cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A model-based approach for estimating human 3D poses in static images

Estimating human body poses in static images is important for many image understanding applications including semantic content extraction and image database query and retrieval. This problem is challenging due to the presence of clutter in the image, ambiguities in image observation, unknown human image boundary, and high-dimensional state space due to the complex articulated structure of the human body. Human pose estimation can be made more robust by integrating the detection of body components such as face and limbs, with the highly constrained structure of the articulated body. In this paper, a data-driven approach based on Markov chain Monte Carlo (DD-MCMC) is used, where component detection results generate state proposals for 3D pose estimation. To translate these observations into pose hypotheses, we introduce the use of "proposal maps," an efficient way of consolidating the evidence and generating 3D pose candidates during the MCMC search. Experimental results on a set of test images show that the method is able to estimate the human pose in static images of real scenes.
Temperature effects on morphological integrity and Ca2+ signaling in freshly isolated murine feed artery endothelial cell tubes

To study Ca2+ signaling in the endothelium of murine feed arteries, we determined the in vitro stability of endothelial cell (EC) tubes freshly isolated from abdominal muscle feed arteries of male ...
Benefits of Porous Asphalt Overlay on Storm Water Quality

This project documents the impact of a porous asphalt overlay on the quality of highway storm water runoff. A porous asphalt overlay, also known as a permeable friction course (PFC) or open-graded friction course, is a layer of porous asphalt, approximately 50 mm thick, that is often applied on top of conventional asphalt on highways to enhance safety and reduce noise. The quality of storm water runoff from a fourlane divided highway in the Austin, Texas, area was monitored before and after the installation of a PFC. The observed concentrations of total suspended solids and pollutants associated with particulate material were much lower in the runoff from the PFC than that derived from the conventional asphalt surface. Concentration reductions were observed for total suspended solids (92%), total lead (91%), total copper (47%), and total zinc (75%). The concentrations of chemical oxygen demand and total Kjeldahl nitrogen were initially lower in the runoff from the PFC but increased abruptly after about 6 ...
Design and characterization of null convention self-timed multipliers

We present various 4-bit /spl times/ 4-bit unsigned multipliers designed using the delay-insensitive null convention logic (NCL) paradigm. They represent bit-serial, iterative, and fully parallel multiplication architectures. NCL is a self-timed logic paradigm in which control is inherent in each datum. NCL follows the so-called weak conditions of Seitz's delay-insensitive signaling scheme. Like other delay-insensitive logic methods, the NCL paradigm assumes that forks in wires are isochronic. NCL uses symbolic completeness of expression to achieve delay-insensitive behavior. Simulation results show a large variance in circuit performance in terms of power, area, and speed. This study serve as a good reference for designers who wish to accomplish high-performance, low-power implementations of clockless digital VLSI circuits.
A molecular dynamical study of the equation of state of solids at high temperature and pressure

Abstract The molecular dynamics method of computer simulation was used to study the pressure and energy as a function of volume and temperature for f.c.c. neon with 6–12 Lennard-Jones interatomic forces and for b.c.c. iron with Morse interatomic forces. A self-consistent cell model was used to derive analytical formulae which describe the results of the computer experiments. A method for correcting the inherently classical results of the molecular dynamics calculations for the effect of quantum statistics is proposed. The results of the calculations are compared with experimental data and with various approximate methods for calculating the Gruneisen constant.
The influence of starvation upon hepatic drug metabolism in rats, mice, and guinea pigs.

Male rats, mice, and guinea pigs were starved for 1, 2, or 3 days, and the metabolism of ethylmorphine, p-nitroanisole, and aniline was studied. Results suggest that the oxidative enzyme systems studied are not interdependent, and the pathways studied appear to be species dependent.
WLAN/3G interworking architectures for next generation hybrid data networks

Currently, there is a strong need for integrating WLANs with 3G data networks and develop hybrid mobile data networks, capable of ubiquitous data services and very high data rates in hotspots. This paper addresses this need by proposing and discussing some architecture capable to provide interworking between WLANs and 3G networks and meet the requirements of two typical scenarios, which feature the highest market interest. These architectures can enable 3G subscribers to benefit from high throughput IP connectivity in strategic locations and also to maintain service consistency across several radio access technologies, such as IEEE 802.11, HiperLAN/2, UTRAN, GERAN, cdma2000, etc.
The Janus-III Translation System: Speech-to-Speech Translation in Multiple Domains

The Janus-III system translates spoken languages in limited domains. The current research focus is on expanding beyond tasks involving a single limited semantic domain to significantly broader and richer domains. To achieve this goal, The MT components of our system have been engineered to build and manipulate multi-domain parse lattices that are based on modular grammars for multiple semantic domains. This approach yields solutions to several problems including multi-domain disambiguation, segmentation of spoken utterances into sentence units, modularity of system design, and re-use of earlier systems with incompatible output.
Alliance Competence, Resources, and Alliance Success: Conceptualization, Measurement, and Initial Test:

