cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Frequencies of HLA-A2 alleles in five U.S. population groups. Predominance Of A*02011 and identification of HLA-A*0231.

Direct DNA sequencing was used to determine the frequency of alleles within the HLA-A2 family in five US population groups. The most frequently detected HLA-A2 allele in all groups was HLA-A*02011. Caucasian and Native American populations appear to be the most homogeneous exhibiting 95.7% and 94.3% A*02011, respectively. Hispanic and Asian/Pacific Islander populations were the most allelicly diverse populations with 9 and 7 different HLA-A2 alleles present, respectively, but the majority of the populations were HLA-A*02011. African-Americans were also diverse, not in the number of alleles seen, but in the percentage of non-A*02011 alleles in the population. HLA-A*0202 (25.8%) and A*0205 (12.9%) were present in a large percentage of African-Americans. Only 13 of the 31 known HLA-A2 alleles were observed in the study. The allelic distributions reflected statistically significant differences among population groups.
Efficient catalytic greenhouse gas-free hydrogen and aldehyde formation from aqueous alcohol solutions

Hydrogen is an ideal fuel candidate due to its clean combustion characteristics. Here we report an inexpensive and sustainable Mo-based, carbon-supported catalyst that generates H2 and the corresponding aldehyde from aqueous methanol or ethanol at high rates with negligible greenhouse gas co-production. The aldehyde coproducts lend value to this process without producing CO2.
Evaluation of the potential for QT/QTc interval prolongation for therapeutic biotechnology products.

2600 Background: The implementation of the 2005 ICH E14 has included clinical evaluation of QTc prolongation for Therapeutic Biotechnology Products (TBPs). The ability of monoclonal antibodies (mAb...
Effect of Life Events, Social Supports, and Personality on Mental Status in Later Life.

The goal of this study was to explore the influences of proximal and distal life events on mental status in later life. Additionally, life events were categorized into positive and negative experiences. Data from 208 older adults over 80 years of age from the Georgia Centenarian Study were included in this study. Results from a series of blockwise regression analyses indicated that the number of distal negative life events that older adults had experienced was a predictor of older adults’ better mental status. Oldest-old adults’ age, education, social supports, and social provision were also associated with their cognition. Cumulative negative life events may protect people in cognitive function as implicated by our results.
Quasi-Steady Simulations for the Efficient Generation of Static Aerodynamic Coefficients at Subsonic Velocity

Abstract : A quasi-steady sweep procedure that allows determination of the static aerodynamic coefficients for a range of angles of attack in a single simulation is extended to subsonic Mach numbers. Given a steady-state solution, the procedure can be used to generate multiple numerical simulations over a select range of angles of attack for a given set of flight conditions using the time-accurate Reynolds-Averaged NavierStokes equations. Computational Fluid Dynamics simulations are completed for a canard-controlled, fin-stabilized projectile at Mach 0.65 for a moderate range of angles of attack using a quasi-steady sweep procedure. Separate steady-state solutions are also computed at various angles of attack for comparison. Comparison of the results showed that the quasi-steady sweep procedure can provide accurate static aerodynamic coefficients efficiently if convergence at each time step is ensured.
The structural transformation of African agriculture and rural spaces: introduction to a special section†

This article briefly introduces a special section on the structural transformation of African agriculture and rural spaces. The five papers that comprise this special section all draw on household-level microdata to explore important aspects of the salient changes taking place in the world's most agrarian and poorest continent.
Neutron Resonance Transmission Analysis of Reactor Spent Fuel Assemblies

A method called Neutron Resonance Transmission Analysis (NRTA) is under study which would use a pulsed neutron beam for nondestructive isotopic assay of a complete spent fuel assembly. Neutrons removed from the collimated beam by absorption or scattering in the resonances of the various isotopes in the spent fuel appear as dips in the neutron transmission. The method is completely insensitive to matrix materials such as oxide, fuel cladding, and other structural members. Measurements on spent fuel buttons using the NBS linac as a pulsed neutron source demonstrate a high accuracy capability for the isotopes 234,235,236,238U, 239,240, 241,242Pu, 241Am, 243Am, and several fission products. The NRTA method offers high speed and modest operational cost, and it can be implemented with commercially available medical or radiographic y-ray generators adapted for neutron production.
Modelling of efficient solar water desalination\system using TRNSYS

This paper presents an efficient solar water desalination system for the climate condition of Pakistan. Water scarcity issue of Pakistan is addressed and model of solar energy-based water desalination system is presented using TRNSYS software. Weather data profile of Karachi is taken in TRNSYS. Flat plate collector of 3 m2 is used to produce 3.249 kg/h clean water with steady state moisture rate to humidifier. It is observed that productivity of clean water is increased using parabolic mirror. It is found that temperature is increased using the same receiver area with parabolic trough and water production is increased from 3.249 to 3.276 kg/h for this system keeping the input moisture rate and air flow rate constant for both cases.
Qualitative Interview Analysis: The Use of Systemic Functional Linguistics to Reveal Functional Meanings

