cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Buckling of sheet metals in contact with tool surfaces

Abstract The buckling point detected at the Yoshida Buckling Test is at an extremely low strain level, which does not reflect the reality observed in stamping of complex parts. A new buckling test, “Contact Buckling Test”, is proposed here with the thought that the delay of buckling in reality is due to the existence of sheet curvature and the contact support provided by tooling. Interesting buckling phenomena have been observed for both aluminum and steel sheets, including oil canning, buckling at the loading stage, and buckling at unloading. The fundamentals of these different buckling phenomena will be explained through a stress-based wrinkling predictor developed by the authors.
Relation of ethanol metabolism to several factors in the rat.

THE most important site for the oxidation of alcohol is the liver. Various experimental approaches, for example, the artificial perfusion of surviving liver with blood containing alcohol, oxidation of alcohol by liver slices and liver brei, diminished alcohol oxidation following either hepatectomy or damage to the liver, and the demonstration that the eviscerated animal metabolizes alcohol very slowly, have all indicated that the liver is of major importance in the metabolism of ethanol1.
Towards reasonability properties for access-control policy languages

The growing importance of access control has led to the definition of numerous languages for specifying policies. Since these languages are based on different foundations, language users and designers would benefit from formal means to compare them. We present a set of properties that examine the behavior of policies under enlarged requests, policy growth, and policy decomposition. They therefore suggest whether policies written in these languages are easier or harder to reason about under various circumstances. We then evaluate multiple policy languages, including XACML and Lithium, using these properties.
Auxiliary BE Production by African American English–Speaking Children With and Without Specific Language Impairment

Purpose To examine 3 forms (am, is, are) of auxiliary BE production by African American English (AAE)–speaking children with and without specific language impairment (SLI). Method Thirty AAE speake...
Preparation and structure of the light rare-earth copper selenides LnCuSe2 (Ln=La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm)

Abstract The ternary selenides LnCuSe2 (Ln=La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm) have been synthesized by the reaction at 1173 K of Ln, Cu, and Se in a KBr or KI flux. The compounds, which are isostructural with LaCuS2, crystallize with four formula units in the space group P21/c of the monoclinic system. The structure may be thought of as consisting of layers of CuSe4 tetrahedra separated by double layers of LnSe7 monocapped trigonal prisms along the a-axis. Cell constants (A or deg) at 153 K are: LaCuSe2, 6.8142(5), 7.5817(6), 7.2052(6), 97.573(1)°; CeCuSe2, 6.7630(5), 7.5311(6), 7.1650(6), 97.392(1)°; PrCuSe2, 6.740(1), 7.481(1), 7.141(1), 97.374(2)°; NdCuSe2, 6.7149(6), 7.4452(7), 7.1192(6), 97.310(1)°; SmCuSe2, 6.6655(6), 7.3825(7), 7.0724(6), 97.115(1)°. There are no Se–Se bonds in the structure of LnCuSe2; the formal oxidation states of Ln/Cu/Se are 3+/1+/2−.
Tympanic membrane. II. Pars flaccida.

Submicroscopic morphological details of the pars flaccida (Shrapnell's membrane) of the cat, squirrel monkey, rabbit and sheep were studied. Three layers were distinctly recognized: outer epidermal, middle lamina propria and inner mucous. The epidermis was composed of three to four layers of keratinizing squamous cells, and the inner mucous layer was formed by a single-cell layer of simple squamous or cuboidal cells. These cells could accommodate cilia or secretory granules. The middle lamina propria was composed of loose connective tissue containing fibroblasts, nerve fibers and capillaries. The regularly arranged collagenous fibers which were present in pars tensa were not found. Abundant elastic fibers were found in this layer intermixed with collagenous fibers. The thickness of Shrapnell's membrane in the materials used was considerably greater than that of pars tensa.
Evaluation of Foliar Fungicides and Insecticides on Soybeans in South Central Iowa

Iowa State University personnel assessed foliar fungicides and insecticide use on soybeans at seven locations across Iowa including the Northwest Farm (Sutherland), Northern Farm (Kanawha), Northeast Farm (Nashua), Curtiss Farm (Ames), Armstrong Farm (Lewis), McNay Farm (Chariton), and Southeast Farm (Crawfordsville) (Figure 1).
Low temperature crystallization of highly textured GeSn thin films on SiO 2 for 3D photonic integration

We report a highly (111)-textured Ge0.9Sn0.1 thin film fabricated on SiO 2 at 464°C. Incorporating Sn into Ge significantly reduces the crystallization temperature and red-shifts the direct band gap to ∼0.5 eV, approaching indirect-to-direct gap transition.
The Development Of An Advanced Microwave Precipitation Radiometer For Future Airborne Measurements