This research examines the effect of an alliance competence on resource-based alliance success. The fundamental thesis guiding this research is that an alliance competence contributes to alliance success, both directly and through the acquisition and creation of resources. Using survey data gathered from 145 alliances, empirical tests of the hypotheses provide support for the posited explanation of alliance success. The findings indicate that an alliance competence is not only antecedent to the resources that are necessary for alliance success but also to alliance success itself.
Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cell Characterization and Optimization using in Situ and Ex Situ Spectroscopic Ellipsometry

We use in-situ and ex-situ spectroscopic ellipsometry to characterize the optical, electronic, and structural properties of individual layers and completed silicon heterojunction devices. The combination of in-situ measurements during thin film deposition with ex-situ measurements of completed devices allows us to understand both the growth dynamics of the materials and the effects of each processing step on material properties. In-situ ellipsometry measurements enable us to map out how the optical properties change with deposition conditions, pointing the way towards reducing the absorption loss and increasing device efficiency. We use the measured optical properties and thickness of the i-, n-, and p-layers in optical device modeling to determine how the material properties affect device performance. Our best solar energy conversion efficiencies are 16.9% for a non-textured, single-sided device with an aluminum back surface field contact on a p-type float zone silicon wafer, and 17.8% for a textured double-sided device on a p-type float zone silicon wafer.
Kinetics of thermal damage to a collagenous membrane under biaxial isotonic loading

Prior isothermal uniaxial isotonic tests on tendons reveal that higher temperatures hasten the rate of thermal denaturation whereas larger mechanical loads delay it; moreover, these findings suggest a time-temperature-load equivalency whereby similar levels of denaturation, as reflected by tissue shrinkage, can be attained via many combinations of heating time, temperature level, and mechanical loading. Yet, most tissues and organs experience multiaxial loads in vivo, and their microstructure differs significantly from that of tendons, thus, we must also evaluate the effects of multiaxial stresses on the kinetics of denaturation in other tissues. In this paper, we describe a new experimental approach for performing isothermal biaxial isotonic tests on thin sheet-like specimens and we report effects of various thermomechanical loads on the rate and amount of multiaxial shrinkage of bovine epicardium. Consistent with uniaxial studies, epicardial shrinkage generally increased sigmoidally with heating time, and a characteristic heating time revealed increases in the rate of shrinkage with higher temperature and decreases with larger biaxial loads. Although this characteristic time exhibited an Arrhenius-type character, time-temperature-load equivalency was not obtained when scaling time with this metric. General multiaxial thermomechanics is thus too complex to explain via a simple extension of uniaxial findings on tendons and there is a pressing need for more data and an appropriate theoretical framework.
Interrelationships of plant health and the sustainability of agriculture, with special reference to plant diseases

U.S. crops have the potential routinely to produce 15–25% more, and in some cases 100% more, with no more water or fertilizer, but are prevented from doing so by diseases, nematodes, arthropod pests, and weeds. It is not compatible with the goals of a sustainable agriculture to fertilize, cultivate, and water for maximum production, but then allow diseases and pests to limit actual yields to some fraction of what was paid for with the capital investments and agronomic inputs. In eastern Washington and adjacent northern Idaho (The Palouse), wheat generally yields 4,800–6,200 kg/ha in years of normal precipitation (45–55 cm), but yields 6,900–9,000 kg/ha with the same water and fertilizer if the soil is fumigated to eliminate root disease organisms and weeds, and the plants are protected from rusts, pseudocercosporella foot rot, and aphids. Some practical alternatives to soil fumigation (depending on the value of the crop) include crop rotation, tillage, flooding the soil, heating the soil (using clear plastic tarp or by burning residue on the soil surface), and organic amendments that intensify the biological stresses on pathogen propagules in soil. Other disease controls include using pathogen-free planting material, maintaining a diversity of genetic resistance, and adjusting planting date and method of seeding to escape pathogens. Some of the emerging technologies include improved serological and molecular methods for diagnosing pathogens, microorganisms that kill pathogen propagules in soil or protect the plant, simulation models of epidemics to forecast disease outbreaks, and integrated pest management systems. Better experimental a pproaches are needed to identify and determine the priorities of the combinations of biotic and abiotic factors that limit yields, and more attention should be given to holistic plant health care.
The amino-acid mutational spectrum of human genetic disease

Background Nonsynonymous mutations in the coding regions of human genes are responsible for phenotypic differences between humans and for susceptibility to genetic disease. Computational methods were recently used to predict deleterious effects of nonsynonymous human mutations and polymorphisms. Here we focus on understanding the amino-acid mutation spectrum of human genetic disease. We compare the disease spectrum to the spectra of mutual amino-acid mutation frequencies, non-disease polymorphisms in human genes, and substitutions fixed between species.
A hybrid system for temporal information extraction from clinical text.

