting the Remnant-Person Problem

Some opponents of animalism have offered a relatively new worry: the remnant-person problem. After presenting the problem, I lay out several responses and show why they are either problematic or come with too many theoretical costs. I then present my own response to the problem, which unlike the other responses, it is one that can be adopted by animalists of any stripe. What I hope to show is that some of the key assumptions of the remnant-person problem can be rejected, and thus, the remnant-person problem should be seen as posing no threat to animalism.
Analysis for Science Librarians of the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry: Lithium-Ion Batteries

The 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry recognized three scientists who each contributed a key development to the lithium-ion battery. Ubiquitous in the portable devices of the modern world, overcoming t...
Anonymous Works and Their Ascription to Famous Authors: Are They Cases of Mistaken Identity of an Outright Forgery?

The false attribution of anonymous works to famous authors is not unique to Islamic tradition in general and to Ismāʿīlī tradition in particular. Rather it is a very old problem dating back to ancient Greeks. The students of philosophy are familiar with this question as a number of spurious books circulated in the Middle Ages known as “pseudo-Aristotelian” or “pseudo-Ammonius.” However, the scholars have succeeded to disentangle the genuine from the counterfeit by using various critical tools at their disposal. In what follows I have tried to demonstrate that both Minhāǧ al-farāʾiḍ and Kitāb al-Yanābīʿ are falsely ascribed to the famous Ismāʿīlī law giver al-Qāḍī l-Nuʿmān. Any scholar who is fully familiar with the whole corpus of al-Nuʿmān’s works, especially with his numerous works on jurisprudence, would reject Cilardo’s claim to the contrary.
Laboratory studies on the viability of life in H 2 -dominated exoplanet atmospheres

Theory and observation for the search for life on exoplanets via atmospheric ‘biosignature gases’ is accelerating, motivated by the capabilities of the next generation of space- and ground-based telescopes. The most observationally accessible rocky planet atmospheres are those dominated by molecular hydrogen gas, because the low density of H2 gas leads to an expansive atmosphere. The capability of life to withstand such exotic environments, however, has not been tested in this context. We demonstrate that single-celled microorganisms (Escherichia coli and yeast) that normally do not inhabit H2-dominated environments can survive and grow in a 100% H2 atmosphere. We also describe the astonishing diversity of dozens of different gases produced by E. coli, including many already proposed as potential biosignature gases (for example, nitrous oxide, ammonia, methanethiol, dimethylsulfide, carbonyl sulfide and isoprene). This work demonstrates the utility of laboratory experiments to better identify which kinds of alien environments can host some form of possibly detectable life. Escherichia coli bacteria and yeast cultures (representative prokaryotes and eukaryotes) have been tested under laboratory conditions in a 100% H2 atmosphere. They can reproduce normally, with lower growth rates, producing a range of biosignature gases. Exoplanets with a H2-dominated atmosphere might thus not be totally hostile to some forms of life.
Far Point Algorithm: Active Semi-supervised Clustering for Rare Category Detection

In some data sets the number of categories (i.e. classes) that are represented is not known in advance. The process of discovering these categories can be difficult, particularly when a data set is skewed, such that the number of data points of some classes may greatly exceed those of other classes. Rare category detection algorithms address this problem by trying to present a user with at least one data point from each category, while minimizing the overall number of data points presented. We present an algorithm based on active and semi-supervised learning that finds category clusters using a query selection strategy that maximizes the distance from a set of already labeled data points to a query data point. We evaluate the algorithm's performance on artificially skewed versions of the MNIST data set as a rare category detection algorithm, investigating differences in performance due to both the effects of relative frequency and inherent class structure differences in feature space.
Syntheses and crystal structures of the anhydride 4-oxa-tetra-cyclo-[5.3.2.02,6.08,10]dodec-11-ene-3,5-dione and the related imide 4-(4-bromo-phen-yl)-4-aza-tetra-cyclo-[5.3.2.02,6.08,10]dodec-11-ene-3,5-dione.