An account is given of the development and preliminary testing of the Advanced Microwave Precipitation Radiometer (AMPR) for 10-85 GHz range precipitation retrieval and mesoscale storm-system studies conducted by ER-2 aircraft. AMPR exploits precipitation scattering signals to unambiguously retrieve precipitation and storm-structure intensity data. Attention is given to the AMPR's multifrequency feedhorn, which furnishes dual-polarization ports at 19.35, 37.0, and 85.5 GHz; the 10.7 GHz channel uses a separate horn/lens antenna with single polarization. The AMPR-equipped ER-2 will underfly the SSM/I space instrument to allow data comparisons of comparable spatial coverage.
Bioavailability of cobalt sources for ruminants. 1. Effects of time and dietary cobalt concentration on tissue cobalt concentration

Abstract An experiment was conducted with 27 mature wethers initially averaging 59.8 ± 5.6 kg in body weight to study the effect of time and dietary Co concentration on tissue Co concentrations as a potential bioassay for Co sources. The 3 × 3 factorial arrangement of treatments included 0, 20, or 40 ppm added Co as reagent grade CoSO 4 ·H 2 O added to a basal diet containing 0.17 ppm Co and fed for 20, 40, or 60 d. Sheep were offered diets and tap water ad libitum. At the end of each period sheep were weighed and killed for tissue collection. At 20 d only livers were taken; thereafter kidney, spleen, skeletal muscle, and heart were also collected. There was no effect of time (P=0.07) or dietary Co (P=0.84) on average daily feed intake. Cobalt increased in liver (P
A Plague of Silence: Social Hygiene and the Purification of the Nation in Camus's La Peste

This essay examines Albert Camus's use of plague as an allegory for imperialist occupation and of medicine as a model for political struggle. It reveals that the plague allegory naturalizes evil and universalizes suffering while minimizing collaboration in the interests of imagining a unified resistance. Typifying postwar attempts at national reconciliation, La Peste embraces the republican ideals of equality and solidarity through an assimilationist narrative that collapses social distinctions, denies ethnic diversity, and silences the specific oppression of Jews in occupied France and of Arabs in colonial Algeria. Drawing on historical research as well as contemporaneous writings by Frantz Fanon, the essay problematizes Camus's idealization of medical practice in Vichy France and colonial Algeria and critiques the representation of the Western doctor as the ideal witness and diagnostician of social ills. It reads Camus's pathologization of political crises as a response to his precarious position as a p...
On a Binary-Encoded ILP Coloring Formulation

We further develop the 0/1 ILP formulation of Lee for edge coloring where colors are encoded in binary. With respect to that formulation, our main contributions are (i) an efficient separation algorithm for general block inequalities, (ii) an efficient LP-based separation algorithm for stars (i.e., the all-different polytope), (iii) an introduction of matching inequalities, (iv) an introduction of switched path inequalities and their efficient separation, (v) a complete description for paths, and (vi) the promising computational results.
Results of a randomized prospective trial of intraaortic balloon counterpulsation and intravenous nitroglycerin in patients with acute myocardial infarction

A randomized prospective clinical trial compared combined treatment with intraaortic balloon pumping and intravenous nitroglycerin for 4 to 5 days with routine clinical management in 20 patients with extensive myocardium at risk for infarction as evidenced by a thallium defect score of 7.0 units or greater. No significant differences in mortality or clinical outcome were observed between the 10 patients receiving the combined treatment and the 10 receiving routine management. In 14 patients two-dimensional echocardiograms obtained 6 to 24 hours after the onset of symptoms and at follow-up 6 to 16 days later (after completion of combined intraaortic balloon pumping plus nitroglycerin therapy) were analyzed to determine whether infarct segment or noninfarct segment lengths were affected by therapy. Among these 14 patients, 5 (3 receiving the combined therapy and 2 receiving routine management) demonstrated an increase in infarct segment length of greater than 1.0 cm. Mean infarct segment length increased 0.30 ± 0.44 cm in patients receiving the combined therapy and 0.29 ± 0.36 cm in patients on routine management (p = NS). In contrast, noninfarct segment length increased greater than 1.0 cm (mean increase 1.20 ± 0.39) in five of seven patients on routine management but in none of 7 patients receiving intraaortic balloon pumping plus nitroglycerin therapy (mean decrease 0.22 ± 0.20 cm) (p Thus, in patients with extensive myocardium at risk, it is unlikely that a reduction in mortality or a significant improvement in myocardial perfusion or ventricular function can be obtained by early intervention with intraaortic balloon pumping in combination with nitroglycerin. Although this combined therapy failed to prevent infarct segment lengthening (infarct expansion), the combined afterload-lowering effects of intraaortic balloon pumping and nitroglycerin did appear to prevent dilation or remodeling of noninfarcted segments during the first 2 weeks after acute myocardial infarction.
Evidence for linkage position determination in cobalt coordinated pentasaccharides using ion trap mass spectrometry

