cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Clustering on Sparse Data in Non-overlapping Feature Space with Applications to Cancer Subtyping

This paper presents a new algorithm, Reinforced and Informed Network-based Clustering(RINC), for finding unknown groups of similar data objects in sparse and largely non-overlapping feature space where a network structure among features can be observed. Sparse and non-overlapping unlabeled data become increasingly common and available especially in text mining and biomedical data mining. RINC inserts a domain informed model into a modelless neural network. In particular, our approach integrates physically meaningful feature dependencies into the neural network architecture and soft computational constraint. Our learning algorithm efficiently clusters sparse data through integrated smoothing and sparse auto-encoder learning. The informed design requires fewer samples for training and at least part of the model becomes explainable. The architecture of the reinforced network layers smooths sparse data over the network dependency in the feature space. Most importantly, through back-propagation, the weights of the reinforced smoothing layers are simultaneously constrained by the remaining sparse auto-encoder layers that set the target values to be equal to the raw inputs. Empirical results demonstrate that RINC achieves improved accuracy and renders physically meaningful clustering results.
A Performed Solution to the Pythagorean Problem: The Three Bodies Project

The authors describe an art-science collaboration to devise and perform a qualitatively accurate interpretation of an elliptic-hyperbolic solution to the classical astronomical “problem of three bo...
Why is Getting Rid of P-Values So Hard? Musings on Science and Statistics

The current concerns about reproducibility have focused attention on proper use of statistics across the sciences. This gives statisticians an extraordinary opportunity to change what are widely re...
A Seasonal Analysis of Stress in a Stream Ecosystem Using a Nontaxonomic Approach

A nontaxonomic method for monitoring stream community response to sewage stress was tested for 1 year on two small streams in southwest Virginia. The method represents an improvement in field testing approaches through increased replicability, decreased sampling time, and year-round applicability. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels from microbial communities in organically stressed portions of Cedar Run were significantly higher than the unstressed portions of Cedar Run and Wilson Creek, whereas chlorophyll a levels were significantly lower. Microbial autotrophy indexes (AIs) calculated from the ATP and chlorophyll measurements increased significantly below the outfall. The AIs were inversely related to macroinvertebrate diversity and the number of taxa. Macroinvertebrate functional groups showed a balance between scrapers, collector-gatherers, and collector-filterers at all unstressed stations and a predominance of collector-gatherers or collector-gatherers and collector-filterers at the stressed stations. A significant inverse correlation was found between the AIs and the proportion of macroinvertebrate scrapers.
Contribution of sensorimotor beta oscillations during value-based action selection.

Abstract Choosing a course of daily-life actions requires an accurate assessment of the associated risks and potential rewards. We investigated the neural dynamics of this decision process by analyzing the neural electrical signals acquired from electroencephalography (EEG) during a value-based action-selection task. In particular, we determined whether sensorimotor beta oscillations, traditionally studied in the context of motor control, are also involved in value-based decision making for actions. Additionally, we examined the involvement of this beta signal relative to other neural signals such as the ERP components P2 and P3, which have been previously identified in reward processing and value computations. Our results from healthy young adults (N = 31), showed a significant decrease in sensorimotor beta power during a decision phase without any motor response, in addition to an action phase when a response was made. The decision-phase beta signal was preceded by the P2/P3b components, and all of these neural signals reliably dissociated the different reward and risk levels, suggesting the encoding of decision variables. Importantly, while the beta signal during both the action and decision phase predicted behavioral performance (i.e., response time) in the action phase, the preceding P2/P3b had no such predictive association with the behavior. Collectively, these results demonstrate a unique contribution of the motor system in value-based decision making for actions, via the translation of motivational information into a motor signal across time.
Industrial Ultrafast Lasers - Systems, Processing Fundamentals, and Applications

The architectures of industrial ultrafast lasers are being reviewed and their performance compared. Ablations rates as a function of pulse duration (0.4 – 19 ps), wavelength and pulse fluence are presented and the main industrial applications are discussed. © 2019 The Author(s)
Correlators for Synthetic Apertures in Space