The syntheses and crystal structures of the two title compounds, C11H10O3 (I) and C17H14BrNO2 (II), both containing the bi­cyclo­[2.2.2]octene ring system, are reported here [the structure of I has been reported previously: White & Goh (2014). Private Communication (refcode HOKRIK). CCDC, Cambridge, England]. The bond lengths and angles of the bi­cyclo­[2.2.2]octene ring system are similar for both structures. The imide functional group of II features carbonyl C=O bond lengths of 1.209 (2) and 1.210 (2) A, with C—N bond lengths of 1.393 (2) and 1.397 (2) A. The five-membered imide ring is nearly planar, and it is positioned exo relative to the alkene bridgehead carbon atoms of the bi­cyclo­[2.2.2]octene ring system. Non-covalent inter­actions present in the crystal structure of II include a number of C—H⋯O inter­actions. The extended structure of II also features C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds as well as C—H⋯π and lone pair–π inter­actions, which combine together to create supra­molecular sheets.
Wearable Adaptive Resistance Training Improves Ankle Strength, Walking Efficiency and Mobility in Cerebral Palsy: A Pilot Clinical Trial

Goal: To determine the efficacy of wearable adaptive resistance training for rapidly improving walking ability in children with cerebral palsy (CP). Methods: Six children with spastic CP (five males, one female; mean age 14y 11mo; three hemiplegic, three diplegic; Gross Motor Function Classification System [GMFCS] levels I and II) underwent ten, 20-minute training sessions over four weeks with a wearable adaptive resistance device. Strength, speed, walking efficiency, timed up and go (TUG), and six-minute walk test (6MWT) were used to measure training outcomes. Results: Participants showed increased average plantar flexor strength (17 ± 8%, p = 0.02), increased preferred walking speed on the treadmill (39 ± 25%, p = 0.04), improved metabolic cost of transport (33 ± 9%, p = 0.03), and enhanced performance on the timed up and go (11 ± 9%, p = 0.04) and six-minute walk test (13 ± 9%, p = 0.04). Conclusions: The observed increase in preferred walking speed, reduction in metabolic cost of transport, and improved performance on clinical tests of mobility highlights the potentially transformative nature of this novel therapy; the rate at which this intervention elicited improved function was 3 – 6 times greater than what has been reported previously.
Meta-analysis Comparing Outcomes in Patients With and Without Cardiac Injury and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID 19).

Current evidence is limited to small studies describing the association between cardiac injury and outcomes in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). To address this, we performed a comprehensive meta-analysis of studies in COVID-19 patients to evaluate the association between cardiac injury and all-cause mortality, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, mechanical ventilation, acute respiratory distress syndrome, acute kidney injury and coagulopathy. Further, studies comparing cardiac biomarker levels in survivors versus nonsurvivors were included. A total of 14 studies (3,175 patients) were utilized for the final analysis. Cardiac injury in patients with COVID-19 was associated with higher risk of mortality (risk ratio [RR]:7.79; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.69 to 13.01; I2=58%), ICU admission (RR: 4.06; 95% CI: 1.50 to 10.97; I2 = 61%), mechanical ventilation (RR: 5.53; 95% CI: 3.09 to 9.91; I2 = 0%), and developing coagulopathy (RR: 3.86; 95% CI:2.81 to 5.32; I2 = 0%). However, cardiac injury was not associated with increased risk of acute respiratory distress syndrome (RR:3.22; 95% CI:0.72 to 14.47; I2 = 73%) or acute kidney injury (RR: 11.52, 95% CI:0.03 to 4,159.80; I2 = 0%). The levels of hs-cTnI (MD:34.54 pg/ml;95% CI: 24.67 to 44.40 pg/ml; I2 = 88%), myoglobin (MD:186.81 ng/ml; 95% CI: 121.52 to 252.10 ng/ml; I2 = 88%), NT-pro BNP (MD:1183.55 pg/ml; 95% CI: 520.19 to 1846.91 pg/ml: I2 = 96%) and CK-MB (MD:2.49 ng/ml;95% CI: 1.86 to 3.12 ng/ml; I2 = 90%) were significantly elevated in nonsurvivors compared with survivors with COVID-19 infection. The results of this meta-analysis suggest that cardiac injury is associated with higher mortality, ICU admission, mechanical ventilation and coagulopathy in patients with COVID-19.
Bone Marrow Engraftment Analysis