Objective To develop a comprehensive temporal information extraction system that can identify events, temporal expressions, and their temporal relations in clinical text. This project was part of the 2012 i2b2 clinical natural language processing (NLP) challenge on temporal information extraction. Materials and methods The 2012 i2b2 NLP challenge organizers manually annotated 310 clinic notes according to a defined annotation guideline: a training set of 190 notes and a test set of 120 notes. All participating systems were developed on the training set and evaluated on the test set. Our system consists of three modules: event extraction, temporal expression extraction, and temporal relation (also called Temporal Link, or ‘TLink’) extraction. The TLink extraction module contains three individual classifiers for TLinks: (1) between events and section times, (2) within a sentence, and (3) across different sentences. The performance of our system was evaluated using scripts provided by the i2b2 organizers. Primary measures were micro-averaged Precision, Recall, and F-measure. Results Our system was among the top ranked. It achieved F-measures of 0.8659 for temporal expression extraction (ranked fourth), 0.6278 for end-to-end TLink track (ranked first), and 0.6932 for TLink-only track (ranked first) in the challenge. We subsequently investigated different strategies for TLink extraction, and were able to marginally improve performance with an F-measure of 0.6943 for TLink-only track.
Weight of edged spectacle lenses

Uncut spectacle lenses of various powers and materials were edged lo three different eye shapes and three box eye sizes. Their weights were measured. This demonstrated that the eye shape has very little effect on the weight of edged lenses and that there is very little difference in weight for neighbouring eye sizes. The density of the lens material is of major importance, but other characteristics also influence the edged lens weight.
Bubble Free High Efficiency Electroosmotic Pumps

In generating high electroosmotic flows for use in microfluidic pumps, a limiting factor is faradaic reactions which appear at high electric fields. These reactions lead to higher power consumption and bubble generation at the electrodes. We are proposing a novel technique that can limit and even prevent gas generation. This will extend the current range of operation of electroosmotic pumps. This is achieved by applying a unidirectional pulsed DC voltage waveform. The optimum pulse voltage waveform (OPW) tested is based on a theoretical model developed by the authors [1]. The power consumed and the efficiency of an electroosmotic pump under the pulsed DC voltage is measured experimentally and compared with the conventional bipolar rectangular voltage waveform (BRW). Results show an increase in the efficiency for the OPW when compared to the BRW. This increase in efficiency is obtained by preventing the reverse cycle in the BRW which flows against the pumping direction.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Analysis of 473 US Head and Neck Cancer Trials (1996-2014): Trends, Gaps, and Opportunities

ObjectiveTo report on types of investigations being conducted in US clinical trials, the types of therapeutic investigations that predominate, and the publication rates.Study DesignRetrospective analysis.SettingsUS head and neck cancer clinical trials.Subjects and MethodsWe used the information available on ClinicalTrials.gov to identify trends in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma clinical trials to characterize the types of trials and treatments being investigated. The publication rate for these trials was also examined with PubMed.gov.ResultsOf the 473 trials analyzed, similar drug regimens have been used repeatedly in head and neck cancer clinical trials. Drug studies are highly represented, composing 62% of all trials. The most common drugs studied were cisplatin, cetuximab, and docetaxel. Among all head and neck cancer clinical trials, 33% included radiation therapy in their treatment, while 10% included a surgical component. Forty-nine percent of trials had their results published in a medical j...
Performance Characteristics of Various Artificial Ice Nuclei Sources

Abstract A variety of devices that produce artificial nuclei have been used in weather modification experiments. These fall into two broad classifications, i.e., pyrotechnics and steady-state flame-type generators. The effectiveness-temperature relationships for these classes were measured and are presented in graphical form. In summary, the steady-state systems are in general one order of magnitude more effective than the pyrotechnics at temperatures below −12C. Above this temperature, the effectiveness of the pryotechnics approaches and in some cases exceeds that of the steady-state systems. These different characteristics can be explained by particle size effects. Other performance parameters are examined. Air-fuel ratio is one of these since effectiveness varies markedly near the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio for steady-state systems. A system which employs isopropylamine as the AgI carrier is more sensitive to changes in air-fuel ratio than the NaI-acetone AgI carriers. Another important performance ...
The Wood-Eating Termite Hindgut: Diverse Cellular Symbioses in a Microoxic to Anoxic Environment

The wood-eating termites evolved 140 million years ago in the Early Cretaceous. Symbiotic microbial communities developed in their hindguts that allowed them to survive on a diet of lignocelluloses, and coevolved into an obligate association that was vertically transmitted through the colony. A typical gut’s microbial community consists of several types of anaerobic protists and hundreds of prokaryotes, many of which are specialized to the gut, and include novel chemoautotrophic forms. Gut-inhabiting protists harbor ecto- and endosymbiotic prokaryotes that have been studied as analogs of early cellular evolution. Genomic studies have revealed a great deal more molecular genetic diversity in the community than was previously known, and are producing the first complete genomes of the bacterial endosymbionts. Experimental studies of the community have lagged because many of the organisms have proven difficult to culture.
Primaries — The only events that can be migrated and for which migration has meaning