Qualitative interviewing is a method in which the interviewer directs the interviewee to answer specific research questions. In this article, I present an example of "Systemic Functional Linguistics" (SFL) analysis of an interview in which I investigated a student's use of an instructional tool called "Schema for the Complete Orienting Bases of Action" (SCOBA). SFL, as a qualitative tool for analysis, provides a functional account of the interview text, revealing semantic meanings through the grammatical and lexical choices of the interviewee. During analysis, SFL revealed different layers of meaning that are mediated by the linguistic choices of the interviewee. SFL helped me to get a fine-grained view of how the interviewee construed her experience as a foreign language learner and how she showed awareness and control of her own language development.
How Community and Peer Perceptions Promote College Students’ Pro-Social Bystander Actions to Prevent Sexual Violence:

The prevalence of sexual violence crimes on U.S. college campuses is prompting institutions of higher education to increasingly invest in centers to support survivors and programs to prevent the violence before it happens. Understanding bystanders to sexual violence and what may motivate them to step in and help is a promising prevention strategy. The purpose of this study was to understand how potential active bystanders' (first-year college students) perceptions of community (including a sense of one's influence in the community and positive peer norms for helping) and individual beliefs about self (including sense of responsibility and self-efficacy) affect their self-reports of performing bystander behavior to address sexual violence risks. Participants were 948 students at two different universities (one a rural, primarily residential campus and the other an urban, mostly commuter campus) in the northeastern United States. Regression and path analysis quantitative results suggest that individual-level characteristics may mediate some of the impact that community-level norms and perceptions have on bystander outcomes, explaining some of the mixed findings in previous research. Prevention strategies should work to change community norms and perceptions of mattering and perceptions of community influence in addition to the more traditional focus on individual-level violence specific attitudes.
Evolution of local lattice distortion under irradiation in medium- and high-entropy alloys

Abstract A major challenge for future nuclear reactors is to design nuclear materials that can sustain extremely prolonged radiation damage. Local lattice distortion, considered as a core effect of high-entropy alloys (HEAs), can suppress the growth of radiation defects to control radiation performance. However, local lattice distortion in HEAs is rarely quantitatively measured. Here we employed total scattering technique to study the local structure of the face-centered cubic (fcc) equiatomic FeCoNiCr MEA, and FeCoNiCrMn and FeCoNiCrPd HEAs before and after ion irradiation. Their local lattice distortions were quantitatively evaluated based on the difference of lattice constant between the local structure and the average structure. We revealed that the mean local lattice distortion in the pristine samples varies in the following order: FeCoNiCr
Exploring the Justice of Punishments: Framing, Expressiveness, and the Just Prison Sentence

This paper examines views about the justice of punishments for offenders convicted of five major types of offenses—drug, violent, corporate, property, and victimless crimes. We focus on the just punishment and the just dispersion in the punishment distribution, together with observers' framing and expressiveness; and we test for interrespondent differences. Data are drawn from six U.S. samples interviewed in 1982, a probability sample of the adult population of a major city and samples of five special groups, prison inmates, police officers, law-school and high-school students, and Job Corps trainees. Respondents' judgments were obtained using Rossi's factorial survey method. Fictitious offenders were constructed by randomly combining offender, offense, and victim characteristics; and respondents used a line-matching technique to rate the justice of punishments randomly assigned to fictitious offenders. Analysis is guided by the framework for empirical justice analysis, which provides an integrated set of procedures for estimation and testing. Results indicate that respondents in all samples save one disagree with each other on the just punishment; and the six samples yield four distinct average orderings of just prison sentences. However, large majorities in all six samples find the dispersion in the punishments experimentally put into the vignette world to be too small relative to the just dispersion. More broadly, comparing the results obtained here from the probability sample of a major city with results from a comparable study on the justice of earnings, we find two interesting symmetries—approximately 1% of the general population is contrarian, regarding earnings as a bad and time in prison as a good; and approximately 92% to 94% of the population regard earnings inequality as too high and prison-time inequality as too low. Finally, this study provides additional evidence that the general population in the United States exhibits independence of mind informing their ideas about what constitutes the just earnings and the just punishment.
Introduction to Multiple Regression

In the previous chapters, we have focused on relationships between only two variables at a time. Most relationships that we are interested in social science research are more complicated, however, than can be understood with only bivariate analyses. In some cases, the relationship between two variables depends entirely on a third variable, and so a bivariate analysis can be misleading. In some cases, the relationship between two variables depends on, or operates through, additional variables. In this chapter, we will discuss multiple regression. In multiple regression analysis, a single outcome variable is modeled as a linear combination of as many additional variables as desired. Multiple regression is sometimes used simply to understand factors that are relevant to predicting an outcome, but it is also used in science to help establish that the relationship between two variables is a causal one and to understand complex relationships that simply cannot be understood with bivariate analyses. In this chapter, before introducing the details of multiple regression, we will discuss causal thinking in order to lay the foundation for seeing why multivariate analyses are necessary.
Robot coordination with ad-hoc team formation