In genetics, chimerism is defined as the state where an organism is comprised of genetically distinct cell populations that arise from different zygotes. In hematopoietic progenitor cell transplantation (HPCT), hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) from a donor are infused into a patient (recipient) with the intention of reconstituting normal hematopoietic function through the donor cells. One primary goal of HPCT is engraftment, which is characterized by neutrophil (myeloid) engraftment, platelet engraftment, erythroid engraftment, and T-cell (CD3+) engraftment. The main objective of chimerism testing is to detect and quantify the presence or absence of recipient and donor cell populations post-HPCT, thereby allowing for chimerism assessment of engraftment of these different cell lineages. Chimerism testing can also be useful in monitoring for risk of relapse in high-risk patients and thus permitting for preemptive interventions such as donor lymphocyte infusions (DLI) or withdrawal of immunosuppressive therapies (IST). Other uses of chimerism testing include, but are not limited to, forensic testing to identify suspects or unidentified victims, parentage and/or kinship testing, and zygosity testing for twin studies. Herein, the different methodologies used in chimerism testing will be presented with a particular focus on short tandem repeat (STR) analysis, which is the most commonly employed method in clinical laboratories. Emphasis will be placed on STR nomenclature, allele designation, categorization, and testing interpretation to determine percent recipient and donor contributions of post-HPCT laboratory samples. Finally, the limitations in STR testing will be highlighted along with strategies to mitigate their effects.
Shredding the Safety Net: Young Mothers and TANF Restrictions in Federal and State Substance Abuse Policy

Abstract Recent federal legislation bans receipt of cash and food assistance to individuals convicted of a drug felony. This study examines the different definitions and methodologies used in estimating substance abuse among welfare recipients. It then analyzes a stratified sample of predominantly low-income young mothers on the basis of welfare receipt and consequences associated with alcohol and drug use. Results indicate that young mothers who received welfare for more than two years had lower reported drug use consequences than mothers who never used welfare or relied on it for a period of less than two years. Variables measuring consequences of drug use were not found to mediate length of time on welfare.
Flow in a Slowly Divergent Pipe Section

The results of an experimental investigation of a constant mass flux flow in a slowly diverging cylindrical pipe expansion section or diffuser flow are presented. At low flow rate, no recirculation region is detected. For medium flow rate, a stable recirculation region is observed. For large flow rate, the recirculation region or axisymmetric state becomes time dependent and with a further increase of the flow rate, a subcritical transition for localised transient turbulence arises. Additional experiments on the quenching of turbulence by reducing the Reynolds number and observing the decay of disordered motion allowed to build a stability diagram.
THE PRECISION OF J2000.0 RADIO SOURCE POSITIONS FROM MARK III VLBI

A celestial coordinate frame defined by extragalactic radio sources has been developed from Mark III VLBI data. 33 000 delay and delay rate pairs acquired between August 1979 and December 1982 have been analyzed to give positions for 82 radio sources. Standard J2000.0 astronomical models were applied. 90% of the formal errors for arc lengths between sources are less than 0″ .003. Arc lengths estimated from separate one-year data sets are consistent at the 0″ .001 to 0″ .004 level.
Replacement of the proximal heme thiolate ligand in chloroperoxidase with a histidine residue