A methodology to determine the linkage position of oligosaccharides is presented. In order to illustrate this technique, several oligosaccharides and disaccharides were ionized by electrospray and analyzed in a Paul trap mass spectrometer. Multiple stage tandem mass spectrometry experiments were used to determine linkage and structural information for the following four cobalt coordinated and singly charged ([M+Co−H]+) pentasaccharides: Lacto-N-fucopentaose I, II, III, and V. In order to differentiate between linkage positions, multiple low energy collision induced experiments with mass selected C type ions have been carried out in an ion trap mass spectrometer. Because of the coordination with cobalt, which directs the dissociation pathways, these C type ions undergo specific fragmentation reactions upon low energy collision induced dissociation. These dissociation pathways are unambiguously dependent on their linkage position, thus allowing differentiation between 1→2, 1→3, 1→4, and 1→6 linkage positions throughout the oligomers. Studies on various linked disaccharides and N-acetyl-disaccharides, which are smaller constituents of the pentasaccharides, were used to verify and confirm the results obtained from the pentasaccharides.
Inactivation of Escherichia coli by combining pH, ionic strength and pulsed electric fields hurdles

Abstract The use of pulsed electric fields is reported as a nonthermal process in the inactivation of bacteria and yeast. The inactivation of microorganisms is caused mainly by an increase in their membrane permeability due to compression and poration. Up to 2.2 log reductions in plate counts are observed when both pH and electric field are modified: pH from 6.8 to 5.7 and electric field from 20 to 55 kV/cm. Similar results are obtained when the ionic strength is reduced from 168 mM to 28 mM. The electric field and ionic strength are more likely related to the poration rate and physical damage of the cell membranes, while pH is more likely related to changes in the cytoplasmic conditions due to the osmotic imbalance caused by the poration. In this context, pulsed electric fields can be considered a hurdle which, combined with additional parameters such as pH, ionic strength, temperature and antimicrobial agents, can be effectively used in the inactivation of microorganisms.
William James, Faith, and the Placebo Effect

Long considered a fact of medicine and of clinical investigation, the placebo effect has recently been challenged. The thought of the great American psychologist and philosopher William James, particularly his understanding of the practical value of faith, helps to illuminate the nature of the placebo effect and the implications of this puzzling phenomenon for understanding healing and the practice of medicine.
Activity of Black Bears in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The activity of black bears ( Ursus americanus ) in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was studied through the use of motion sensitive radio-collars. Bears exhibited a tendency toward a crepuscular activity rhythm, although mating activity and changes in the nature and abundance of the food supply modified this pattern seasonally. The most distinct crepuscular rhythm was observed in the spring when expendable energy was limited by a paucity of nutritious food. Bears were more active and more diurnal during the summer when berries were abundant. The level of activity reached a peak during the June–July breeding season. Extensive nocturnal activity was observed only during the fall, and probably was associated with increased foraging in preparation for denning. Activities of females with cubs did not vary seasonally, and this group was active more than any other sex-age group; subadults were active more than solitary adults of their respective sex. Rain, snow, and temperatures above 25°C or below 0°C substantially reduced the level of activity.
Two versions of continental holism: Derrida and structuralism

The difficulty to pin down the philosophical content of structuralism depends on the fact that it operates on an implicit metaphysics; such a metaphysics can be best unfolded by examining Jacques Derrida’s deconstructionist critique of it. The essay argues that both structuralism and Derrida’s critique rely on holistic premises. From an initial externalist definition of structure, structuralism’s metaphysics emerges as a kind of ‘immanent’ holism, similar to the one pursued, in the contemporary analytic panorama, by Donald Davidson. By contrast, Derrida’s deconstructionist critique appears engaged in a ‘quasi-transcendental’ version of holism, which the author analyzes in connection with Martin Heidegger’s notion of Verwindung, or twisted overcoming.
Automated Assay of Single Tablets of Digoxin

An automated analytical system has been used to determine the amount of digoxin in single tablets at a level of 0.25 mg. per tablet. The active ingredient in an alcoholic solution was oxidized with periodate; after removal of the excess periodate with arsenite, reaction with 2-thiobarbituric acid at 75° produced a visible color which was recorded from a colorimeter. Interference by dextrose, which may be present in the tablet, was eliminated by simultaneous determination at a different wavelength. Relative standard deviation of the method was 0.7% for powdered tablet samples and 1.0% for an authentic tablet formulation.
Identifying cognitive impairment in heart failure: A review of screening measures