Coordinating multiagent systems to maximize global information collection both presents scientific challenges (what should each agent aim to achieve?) and provides application opportunities (planetary exploration, search and rescue). In particular, in many domains where communication is expensive (for example, because of limited power or computation), the coordination must be achieved in a passive manner, without agents explicitly informing other agents of their states and/or intended actions. In this work, we extend results on such multiagent coordination algorithms to domains where the agents cannot achieve the required tasks without forming teams.
Three Methods of Estimating Mesophyll Conductance Agree Regarding its CO2 Sensitivity in the Rubisco-Limited Ci Range

Whether the mesophyll conductance to CO2 movement (gm) within leaves of C3 plants changes with CO2 concentration remains a matter of debate, particularly at low CO2 concentrations. We tested for changes in gm over the range of sub-stomatal CO2 concentrations (Ci) for which Rubisco activity limited photosynthesis (A) in three plant species grown under the same conditions. Mesophyll conductance was estimated by three independent methods: the oxygen sensitivity of photosynthesis, variable J fluorescence combined with gas exchange, and the curvature of the Rubisco-limited A vs. Ci curve. The latter assay used a new method of rapidly obtaining data points at approximately every 3 μmol mol−1 for Rubisco-limited A vs. Ci curves, allowing separate estimates of curvature over limited Ci ranges. In two species, soybean and sunflower, no change in gm with Ci was detected using any of the three methods of estimating gm. In common bean measured under the same conditions as the other species, all three methods indicated large decreases in gm with increasing Ci. Therefore, change in gm with Ci in the Rubsico-limited region of A vs. Ci curves depended on the species, but not on the method of estimating gm.
Hemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus and the development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia

Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is prevalent in premature newborns and has been linked to the development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), a serious pulmonary complication of premature birth. Although a causal relationship has not been proven, the link is greatest among infants born at lower gestational age who are treated with mechanical ventilation in the presence of a large ductal shunt. Despite strong association in epidemiological studies, treatment of a patent ductus arteriosus has not been shown to prevent BPD, and some therapies may increase the risk of BPD. We describe preclinical and clinical data demonstrating the association of a PDA with BPD, highlight the effects of surgical and pharmacological treatment, and explore the implications of recent clinical trials for the management of PDA in the premature newborn.
Sacral Endplate Penetrating Screw for Lumbosacral Fixation: A Cadaveric Biomechanical Study.

BACKGROUND Cortical bone trajectory is a relatively new alternative for instrumentation of the lumbar spine. When performing lumbosacral instrumentation, a novel S1 endplate penetrating screw (EPS) has been recently shown to have higher insertional torque than the traditional trajectory screw, but the biomechanical properties of this new trajectory are yet to be verified with the cadaveric studies. OBJECTIVE To evaluate 2 screw trajectories in sacra using cyclic loading and pullout tests, and to determine whether bone quality had different effects on the 2 trajectories. METHODS Nine cadaveric sacra were used, 5 of which had normal bone mineral density (BMD) and 4 were osteoporotic. Each side of the sacra was randomly assigned to either EPS trajectory or S1-alar screw (S1AS) trajectory. Each screw then underwent cyclic loading followed by pullout force measurement. A mixed-design 2 way ANOVA test was used to detect differences between the groups. RESULTS The EPS group had less relative rotation at the bone-screw interface during cyclic loading than the S1AS group (P = .016) regardless of bone quality. The pullout force following the cyclic loading was significantly higher in the EPS group (2349 ± 838 N) than the S1AS group (917 ± 909 N) in normal bone (P < .0001). The difference was more pronounced in osteoporotic bone with the EPS (1075 ± 216 N) compared to the S1AS (365 ± 422 N; P < .0001). CONCLUSION The S1 EPS trajectory is significantly more stable against loosening and has a higher pullout force compared to the S1AS trajectory. The difference between the 2 trajectories is more pronounced in osteoporotic bone.
Fog-Based Multi-Class Dispatching and Charging for Autonomous Electric Mobility On-Demand

Despite the significant advances in vehicle automation and electrification, the next-decade aspirations for massive deployments of autonomous electric mobility on demand (AEMoD) services in big cities are still threatened by two major bottlenecks, namely, the communication/computation and charging delays. In order to target the communication/computation delays, the paper suggests the exploitation of fog-based architectures for localized AEMoD system operations. These emerging architectures are soon to become widely used, allowing for all localized operational decisions to be made with very low latency by fog controllers located close to the end applications (e.g., each city zone for AEMoD systems). As for the charging delays, an optimized multi-class charging and dispatching queuing model, with partial charging option for AEMoD vehicles is developed for each of these zones. The stability conditions of this model and the optimal number of classes are then derived. The decisions on the proportions of each class vehicles to partially/fully charge or directly serve customers are optimized to minimize the maximum and average system response times using convex optimization and Lagrangian analysis. The results show the merits of our proposed model and optimized decision scheme compared to both the always-charge and the equal-split scheme. Furthermore, the comparison of the maximum and average response time minimization results shows a very low variance in performance, which suggests by using the linear programming solution for lower complexity.
Shear Stress Attenuates Inward Remodeling in Cultured Mouse Thoracodorsal Arteries in an eNOS-Dependent, but Not Hemodynamic Manner, and Increases Cx37 Expression.