Abstract Without exception, primaries are the only events that are ever migrated. Arranging for a more complete set of primaries will enhance imaging. The approximate image of an unrecorded primary can be realized by isolating and migrating a subevent primary of a multiple. A more complete set of images of primaries, consisting of recorded primaries and (approximated) unrecorded primaries, can enhance imaging. Multiples are not and cannot be migrated, and care must be taken for creating inevitably false events in this method, called cross talk.
Declining U.S. Tobacco Exports to Australia: A Derived Demand Approach to Competitiveness

The loss of competitiveness of U.S. tobacco leaf exports to Australia is empirically investigated, using industry‐level time‐series market data. Tobacco‐relative prices, market structure, scale, Australian market distortions, and changing characteristics of cigarettes are accounted for in the investigation. A decomposition analysis reveals that a switch to lighter cigarettes and changes in the Australian domestic tobacco content policy are the major contributors to the decline of U.S. tobacco exports. Tobacco price differences between the U.S. and its competitors, alone, cannot explain the loss of competitiveness of U.S. tobacco in Australian cigarette manufacturing.
Frauen, Schule und Führung – ein transatlantischer Vergleich

Im Rahmen der Reformbestrebungen im Bildungsbereich kommt dem Thema Schule und Fuhrung bereits seit langerem organisationspadagogische Aufmerksamkeit zu (vgl. Rosenbusch 2005). Der folgende Beitrag beschaftigt sich mit dem Thema Schule und Fuhrung aus einer Genderperspektive im transatlantischen Vergleich. Anders als in Deutschland blickt in den USA die Forschung uber Frauen in schulischen Fuhrungspositionen bereits auf eine langere Tradition zuruck und bietet daher – so die hier vertretene These – interessante Impulse fur die gegenwartige deutschsprachige Diskussion. Es wird zunachst in die Situation von Frauen in schulischen Fuhrungspositionen in beiden Landern eingefuhrt (1), anschliesend erfolgt die Sekundaranalyse eines transatlantischen Forschungsprojekts, bei dem es um die individuellen berufsbiographischen Erfahrungen von Frauen in schulischen Fuhrungspositionen ging (2). Am Ende des Beitrags werden neueste Ergebnisse der amerikanischen Schulleiterinnenforschung vorgestellt, die mittlerweile von einer Vielzahl an von Frauen praktizierten Fuhrungskonzepten ausgeht (3). Ziel des Beitrags ist es, eine kulturvergleichende Perspektive auf das Verhaltnis von Frauen, Schule und Fuhrung zu gewinnen, die als Grundlage fur eine zukunftige gendersensible Fuhrungsforschung in der Organisationspadagogik genutzt werden kann (4).
Legal Theory Lexicon 040: Functionalist Explanation in Legal Theory

This entry in the Legal Theory Lexicon provides a short introduction to the idea of functionalist explanation in legal theory. Functionalist explanations are familiar from biology, where evolutionary theory explains the existence of a trait in an organism by the effect the trait has on the ability of organism to reproduce. Sociologists frequently explain (or, perhaps, "formerly explained") social behavior on the basis of the social function that the behavior serves. Why does this group do a "rain dance"? Because the rain dance ritual serves to create social cohesion in times of stress.In legal theory, functionalist explanations explain the existence of legal rules or institutions in terms of the effects they produce. For example, Marxist explanations might explain the existence of a rule by showing that the rule serves the interests of the capitalist class. This Lexicon entry investigates the validity of such explanations and the related notions of microfoundations and methodological individual.
Review of The Snail Darter and the Dam: How Pork-Barrel Politics Endangered a Little Fish and Killed a River

This is review of a book describing how a coalition of activists challenged a dam that threatened a endangered species of fish. The book describes how the battle was fought in the three branches of government and at the state and federal levels.
Transitional Justice and Democratization: Lessons from the Iberian Experience