Abstract Objectives To identify and evaluate screening tools that have been used in heart failure (HF), and determine their usefulness and feasibility in the clinical setting. Background There is increasing evidence that HF is associated with a pattern of cognitive impairment (CI) characterized by subtle deficits particularly in the domains of memory, attention, and executive function with increasing evidence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). A standard, effective CI screening measure for HF has not been identified. Methods A review of the literature published from January 2000 to May 2011 was conducted to identify studies that used one or more screening instrument to identify or describe CI in HF. Results Seven screening instruments were identified across the 23 studies reviewed. The screening approaches vary in length, cut points, scoring methods, and cognitive domains covered. Conclusions The Mini Mental State Exam is the most frequently used screening measure, but does not appear to be an adequate instrument to detect the type of cognitive impairment seen in HF. Combining instruments such as the Clock Drawing test with the Abbreviated Mental test would screen for deficits in the appropriate cognitive domains. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment is more comprehensive and appears to be a suitable screening tool for HF. A standard, brief, sensitive screening instrument designed to detect subtle cognitive impairment in the areas of attention, memory, executive function, and psychomotor speed should be adopted for use in HF.
Expression of the Interferon Tau Inducible Ubiquitin Cross-Reactive Protein in the Ovine Uterus

Ubiquitin cross-reactive protein (UCRP) is a 17-kDa protein that shows cross-reactivity with ubiquitin antisera and retains the carboxyl-terminal Leu-Arg-Gly-Gly amino acid sequence of ubiquitin that ligates to, and directs degradation of, cytosolic proteins. It has been reported that bovine endometrial UCRP is synthesized and secreted in response to conceptus-derived interferon-tau (IFNtau). In the present studies, UCRP mRNA and protein were detected in ovine endometrium. Ovine UCRP mRNA was detectable on Day 13, peaked at Day 15, and remained high through Day 19 of pregnancy. The UCRP mRNA was localized to the luminal epithelium (LE), stromal cells (ST) immediately beneath the LE, and shallow glandular epithelium (GE) on Day 13, but it extended to the deep GE, deep ST, and myometrium of uterine tissues by Day 15 of pregnancy. Western blotting revealed induction of UCRP in the endometrial extracts from pregnant, but not cyclic, ewes. Ovine UCRP was also detected in uterine flushings from Days 15 and 17 of pregnancy and immunoprecipitated from Day 17 pregnant endometrial explant-conditioned medium. Treatment of immortalized ovine LE cells with recombinant ovine (ro) IFNtau induced cytosolic expression of UCRP, and intrauterine injection of roIFNtau into ovariectomized cyclic ewes induced endometrial expression of UCRP mRNA. These results are the first to describe temporal and spatial alterations in the cellular localization of UCRP in the ruminant uterus. Collectively, UCRP is synthesized and secreted by the ovine endometrium in response to IFNtau during early pregnancy. Because UCRP is present in the uterus and uterine flushings, it may regulate endometrial proteins associated with establishment and maintenance of early pregnancy in ruminants.
Black Males and Adult Education: A Call to Action

In this concluding chapter, the editors offer their reflections on the key themes of this volume and implications for future research and practitioners of adult education.
A Robotic Companion for Social Support of Isolated Older Adults

We demonstrate interaction with a relational agent, embodied as a robot, to provide social support for isolated older adults. Our robot supports multiple activities, including discussing the weather, playing cards and checkers socially, maintaining a calendar, talking about family and friends, discussing nutrition, recording life stories, exercise coaching and making video calls.
Rewriting XPath queries using materialized views

As a simple XML query language but with enough expressive power, XPath has become very popular. To expedite evaluation of XPath queries, we consider the problem of rewriting XPath queries using materialized XPath views. This problem is very important and arises not only from query optimization in server side but also from semantic caching in client side. We consider the problem of deciding whether there exists a rewriting of a query using XPath views and the problem of finding minimal rewritings. We first consider those two problems for a very practical XPath fragment containing the descendent, child, wildcard and branch features. We show that the rewriting existence problem is coNP-hard and the problem of finding minimal rewritings is Σp3. We also consider those two rewriting problems for three subclasses of this XPath fragment, each of which contains child feature and two of descendent, wildcard and branch features, and show that both rewriting problems can be polynomially solved. Finally, we give an algorithm for finding minimal rewritings, which is sound for the XPath fragment, but is also complete and runs in polynomial time for its three subclasses.
Yield of gastric carcinoma from radiologic screening.

Summary Results of an experiment in the radiologic detection of gastric cancer have been presented, Patients were selected for roentgen study when they were over 45 years of age and exhibited hypochlorhydria. A yield of one cancer for every 447 years of patient observation was found. The yield was seen to diminish after the first year of observation, whereas the percentage of early cases of gastric cancer detected was seen to increase after the first year of observation. No doubt, the application of this method for mass surveys is presently impractical. It is questionable whether the yield would be sufficient to justify the extensive use of personnel which would be involved. As a prophylactic procedure for individual patients, in whom these indications are present, it may be of considerable value. Widely practiced in this way, some increase in the salvage from gastric carcinoma would result.
Concordance of studies for nodal staging is prognostic for worse survival in esophageal cancer.