BACKGROUND Arteries chronically constricted in culture remodel to smaller diameters. Conversely, elevated luminal shear stress (SS) promotes outward remodeling of arteries in vivo and prevents inward remodeling in culture in a nitric oxide synthase (NOS)-dependent manner. OBJECTIVES To determine whether SS-induced prevention of inward remodeling in cultured arteries is specifically eNOS-dependent and requires dilation, and whether SS alters the expression of eNOS and other genes potentially involved in remodeling. METHODS Female mouse thoracodorsal arteries were cannulated, pressurized to 80 mm Hg, and cultured for 2 days with low SS (<7 dyn/cm2), high SS (≥15 dyn/cm2), high SS + L-NAME (NOS inhibitor, 10-4 M), or high SS in arteries from eNOS-/- mice. In separate arteries cultured 1 day with low or high SS, eNOS and connexin (Cx) 37, Cx40, and Cx43 mRNA were assessed with real-time PCR. RESULTS High SS caused little change in passive diameters after culture (-4.7 ± 2.0%), which was less than low SS (-18.9 ± 1.4%; p < 0.0001), high SS eNOS-/- (-18.0 ± 1.5; p < 0.001), or high SS + L-NAME (-12.0 ± 0.6%; nonsignificant) despite similar constriction during culture. Cx37 mRNA expression was increased (p < 0.05) with high SS, but other gene levels were not different. CONCLUSIONS eNOS is involved in SS-induced prevention of inward remodeling in cultured small arteries. This effect does not require NO-mediated dilation. SS increased Cx37.
Of Signal and Noise: Overcoming Challenges in Blood Pressure Measurement to Optimize Hypertension Care

Elevated blood pressure (BP) is the leading global contributor to preventable death.1 Although there has been tremendous progress in improving rates of BP control in the United States, this progress has stalled in recent years with >50% of Americans still having BP >140/90 mm Hg.2 The American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association hypertension guidelines released in November 2017 lower the thresholds for stage 1 hypertension from 140–159/90–99 to 130–139/80–89 mm Hg and present a goal of <130/80 mm Hg for all patients.3 These changes expanded the portion of the general population that has hypertension and added many formerly controlled hypertensive patients to the rolls of the uncontrolled.4 Clearly, our healthcare systems and primary care workforce will be challenged to meet these new goals. Although much of the attention on the new American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines have been placed on these lower BP thresholds, of equal importance is the renewed focus on BP measurement. BP is a biological variable whose measurement is seemingly straightforward. However, in addition to inherent variability, BP is prone to measurement error, such that BP readings are less reliable and more prone to misinterpretation than perhaps any other measure used in the practice of medicine.5 This makes it challenging for providers to accurately identify and treat hypertension. Herein, we review the manifestations and consequences of BP mismeasurement and misinterpretation in clinical practice and draw on recent research to propose a set of solutions that leverage available technologies to optimize hypertension care. BP fluctuates substantially because of biological as well as ecological (ie, contextual) factors. Biological factors include season, time of day, body position, bladder distension, and recent physical activity, whereas ecological factors include physical and social circumstances (medical facility, workplace, or home), and chronic or acute psychological distress or pain.5 BP …
Integrated Behavioral Health Approaches to Interpersonal Violence

Experiencing interpersonal violence has serious consequences for short- and long-term health. This makes it imperative that behavioral health professionals incorporate trauma-informed screening, education, and intervention processes and procedures as a routine part of their day-to-day activities. In this chapter, I explore screening, assessment, and intervention strategies for two types of interpersonal violence commonly seen in integrated behavioral health settings: intimate partner violence (IPV) and community-based violence (CBV). First, data on the prevalence and health impacts of interpersonal violence across multiple populations will be provided. Second, trauma-informed approaches to universal screening, education, and support for patients in regard to IPV will be outlined. Third, programmatic components of hospital-based violence intervention programs will be reviewed, and the importance of these programs as integrated behavioral health practices designed to reduce morbidity and mortality will be discussed.
Deriving Land and Water Surface Elevations in the Northeastern Yucatán Peninsula Using PPK GPS and UAV-Based Structure from Motion

While UAV-based imaging methods such as drone lidar scanning (DLS) and Structure from Motion (SfM) are now widely used in geographic research, accurate water surface elevation (WSE) measurement rem...
Impact of Neoantigen Expression and T-Cell Activation on Breast Cancer Survival