In this paper we analyze existing technology and simulate possible work flows to find the best hardware and data processing strategies for the position solving and correlation steps of space based radio arrays at various scales. Such arrays are composed of many free flying spacecraft, and accurate knowledge of their relative positions is necessary for proper data analysis. By using signals from existing Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) satellites, each individual spacecraft may record data that can be used to solve for precise orbit determination (POD) solutions to determine the relative propagation delays between each spacecraft pair. Any errors in the position are translated into phase error of the complex correlation data. The acceptable limits of error in position before harming the localization of the radio array are tested, using localization performance of SunRISE as a test case. This work help sets requirements for future space based arrays, particularly the quality of GNSS signal needed on each spacecraft as well as correlator capabilities. It is found that there are several feasible hardware and software combinations available today that could constitute a space based array, and recommendations are provided on which combinations would be well suited for various correlation strategies.
Remote Stereochemical Control of Both Reacting Centers in Ketyl-Olefin Radical Cyclizations: Involvement of a Samarium Tridentate Ligate

High diastereoselection in a samarium(II) iodide-promoted ketyl-olefin cyclization reaction has been achieved using tartramide-derived keto allylic acetals as chiral auxiliaries. The unique features of the reaction include the fact that remote diastereoselection is achieved in a radical process and that high levels of stereochemical induction are observed at both new stereocenters created in the transformation. The source of the asymmetric induction is postulated to be a highly ordered, tricyclic transition structure made possible by three-point chelation between the ketyl intermediate and the samarium counterion. As such, this transformation also demonstrates the first example of the use of a chelating metal to affect high levels of remote asymmetric induction in a radical reaction. Because of this chelation, the sense of relative stereoselectivity is unusual for a SmI2-mediated cyclization, providing consistently high ratios of cis/trans isomers. A double-diastereodifferentiating experiment provides add...
Published Operative Times Do Not Reflect Surgeon Effort: A Novel Approach for Calculating Operative Times in Total Hip Arthroplasty to Better Quantify Surgeon Work.

Abstract Background Current estimates of operative time (OT) for total hip arthroplasty (THA) are reported as the mean OT across all procedures. This method does not reflect variability among surgeons and surgical settings and should not be used to infer individual surgeon work. We hypothesized that this method would underestimate the time it takes individual surgeons to perform THA. Therefore, we compared the mean OT for all THA cases (“overall OT”) with the mean OT for individual surgeons (“individual surgeon OT”) and examined which factors were associated with each. Methods Mean OT was calculated for 3972 primary THA cases (“overall OT”) by 41 surgeons from 2015 to 2018 in a single health system. The mean OT for each surgeon was determined (“individual surgeon OT”), averaged across surgeons, and compared with overall OT. Overall OT and individual surgeon OT were assessed for associations with surgeon-related (adult reconstruction fellowship training, THA volume, years’ experience), hospital-related (hospital type, trainee presence), and patient-related (age, body mass index category, American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status classification) factors (alpha = 0.05). Results Mean individual surgeon OT was significantly longer (106 ± 21 minutes) than overall OT (96 ± 28 minutes) (P = .03), with 73% of individual surgeon OTs being greater than overall OT. Although all surgeon-, hospital-, and patient-related factors were associated with significant differences in overall OT, only hospital type was associated with differences in individual surgeon OT. Conclusion Individual surgeon OT was longer than overall OT for most surgeons and provides a better estimate of surgeon work.
Creating the “new normal”: Career development embedded into the Ph.D. curriculum for all trainees

Abstract To prompt and support early and informed career exploration and preparation across all Ph.D. students, the University of Massachusetts Medical School took an approach fundamentally different from traditional career development programs: rather than focus on creating opt-in workshops or opportunities, we integrated career and professional development directly into and across the span of Ph.D. training as part of the required curriculum for all students. Five years later, we are now seeing significant changes on our campus, from students embracing career planning and taking earlier actions toward their career development, to changes in institutional culture. Here, we tell the story through student voices.
Low-Grade Pediatric Brainstem Gliomas