Summary Pretreatment clinical staging in esophageal cancer influences prognosis and treatment strategy. Current staging strategies utilize multiple imaging modalities, and often the results are contradictory. No studies have examined the implications of concordance of computed tomography (CT), positron emission tomography (PET), and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) when used for the evaluation of nodal disease. The objective of this study was to determine if concordance of CT, PET, or EUS for nodal disease predicts worse overall survival. We reviewed 615 esophageal cancer patients with pretreatment CT, PET, and EUS that underwent esophagectomy for survival outcomes based on concordance of studies for nodal disease. Concordant N+ is defined as two or three studies positive for nodal disease; non-concordant N+ is defined as only one positive study. Node-positive disease by any study predicted shorter survival than node-negative disease (42% vs. 73% 5-year survival; P < 0.001). Additionally, non-concordant N+ patients had shorter survival than N− patients (52% vs. 73% 5-year survival; P < 0.001). Concordant N+ patients had shorter survival than non-concordant N+ patients (38- vs. 61-month median survival; P = 0.017). There were no statistically significant differences in survival based on specific combinations of studies. When PET was disregarded, patients with both CT+ and EUS+ had shorter survival than patients with either CT+ or EUS+ (39- vs. 58-month median survival; P = 0.029). Pretreatment CT, PET, or EUS concordance for node-positive disease predicts shorter overall survival in patients that undergo esophagectomy for esophageal cancer. Predicting survival in esophageal cancer should consider the synergistic capabilities of CT, PET, and EUS in evaluating nodal status.
Generation of Alfvén waves by high power pulse at the electron plasma frequency

[1] The interaction of a short high power pulse at the electron plasma frequency (f = 9 GHz, τ = .5 μs, P < 70 kW) and a magnetized plasma (n0 ≤ 1.25 · 1012 cm−3, B0 = 1.0 − 2.5 kG, Helium) capable of supporting Alfven waves has been studied. The interaction leads to the generation of inertial shear Alfven waves. The Alfven waves are centered in an azimuthal layer corresponding to the location of the plasma frequency cutoff. The Alfven waves are monochromatic with frequency within 10% of the ion cyclotron frequency. Spatial patterns of the wave were measured at different axial and radial locations.
Calcification of Trileaflet Polyurethane Heart Valve

Heart valve disease is a common type of cardiac disease that causes a large number of mortalities worldwide. Patients with severe heart valve problems are required to undergo heart valve replacement surgeries. Mechanical and bioprosthetic heart valves are the current available prostheses for patients in need of a heart valve replacement surgery. Mechanical heart valves are susceptible to thromboembolism and thrombosis and bioprosthetic valves have a limited life-span because of leaflet wear and calcification. Different polyurethane valves were suggested as an alternative material. However, prior results indicated that tested polyurethanes failed due to calcification. The mechanism for polyurethane calcification is not yet completely understood. Kou Imachi et al. [2], suggested that the calcification is due to entrapment of blood proteins and/or phospholipids in microgaps in the polymer and subsequent attraction of Ca ion, leading to formation of calcium phosphate (Ca3(PO4)2). Bisphosphonates (BP), which are considered to enhance the calcification resistance of polymers once covalently bonded to the material, indicated promising results in some studies. Focus of the present study is the trileaflet polyurethane valve, originally developed in the design of the AbioCor® replacement heart, and has demonstrated excellent durability and hemocompatibility in clinical evaluation. Over the past three years, this valve has been modified and its potential as a replacement valve have been studied [1]. Valve hemodynamic analysis showed that it is comparable to bioprosthetic valve in terms of fluid flow, pressure drop and regurgitation [1]. In order to ensure the suitability of the trileaflet polyurethane valve as a replacement valve its fatigue and calcification resistance are studied. The purpose of this paper is to simulate calcification of trileaflet polyurethane valves in an in vitro accelerated test and compare that with that of tissue valves. Furthermore the effect of bisphosphonate modified polyurethane on calcification is studied.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Factors to improve detection of Alfalfa mosaic virus in soybean.

Infection of plants with Alfalfa mosaic virus is known to be associated with symptom and virus concentration remission, a phenomenon known as "recovery." However, for the routine detection of AMV in the infected plants, this phenomena is problematic. Indeed in soybean, detection of AMV has been problematic and inconsistent results have been obtained from tissues collected at different growth stage of the infected plants. In order to determine optimum sampling procedure for analysis by ELISA, three soybean cultivars and five biologically distinct strains of AMV were utilized in this study. Each cultivar was rub-inoculated with each of the strains and all the trifoliolate leaf samples of the infected plants were analyzed by ELISA at 30, 60, and 90 days postinoculation. Results suggested that for all virus strains and cultivars tested, tissue samples should consist of pooled fully developed trifoliolate leaflets that are positioned at the upper parts of the plants. Additionally, symptoms of AMV infection were dependent upon soybean cultivar and virus strain and varied from symptomatic to asymptomatic. This makes it problematic to conclude a soybean plant is AMV infected based upon symptomatology alone.
Algorithmic complexity of points in dynamical systems

