cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Using Legal Materials in Teaching Religion

This note argues for the importance of using primary legal sources, trial transcripts, opinions, law codes, and so forth, in teaching religion. The advantages of using legal documents in the religious studies classroom include: highlighting the importance of church/state issues, the existential givenness of law for religion; serving as mini-ethnographies, a slice-of-life view of religion; and, displaying a range of voices about a particular event, tradition, or idea. The note also describes two possible courses, an introductory course in American religion and a seminar in religion and law, listing recommended sample materials and showing how legal documents could be used in the classroom.
Growth hormone therapy for short stature in Diamond Blackfan anemia.

Background We report a 13-year-old male with Diamond Blackfan anemia and short stature. He had a normal biochemical response to growth hormone (GH) stimulation, but his bone age was delayed, his insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) was low, and he had a poor growth velocity. He was started on daily GH injections. Methods From the patient's medical record the following data were collected: serial heights, serial weights, hemoglobin, hematocrit, bone age, IGF-1, and steroid dose. Results This patient had an increase in growth velocity up to 8.2 cm/year. Conclusions Growth hormone therapy should be considered in children with DBA, short stature and poor growth velocity. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Decidability for a temporal logic used in discrete-event system analysis

The type of plant considered is one that can be modeled by a nondeterministic finite-state machine P. The regulator is a deterministic finite state machine R. The closed-loop system is formed by connecting P and R in a regulator configuration. Formulas in a propositional temporal language are used to describe the behavior of the closed-loop system. It is shown that there is a mechanical procedure which, for a given P and R, and a temporal formula Psi, will determine in a finite number of steps whether or not Psi must be true. This 'decidability' result could be proven using other known results on temporal logic. The proof given here shows that the behavior of the closed-loop system may safely be assumed to be ultimately periodic. The results are illustrated on two discrete-event system examples.
A Modified Root Polynomial Algorithm

Polynomial rooting direction finding (DF) algorithms are a computationally efficient alternative to search based DF algorithms for uniform linear arrays (ULA) with equal element radiation patterns. However, in the second order (SO) statistics based root MUSIC (RM) algorithm the number of roots that has to be calculated equals 2N-2 where N represents number of array elements. The directions of arrivals (DOA) are estimated from the L pairs of roots closest to the unit circle where L represents number of sources. When number of array elements is large this leads to large computational load and can introduce significant numerical errors in the estimated DOA. In this paper we derive the SO statistics based modified root polynomial (MRP) algorithm requiring the determination of only L roots
Laparoscopic incisional/ventral herniorrhaphy: a five year experience

Conventional repairs of incisional hernia are plagued with frequent complications and recurrences. Laparoscopic incision/ventral herniorrhaphy (LIVH) has been reported to be a safe and feasible technique with low morbidity and low early rates of recurrence. In this study, we review our experience with LIVH. All cases of LIVH performed consecutively at St. Joseph's Hospital, Hamilton, Ontario and University of Kentucky Medical Center between November 93 and January 1999 being followed prospectively were reviewed. Seventy-five hernias were repaired in 73 patients (38F, 35M) ranging from 25 to 84 years (mean 57) with a mean American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score of 2.1. Postoperative complications occurred in 14 patients (19%) including seroma (3), wound infection (1), patch infection (2), bowel injury (2), ileus (3), pain (1), atelectasis (1), and congestive heart failure (1). One case was converted to an open procedure and in one case a prosthesis was not placed due to an enterotomy repaired laparoscopically. Postoperative recurrences occurred in 7 (9%) of patients, within two to twelve months. Three of these were repaired laparoscopically. Over the five-year experience, the number of recurrent hernias repaired has increased, operative times have increased, and hospital length of stay has decreased. During that same interval the incidence of recurrence and complications has not changed. In conclusion, LIVH is a safe and feasible technique, applicable to all patient populations including the obese and multi-operated abdomen. Recurrence is low, and may be repaired laparoscopically.
On sets having finitely many points of local nonconvexity and propertyP m

If a pointq ofS has the property that each neighborhood ofq contains pointsx andy such that the segmentxy is not contained byS, q is called a point of local nonconvexity ofS. LetQ denote the set of points of local nonconvexity ofS. Tietze’s well known theorem that a closed connected setS in a linear topological space is convex ifQ=φ is generalized in the result:If S is a closed set in a linear topological space such that S ∼ Q is connected and |Q|=n<∞,then S is the union of n+1or fewer closed convex sets. Letk be the minimal number of convex sets needed in a convex covering ofS. Bounds fork in terms ofm andn are obtained for sets having propertyP m and |Q|=n.
Evidence that filopodia outgrowth is a common final pathway for fibroblast growth inhibition in vitro.