Low-grade brainstem gliomas (LGBSG) in children is a heterogeneous pathological entity. Tumor location, clinical course, and radiological characteristics are the main factors affecting treatment and outcome.
Chapter 10 – Image Interpretation

Publisher Summary Interpretation of aerial photographs begins with basic aspects—color, size, shape, pattern, texture, and shadows—combined with scene context and experience of the interpreter. Visual recognition of objects in vertical images normally requires a ground sample distance 3–5 times smaller than the object itself, although other non-spatial factors also may impact interpretability. Atmospheric effects tend to degrade image quality with increasing height regardless of spatial resolution. Small-format aerial photography (SFAP) from low height may provide interpretability ratings in the range of 7–9, noticeably higher than conventional airphotos or high-resolution satellite imagery. Visible color is diagnostic for suspended sediment in water bodies, whereas color-infrared imagery is most appropriate for vegetation. Cultural features tend to display linear and geometric shapes and patterns that contrast with natural objects for both modern urban and rural features as well as prehistoric remains. Subtle crop, soil, and shadow marks may reveal the presence of buried archaeological features. Often, the most interesting information in an image does not reveal itself immediately but rather indirectly by visual clues to the conditions and processes that induce a certain pattern, shape, or color.
Pinning Pink: Messages About Hereditary Breast Cancer Risk on Pinterest.

Social media messages and conversations provide an opportunity to study what users post about cancer risk and preventive behaviors. Personal stories of early detection, treatment, and survivorship are often shared. The purpose of this study was to examine the hereditary breast cancer-focused posts on the understudied visual social media platform Pinterest. Using systematic random sampling, n = 500 Pinterest posts (referred to as “pins”) were collected using the keywords “breast cancer” and “genetic testing” in the late 2017. Using a quantitative content analysis, pins were coded for a variety of categories including poster identity, pin characteristics and content, the presence of Health Belief Model constructs, and engagement variables (i.e., repins/saves and comments). The primary findings of this study reveal that most pins were published by individuals and relatively few messages contained specific information about genetic testing. Study results also describe how Pinterest users interact with the content, including higher engagement with information-rich visuals and traditional breast cancer awareness symbols. The information gained from this study may serve as the foundation for better understanding how social media can be used to communicate with women about heritable breast health-related cancers, risks, and protective behaviors. Study results prompt practical recommendations for public health organizations interested in reaching women seeking information about heritable breast cancer on Pinterest.
Predicting complications of diabetes mellitus using advanced machine learning algorithms.

Objective We sought to predict if patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) would develop 10 selected complications. Accurate prediction of complications could help with more targeted measures that would prevent or slow down their development. Materials and methods Experiments were conducted on the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project State Inpatient Databases of California for the period of 2003 to 2011. Recurrent neural network (RNN) long short-term memory (LSTM) and RNN gated recurrent unit (GRU) deep learning methods were designed and compared with random forest and multilayer perceptron traditional models. Prediction accuracy of selected complications were compared on 3 settings corresponding to minimum number of hospitalizations between diabetes diagnosis and the diagnosis of complications. Results The diagnosis domain was used for experiments. The best results were achieved with RNN GRU model, followed by RNN LSTM model. The prediction accuracy achieved with RNN GRU model was between 73% (myocardial infarction) and 83% (chronic ischemic heart disease), while accuracy of traditional models was between 66% - 76%. Discussion The number of hospitalizations was an important factor for the prediction accuracy. Experiments with 4 hospitalizations achieved significantly better accuracy than with 2 hospitalizations. To achieve improved accuracy deep learning models required training on at least 1000 patients and accuracy significantly dropped if training datasets contained 500 patients. The prediction accuracy of complications decreases over time period. Considering individual complications, the best accuracy was achieved on depressive disorder and chronic ischemic heart disease. Conclusions The RNN GRU model was the best choice for electronic medical record type of data, based on the achieved results.
Numerical simulation of channel fracturing technology in developing shale gas reservoirs