This work is based on the author's dissertation. We examine the algorithmic complexity (in the sense of Kolmogorov and Chaitin) of the orbits of points in dynamical systems. Extending a theorem of A. A. Brudno, we note that for any ergodic invariant probability measure on a compact dynamical system, almost every trajectory has a limiting complexity equal to the entropy of the system. We use these results to show that for minimal dynamical systems, and for systems with the tracking property (a weaker version of specification), the set of points whose trajectories have upper complexity equal to the topological entropy is residual. We give an example of a topologically transitive system with positive entropy for which an uncountable open set of points has upper complexity equal to zero. We use techniques from universal data compression to prove a recurrence theorem: if a compact dynamical system has a unique measure of maximal entropy, then any point whose lower complexity is equal to the topological entropy is generic for that unique measure. Finally, we discuss algorithmic versions of the theorem of Kamae on preservation of the class of normal sequences under selection by sequences of zero Kamae-entropy.
Multimodality Imaging of the Postpartum or Posttermination Uterus: Evaluation Using Ultrasound, Computed Tomography, and Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Postpartum and posttermination complications are common causes of morbidity and mortality in women of reproductive age. These complications can be broadly categorized into vascular, infectious, surgical, and neoplastic etiologies, or are due to ectopic implantation of placental or endometrial tissue. Causes of postpartum vascular complications include retained products of conception, arteriovenous malformation, and pseudoaneurysm. Infectious entities include endometritis, abscess, wound cellulitis, and pelvic septic thrombophlebitis. Postsurgical complications include uterine scar dehiscence, bladder flap hematoma, and subfascial hematoma. Neoplastic complications include the spectrum of gestational trophoblastic neoplasms. Ectopic tissue implantation complications include abnormal placentation and uterine scar endometriosis. Imaging is essential for diagnosis, and radiologists must be familiar with and aware of these entities so that accurate treatment and management can be obtained. In this review, we illustrate the imaging findings of common postpartum and posttermination complications on ultrasound, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging.
Africa Science Board, National Academy of Sciences, U.S.A.

Science, one of the most universal and public of human systems to understand and control nature, has prompted a whole new area of international co-operation between African scientists and their colleagues in other countries. Such co-operation recognises the desires of African scientists to contribute to the advance of knowledge. It also recognises the desire of scientists abroad to take advantage of the rich opportunities for research in the various environments of Africa on a wide variety of problems of theoretical and practical significance.
Smoking Cessation and Serious Mental Illness

A focus group methodology was employed to identify personal, social, and environmental factors that affect smoking cessation in persons with serious mental illness. Four focus groups were held: two for those who had attempted to quit smoking and two for those who had never attempted to quit. Smoking is central to daily survival in patients with serious mental illness. Social and environmental reinforcement can both assist and hinder efforts to stop smoking. Smoke-free environments influence decisions to quit smoking if positive social comparisons with nonsmokers occur. Peer modeling and interpersonal connections with nonsmokers can offer links to forming supportive nonsmoking relationships.
Insight or ideas: escaping the idea centered "Box" defining creativity

The article is for those who are less than delighted by the state of the art in the various computer, Internet, and multimedia systems designed to enhance team creativity. It explores a hypothesis that certain common assumptions about team creativity and problem solving make it nearly impossible to develop systems which can measurably assist the richness and complexity of real world problem solving and design collaboration. Because creative success often results from recognizing that the original problem definition is hiding effective solutions, it may be advantageous to explore a definition of the creative event not as "an idea that is newer and better" but as "a shift in perspective or belief that makes new possibilities obvious". In the classic phrase: "don't raise the bridge, lower the water" the creative event is seen as the shift of problem definition to "getting the boats past", thus making a great many new possibilities obvious. This alternative perspective shifts the focus for deliberate creativity from "out of the box thinking" to "better box thinking" and validates the role of experience, expertise, and knowledge in the creative process. It is especially useful in understanding the more complex creative work of people like Einstein and Darwin, and in guiding the management of complex and cross functional creativity.
Impulsivity moderates promotive environmental influences on adolescent delinquency: a comparison across family, school, and neighborhood contexts.

The present study examined moderating effects of impulsivity on the relationships between promotive factors from family (family warmth, parental knowledge), school (school connectedness), and neighborhood (neighborhood cohesion) contexts with delinquency using data collected from N = 2,978 sixth to eighth graders from 16 schools surrounding a major city in the Midwestern United States. More than half of the respondents were non-Caucasian (M age = 12.48; 41.0 % male). Multilevel modeling analyses were conducted to take into account the clustering of the participants within schools. Impulsivity was positively associated with adolescent delinquency. Additionally, family warmth, parental knowledge, and school connectedness, but not neighborhood cohesion, were independently and inversely related to adolescent delinquency. Finally, impulsivity moderated relationships between family warmth and parental knowledge with delinquency but not relationships between school attachment and neighborhood cohesion with delinquency. Specifically, the negative relationship between family warmth and delinquency was significant for adolescents with high levels of, but not for those with below-average levels of, impulsivity. In addition, parental knowledge had a stronger association with decreased levels of delinquency for adolescents reporting higher levels of impulsivity. The moderating effects of impulsivity did not differ for males and females or for minority and non-minority participants. Findings indicate that impulsivity may have greater impact on adolescents' susceptibility to positive family influences than on their susceptibility to promotive factors from school or neighborhood contexts. Implications for future research and practice are discussed. Language: en
Another Realism: The Politics of Gandhian Nonviolence