A key contention of the transitional justice movement and the vast literature that it has spawned is that the more comprehensive the effort to bring justice to a departed authoritarian regime for its political crimes the better the democratization outcome will be. This essay challenges this widespread assumption with empirical evidence from the Iberian Peninsula, where the global wave of democratization of the last three decades was born. In Portugal, political trials and bureaucratic purges intended to cleanse the state and society of the authoritarian past nearly derailed the transition to democracy by descending into a veritable political witch-hunt. In Spain, by contrast, a woefully inadequate approach to transitional justice, anchored on letting bygones be bygones, facilitated the country’s emergence as the paradigmatic example of a successful democratic transition. These counter-intuitive examples suggest first, that there is no pre-ordained outcome to any attempt at transitional justice and second, that confronting an evil past is neither a requirement nor a pre-condition for democratization. This is primarily so because the principal factors driving the impulse toward political justice against the old regime in new democracies tend to be political in nature rather than ethical or moral. In Portugal, the rise of transitional justice mirrored the anarchic politics of the revolution that lunched the transition to democracy and that witnessed the collapse of the state and the rise of a radial left-wing regime. In Spain, the near absence of transitional justice reflected the pragmatism of the political class shaped by a transition to democracy orchestrated by elements from the old right-wing regime.
A Cost-Effective Underwater Communication Infrastructure for Near-Field Tsunami Detection

This paper explores the potential use of underwater sensors, coupled with submarine fiber optic, for tsunami early detection. More specifically, the infrastructure will be designed to deal with near field tsunami, whose source is within about 100 km from the coast. To effectively support near-field tsunami disaster management and execution of the evacuation plan, the infrastructure must deliver tsunami alerts in a timely and reliably fashion. Furthermore, the acquisition, deployment and maintenance cost of the infrastructure must be kept at a minimum. This is necessary for the infrastructure to be a viable solution for near-field tsunami detection in economically challenged countries. To address these design challenges, this paper develops an optimization framework for proposed infrastructure to derive cost-effective, reliable, and timely near-field tsunami early detection. This framework incorporates Bellhop acoustic propagation model and sea environment factors to obtain realistic results. A heuristic approach is then proposed to derive near optimal, feasible and cost-effective infrastructure for near-field tsunami detection. To assess the performance of the proposed heuristic, a similar approach derived using nonlinear programming based approach and a comparative analysis is carried out. The results show that the proposed heuristic exhibits similar performance as the nonlinear programming based approach, but at a reduced computational cost. A case study is also carried out to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed infrastructure in realistic environments, under different design constraints and operational scenarios.
A Phase I New Approaches to Neuroblastoma Therapy Study of Buthionine Sulfoximine and Melphalan With Autologous Stem Cells for Recurrent/Refractory High-Risk Neuroblastoma.

Background Myeloablative therapy for high-risk neuroblastoma commonly includes melphalan. Increased cellular glutathione (GSH) can mediate melphalan resistance. Buthionine sulfoximine (BSO), a GSH synthesis inhibitor, enhances melphalan activity against neuroblastoma cell lines, providing the rationale for a Phase 1 trial of BSO-melphalan. Procedures Patients with recurrent/resistant high-risk neuroblastoma received BSO (3 gram/m2 bolus, then 24 grams/m2/day infusion days −4 to −2), with escalating doses of intravenous melphalan (20–125 mg/m2) days −3 and −2, and autologous stem cells day 0 using 3 + 3 dose escalation. Results Among 28 patients evaluable for dose escalation, one dose-limiting toxicity occurred at 20 mg/m2 melphalan (grade 3 aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase) and one at 80 mg/m2 (streptococcal bacteremia, grade 4 hypotension/pulmonary/hypocalcemia) without sequelae. Among 25 patients evaluable for response, there was one partial response (PR) and two mixed responses (MRs) among eight patients with prior melphalan exposure; one PR and three MRs among 16 patients without prior melphalan; one stable disease with unknown melphalan history. Melphalan pharmacokinetics with BSO were similar to reports for melphalan alone. Melphalan Cmax for most patients was below the 10 μM concentration that showed neuroblastoma preclinical activity with BSO. Conclusions BSO (75 gram/m2) with melphalan (125 mg/m2) is tolerable with stem cell support and active in recurrent/refractory neuroblastoma. Further dose escalation is feasible and may increase responses.
Applications of Lentiviral Vectors in Noninvasive Molecular Imaging

Noninvasive imaging of molecular-genetic and cellular processes is an effective way to determine the location(s), magnitude, and time variation of action of gene products used for many therapeutic strategies. Lentiviral vectors provide effective means for the delivery, integration, and expression of transgenes in cultured mammalian cells as well as in vivo. Therefore, the combination of lentiviral vector-mediated therapeutic and imaging-targeted reporter gene delivery to various target organs holds promise for the future treatment of diseases. In this chapter, we provide protocols for developing lentiviral vectors that can be utilized for noninvasive monitoring/imaging of reporter gene expression. We have described the procedures to perform cellular assays and animal imaging based on positron emission tomography (PET), optical bioluminescence, and fluorescence reporter genes. The protocols described here are standardized for mouse models, which can also be adapted for other small animal models (e.g., rats).
Stereotactic body radiation for pancreatic cancer: results of an international survey of practice patterns

Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) is an emerging treatment option for borderline resectable and locally advanced, unresectable pancreatic cancer (PCA). However, no standardized guidelines for treatment exist and patterns of SBRT use for PCA are unclear. Radiation oncologists known to use SBRT in the setting of PCA were invited to complete a 26-item Web-based survey on practice patterns. Thirty of the 36 (83 %) invited radiation oncologists completed the survey. Of the responders, 86 % treat with 6–8 Gy ×5 fractions. The majority (93 %) of responders use four-dimensional computed tomography (4D-CT) for simulation, with 50 % using gating for breathing motion. Two thirds of radiation oncologists use fiducials for tumor localization. Most (79 %) responders noted an improvement in patient-reported pain after SBRT. Approximately, 59 % report difficulty obtaining insurance clearance for pancreas SBRT in the absence of a clinical trial. The largest variations in practice were related to gross tumor volume (GTV) to planning target volume (PTV) expansions and management of respiratory motion. SBRT is increasingly used for PCA. The data presented here indicate that the majority of radiation oncologists treat with 6–8 Gy ×5 fractions and use fiducials with 4D-CT simulation for localization and planning. Although the majority of the surveyed physicians prefer SBRT to standard radiation, it may be underutilized due to the difficulty of obtaining insurance approval outside of a clinical trial. Our investigation documents current pancreas SBRT practice patterns and highlights the need for prospective clinical trials as a means to develop consensus guidelines for this emerging treatment.
The Architectonics of Poetic Prose in Camus’s The Stranger

It has been stated that The Stranger embodies the experience of the Absurd while the Myth of Sisyphus provides its rationale; that is, the novel tends to invigorate the philosophy. This coalescence of philosophical “meaning” and “structure” in The Stranger has been manipulated until it has become a unified and tightly-constructed literary text. I’m using the term architectonics in the manner of discussing the literary and artistic structure in Camus’s novel especially in the way he writes his prose in conjunction with specific themes (e.g. death). The essay is a close reading of the manner in which Camus paces the novel and the manner in which he selects the words he uses.
ESTIMATION IN PARAMETRIC MIXTURE FAMILIES

Abstract : For parametric mixture distributions indexed by say a univariate parameter Theta we investigate estimation of g theta under squared error loss. First we propose a method for uniformly improving upon an unbaised estimator of g theta. Second we characterize Bayes estimators of g theta and give a simple complete class theorem. Finally we study the performance of empirical Bayes rules generated using the EM algorithm. Application in the context of the noncentral chi-square distribution provides examples.
Penetrometer-mounted VisNIR spectroscopy: Application of EPO-PLS to in situ VisNIR spectra

Abstract Visible near-infrared spectroscopy (VisNIR) has been used to measure many soil properties. Typically, VisNIR is used on air-dried and ground soils in the laboratory. Recent developments in VisNIR instrumentation have allowed for the collection of VisNIR spectra from in situ soils. In this study, we demonstrate the viability of an in situ VisNIR system. VisNIR spectra were collected using a penetrometer-mounted VisNIR probe. The penetrometer-mounted VisNIR system requires no field calibration or pre-drilling of access holes. This system has several advantages in that it: 1) allows for measurement of soil properties without sample collection, preparation, and laboratory analysis and 2) can provide rapid soil measurement at high-depth-resolutions (2 cm). We applied an external parameter orthogonalization (EPO) to the in situ spectra to remove the effects of soil moisture and other in situ effects from the spectra. We calibrated partial least-squares (PLS) models using spectra from an existing library of air-dried and ground spectra. PLS models were then used to predict clay content of the EPO-transformed in situ spectra. Model results showed good predictive ability for in situ spectra with RMSE, bias, and R 2 of 88 g kg − 1 , − 15 g kg − 1 , and 0.76, respectively. A site-wise hold–out validation of EPO calibration demonstrated that EPO calibrations were robust to changes in soil characteristics and parent materials between study areas. These results show that by using the EPO-PLS method, in situ VisNIR is a viable tool for rapid, minimally invasive collection of soil data.
Minimally Invasive Approach for Resection of Parameningeal Rhabdomyosarcoma

Background About one-third of rhabdomyosarcomas arise in the head and neck, with parameningeal primaries accounting for half of these. Principles of management involve chemotherapy, radiation, or both, in addition to surgical biopsy, debulking, and complete or near-complete resection. In the head and neck, diagnostic biopsies have historically been performed without attempt at resection due to proximity to critical structures and cosmetic considerations. Methods Retrospective chart review of three cases of rhabdomyosarcoma at the cranial base managed through minimally invasive endoscopic surgical resection and adjuvant therapy. Results Three patients were identified as having undergone endoscopic surgical debulking or margin-negative resection of a rhabdomyosarcoma of the cranial base. Two of three patients had complete resection based on intraoperative margin control. All three patients underwent adjuvant therapy within 1 month of diagnosis. Follow-up time ranged from 5 months to 3 years with all patients disease-free at last follow-up. Conclusion Skull base surgeons should routinely be involved in multidisciplinary treatment planning for parameningeal rhabdomyosarcomas, as surgical options have evolved to allow for potential endoscopic resection with low morbidity and no or minimal delay in additional treatment options.
The effects of physical activity on learning behaviors in elementary school children: A randomized controlled trial