Neoantigens are derived from tumor-specific somatic mutations. Neoantigen-based synthesized peptides have been under clinical investigation to boost cancer immunotherapy efficacy. The promising results prompt us to further elucidate the effect of neoantigen expression on patient survival in breast cancer. We applied Kaplan-Meier survival and multivariable Cox regression models to evaluate the effect of neoantigen expression and its interaction with T-cell activation on overall survival in a cohort of 729 breast cancer patients. Pearson's chi-squared tests were used to assess the relationships between neoantigen expression and clinical pathological variables. Spearman correlation analysis was conducted to identify correlations between neoantigen expression, mutation load, and DNA repair gene expression. ERCC1, XPA, and XPC were negatively associated with neoantigen expression, while BLM, BRCA2, MSH2, XRCC2, RAD51, CHEK1, and CHEK2 were positively associated with neoantigen expression. Based on the multivariable Cox proportional hazard model, patients with a high level of neoantigen expression and activated T-cell status showed improved overall survival. Similarly, in the T-cell exhaustion and progesterone receptor (PR) positive subgroups, patients with a high level of neoantigen expression showed prolonged survival. In contrast, there was no significant difference in the T-cell activation and PR negative subgroups. In conclusion, neoantigens may serve as immunogenic agents for immunotherapy in breast cancer.
Cutaneous eccrine inflammation and necrosis: review of inflammatory disorders affecting the eccrine apparatus including new associations.

Summary Despite being frequently overlooked during the examination of histopathological sections, eccrine sweat glands can offer clues for diagnosing various skin conditions. They provide important functions and can lead to several diseases when inflamed or injured. This review article provides information regarding eccrine physiology as well as well-established and novel entities that occur in association with eccrine gland pathology.
Using “Autogeography,” sense of place and place-based approaches in the pedagogy of geographic thought

This essay will discuss an approach in the pedagogy of geography that engages students with the interpretation, imagination, and the complex understandings and dimensions of geographic thought. My ...
Liquid Phase Synthesis by Precipitation

This chapter discusses the production of ceramic powders from liquid phase precipitation. In most cases, ceramic powder precursors (that is, sulfates, carbonates, oxalates, hydroxides, etc.) are produced by precipitation. These powders must be thermally decomposed to their oxides in a separate step that frequently maintains their precipitated particle morphology, although some degree of particle sticking often occurs. This chapter also focuses on the fundamental steps of nucleation, growth, and aggregation in precipitation. The main reason precipitation is used to make ceramic powders is that it gives a pure solid product, rejecting to the supernatant most of the impurities. With precipitation, the particle morphology and the particle size distribution can be controlled to some degree. Precipitation has the disadvantage that the powders must be separated from their supernatants and dried, and thermally decomposed frequently to the desired ceramic material.
Chapter 91 Institutional Modifications of Majority Rule

Publisher Summary This chapter states that institutions and preferences are hopelessly confounded with the world of politics. Starting with data about institutional variation and variation in policy outcomes, it is impossible to make any hard and fast inferences about the impact of institutional features on policy outcomes. Do the states with a line-item veto spend less on certain budget categories because of the line-item veto, or because those states have electorates that prefer both the line-item veto and those expenditure patterns? Disentangling cause, effect, and spurious correlation can be virtually impossible with natural data. Experiments are uniquely suited for examining institutional effects. The experimenter can hold preferences constant and randomly assign subjects to treatments distinguished only by variations in institutional rules; resulting differences in behavior may be ascribed to the institutional differences with a degree of confidence that would be impossible in natural political settings.
Augmenting Sparse Laser Scans with Virtual Scans to Improve the Performance of Alignment Algorithms

We present a system to increase the performance of feature correspondence based alignment algorithms for laser scan data. Alignment approaches for robot mapping, like ICP or FFS, perform successfully only under the condition of sufficient feature overlap between single scans. This condition is often not met, e.g. in sparsely scanned environments or disaster areas for search and rescue robot tasks. Assuming mid level world knowledge (in the presented case the weak presence of noisy, roughly linear or rectangular-like objects) our system augments the sensor data with hypotheses ('Virtual Scans') about ideal models of these objects, based on analysis of a current estimated map of the underlying iterative alignment algorithm. Feedback between the data alignment and the data analysis confirms, modifies, or discards the Virtual Scan data in each iteration. Experiments with a simulated scenario and real world data from a rescue robot scenario show the applicability and advantages of the approach.
Without Loss of Generality

One sometimes reads in a mathematical proof that a certain assumption can be made `without loss of generality' (WLOG). In other words, it is claimed that considering what first appears only a special case does nevertheless suffice to prove the general result. Typically the intuitive justification for this is that one can exploit symmetry in the problem. We examine how to formalize such `WLOG' arguments in a mechanical theorem prover. Geometric reasoning is particularly rich in examples and we pay special attention to this area.
Interview with Susie Orbach, Ph.D., C.S.W.