To identify events associated with fibroblast growth inhibition, the effect of two known inhibitors, interferon-alpha and all-trans retinoic acid, on the growth and surface morphology of cultured fibroblasts was examined. Interferon-alpha administered at seeding reduced both growth rate and saturation density; all-trans retinoic acid reduced only saturation density. However, both negative growth modulators were associated with an increase in filopodia outgrowth and an increase in intracellular filamentous actin in a time course corresponding to onset of growth inhibition by these agents. In combination with earlier findings, these data suggested that, regardless of ctiology, cultured fibroblast growth restriction is mediated in part by an actin-dependent outgrowth of filopodia that augment intercellular contact.
ABSCESS: Applied bedside sonography for convenient evaluation of superficial soft tissue infections

Study objectives: Soft tissue infections are a common presenting complaint in the emergency department (ED). Cellulitis typically responds well to antibiotic therapy, whereas abscesses must be drained surgically (I+D). We seek to determine the utility of ED bedside ultrasonography in detecting abscesses when added to the physical examination. Methods: This was a prospective, observational convenience sample. All adult patients with a chief complaint suggestive of cellulitis or abscess were eligible for enrollment. Ultrasonography was performed by attending physicians or residents who had received 1 hour of goal-directed training in soft tissue ultrasonography. Before the ultrasonographic examination, the treating physician completed a questionnaire including signs and symptoms, physical examination findings, and a yes/no assessment of whether he or she believed an abscess was present. After completing the bedside ultrasonographic examination, the physician recorded the findings and the revised clinical impression according to ultrasonographic examination. All patients with a pre-ultrasonographic assessment of abscess were incised, regardless of the ultrasonographic findings. The remainder of patients were treated with drainage or antibiotics by physician discretion. Patients who did not have I+D performed were telephoned after 7 days to see whether their skin infection had resolved. Results: From August 2003 to April 2004, 79 patients were enrolled. Of these, 45 patients were diagnosed with abscesses on clinical grounds, confirmed by ultrasonography. Of these, 40 cases were confirmed by I+D. In 2 cases, patients refused the I+D, and in 2 cases, the I+D was negative. One case revealed blood and not pus on the I+D. In 22 cases, clinical impression was negative for abscess, and ultrasonographic examination found no evidence of abscess. On follow-up, 2 patients had a negative I+D, 9 patients healed with antibiotics, 2 were not better after antibiotics, 8 were lost to follow-up, and 1 was diagnosed with an abscess the next day and showed pus on I+D. In 5 cases in which the clinical impression was positive for abscess but the ultrasonographic examination result was negative, 4 patients had negative I+D and 1 left against medical advice. In 7 cases in which the clinical impression was negative for abscess and ultrasonography was positive, 5 patients had a positive I+D, and 2 were discharged without I+D and healed after 2 weeks of antibiotics. Overall, the ultrasonography correctly disagreed with clinical impression in 9 (13%) of 69 confirmed cases. The sensitivity and specificity of ultrasonography to distinguish abscess from cellulitis was 93% and 78%, respectively. Conclusion: Bedside ED ultrasonography may enhance differentiation of abscess from cellulitis.
A digoxin-like immunoreactive substance in preeclampsia

A study has been undertaken of levels of an endogenous substance which immunologically cross reacts with digoxin and may be the putative natriuretic hormone. The possibility that this substance may play a role in the pathophysiology of preeclampsia has been studied by measuring the plasma concentrations in clinically healthy and preeclamptic pregnant patients. A significant difference (p
Dose and Risk Assessment for Intrusion into Mixed-Waste Disposal Sites

Abstract Sites previously used for disposal of radioactive and hazardous chemical materials have resulted in situations that pose a potential threat to humans from inadvertent intrusion. An example of a generic scenario analysis was developed to demonstrate the evaluation of potential exposure to cleanup workers or members of the public who intrude into buried waste containing both radioactive and hazardous chemical contaminants. The example scenarios consist of a collection of exposure routes (or pathways) with specific modeling assumptions for well drilling and for excavation for building construction. These scenarios are used to conceptually describe potential patterns of human activity during intrusion into mixed-waste disposal sites, assuming that no protective measures are taken. Radiation doses are calculated using the GENII software system and converted to risk using factors from the International Commission on Radiological Protection in Publication 60. The hazard assessment for nonradioactive mat...
A Code Blue Answer to Training

Code Blue addresses the capacity challenges in healthcare training. This pilot, grant funded project, focuses on a holistic approach to selecting and educating career ready and capable students and training them to be confident and competent healthcare workers. Lessons learned from this project will be assessed and reviewed for replication.
Experimental studies on the foraging behavior of the sand fiddler crab Uca pugilator (Bosc, 1802)