Research in education and developmental psychology indicates that behavioral engagement in learning is a critical predictor of children’s academic success. In an effort to improve academic achievement, school administrators are continually in search of methods to increase behavioral engagement. Previous research has indicated that classroom-based physical activity (PA) lessons have a positive impact on academic achievement. However, little research has been done in assessing the impact of such interventions on the behavioral engagement of students with learning behavior difficulties. This study assesses the impact of classroom-based PA on teacher-rated classroom behaviors of students with identified learning behavior difficulties. Two schools (one intervention, one control) participating in a larger, cluster-randomized trial provided scores on a teacher-administered classroom behavior scale. This scale was used to collect information on 15 characteristics identified as being essential to behavioral engagement. Participants included male and female students in second and third grade classrooms who were identified by their classroom teacher and school counselor as having difficulties with learning behaviors. Mixed linear modeling for repeated measures was used to examine the changes over time in the classroom behavior scores. The intervention group showed significant improvement over time in classroom behavior while the control group showed no change or a slight degradation over time (i.e., group × time interaction, F[2132] = 4.52, p = 0.01). Schools must meet the diverse needs of students today, including those who exhibit less than optimal learning behaviors. Combined with the evidence that PA is linked to several health and cognitive-behavior benefits, providing classroom-based PA that is incorporated within the curriculum provides common ground for all students to participate. It is a potential solution to increasing behavioral engagement, and in turn stimulating and enhancing learning.
Tropical continental downdraft characteristics: mesoscale systems versus unorganized convection

Abstract. Downdrafts and cold pool characteristics for strong mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) and isolated, unorganized deep precipitating convection are analyzed using multi-instrument data from the DOE Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) GoAmazon2014/5 campaign. Increases in column water vapor (CWV) are observed leading convection, with higher CWV preceding MCSs than for isolated cells. For both MCSs and isolated cells, increases in wind speed, decreases in surface moisture and temperature, and increases in relative humidity occur coincidentally with system passages. Composites of vertical velocity data and radar reflectivity from a radar wind profiler show that the downdrafts associated with the sharpest decreases in surface equivalent potential temperature (θe) have a probability of occurrence that increases with decreasing height below the freezing level. Both MCSs and unorganized convection show similar mean downdraft magnitudes and probabilities with height. Mixing computations suggest that, on average, air originating at heights greater than 3 km must undergo substantial mixing, particularly in the case of isolated cells, to match the observed cold pool θe, implying a low typical origin level. Precipitation conditionally averaged on decreases in surface equivalent potential temperature (Δθe) exhibits a strong relationship because the most negative Δθe values are associated with a high probability of precipitation. The more physically motivated conditional average of Δθe on precipitation shows that decreases in θe level off with increasing precipitation rate, bounded by the maximum difference between surface θe and its minimum in the profile aloft. Robustness of these statistics observed across scales and regions suggests their potential use as model diagnostic tools for the improvement of downdraft parameterizations in climate models.
Assessment of sedation level prior to neonatal intubation: A systematic review

textabstractBackground: Adequate premedication before neonatal endotracheal intubation reduces pain, stress, and adverse physiological responses, diminishes duration and number of attempts at intubation, and prevents traumatic airway injury. Therefore, intubation should not be started until an adequate level of sedation is reached. It is not clear how this should be measured in the clinical situation. Objectives: The aim of this study is to provide a systematic review of the usability and validity of scoring systems or other objective parameters to evaluate the level of sedation before intubation in neonates. Secondary aims were to describe parameters that are used to determine the level of sedation and criteria on which the decision to proceed with intubation is based. Methods: Literature was searched (January 2017) in the following electronic databases: Embase, Medline, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Registrar of Controlled Trials, Pubmed Publisher, and Google Scholar. Results: From 1653 hits, 20 studies were finally included in the systematic review. In 7 studies, intubation was started after a predefined time period; in 1 study, preoxygenation was the criterion to start with intubation; and in 12 studies, intubation was started in case of adequate sedation and/or relaxation. Only 4 studies described the use of 3 different objective scoring system, all in the neonatal intensive care unit, which are not validated. Conclusion: No validated scoring systems to assess the level of sedation prior to intubation in newborns are available in the literature. Three objective sedation assessment tools seem promising but need further validation before they can be implemented in research and clinical settings.
Introduction: From Linear Algebra to Linear Analysis

The subject of Fourier Analysis is at the center of many modern sciences. Physics and engineering depend so heavily on the subject, it is hard to imagine even mentioning them without thinking immediately about frequency-dependent phenomena: light, sound, orbits, and vibrations to name a few.
Hybrid metaheuristic experiments of real-time adaptive optimization of parametric shading design through remote data transfer