Abstract HiWay flow channel fracturing, as a paradigm shift in the conventional hydraulic fracturing, was introduced by Schlumberger in 2010. The improvement of the new technology compared to conventional fracturing methods is presented by the scattered multi-layer proppants which concentrate loose proppants into fibered pillars in order to provide broader flow pathways in fractures. Although numerous experimental and theoretical research have been conducted in the last decade, limitations still exist. In this study, we investigate the performance of the technique in improving the shale gas productivity via integrating channel fracture models into the open-source framework, MATLAB Reservoir Simulation Toolbox (MRST). A new mathematical model is derived to determine the permeability and conductivity of channel fracturing by the shape changes of pillars in fractures. Verification and validation cases are conducted via comparing with a reference model and oilfield data, respectively. More computational cases are studied to demonstrate factors affecting the performance of channel fracturing, including natural fractures and the concentration of proppants. The simulation result reveals that the channeling fracturing benefits more from the natural fractures compared to the conventional fracturing technique, although the gas production is actually enhanced for both of the techniques. The proppant concentration is also an important parameter. A lower concentration scheme presents a high initial production rate because of the broader channels in fractures. While, a higher concentration scheme will enhance the support of the fracture aperture and benefit the long-term shale gas production. In the field case study, the simulation results are compared with shale gas production data from the well Heim 2H in Hawkville field. The simulated result matches the field data successfully in the stabilized period when the gas production is not affected by the screen out and flowback.
Benchmark Study Results: Merlin/Colorado

The AAR model of the author is an uncoupled one, that is the constitutive model is in no way affected by the AAR which itself is considered to be an initial strain (akin of temperature), which grafts itself on the mechanical one. It is implemented in [1], and a complete “validation” of the code with the RILEM benchmark is separately published [2]. This section will describe first the AAR model yielding to the expression of the AAR strain tensor which is accounted for.
Integrated Preventive Maintenance Scheduling Model with Redundancy for Cutting Tools on a Single Machine

In this paper, we present an integrated multi-objective framework of a single machine for a single cutting tool problem. Our maintenance policy is based on performing minimal repairs in case of a minor failure and Preventive Maintenance (PM) to avoid a major failure that results in the replacement of the tool. This framework allows simultaneous optimization of the two conflicting time and cost objectives. A redundant system is proposed as a part of the model to assist the production line under a major failure. In addition, the tool’s preventive maintenance time is synchronized with the completion of the machine tool’s work cycle to reduce the machine’s set-up time. The model was optimized using a customized Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm (NSGA-II). An experimental study based on real-market data was conducted and the results were compared with the ones obtained from classical methods.
The Search for B+→τ+ντ at BaBar

We present a search for the decay B + → τ + ν τ using 288 fb−1 of data collected at the ϒ ( 4 S ) resonance with the BaBar detector at the SLAC PEP-II B-Factory. A sample of events with one reconstructed semileptonic B decay ( B − → D 0 l − ν ¯ l X ) is selected, and in the recoil a search for B + → τ + ν τ signal is performed. The τ is identified in the following channels: τ + → e + ν e ν ¯ τ , τ + → μ + ν μ ν ¯ τ , τ + → π + ν ¯ τ and τ + → π + π 0 ν ¯ τ . We measure a branching fraction of B ( B + → τ + ν τ ) = ( 0.88 −0.67 +0.68 ( stat. ) ± 0.11 ( syst. ) ) × 10 −4 and extract an upper limit on the branching fraction, at the 90% confidence level, of B ( B + → τ + ν τ ) 1.8 × 10 −4 . We calculate the product of the B meson decay constant and | V u b | to be f B ⋅ | V u b | = ( 7.0 −3.6 +2.3 ( stat. ) −0.5 +0.4 ( syst. ) ) × 10 −4 GeV .
Adaptations of Dermatology Residency Programs to Changes in Medical Education Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: Virtual Opportunities and Social Media