Abstract The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that foraging sand fiddler crabs. Uca pugilator (Bosc), move through the habitat in response to low substratum food levels even though these movements may take the crabs considerable distances from the safety of the burrow area. Chl a and ATP concentrations were used as measures of food density in foraged and unforaged substratum. Field and laboratory feeding experiments showed that crab foraging intensity in a habitat patch was directly correlated with food density in the patch either in the presence or absence of alternative food patches. Other experiments showed that sand fiddlers can respond to differences in food level on a scale of millimeters and do this by probing the substratum with minor chelae. Food levels in aggregations of non-ingested particles harvested by sand fiddlers, feeding pellets, correspond to low foraging intensities predicted from foraging experiments and crabs exhibit low foraging intensities on substratum patches derived from feeding pellets. Substratum food levels in two distinct areas corresponded to high predicted foraging intensities and there was no consistent trend in the level of food in the burrow vs. the nonburrow microhabitats. These results suggest that the movements of foraging sand fiddlers are to some extent controlled by the reduction in substratum food levels due to feeding during a single foraging episode. Sand fiddlers can extract over 70% of the food from harvested substratum over a broad range of substratum food densities but harvest only 42% of the available substratum.
Predator-induced phenotypic plasticity within- and across-generations: a challenge for theory?

Much work has shown that the environment can induce non-genetic changes in phenotype that span multiple generations. Theory predicts that predictable environmental variation selects for both increased within- and across-generation responses. Yet, to the best of our knowledge, there are no empirical tests of this prediction. We explored the relationship between within- versus across-generation plasticity by evaluating the influence of predator cues on the life-history traits of Daphnia ambigua . We measured the duration of predator-induced transgenerational effects, determined when transgenerational responses are induced, and quantified the cues that activate transgenerational plasticity. We show that predator exposure during embryonic development causes earlier maturation and increased reproductive output. Such effects are detectable two generations removed from predator exposure and are similar in magnitude in response to exposure to cues emitted by injured conspecifics. Moreover, all experimental contexts and traits yielded a negative correlation between within- versus across-generation responses. That is, responses to predator cues within- and across-generations were opposite in sign and magnitude. Although many models address transgenerational plasticity, none of them explain this apparent negative relationship between within- and across-generation plasticities. Our results highlight the need to refine the theory of transgenerational plasticity.
Two methodological issues in the psychological study of in vitro fertilization/embryo transfer participants

Objective measures are needed to quantify anxiety experienced by in vitro fertilization/embryo transfer participants in order to evaluate the effects of anxiety on participation and outcome. Despite the importance of determining such measures, it has proven difficult to identify psychological assessments effective in this health care group. Two methodological reasons may account in part for this: (a) this normal psychologic population requires a sensitive measure of anxiety in order to detect distress yet measures of major psychopathology have been previously used, and (b) participant self-report has generally been elicited to assess anxiety yet self-report requires participants to be aware of their level of anxiety and be willing to report it. The current paper presents data using an empirical measure which is appropriate for a normal population and is not based on direct self-report alone, thus eliminating 2 potential sources of inaccuracy in the measurement of anxiety and proposing a methodologically s...
Blunt splenic trauma in children: a retrospective study of non-operative management.

. This paper is a retrospective study of the management of 58 cases of blunt splenic injury in the paediatric age group. Fifty of these cases were managed at the Adelaide Children's Hospital during the period 1964–1980 and eight cases at the Flinders Medical Centre during the period 1976–1980. A policy of non-operative management of blunt splenic injury was introduced to the Adelaide Children's Hospital in 1964, a policy not fully adopted until 1975. By this time nuclear scanning techniques were readily available and enabled accurate diagnosis of splenic trauma. Follow-up scans provided more knowledge of the healing process. Between 1975 and 1980 a total of 42 proven cases of blunt splenic injury were treated non-operatively, including one case of total avulsion of the spleen. Splenectomy was performed on 16 cases, all prior to June 1975. There was no case of post-splenectomy sepsis. Post-operative obstruction due to small bowel adhesions was encountered in 25% of the splenectomy cases. Comparison of results shows that non-operative management is preferable in selected children when adequate monitoring facilities are available. If the clinical condition deteriorates, operative intervention is indicated; this occurred in two patients, both of whom underwent splenectomy. Of the 42 patients treated non-operatively, delayed haemorrhage occurred in only one. There was no evidence of a post-traumatic splenic cyst in any of the follow-up scans.
Magnetoelectric Flexural Gate Transistor With Nanotesla Sensitivity

Magnetic sensors capable of detecting tiny ac magnetic fields ranging from microtesla to picotesla are of great interest. In this paper, we demonstrate an integrated magnetoelectric (ME) flexural gate transistor with nanotesla magnetic field detection sensitivity at room temperature. The device capacitively couples a Metglas (Fe0.85B0.05Si0.1)-based magnetostrictive unimorph micromechanical cantilever beam to the gate of an n-channel field-effect transistor. Using this sensor configuration, a sensitivity of 0.23 mV/μT and a minimum detectable field of 60 nT/√Hz at 1 Hz and 1.5 mV/μT and 150 pT/√Hz at the flexural resonance of the cantilever structure of 4.9 kHz were obtained. The results demonstrate a significant improvement in the thin-film ME sensor integration with standard CMOS process and open the possibility of monolithic magnetic sensor arrays fabrication for biomedical imaging applications.
Raman spectroscopy of discrete silica supported vanadium oxide: assignment of fundamental stretching modes