An interview with Susie Orbach highlights the trajectory of her career and current thinking on body image issues and eating disorders. Dr. Orbach’s work in this area as a clinical social worker, psychoanalyst, best-selling author and social activist has spanned three decades. In this interview she reflects on her earlier books, Fat is a Feminist Issue and Hunger Strike: An Anorectic’s Struggle as a Metaphor for Our Age, and discusses her current work and perspectives within the context of contemporary culture.
Ovarian pregnancy and endometriosis: A case report☆

Abstract A brief discussion of the classification, incidence, and criteria for ovarian pregnancy has been presented, followed by a description of a single case of the primary extrafollicular type. The possible pathogenetic role of ectopic ovarian endometrium is discussed.
Through-wall radar imaging system utilizing a light-weight low-profile printed array

An UWB through-wall imaging system is proposed based on a planar low profile aperture array operating from 0.9 GHz to 2.3 GHz. The goal is to provide a lightweight, fixed array to serve as an alternative to synthetic aperture radars (SAR) that require continuous array movement while collecting data. The proposed system consists of 12 dual-linear printed elements arranged within a triangular lattice, each forming a “flower” shape and backed by a ground plane. The array delivers half-space radiation with wideband performance, necessary for imaging applications. UWB capability is realized by suppressing grating lobes via the introduction of virtual phase centers interwoven within the actual array feeds. Several high resolution 3-D images (of a cluttered room) containing a few sparsely distributed targets are presented. These images are forged in a non-typical fashion, incorporating both coherent and non-coherent processes. Specifically, several coherent images are forged from various fixed aperture locations (referred to as “snapshot” locations) and appropriately combined to create a fused scene image. Future work to optimize image quality is discussed, including algorithms for resolution enhancement, clutter mitigation, and image fusion treatments.
Culture, Politics and Governing: The Contemporary Ascetics of Knowledge Production

This work attempts to explain the formation of knowledge workers, which includes both academics and artists. By not distinguishing between the two vocations, Nickel asserts, rather than shows, that...
Testing Women, Testing the Fetus: The Social Impact of Amniocentesis in America

Testing Women, Testing the Fetus: The Social Impact of Amniocentesis in America. Rayna Rapp. New York: Routledge, 1999. xiv+361pp.
Hepatic artery traumatic aneurysm.

The diagnosis of intrahepatic aneurysm was suspected following radioisotope (/sup 99m/Tc-sulfur colloid and /sup 99m/Tc-albumin macroaggregates) scintigraphic studies. A patient developed abdominal pain following blunt abdominal trauma. The scintigrams of the liver revealed a large intrahepatic defect and separation between lung and liver. Angiogram revealed a large false aneurysm of the right hepatic artery. (auth)
Hepatocellular MR contrast agents: enhancement characteristics of liver parenchyma and portal vein after administration of gadoxetic acid in comparison to gadobenate dimeglumine.

Abstract Purpose To investigate the enhancement characteristics of liver parenchyma and portal vein as well as the portal vein-to liver contrast in Gd-EOB-DTPA- and Gd-BOPTA-enhanced abdominal MRI. Materials and methods The local institutional review board approved this retrospective study. A total of 70 patients (30 female, 40 male) without relevant liver disease underwent either Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced (35 patients, dose 0.025 mmol/kg) or Gd-BOPTA-enhanced (35 patients, dose 0.1 mmol/kg) abdominal MRI. Signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) for the portal vein and the liver as well as portal vein-to-liver contrast-to-noise ratios (CNR) were calculated for three consecutive arterial phases, one portal venous phase and one delayed imaging phase. Results The liver SNR showed higher values for the Gd-BOPTA group in the arterial and portal venous phases (statistically significant for the second and third arterial phase), while the liver SNR in the delayed phase was higher for the Gd-EOB-DTPA group. The portal venous SNR as well as the portal vein-to-liver CNR was higher in the Gd-BOPTA group in all imaging phases (statistically significant in all phases except for the first arterial phase). Conclusion The enhancement of liver parenchyma and portal vein as well as the portal vein-to-liver contrast in the arterial and portal venous imaging phases were higher for patients receiving Gd-BOPTA compared with Gd-EOB-DTPA at the respective recommended doses. Gd-BOPTA might therefore enable better evaluation of the portal vein.
Argon-matrix-isolation Raman spectra and density functional study of 1,3-butadiene conformers