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a drastic change in the 2020-2021 residency application cycle, limiting how programs interact with applicants. Objective: To describe how dermatology residency programs have adapted by developing social media platforms and virtual opportunities. Methods: A list of participating programs was obtained from the Electronic Residency Application Service. Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and websites were reviewed for virtual opportunities. The Visiting Student Application Service (VSAS) and the Dermatology Interest Group Association (DIGA) website were reviewed for virtual opportunities. Results: Of the 133 programs, 74 social media accounts were created. Twenty-two programs have Twitter, 27 have Instagram, and 25 have Facebook accounts. Virtual open houses were advertised on 27 program webpages. Eight virtual sub-internships were on VSAS. Eighty virtual meet and greets and 27 virtual electives were advertised on the DIGA website. Limitations: Considering the ongoing application cycle and the growth of social media usage, the numbers presented may not represent the numbers on the date of publication. Conclusion: Dermatology residency programs have adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic by developing social media platforms and virtual opportunities. There is an underutilization of social media by programs. Programs are working with the DIGA to distribute information about virtual opportunities.
National Estimates of CKD Prevalence and Potential Impact of Estimating Glomerular Filtration Rate Without Race.

Background The implications of removing the adjustment for Black race in equations to eGFR on the prevalence of CKD and management strategies are incompletely understood. Methods We estimated changes in CKD prevalence and the potential effect on therapeutic drug prescriptions and prediction of kidney failure if race adjustment were removed from the CKD-EPI GFR estimating equation. We used cross-sectional and longitudinal data from adults aged ≥18 years in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2015 to 2016, and the Veterans Affairs (VA) Health Care System in 2015. In the VA cohort, we assessed use of common medications that require dose adjustment on the basis of kidney function, and compared the prognostic accuracy of the Kidney Failure Risk Equation with versus without race adjustment of eGFR. Results The prevalence of CKD among Black adults increased from 5.2% to 10.6% in NHANES, and from 12.4% to 21.6% in the VA cohort after eliminating race adjustment. Among Black veterans, 41.0% of gabapentin users, 33.5% of ciprofloxacin users, 24.0% of metformin users, 6.9% of atenolol users, 6.6% of rosuvastatin users, and 5.8% of tramadol users were reclassified to a lower eGFR for which dose adjustment or discontinuation is recommended. Without race adjustment of eGFR, discrimination of the Kidney Failure Risk Equation among Black adults remained high and calibration was marginally improved overall, with better calibration at higher levels of predicted risk. Conclusions Removal of race adjustment from CKD-EPI eGFR would double the estimated prevalence of CKD among Black adults in the United States. Such a change is likely to affect a sizeable number of drug-dosing decisions. It may also improve the accuracy of kidney failure risk prediction among higher-risk Black adults.
Clinical efficacy of nanohydroxyapatite-containing toothpaste at relieving dentin hypersensitivity: an 8 weeks randomized control trial.

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to investigate and compare the effectiveness of several toothpastes containing nanohydroxyapatite (nano-HAP) to relieve dentin hypersensitivity (DHS) with that of a commercial desensitizing dentifrice containing calcium sodium phosphosilicate (CSPS). MATERIALS AND METHODS In this double-blind, randomized, parallel-group clinical trial, patients diagnosed with DHS and qualified to participate were randomized into four groups: toothpaste containing 10% nano-HAP (10%nano-HAP), 15% nano-HAP (15%nano-HAP), 10% nano-HAP supplemented with potassium nitrate (KNO3) (10%nano-HAPKN), or CSPS. Subjects' baseline and post-treatment sensitivities were assessed using visual analog scale (VAS) after the application of ice-cold and air stimuli. Subjects used their assigned toothpaste for routine toothbrushing twice daily. Post-treatment sensitivity was assessed every 2 or 8 weeks. Mean change in VAS (mm) from baseline at each time point were compared using random-intercept, mixed-model analysis and Duncan test (P < 0.05). RESULTS With either air or cold stimulus, VAS indicated a significant (P < 0.001) reduction from baseline DHS at each time point with all test toothpastes. Among the nano-HAP toothpastes, 15%nano-HAP and 10%nano-HAPKN were consistent in DHS reduction with both stimuli. With either stimuli, the CSPS did not significantly differ from 15%nano-HAP and 10%nano-HAPKN at any time point. CONCLUSIONS Toothpaste containing nano-HAP (10 or 15%) alone or supplemented with KNO3 was as effective as CSPS for relief of DHS symptoms when used at least twice daily.
“So Weird and So Fabulous”: Expression of Identity in Retro Sewing