Homogeneous vanadia–silica xerogels containing vanadium loadings up to 14 mol% were investigated by Raman spectroscopy. The materials are completely amorphous and contain vanadia substituted into the continuous random network of the silica. The optical properties afford Raman spectra with very good signal to noise allowing resolution of the vanadium associated vibrational modes even at low concentrations of vanadium. From the study, assignment of the symmetric interfacial Si–O–V stretch was made at 930 cm−1, and at high concentrations of vanadium the formation of V–O–V linkages was observed at 686 cm−1. Also assigned was a transition associated with a perturbed silica mode at 1070 cm−1.
Surface modification of nanosheet oxide photocatalysts

Abstract A range of Aurivillius oxides of the form Bi 2 A n −1 B n O 3 n +3 were evaluated for photodegradation of methylene blue dye. Variants included 2-, 3-, and 4-layered materials with B = Ti, Nb, or Ta and A = alkaline earths, alkali and rare earths. All phases were tested as their parent oxides and after acid-exchange to form stacked protonated nanosheets. Several high-activity catalysts were identified and improvements in the photodegradation rates were achieved both by milling to increase surface area and separately by acid protonation followed by dehydration. Both processes yielded marked improvements in the photodegradation rates, some with more than 3 times improvement. The improvement is attributed to improved adsorption after the surface reconstruction that occurs with acid treatment and dehydration.
Evaluation of Density Functionals and Basis Sets for Carbohydrates

Correlated ab initio wave function calculations using MP2/aug-cc-pVTZ model chemistry have been performed for three test sets of gas phase saccharide conformations to provide reference values for their relative energies. The test sets consist of 15 conformers of α- and β-d-allopyranose, 15 of 3,6-anhydro-4-O-methyl-d-galactitol, and four of β-d-glucopyranose. For each set, conformational energies varied by about 7 kcal/mol. Results obtained with the Hartree-Fock method, with pure density functional approximations (DFAs) like LSDA, PBEsol, PBE, and TPSS and with hybrid DFAs like B3PW91, B3LYP, PBEh, and M05-2X, were then compared to the reference and local MP2 relative energies. Basis sets included 6-31G*, 6-31G**, 6-31+G*, 6-31+G**, 6-311+G**, 6-311++G**, cc-pVTZ(-f), cc-pVTZ, and aug-cc-pVTZ(-f). The smallest basis set that gives good DFA relative energies is 6-31+G**, and more converged results can be obtained with 6-311+G**. The optimized geometries obtained from a smaller basis set, 6-31+G*, were useful for subsequent single point energy calculations with larger basis sets. The best agreement with MP2 was shown by M05-2X, but only when using a dense DFT grid. The popular B3LYP functional is not the best for saccharide conformational studies. The B3PW91 functional gives systematically better results, but other hybrid functionals like PBEh or TPSSh are even better. Overall, the nonempirical PBE GGA and TPSS meta-GGA functionals also performed better than B3LYP.
A sensor for the direct measurement of leaf wetness: Construction techniques and testing under controlled conditions

Abstract Using a standard design technique of independent, adjacent grid elements, details are given for the construction and testing of a leaf wetness sensor that mounts directly on a leaf. Flexibility in sensor design allows for different configurations to be constructed for different shaped leaves. Guidelines for measurement procedures are also outlined. The sensors were tested by comparing duration of dew for two different cultivars of dry edible beans ( Phaseolus vulgaris L.) under controlled conditions. A description of the chamber used to control the duration of dew is also given.
Deuterium nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy as a probe for reversed-phase liquid chromatographic bonded phase solvation: methanol and acetonitrile mobile phase components

Abstract Using the inversion-recovery method, deuterium longitudinal relaxation times, (T1), of [2H4]methanol and [2H3]acetonitrile in enriched methanol—water and acetonitrile—water mobile phases were measured for the neat binary mixtures, and for the mixtures in contact with two different monomeric C18 reversed-phase stationary phases. Changes in the deuterium relaxation times for the organic modifiers in contact with the stationary phase compared to those observed in neat solution give a qualitative understanding of the degree of association of the organic components with the stationary phase. Both bulk solution microstructure and stationary phase C18 bonding density play important roles in determining bonded phase solvation.
Functional stoichiometry underlying KChIP regulation of Kv4.2 functional expression.