Chloroperoxidase is a versatile heme enzyme which can cross over the catalytic boundaries of other oxidative hemoproteins and perform multiple functions. Chloroperoxidase, in addition to catalyzing classical peroxidative reactions, also acts as a P450 cytochrome and a potent catalase. The multiple functions of chloroperoxidase must be derived from its unique active site structure. Chloroperoxidase possesses a proximal cysteine thiolate heme iron ligand analogous to the P450 cytochromes; however, unlike the P450 enzymes, chloroperoxidase possesses a very polar environment distal to its heme prosthetic group and contains a glutamic acid residue in close proximity to the heme iron. The presence of a thiolate ligand in chloroperoxidase has long been thought to play an essential role in its chlorination and epoxidation activities; however, the research reported in this paper proves that hypothesis to be invalid. To explore the role of Cys-29, the amino acid residue supplying the thiolate ligand in chloroperoxidase, Cys-29 has been replaced with a histidine residue. Mutant clones of the chloroperoxidase genome have been expressed in a Caldariomyces fumago expression system by using gene replacement rather than gene insertion technology. C. fumago produces wild-type chloroperoxidase, thus requiring gene replacement of the wild type by the mutant gene. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that gene replacement has been reported for this type of fungus. The recombinant histidine mutants retain most of their chlorination, peroxidation, epoxidation, and catalase activities. These results downplay the importance of a thiolate ligand in chloroperoxidase and suggest that the distal environment of the heme active site plays the major role in maintaining the diverse activities of this enzyme.
Working Girls: White-Collar Workers and Prostitutes in Late Weimar Fiction1

This article examines the conflation of the white-collar working woman and the prostitute in late Weimar fiction, documentary literature and social discourse. In so doing, it traces the emergence of a modern discourse on prostitutes as “sex workers” in German cultural products that predate international feminist debates held in the final decades of the twentieth century. Conducting close readings of Vicki Baum's 1929 serial novel Menschen im Hotel and of Irmgard Keun's Das kunstseidene Madchen (1932), the article explores how these two women writers use the figure of the prostitute to deliver a critique of white-collar work and, at the same time, examine both the limitations of and possibilities for women's work in the final years of the Weimar Republic. It investigates how women's quotidian experience of work and the increasing fluidity of gender boundaries may have changed perceptions concerning the viability of prostitution as a chosen occupation (sex work) or, at the very least, a mode of survival in turbulent times.
WHAT RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE TO DESERT GRANIVORES:SEED RAIN OR SOIL SEED BANK?

Patterns of resource availability mold many ecological processes, but we know little about the availability of resources to consumers in nature, even for well-studied systems such as the granivorous animals of North American deserts. What we do know about seed resources in deserts is based primarily on seeds extracted from soil samples, but this might present a distorted view of resource availability if animals mostly harvest newly produced seeds before they enter the soil seed bank. In order to assess how large the distortion might be, we simultaneously monitored the seed bank and “seed rain” over a 19-mo period in the eastern Mojave Desert of California. The seed bank averaged ≈106000 seeds/m2 and 38 g/m2, much higher than values reported for other North American desert sites. This corresponds roughly to the seed production of a single year, since daily seed rain averaged 262 seeds/m2 and 0.26 g/m2. However, input from the seed rain did not accumulate in the soil. Instead, the seed bank decreased by a daily average of 114 seeds/m2 and 0.007 g/m2 during our study. This suggests that virtually all seeds germinate, die, or are harvested by granivores soon after being dispersed. Large seeds comprised a greater fraction of the seed rain than of the seed bank, suggesting that such seeds are differentially depleted, probably by granivores, before they enter the soil. Because seed drop was seasonal, temporal variation comprised a significant component of among-sample variance in the seed rain. Temporal variance in the seed bank was much smaller, presumably because granivores harvested most of the seed rain. Conversely, spatial variance was a significant component for the seed bank, but not the seed rain, perhaps as a result of spatial patterns of seed harvest or seed caching by granivores. By virtue of these variance patterns, as well as other attributes, seeds in the soil present different challenges to granivores than do newly produced seeds. Our understanding of desert granivore foraging and community ecology, and of granivore–seed interactions, depends critically on choosing the appropriate measure of seed availability to granivores.
Recurrent GNAS Mutations Define an Unexpected Pathway for Pancreatic Cyst Development