s-trans, s-cis and gauche conformers of 1,3-butadiene have been studied using density functional theory and the coupled-cluster method using double substitutions (CCD). Matrix isolation Raman and IR data for the minor conformer were obtained and are used in combination with the theoretical results to resolve earlier ambiguities in vibrational assignments. Based on high-quality Hessians, new harmonic stretching force constants are reported for the carbon backbone of s-trans-1,3-butadiene. For the minor conformer the best unscaled root mean square error of the calculated frequencies for the s-cis and gauche geometries are 17.5 cm−1 and 7.4 cm−1, respectively, primarily due to a better agreement of the gauche results for the vibrations at 983 cm−1, 596 cm−1 and 470 cm−1 which depend strongly on the torsional angle. Although this points towards the gauche form rather than the s-cis form, the calculated transition dipole moment directions at the CCD/6-311G(d,p) level confirm the earlier conclusion that the minor conformer has C 2 v symmetry in the matrix. It is concluded that either the better agreement between the frequencies calculated for the gauche form and the observed values is coincidental, or that the molecule is indeed nonplanar in the matrix and tunnels very rapidly between the two mirror-image forms (or its lowest vibrational level lies above the barrier).
Tedesko’s Philadelphia Skating Club: Refinement of an Idea

This paper presents new aspects of Anton Tedesko’s design for an important thin shell concrete roof. The study of this roof results from the examination of original engineering drawings and calculations which we present with the goal of promoting a greater understanding of the structural design of a major figure in the tradition of 20th century building.
Allergic contact dermatitis and its relationship to carcinogenicity

The relationship between allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) and carcinogenicity was investigated using a recently developed and validated simulation approach. The analyses indicated that while there are electrophilic and non-electrophilic components to ACD, these were not identical to those operating in carcinogenicity. Accordingly, with respect to carcinogenicity prediction, the results of ACD do not improve the results based upon mutagenicity testing alone, the latter being a surrogate for potential electrophilicity.
β Cell transplantation and immunosuppression: can’t live with it, can’t live without it

Since the first diabetic was treated with insulin in 1922, millions of patients have relied on frequent insulin injections and glucose monitoring to combat the disease and its complications. Improved immunosuppressive regimens in islet transplantation developed in the Edmonton protocol raised the hopes of diabetics worldwide for a complete cure and insulin independence. However, transplant success has proven to be short-lived and accompanied by significant side effects. Using a clever genetic model for conditional ablation of pancreatic β cells in vivo, Nir and colleagues show in this issue of the JCI that the immunosuppressant drugs clinically inhibit β cell proliferation in the diabetic setting (see the related article beginning on page 2553). They also demonstrate that β cells have a remarkable regenerative capacity and that normal β cell mass can recover even in the setting of hyperglycemia. Their new mouse model should aid in the development of improved immunoregulatory strategies and in the elucidation of the molecular pathways that govern β cell regeneration.
Iterative global/local finite element analysis

Abstract In spite of the advances in computer technology, there is still a need for more computationally efficient methods for performing stress analysis. One approach which is receiving increasing attention is global/local analysis. Such analyses can take a variety of forms. The form described herein uses two distinct meshes (one global and one local), but retains the same level of accuracy as one would obtain if one was to use a single refined global mesh. The accuracy is retained by using an iterative procedure to enforce equilibrium between the global and local regions. The procedure was tested for three configurations. The good performance observed indicates that the iterative global/local procedure warrants further examination.
The influence of hospital and surgeon volume on in-hospital mortality for colectomy, gastrectomy, and lung lobectomy in patients with cancer

Background. This study explores the volume-mortality relationship for 3 groups of cancer procedures to determine whether higher-volume hospitals, higher-volume surgeons, or both are associated with lower in-hospital mortality. Methods. New York's Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System was used to identify more than 32,000 hospital inpatients with a cancer diagnosis who underwent colectomy, lobectomy of the lung, or gastrectomy between January 1, 1994, and December 31, 1997. The association of in-hospital mortality rates with provider (hospital and surgeon) volume was examined after adjusting for differences in age, demographics, organ metastasis, socioeconomic status, and comorbidities. Results. For hospital volume for gastrectomy, the highest-volume quartile had an absolute risk-adjusted mortality rate that was 7.1% lower (P <.0001) than the lowest-volume quartile, although the overall mortality rate for the procedure was only 6.2%. For surgeon volume for colectomy, the highest- and lowest- volume quartiles differed by 1.9% (P <.0001), although the procedure mortality rate was only 3.5%. For hospital volume for lung lobectomy, the absolute difference in mortality was 1.7%. Patients undergoing operations performed by high-volume surgeons in high-volume hospitals usually had significantly lower risk-adjusted mortality rates than did patients who had low-volume surgeons or who were in low-volume hospitals, or both. Conclusions. For all 3 procedure groups, the risk-adjusted in-hospital mortality is significantly lower when the procedures are performed by high-volume providers. (Surgery 2002;131:6-15.)
WiRE: a new rural connectivity paradigm

Many rural areas in developing regions remain largely disconnected from the rest of the world due to low purchasing power and the exorbitant cost of existing connectivity solutions. Wireless Rural Extensions (WiRE) is a low-power rural wireless network architecture that provides inexpensive, self-sustainable, and high-bandwidth connectivity. WiRE relies on a high-bandwidth directional wireless backbone with local distribution networks to provide focused IP coverage. WiRE also provides cellular connectivity using OpenBTS-based GSM microcells. It supports a naming and addressing framework that inter-operates with traditional telecom networks and enables a wide range of mobile services on a common IP framework. The entire name network can be built by integrating a range of off-the-shelf components and existing open source tools.
A New Lean Paradigm in Higher Education: A Case Study.