Home sewers choose to sew their own clothing as a means of self-empowerment to control their appearance as well as a creative outlet. Retro sewers, who sew their own versions of historic styles to wear as part of their everyday lives, represent a unique intersection between the vintage clothing market and the home sewing market. The participants in this study use retro sewing as a means of identity portrayal in a variety of ways. Retro sewing is a visual expression of identity. These home sewers consider their retro clothing to be part of their identities and an extension of themselves, incorporating nostalgia as identity continuity, postmodernism as styles are translated to today’s context, and uniqueness. Retro sewing is a way to enact personal values; participants discussed retro as opposition to the fashion industry, although they show high fashion involvement, and some use retro sewing as an expression of feminism.
A simple double quantum coherence ESR sequence that minimizes nuclear modulations in Cu(2+)-ion based distance measurements

Double quantum coherence (DQC) ESR is a sensitive method to measure magnetic dipolar interactions between spin labels. However, the DQC experiment on Cu(2+) centers presents a challenge at X-band. The Cu(2+) centers are usually coordinated to histidine residues in proteins. The electron-nuclear interaction between the Cu(2+) ion and the remote nitrogen in the imidazole ring can interfere with the electron-electron dipolar interaction. Herein, we report on a modified DQC experiment that has the advantage of reduced contributions from electron-nuclear interactions, which enhances the resolution of the DQC signal to the electron-electron dipolar modulations. The modified pulse-sequence is verified on Cu(2+)-NO system in a polyalanine-based peptide and on a coupled Cu(2+) system in a polyproline-based peptide. The modified DQC data were compared with the DEER data and good agreement was found.
Self-Sufficiency and Sobriety

Abstract Substance abuse presents formidable challenges to a welfare reform that has employment as its primary goal. This study reviews the literature on substance abuse and women and reports what substance-abusing women on welfare perceive as unmet needs and barriers to their recovery and ability to join the workforce.
Support Vector Machines and the Bayes Rule in Classification

The Bayes rule is the optimal classification rule if the underlying distribution of the data is known. In practice we do not know the underlying distribution, and need to “learn” classification rules from the data. One way to derive classification rules in practice is to implement the Bayes rule approximately by estimating an appropriate classification function. Traditional statistical methods use estimated log odds ratio as the classification function. Support vector machines (SVMs) are one type of large margin classifier, and the relationship between SVMs and the Bayes rule was not clear. In this paper, it is shown that the asymptotic target of SVMs are some interesting classification functions that are directly related to the Bayes rule. The rate of convergence of the solutions of SVMs to their corresponding target functions is explicitly established in the case of SVMs with quadratic or higher order loss functions and spline kernels. Simulations are given to illustrate the relation between SVMs and the Bayes rule in other cases. This helps understand the success of SVMs in many classification studies, and makes it easier to compare SVMs and traditional statistical methods.
“One for All: The Problem of Uniformity Cost in Intellectual Property Law.” American University Law Review 55, no.4 (May 2006): 845-900.