The author seeks a practical approach to complement deterministic design optimization in environmental performance-based building design. This study investigates algorithms and scripted processes to test and monitor the dynamic optimal control of building components. To this end, an integration of wireless data transfer equipment (nRF24L01) and a customized metaheuristic hybrid optimization algorithm (Tabu-based adaptive pattern search simulated annealing, T-APSSA) through a parametric visual programming language (VPL) interface (Rhino grasshopper®) is presented with experimental design of a responsive kinetic shading device. To demonstrate the performance of the algorithmic hybridization and early design integration, T-APSSA is compared to simulated annealing and pattern (direct) search, and two different approaches to daylight-optimized design solutions are tested: a deterministic optimization based on historical weather data and a site-specific adaptive optimization according to real-time monitoring of incident solar radiance. The suggestion of a seamless environmental building design workflow through remote data communication contributes to strengthening intelligent architectural design decisions.
Constructing the Twentieth-Century Child: Postcolonial Retellings of Estevanico from Cabeza de Vaca's La Relación

Sparked by the racially divisive socio-cultural environment of the United States in the post-war period, children’s literature saw a rise in the publication of children’s books that reimagined colonial texts such as Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca’s La Relacion . By highlighting the country’s colonial origins, many such texts reinforced the ideals of white American nationalism. This trend is illustrated in retellings of La Relacion , which complicate race relations through an emphasis on Estevanico, the Moorish slave, whose relationships with the child characters in books like Frank G. Slaughter’s Apalachee Gold , Betty Baker’s Walk the World’s Rim , and Jeanette Mirsky’s The Gentle Conquistadors ultimately reveal twentieth- century America’s reluctance to accept minorities. Estevanico’s childish relationships and infantilization represent emergent ideologies of children and childhood that promote colonial/white children’s power over the Other.
Vancomycin Area Under the Curve Simplified.

Background Serum trough concentrations as the sole means of monitoring safety and efficacy of vancomycin are insufficient. The daily area under the curve (AUC24) of serum concentration versus time to minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ratio of greater than 400 mg × h/L has emerged as a more robust dosing target. A simple and practical method to extrapolate AUC24 from troughs is needed. Methods This mathematical model computes the median and range AUC24 using the dose in mg/kg and the observed serum trough concentration. AUC24 is calculated using dose in mg/kg divided by the volume of distribution (Vd) and elimination constant (Ke). Vd is provided using the population median (range) of 0.7 (0.4-1) L/kg. Ke is calculated using the trough and population Vd. Results For doses of 15-20 mg/kg, troughs of at least 11 mg/L will achieve AUC24 of greater than 400 mg × h/L, even with a Vd of 1 L/kg. Using the median Vd and lower, AUC24 greater than 400 mg × h/L can be achieved with troughs as little as 9 mg/L using doses of 15 mg/kg and greater. The AUC24:MIC goal of greater than 400 can still be attained with an MIC of 1.5 mg/L by using doses of at least 15 mg/kg and targeting troughs of at least 16 mg/L for a patient with a Vd of 0.7 L/kg or less. Conclusions Troughs of 15-20 mg/L are rarely needed for organisms with an MIC of 1 mg/L or less. AUC24:MIC goals of greater than 400 can best be achieved with higher doses in mg/kg while targeting lower troughs.
Correlates of Objective Social Isolation from Family and Friends among Older Adults

This study examined the correlates of objective social isolation from extended family members and friends among older adults. The analysis is based on the older adult sub-sample of the National Survey of American Life (n = 1321). Multinomial logistic regression analyses examined race/ethnicity, demographics, functional health and family and friend network factors as correlates of objective isolation from family and friends. Only 4.47% of respondents were objectively isolated from both their extended family and friends, 10.82% were isolated from their friends, and 7.43% were isolated from their family members. Men were more likely to be objectively isolated from both family and friends and older adults who live with others were significantly more likely to be objectively isolated from their friends. When controlling for subjective social isolation, the two measures of functional health were significantly associated with objective social isolation. In particular, higher levels of self-care impairment decreased the risk of being objectively isolated from friends only, whereas higher mobility impairment was associated with an increased likelihood of being objectively isolated from friends only. Subjective evaluations of social isolation from family and friends were consistently associated with being objectively isolated from family and friends. There were no significant differences between African-Americans, Black Caribbeans and non-Hispanic Whites in objective isolation. These and other findings are discussed in detail.
The influence of the barrier layer on SST response during tropical cyclone wind forcing using idealized experiments

AbstractMultiple studies have shown that reduced sea surface temperature (SST) cooling occurs under tropical cyclones (TCs) where a fresh surface layer and subsurface halocline exist. Reduced SST c...