Although Gandhi is often taken to be an exemplary moral idealist in politics, this article seeks to demonstrate that Gandhian nonviolence is premised on a form of political realism, specifically a contextual, consequentialist, and moral-psychological analysis of a political world understood to be marked by inherent tendencies toward conflict, domination, and violence. By treating nonviolence as the essential analog and correlative response to a realist theory of politics, one can better register the novelty of satyagraha (nonviolent action) as a practical orientation in politics as opposed to a moral proposition, ethical stance, or standard of judgment. The singularity of satyagraha lays in its self-limiting character as a form of political action that seeks to constrain the negative consequences of politics while working toward progressive social and political reform. Gandhian nonviolence thereby points toward a transformational realism that need not begin and end in conservatism, moral equivocation, or pure instrumentalism.
Privacy-preserving applications on smartphones

Smartphones are becoming some of our most trusted computing devices. People use them to store highly sensitive information including email, passwords, financial accounts, and medical records. These properties make smartphones an essential platform for privacy-preserving applications. To date, this area remains largely unexplored mainly because privacy-preserving computation protocols were thought to be too heavyweight for practical applications, even for standard desktops. We propose using smartphones to perform secure multi-party computation. The limitations of smartphones provide a number of challenges for building such applications. In this paper, we introduce the issues that make smartphones a unique platform for secure computation, identify some interesting potential applications, and describe our initial experiences creating privacy-preserving applications on Android devices.
“Giant” Arachnoid Granulations Just Like CSF?: NOT!!

"Giant" AGs (>1 cm) are uncommon and can be misdiagnosed as venous sinus pathology such as a neoplasm or thrombosis. Seventeen patients with a total of 19 venous sinus AGs of >1 cm were collected from contributing authors. MR imaging was available for all AGs; CT, for 5/19; and DSA, for 7/19. Intra-AG fluid was compared with CSF in subarachnoid spaces. Nonfluid AG tissue was compared with gray matter. Diagnosis was based on imaging findings. Fluid within giant AGs did not follow CSF signal intensity on at least 1 MR image in nearly 80% (15/19) of AGs. Nine of these 15 AGs had CSF-incongruent signal intensity on ≥2 MR images. CSF-incongruent signal intensity was seen in 8/8 AGs on FLAIR, 7/10 on precontrast T1WI, 13/19 on T2WI, and 8/14 on contrast-enhanced T1WI. Nonfluid signal intensity was present in 18/19 AGs and varied from absent/hypointense (intra-AG flow voids) to gray matter isointense (stromal tissue).
Student evaluations of team members: Is there gender bias?

The ability to work effectively in teams is a critical learning outcome for engineering students. It is among the ABET requirements and a skill desired by employers for it is integral to innovation, product development, and to a positive working environment. Many engineering courses provide students with opportunities to develop their team skills through projects, in-class activities, and other assignments. Peer assessment of team skills increases student accountability to teammates, helps students gauge what is expected from them, and assists instructors in assigning course grades. However, there are few studies examining whether gender bias occurs during peer assessment. This work aims to address this gap. Using a randomized experiment, this study examines whether there are differences in how students evaluate the performance of male and female team members. The survey participants include 590 first-year engineering students at a research institution in the Midwest. Each participant rated and evaluated the skills and qualities of a fictional team member. The description of the fictional team member is exactly the same, except the name assigned to the fictional member was randomly depicted as female or male. The results indicate that there is no difference in how students evaluate male and female fictional team members. The female team members, however, received higher ratings related to their contributions and punctuality. These findings are consistent with previous research on gender bias on teaming evaluations at the undergraduate level, and suggest that peer assessments may be a useful method to provide students with additional feedback regarding their team skills.
Ureteral Obstruction Owing to Endometriosis: Reversal with Synthetic Progestin

A case of unilateral ureteral obstruction owing to extensive pelvic endometriosis is presented. There was complete resolution of ureteral obstruction following treatment with synthetic progestin. Sequential assessment of renal function was provided by renal imaging and renograms. It would appear that selected patients with obstructive uropathy may respond favorably to medical management, which would allow for preservation of reproductive capabilities and restoration of renal excretory function.
Tumor-Associated Antigen Levels (Carcinoembryonic Antigen, Human Chorionic Gonadotropin, and Alpha-Fetoprotein) Antedating the Diagnosis of Cancer in the Framingham Study