Purpose – This case study aims to demonstrate that lean principles and practices utilized in industry can be successfully applied to improve higher education administrative processes through an innovative and engaging learning experience involving undergraduate students.Design/methodology/approach – This is a first‐hand account by the instructor of a small group of undergraduate students in a seminar course working as a team to identify waste and redesign the university's grade change administrative process.Findings – This case study found that a small group of undergraduate students can quickly learn basic lean principles, tools and practices, and reinforce that learning by applying them in a team effort to significantly improve a university administrative process.Practical implications – With the changing higher education environment, where efficiency and effectiveness have become more imperative due to increasing budget constraints and competition for students, this case study shows that students can p...
Faith and mental health in an oncology population.

This study compares faith attitudes versus behaviors for their relationship to mental health in current cancer patients and survivors. This cross-sectional survey of ambulatory patients included Hodge’s intrinsic religious motivation scale, Benson & Spilka’s concept of God scale, frequency of prayer, and the mental health subscale of the MOS SF-36. One hundred and fifty-eighty patients, mostly women with breast cancer, completed questionnaires (92% return). Mental health was positively related to a concept of a loving God (P < .001) and negatively related to the concept of a stern God (P < .002). Mental health was unrelated to goal of treatment (cure vs. chemotherapy/palliation), frequency of prayer, intrinsic faith motivation, or physical pain. Viewing God as loving was strongly related to better mental health, even in the presence of a poor prognosis or pain.
Interaction among mean flow, turbulence, bed morphology, bank failures and channel planform in an evolving compound meander loop

Abstract The dynamic evolution of the planform of meandering rivers often leads to the development of compound loops with multiple lobes of maximum curvature. At present, the interaction among spatial patterns of mean flow, turbulence, bed morphology, bank failures and channel migration in compound loops is poorly understood. In particular, field studies of this interaction over the timescale of planform evolution are lacking. This study examines the co-evolution of flow, bed morphology, and channel planform in a compound meander loop and relates patterns of near-bank velocity and turbulence to planform change within the loop. Data consist of repeat surveys of channel change in a compound loop over an 11-year period, coupled with Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter (ADV) measurements of 3-D instantaneous velocities for similar magnitude flows at the beginning and end of this period. Results confirm that this compound loop is highly dynamic, with major changes in planform occurring over the 11-year period. Spatial patterns of near-bank velocity and turbulence correspond to patterns of bank erosion and channel migration within the loop; however, these patterns are not strictly a function of planform curvature. Instead, local factors, including deflection of the flow by point bars and failed bank blocks, enhance or inhibit the development of high near-bank velocities and turbulence kinetic energy. The loop has elongated and become more asymmetric over time—a pattern of development consistent with patterns of near-bank velocities and turbulence at the beginning of the study period. The pattern of near-bank velocities and turbulence for measurements at the end of the period indicate that the loop will continue to elongate in the near future, supporting the hypothesis that compound loops evolve continuously over time rather than developing into a stable configuration.
A survey on rare earth doped optical fiber amplifiers

The rare-earth-doped fiber amplifier (REDFA) has a significant role in the development of worldwide fiber-optic networks. This paper present a survey on the introduction to the history of the rare earth doped optical fiber amplifier as well as the context within which fiber amplifiers are having a very significant commercial impact along with its use as an amplifier. The most significant points in any optical amplifier design are gain and noise figure (NF), low NF and high gain are the main features for optimum REDFA. The emergence of the fiber amplifier indicates the invention and development of further guided wave devices that should play a major role in the continuing increase in transmission capacity and functionality of the fibers.
The influence of police interventions and alternative income sources on the dynamic process of choosing crime as a career

This paper demonstrates how a rational process of choice may be influenced by both deterrence forces and economic opportunities. This choice is modeled by a dynamic (Markov) process which captures self-sorting by youth among the categories of innocents, desisters, and persisters. in crime. A key to the results is the introduction of the perceived probability of punishment and its influence on the sorting process. The analysis shows how this force and the availability, or lack of, economic opportunities or income sources modify transition probabilities. The long-run consequences will be a larger subpopulation of individuals who have experimented with crime but subsequently revert to crime-free behavior and a smaller subpopulation of individuals who commit a greater share of crime. Empirical evidence is based on data from the New Youth Cohort of the National Longitudinal Surveys.
Assessment of Exceptional Children: Guidelines for Practice

Assessment is a process that provides information needed for a number of important decisions in the education of exceptional children. These decisions include eligibility, diagnostic classification...