K channel-interacting proteins (KChIPs) enhance functional expression of Kv4 channels by binding to an N-terminal regulatory region located in the first 40 amino acids of Kv4.2 that we call the functional expression regulating N-terminal (FERN) domain. Mutating two residues in the FERN domain to alanines, W8A and F11A, disrupts KChIP binding and regulation of Kv4.2 without eliminating the FERN domain's control of basal expression level or regulation by DPP6. When Kv4.2(W8A,F11A) is co-expressed with wild type Kv4.2 and KChIP3 subunits, a dominant negative effect is seen where the current expression is reduced to levels normally seen without KChIP addition. The dominant negative effect correlates with heteromultimeric channels remaining on intracellular membranes despite KChIP binding to non-mutant Kv4.2 subunits. In contrast, the deletion mutant Kv4.2(Δ1-40), eliminating both KChIP binding and the FERN domain, has no dominant negative effect even though the maximal conductance level is 5x lower than seen with KChIP3. The 5x increased expression seen with KChIP integration into the channel is fully apparent even when a reduced number of KChIP subunits are incorporated as long as all FERN domains are bound. Our results support the hypothesis that KChIPs enhances Kv4.2 functional expression by a 1 : 1 suppression of the N-terminal FERN domain and by producing additional positive regulatory effects on functional channel expression.
Focus: a light-weight, incremental approach to software architecture recovery and evolution

During the past decade (1991-2001), object-orientation (OO) has become the dominant software development methodology, accompanied by a number of modeling notations, programming languages, and development environments. OO applications of today are increasingly complex and user driven. They are also developed more rapidly and evolved more frequently than was the case with software systems of the past. All of these factors contribute to a plethora of potential problems when maintaining and evolving an OO application. These problems are caused by architectural erosion, where the initial architecture of an application is (arbitrarily) modified to the point where its key properties no longer hold. We propose an approach, called Focus, whose goal is to enable effective evolution of such an application with minimal effort, by recovering its architecture and using it as the basis of evolution. Focus allows engineers to direct their primary attention to the part of the system that is directly impacted by the desired change; subsequent changes will incrementally uncover additional parts of the system's architecture. We have applied Focus to four off-the-shelf applications to date. We discuss its key strengths and point out several open issues that will frame our future work.
Youthfulness Responsibility and Punishment: Admonishing Adolescents in Criminal Court

This article describes interaction in a criminal (adult) court in which adolescents are punished. As a result of the particular set of courtroom dynamics and the youthfulness of the defendants in this court, two potentially conflicting ideas about punishment are expressed concurrently: (1) proportionality, and (2) reduced culpability among youth. I demonstrate how judges talk to adolescent defendants during sentencing in ways that simultaneously communicate the defendants’ criminal responsibility and their youthfulness. In doing so, judges admonish the adolescents. The delivery of this admonishment is a ceremonial event that bears some similarities to the degradation rituals described by Harold Garfinkel, and also to the reintegration ceremonies described by John Braithwaite. Yet the admonishment varies from both of these events in that it is a more practical adaptation to the particular constraints of punishing adolescents in a criminal court. Thus I illustrate how judges strategically use admonishing di...
Monocytes Regulate T Cell Migration through the Glia Limitans during Acute Viral Encephalitis

Leukocyte access into the central nervous system (CNS) parenchyma is tightly regulated by the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Leukocyte migration through the endothelial cell wall into the perivascular space is well characterized; however, mechanisms regulating their penetration through the glia limitans into the parenchyma are less well studied, and the role of monocytes relative to neutrophils is poorly defined. Acute viral encephalitis was thus induced in CCL2-deficient (CCL2−/−) mice to specifically abrogate monocyte recruitment. Impaired monocyte recruitment prolonged T cell retention in the perivascular space, although no difference in overall CNS accumulation of CD4 or CD8 T cells was detected by flow cytometry. Delayed penetration to the CNS parenchyma was not associated with reduced or altered expression of either matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) or the T cell chemoattractants CXCL10 and CCL5. Nevertheless, decreased parenchymal leukocyte infiltration delayed T cell-mediated control of virus replication as well as clinical disease. These data are the first to demonstrate that the rapid monocyte recruitment into the CNS during viral encephalitis is dispensable for T cell migration across the blood vessel endothelium. However, monocytes facilitate penetration through the glia limitans. Thus, the rapid monocyte response to viral encephalitis constitutes an indirect antiviral pathway by aiding access of effector T cells to the site of viral infection.
ANTISOCIAL PERSONALITY DISORDER: DIAGNOSTIC, ETHICAL AND TREATMENT ISSUES

Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) is a complex disorder that creates a diagnostic, ethical, and treatment dilemma for mental health professionals. Psychosocial, biological, and cultural influences play a role in the development of ASPD. People with ASPD often had harsh early childhoods that impaired their ability to trust in adulthood. Research supports intriguing biological links, but it remains unclear if biological differences are the cause or the effect of ASPD. Individualism, patriarchy, and widespread media violence create the cultural context for the development of ASPD. ASPD is difficult to clinically diagnose and treat, and there is controversy concerning whether ASPD is a psychiatric or a legal-ethical problem. However, the management of ASPD often falls to mental health services. This article addresses treatment and primary prevention of ASPD in a way that is relevant to mental health practice.
The Mass Production of the Senses: Classical Cinema as Vernacular Modernism *