Determinations of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) were done by use of frozen serum samples antedating the diagnosis of cancer for 9 pancreatic and 8 gastric carcinoma patients from the Framingham Heart Study. The longest intervals for elevated antigens before cancer diagnosis were 10 months for CEA and 26 months for HCG. (The single elevated AFP was found in a sample 10 days before clinical diagnosis.) Samples from 31 controls matched with the cancer subjects by age, sex, vital capacity, and smoking status showed over 20% "false" positive CEA elevations (all smokers with low vital capacities) and over 20% borderline false positive HCG elevations in postmenopausal females. Although 10-26 months' lead time could infer some potential for use of these tumor-associated antigens to help detect malignant neoplasms at an earlier stage, a serious problem of frequent false positives prevents CEA and HCG levels from being useful as cancer-screening tests at this time.
A Review of Insect Resistance in the Clovers (Trifolium Spp.)

Crop varieties resistant to insect attack provide the ideal solution to insect control. Their use is effective, economical, without insecticide hazards, and the protection often lasts for many years. In forage crops, insect resistant varieties are especially appropriate and promising because of the relatively high cost of chemical applications, comparatively low acreage value of forages, and the possibility of insecticide residues.
Atrial Fibrillation in Heart Failure: Should Catheter Ablation Play a Larger Role?

Heart failure (HF) promotes atrial fibrillation (AF) by contributing to electric and structural changes. The development of AF in patients with preexisting congestive HF is associated with increased adverse events, including HF progression and mortality.1,2 However, large, randomized trials have failed to demonstrate that maintenance of sinus rhythm with antiarrhythmic drug therapy improves mortality.3 Some would argue that the development of AF is a marker of deterioration and that therapy will have little benefit. However, many would agree that sinus rhythm is a good thing. AF patients who have sinus rhythm restored have better functional capacity than those who remain in sinus rhythm.4 However, the electrophysiological changes that accompany HF are likely to reduce the chances of long-term maintenance of sinus rhythm. There is also concern that adverse effects of antiarrhythmic drugs, often amiodarone, in this population offset the benefit of sinus rhythm. Achieving sinus rhythm with catheter ablation offers the potential to maintain sinus rhythm without offsetting adverse drug effects. Article, see p 1637 Catheter ablation has evolved from a therapy for selected patients with paroxysmal AF and no or minimal structural disease, in whom ablation is more effective than antiarrhythmic drug therapy, to include patients with heart disease and persistent AF.5 Despite procedural risks and a healing period of several weeks during which arrhythmia recurrence is not uncommon, current clinical guidelines support catheter ablation for selected patients with symptomatic paroxysmal AF and persistent AF.6 In paroxysmal AF, catheter ablation (pulmonary vein isolation) is associated with freedom from recurrent arrhythmias for 1 to 2 years in ≈70% of patients.5 In contrast, in patients with persistent AF, ablation with pulmonary vein isolation alone often fails, and additional ablation strategies seeking to deal with presumptive arrhythmia substrates or triggers that extend outside the …
Exploring new bands in modified multichannel regression SST algorithms for the next-generation infrared sensors at NOAA

Multichannel regression algorithms are widely used to retrieve sea surface temperature (SST) from infrared observations with satellite radiometers. Their theoretical foundations were laid in the 1980s-1990s, during the era of the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometers which have been flown onboard NOAA satellites since 1981. Consequently, the multi-channel and non-linear SST algorithms employ the bands centered at 3.7, 11 and 12 μm, similar to available in AVHRR. More recent radiometers carry new bands located in the windows near 4 μm, 8.5 μm and 10 μm, which may also be used for SST. Involving these bands in SST retrieval requires modifications to the regression SST equations. The paper describes a general approach to constructing SST regression equations for an arbitrary number of radiometric bands and explores the benefits of using extended sets of bands available with the Visible Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) flown onboard the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (SNPP) and to be flown onboard the follow-on Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) satellites, J1-J4, to be launched from 2017-2031; Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometers (MODIS) flown onboard Aqua and Terra satellites; and the Advanced Himawari Imager (AHI) flown onboard the Japanese Himawari-8 satellite (which in turn is a close proxy of the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) to be flown onboard the future Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites – R Series (GOES-R) planned for launch in October 2016.
Schistosoma mattheei in cattle: variations in parasite egg production.

Summary In calves infected experimentally with Schistosoma mattheei there was a highly significant correlation during the period 8 to 15 weeks post-infection between daily faecal egg output per parasite and plane of nutrition at low infection rates. In animals on a high plane of nutrition there was a highly significant reduction in egg output as parasite numbers increased. No such reduction occurred on a low plane of nutrition. At high infection rates the effect of plane of nutrition was not apparent. Differences in host nutrition may explain variations in clinical response of different populations to the same challenge. Daily faecal egg output ranged from 640–3,285 per female schistosome.