More than 2% of the adult U.S. population harbors a pancreatic cyst. These often pose a difficult management problem because conventional criteria cannot always distinguish cysts with malignant potential from those that are innocuous. One of the most common cystic neoplasms of the pancreas, and a bona fide precursor to invasive adenocarcinoma, is called intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN). To help reveal the pathogenesis of these lesions, we purified the DNA from IPMN cyst fluids from 19 patients and searched for mutations in 169 genes commonly altered in human cancers. In addition to the expected KRAS mutations, we identified recurrent mutations at codon 201 of GNAS. A larger number (113) of additional IPMNs were then analyzed to determine the prevalence of KRAS and GNAS mutations. In total, we found that GNAS mutations were present in 66% of IPMNs and that either KRAS or GNAS mutations could be identified in 96%. In eight cases, we could investigate invasive adenocarcinomas that developed in association with IPMNs containing GNAS mutations. In seven of these eight cases, the GNAS mutations present in the IPMNs were also found in the invasive lesion. GNAS mutations were not found in other types of cystic neoplasms of the pancreas or in invasive adenocarcinomas not associated with IPMNs. In addition to defining a new pathway for pancreatic neoplasia, these data suggest that GNAS mutations can inform the diagnosis and management of patients with cystic pancreatic lesions.
Series Solution of the Ginzburg-Landau Equations for the Abrikosov Mixed State

Periodic solutions of the Ginzburg-Landau (GL) equations in the form of a power series in the quantity $\frac{({H}_{c2}\ensuremath{-}B)}{B}$ are found. The lowest order term of the series satisfies the linearized GL equation. The order parameter, the free energy, and the magnetic moment are explicitly evaluated to the next higher order for the regular triangular lattice and the square lattice. These results evaluate the error in using the solutions of the linearized equation and extend the range of magnetic field for which the mixed-state configuration is known. An orthonormal set of functions in which the order parameter may be expanded is generated. The mixed-state solutions of the linearized equation with fluxoid quantum numbers greater than unity are determined and shown to have higher free energy than the unit-fluxoid solutions of the same symmetry.
Direct observation of substrate binding to ferrous-CO cytochrome P-450-CAM using 19F NMR

Abstract The binding of two fluorinated substrate analogs, 9-fluorocamphor and 5,5-difluorocamphor, to cytochrome P-450-CAM has been investigated by 19F NMR spectroscopy. The NMR properties of each substrate differ depending on whether it is free in aqueous buffer, bound to the diamagnetic ferrous-CO enzyme or bound to the paramagnetic ferrous derivative. As CO must be bound to the ferrous center for it to be diamagnetic, these results demonstrate that camphor and CO bind to the protein simultaneously. The present results are unusual in that the spectral properties of the substrate rather than those of the heme iron have been monitored to follow substrate and ligand binding.
Preservation of some life length classes for age distributions associated with age-dependent branching processes

Abstract Under a Bellman–Harris age-dependent branching process, a parent lives a random length of time and at death produces a random number of offspring. The parent lifetimes have the common cumulative distribution G ( ⋅ ) and the number of offspring per parent has a common probability distribution. The current age distribution is known to converge to a limiting distribution A ( ⋅ ) , called the Lotka limit law, which depends only on G ( ⋅ ) and the mean number of offspring. Besides the age distribution, we also consider a residual life distribution and a total life distribution. We investigate the preservation of classes of life lengths for these distributions and their limits.
RNA extracts of lymphoid cells sensitized to DNP-oligolysines convert nonresponder lymphoid cells to responder cells which release migration inhibition factor

Abstract Strain 13 nonresponder peritoneal exudate cells were converted to responder status to α or ϵ,DNP-oligolysines after incubation of the cells with RNA extracts prepared from responder guinea pigs skin test sensitive to these synthetic antigens. The conversion of nonresponder strain 13 cells was assessed by the direct cell migration inhibition correlate of delayed hypersensitivity. Nonresponder cells were not converted by RNA extracts prepared from unimmunized responder guinea pigs or from non-responder strain 13 guinea pigs previously injected with DNP-oligolysines. Thus, it seems possible to correct immunological unresponsiveness in vitro in spite of a specific genetically determined deficiency of the immune response related to the Ir gene.
Anxiety, "color shock," and other effect on reaction to inblots.