In this chapter, I wish to reassess the juncture of cinema and modernism, and I will do so by moving from the example of early Soviet cinema to a seemingly less likely case, that of the classical Hollywood film. My inquiry is inspired by two complementary sets of questions: one pertaining to what cinema studies can contribute to our understanding of modernism and modernity; the other aimed at whether and how the perspective of modernist aesthetics may help us to elucidate and reframe the history and theory of cinema. The juncture of cinema and modernism has been explored in a number of ways, ranging from research on early cinema’s interrelations with the industrial-technological modernity of the late nineteenth century, through an emphasis on the international art cinemas of both interwar and new wave periods, to speculations on the cinema’s implication in the distinction between the modern and the postmodern. My focus here is more squarely on mid-twentieth-century modernity, roughly from the 1920s through the 1950s—the modernity of mass production, mass consumption, and mass annihilation—and the contemporaneity of a particular kind of cinema, mainstream Hollywood, with what has variously been labeled ‘high’ or ‘hegemonic modernism.’
An Invariant Model for any Composite Plate Theory and FEM applications: the Generalized Unifled Formulation

The Generalized Unifled Formulation (GUF) presented here is a modern approach for the Finite Element analysis of sandwich plates and in general multilayered structures. GUF is a comprehensive formulation which includes practically all possible axiomatic theories. Any type of theory with any combination of orders of expansion for the difierent displacement variables can be obtained from the expansion of six 1 £ 1 arrays (the kernels or fundamental nuclei of the Generalized Unifled Formulation). Each of the displacement variables is independently treated and difierent orders of expansions for the difierent unknowns can be chosen. Since inflnite combinations can be freely chosen for the displacements, GUF allows the user to write, with a single invariant formulation implemented in a single FEM code, 1 3 Higher-order Shear Deformation Theories (HSDT), 1 3 Zig-Zag Theories (ZZT) and 1 3 Layer-Wise Theories (LWT). The six independent fundamental nuclei are formally invariant with respect to the order used for the expansion or with respect to the type of theory. GUF is a powerful versatile tool: the user can freely decide the type of theory (e.g., LWT or ZZT) and the orders used in the expansions. Thus, a code based on GUF can be fast (less terms can be used in the expansions of the unknwons) when the case under investigation is less demanding or when a large number of runs is required (optimization problems or probabilistic studies) and the software can be very accurate (layerwise models with high orders used for the unknowns) when the problem is very challenging and the accuracy is more important than the CPU time. GUF can be implemented in existing commercial codes and \intelligent" software can be developed. The codes can, in fact, use any theory or order of expansion to attempt the convergence in case of complex three-dimensional problems with localized efiects without the actual need of solid elements. This is another advantage because the number of Degrees of Freedoms could be reduced without loosing in computational e‐ciency and with the advantage of having the two dimensional mesh typical of plate and shell models. The Generalized Unifled Formulation can be also adopted for mixed variational statements. In such cases the number of independent kernels would be difierent but their size would still be 1 £ 1 arrays. Multifleld problems such as thermoelastic applications and multilayered plates embedding piezo-layers can also be analyzed as well. This paper assesses bending of sandwich structures. Analytical and elasticity solution are compared. The efiect of the Zig-Zag form of the displacement is discussed.
Severe stenotic scar contracture of the microvel hemashield right-sided extracardiac conduit

We report 2 patients who developed severe scar contracture of a Microvel Hemashield valveless right-sided extracardiac conduit implanted 14 months earlier. In both cases, the diameter of the conduit was reduced along its entire length, with the prosthetic material plicated inward by retraction and organization of connective fibrous tissue on either side of the conduit.
SwmB, a 1.12-Megadalton Protein That Is Required for Nonflagellar Swimming Motility in Synechococcus

SwmB is required for swimming motility in Synechococcus sp. strain WH8102. This highly repetitive 1.12-MDa polypeptide is associated with the cell surface, where it is arranged in a punctate manner. Inactivation of swmB does not affect the localization of SwmA, an S-layer protein also required for swimming.
Spline-Like Wavelet Filterbanks for Multiresolution Analysis of Graph-Structured Data

Multiresolution analysis is important for understanding graph signals , which represent graph-structured data. Wavelet filterbanks permit multiscale analysis and processing of graph signals—particularly, useful for harvesting large-scale data. Inspired by first-order spline wavelets in classical signal processing, we introduce two-channel (low-pass and high-pass) wavelet filterbanks for graph signals. This class of filterbanks boasts several useful properties, such as critical sampling, perfect reconstruction, and graph invariance. We consider an application in graph semisupervised learning and propose a wavelet-regularized semisupervised learning algorithm that is competitive for certain synthetic and real-world data.
Doe Program—Developing a Scientific Basis for Responses to Low-Dose Exposures: Impact on Dose-Response Relationships

The DOE Low Dose Radiation Research Program focuses on biological mechanisms involved in response to low doses of both low and high-LET radiation (<0.1Gy). This research program represents a merging of new technologies with cutting edge biological techniques associated with genomics. This merger enables observation of radiation-induced cellular and molecular changes previously undetectable. These low-dose responses define mechanisms of interaction of radiation with living systems, and characterize the shape of dose-response. The research from this program suggests radiation paradigms regarding the involvement of radiation in the carcinogenic process. New biological phe-nomena observed at low doses include initial radiation-induced DNA damage and repair, changes in gene expression, adaptive responses and bystander effects. However, information from this cellular-molecular level cannot be directly extrapolated to risks in human populations. Links must be carefully developed between dose-response relationships at the cell and tissue levels and risk to human populations. The challenge and the ultimate goal of the Program is to determine if basic scientific data can be combined with more traditional epidemiological methods to improve the estimation of radiation risk from low level radiation exposures.
Integrated Word Identification and Communication Instruction for Students With Complex Communication Needs Preliminary Results

The current study investigated the effectiveness of an integrated word identification and communication intervention for children with complex communication needs. Using a nonconcurrent, multiple baseline design, the study involved three participants who completed 75 lessons across 4 to 6 weeks of instruction. All three participants improved their skills of word identification, developmental spelling, icon sequencing, and expressive communication. Generalization was documented through increases in the frequency of communication using icon sequencing and spelling outside of the instructional program. Implications for the development of integrated word study programs that combine systematic, sequential phonics instruction with instruction in the use of augmentative communication are discussed, along with directions for future research.
Historical Writing in Nineteenth Century Segu: A Critical Analysis of an Anonymous Arabic Chronicle

All too often Africanist historians use Arabic sources without serious consideration of the circumstances surrounding their composition. Many historians have used the Kano Chronicle, for example, as a primary source for fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Hausaland. Since it is a history of the kings of Kano, organized by reign, one could assume that successive writers, contemporaneous with the reigns, produced a documentary record of their era which was perpetuated by subsequent contributors to the chronicle. Murray Last's recent analysis reveals, however, that one man compiled the Kano Chronicle during the mid-seventeenth century, and that it was updated by subsequent writers a few reigns at a time. Although many historians found it convenient and advantageous to assume that the Kano Chronicle was a reliable primary source, Last clearly demonstrates the need for close textual analysis of any Arabic source used for historical reconstruction.B.G. Martin errs in the opposite direction. He attributes a nineteenth-century Arabic chronicle to a twentieth-century cleric, Cierno Malik Diallo of Kidira, Senegal. Diallo is actually the custodian of one of several versions of this anonymous Arabic account of Umar Tal's jihad (hereafter Chronicle X). The Umarian chronicles, of which Chronicle X is merely an example are one group of written materials generated in the aftermath of the jihads of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century West Africa. Host of the efforts in documentary analysis have focused on the writings of Uthman dan Fodio, Muhammad Bello, and other members of the Sokoto elite.
A technical framework for sense-and-respond business management

In this paper we present a technical framework that supports sense and respond (SaR), the approach that enables an enterprise to adapt to a rapidly changing business environment. To implement the SaR approach, an enterprise proactively monitors trends and uses effective decision-support tools to help it act in a timely manner. We describe two pilot projects in which we implemented SaR prototypes and applied them to solve business problems. In the first pilot project we helped the IBM Microelectronics Division deploy an automated inventory management system based on our inventory optimization model. In the second pilot project, we helped the IBM Personal Computing Division deploy a SaR system in support of demand/supply conditioning. One of the components of this SaR system is an order trend model that provides early warning of constraints and excesses in the supply chain and helps make demand/supply conditioning more effective. Early results from these projects are encouraging and show that significant gains in profitability are possible.
Low-temperature geothermal resources in the eastern United States

Optimum sites for low-temperature (<150 °C) geothermal resource development in the technically stable eastern United States will probably be associated with crustal igneous rocks containing relatively high concentrations of radiogenic heat-producing elements concealed beneath insulating blankets of sediments. Granitic rocks crop out over a large area of the central and southern Appalachian Piedmont and Blue Ridge and presumably extend eastward beneath the sedimentary cover of the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Choice of a site in the Atlantic Coastal Plain with a high geothermal resource potential depends on favorable (1) concentration of radiogenic elements in granitic rocks beneath a sedimentary insulator, (2) thermal conductivity of the sedimentary insulator, (3) thickness of the sedimentary insulator, and (4) reservoir conditions in the sedimentary rocks overlying the radioactive heat source. Values of heat generation for granitic rocks in the Piedmont are known to be at least as high as 17 HGU (1 heat generation unit = 10-13 cal/cm3 sec. Using the linear relationship between heat flow and heat generation observed for the southeastern United States, a heat generation of 14 HGU in granitic rocks beneath sediments with an average thermal conductivity of 4.2 x 10−3 cal/sec-cm- °C and a thickness of 2 km would yield a temperature of nearly 100°C at the base of the sedimentary section and a gradient of about 40°C/km in the sediments. We have logged approximately 250 wells in the Atlantic Coastal Plain, with temperature gradients in the range 15–45°C/km. Preliminary results suggest that the higher gradients are associated with negative Bouguer gravity anomalies and therefore probably with concealed granitic plutons.
Gaussian Beams in Hollow Metal Waveguides: Experiment