Summary Forty male college students were selected on the basis of scores on the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale and assigned to high- and low-anxious groups. The Ss were tested with color-modified Rorschach inkblots presented in two orders (red black and black red). Reaction times differed significantly for both the high- and low-anxious groups when red cards followed black. Thus “color shock” as determined by an increase in reaction time occurs only when red appears second. A possible color set explanation was discussed.
'Fruit of the accords': healthcare reform and civil participation in Highland Guatemala.

Governmental-contracting of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) is a central strategy of neoliberal health reforms in Central America. More than improving the equity, efficiency, and quality of health services, contracting presents a potential mechanism to redefine antagonistic relationships between the state and civil society, particularly in countries ravaged by political violence. In this paper I examine the process of heath reform in Guatemala through the implementation of the Sistema Integral de Atencion en Salud (SIAS) in the municipality of San Martin Jilotepeque. Mandated in the 1996 Peace Accords, SIAS potentially facilitates decentralization and civil participation through governmental-contracting of NGOs to provide health services to underserved populations. Drawing on ethnographic interviews with NGO representatives, Ministry of Health (MOH) workers, and community health workers and midwives, I examine the contracting process and then address issues of equity, efficiency, and quality of services, as well as the process of decentralization. I argue that contracted NGOs are largely restricted to serve as administrators, removed from the delivery of services, and are heavily dependent upon the traditional MOH structure, which limits the ability of SIAS to improve health services or foster the processes of decentralization and democratization.
Antisocial symptoms in preadolescent boys and in their parents: Associations with cortisol

Conduct disorder (CD) symptom counts in preadolescent boys, and antisocial personality disorder (ASP) and childhood conduct disorder symptom counts in their parents, were used as dimensional measures of behavioral deviation. A significant correlation was found for CD and ASP symptom counts between the two parents and between CD symptom counts of the children and parental CD and ASP symptom counts. Although socioeconomic level correlated negatively with parental symptom counts, no association was observed between parental socioeconomic status and children's CD symptom counts. Saliva cortisol level in the children was negatively associated with their CD symptom count and with their fathers' ASP count. Cortisol level was also lower among sons whose fathers had CD as children and subsequently developed ASP compared with the cortisol level in sons whose fathers either did not have any Axis I psychiatric disorder or did not develop ASP.
Failure mechanisms associated with the thermally grown oxide in plasma-sprayed thermal barrier coatings

Abstract The microstructure and durability of a thermal barrier coating (TBC) produced by the thermal spray method have been characterized. Upon exposure, the bond coat chemistry and microstructure change by inter-diffusion with the substrate and upon thickening of the thermally grown oxide (TGO). A wedge impression test, in conjunction with observations by scanning electron microscopy, has been used to probe the failure mechanisms. At short exposure times, when the TGO thickness is less than about 5 μ m, the growth of the TGO does not affect the crack patterns in the TBC and delaminations induced by wedge impression propagate within the TBC about 30 μ m from the interface. An amorphous phase at the splat interfaces promotes this failure mode. As the thickness of TGO increases during exposure, cracks form in the TBC around imperfections at the interface. Moreover, induced delaminations develop a trajectory close to the interface, propagating not only through the TBC but also within the TGO and along the interfaces. A scaling result based on the misfit around imperfections caused by TGO growth has been used to rationalize the critical TGO thickness when the TBC fails.
Does the pattern of population synchrony through space reveal if the Moran effect is acting

The populations of many species fluctuate in synchrony across large geographical areas. This synchrony is often attributed to the Moran effect, that is, shared environmental fluctuations across the region. In this article, I use a series of simple metapopulation models to show that the degree of synchrony among populations separated by different distances is strongly affected by the particular way that environmental stochasticity is represented in the models. Furthermore, when multiple types of stochasticity are acting simultaneously, the synchronizing effect of any one type is difficult to discern from the resulting pattern of population synchrony. These effects can be exacerbated under certain demographic conditions or if population dynamics are affected by interspecific interactions. In general, it should be extremely difficult to determine if synchrony is caused by the Moran effect using only the synchrony-distance relationship of natural populations.