Gaussian beams have been widely used for propagating electromagnetic waves in free space and in certain other optical systems. It has been suggested that recurring forms of such beams might also be useful for propagation in planar or rectangular metal waveguides. Experimental verification of the recurrence of the Gaussian field distribution in metal waveguides is reported here.
Genetic Epidemiology of Obesity

Obesity has become a global epidemic and contributes to the increasing burden of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke, some types of cancer, and premature death worldwide. Obesity is highly heritable and arises from the interactions of multiple genes, environmental factors, and behavior. In this paper, the authors reviewed recent developments in genetic epidemiologic research, focusing particularly on several promising genomic regions and obesity-related genes. Gene-gene and gene-environment interactions of obesity were also discussed. Published studies were accessed through the MEDLINE database. The authors also searched the Obesity Gene Map Database (http://obesitygene.pbrc.edu/) and conducted a manual search using references cited in relevant papers. Heritabilities for obesity-related phenotypes varied from 6% to 85% among various populations. As of October 2005, 253 quantitative trait loci for obesity-related phenotypes have been localized in 61 genome-wide linkage scans, and genetic variants in 127 biologic candidate genes have been reported to be associated with obesity-related phenotypes from 426 positive findings. Gene-gene interactions were also observed in several genes, and some genes were found to influence the effect of dietary intake and physical activity on obesity-related phenotypes. Integration of genetic epidemiology with functional genomics and proteomics studies will be required to fully understand the role of genetic variants in the etiology and prevention of obesity. body mass index; genes; obesity; overweight Abbreviations: LOD, logarithm of the odds; SNP, single nucleotide polymorphism; WHO, World Health Organization; WHR, waist/hip ratio. Obesity is characterized as an excess of adipose tissue. The most commonly used measurement to assess weight status is body mass index, defined as weight (kg)/height (m) 2 . The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends the following body mass index cutpoints to classify weight status in adults 20 years of age or older: <18.5 kg/m 2 (underweight), 18.5‐24.9 kg/m 2 (normal weight), 25.0‐29.9 kg/m 2 (overweight), 30.0‐39.9 kg/m 2 (obese), and 40 kg/m 2 (extremely obese) (1). Although it is by far the most commonly used index for classifying general obesity in an adult, body mass index cannot distinguish obese from muscular individuals, such as athletes, who have more lean muscle than body fat. Body fat mass and percentage body fat, which are measured by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry, can provide a more accurate estimate of obesity status. Percentage total body fat is calculated as fat mass/(fat mass 1 lean mass 1
A Reconsideration: Hearing Ma Rainey

April 26, 1986 marks the centennial of the birthdate of Gertrude Pridgett, aka Mama Can Can, Black Nightingale, The Paramount Wildcat, the Golden Necklace of the Blues, The Songbird of the South and the Mother of the Blues: Ma Rainey. Of course, she wasn't really the mother of the blues any more than W. C. Handy was the father; however, she sang the blues from the first time she heard them in a small Missouri town in 1902, two decades before Mamie Smith, Lucille Hegamin, Alberta Hunter and other pioneer vaudeville blues singers brought them to the attention of the mass recording audience. And she continued to sing the blues in her earthy, moaning style that could bring the boll weevils out of the cotton to listen through her long touring career with the groups like the Rabbit Foot Minstrels and Tolliver's Circus and Musical Extravaganza and during her entire five-year recording career. Even Bessie Smith, well known for "cutting" other artists by covering their songs and singing them better than the original versions, could not surpass Rainey's recordings of "Bo Weevil Blues" and "Moonshine Blues." When Ma sang them, you remembered them that way. If Bessie had a greater technique than Ma, Ma's southern-drenched voice, echoing the field hollers and folk songs of sixteen-hour days among turn rows worked so unrelentingly that the laborers could see them in their dreams, had a depth of feeling matched by few other blues singers of her time. Trombonist Al Wynn recalled her kindheartedness, Champion Jack Dupree her unattractive physical features, but, as Dupree told Derrick Stewart-Baxter, "When she opened our mouth-that was it! You forgot everything. She knew how to sing those blues, and she got right into your heart." Her songs and recordings were inspirations to a host of other blues singers, male and female, who looked to Ma for the blues with the old southern feeling. But she was not only revered by other musicians. Poet Sterling Brown told Paul Oliver of his encounter with Ma, stating that she "wouldn't have to sing any words; she would moan, and the audience would moan with her" because "Ma really knew these people; she was a person of the
Sarcomas of the head and neck region.

Purpose of reviewThis review discusses the classification, etiology, diagnosis, evaluation, treatment, and prognosis of sarcoma of the head and neck region.Recent findingsSarcomas account for less than 1% of all malignancies in the United States with only 5 to 15% of these sarcomas occurring in the