Intellectual property law protects the owner of each patented invention or copyrighted work of authorship with a largely uniform set of exclusive rights. In the modern context, it is clear that innovators' needs for intellectual property protection vary substantially across industries and among types of innovation. Applying a socially costly, uniform solution to problems of differing magnitudes means that the law necessarily imposes uniformity cost by underprotecting those who invest in certain costly innovations and overprotecting those with low innovation costs or access to alternative appropriability mechanisms. This Article argues that reducing uniformity cost is the central problem for intellectual property policymaking. There are three approaches for reducing uniformity costs: (1) granting real options to obtain or maintain intellectual property rights (such as renewable terms); (2) using standards rather than rules to define rights, thereby making their application more context-sensitive; and (3) tailoring rights legislatively or judicially. This Article focuses on the ways in which current law deploys these approaches to reduce uniformity cost and argues that recent changes in the law have exacerbated the problem of uniformity cost.
A Language Graveyard? The Evolution of Language Competencies, Preferences and Use Among Young Adult Children of Immigrants

This chapter examines the evolution of English and foreign language competencies, preferences, and use among young adult children of immigrants in the United States, including the extent to which bilingualism is sustained or not over time and generation in the U.S. The issues of language loyalty and change are first considered in a broader historical context, and a national profile is sketched of foreign and English language patterns over the past three censuses. It then focuses on results from the last wave of the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study (CILS), which followed a large sample of 1.5- and second-generation youth (immigrant children who arrived in the U.S. before adolescence, and U.S.-born children of immigrants) for more than a decade from mid-adolescence to their mid-twenties. The baseline sample of more than 5,000 was representative of 77 nationalities, including all of the principal immigrant groups in the U.S. today. The CILS data set permits both comparative and longitudinal analyses of language fluencies across the largest immigrant groups in the U.S., from widely different cultural and class origins, in distinct generational cohorts, and in different areas of settlement. The analysis is supplemented with other available survey and census data.
Management Problems in Flood Plain Areas

Successful flood plain management requires a uniform and coordinated joint local-state-federal effort. The complexity of such a program, basic data needs, and development pressures is beyond the scope of the local units of government. It is unrealistic to expect that state agencies will have sufficient resources to cope with all statewide flood plain problems and local needs. State and local programs are limited by conflicting federal laws and policies. Federal assistance and financial incentives are needed to promote state-local action. There is an urgent need for a unified national program for managing flood losses as recommended by Congressional House Document No. 465, 89th Congress, 2nd Session (1). Differences in engineering methodology must be resolved. Flood plain management should not be considered in terms of a single purpose objective, flood damage prevention, but, properly related to an overall national or state land use policy. Major revisions in land taxation policies are needed to achieve flood plain and related environmental management objectives.
Intelligence in the Automobile of the Future

One trend that has been apparent in the automobile market over recent years is that more and more new vehicles from an ever-increasing number of manufacturers have been available with driver assistance systems. Most of these driver assistance systems relieve the driver of simple measuring and control tasks. Intelligence in the vehicle, however, means more than just measuring and controlling. The vehicle has got to acquire information, arrive at an interpretation and establish contextual interconnections. To do this, it needs contextual information and action options. This chapter presents an architecture for vehicle assistance systems in order to acquire, process, and evaluate environmental data, thereby bringing the objective within reach. Also, it presents certain selected projects by Volkswagen Group Research in the area of automated driving which are based on this architecture for environment perception.
Bicuspid aortic valves in monozygotic twins.

Identical bicuspid valve anomalies were found in monozygotic twins. Screening echocardiography should be considered for first-degree relatives of patients with bicuspid aortic valve. (ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY, Volume 20, February 2003)
Effect of solid properties on slip at a fluid-solid interface.

The dependence of velocity slip at a liquid--solid interface upon the character of the solid is studied using atomistic simulation methods for Lennard-Jones model systems. The effect of the thermostatting mechanisms, often used in such simulations, is also investigated. The solid atom vibrational frequency is shown not to have a significant effect on the slip length for the range of parameters investigated; however, it is found that application of a thermostat to the fluid changes the slip length at low shear rates and results in an unphysical divergent slip behavior at high shear rates. On the other hand, removing the generated heat through the walls, which is more analogous to a laboratory condition, results in a nonlinearly decreasing slip length with shear rate that asymptotes to the no-slip limit at high shear rates. This effect is due to viscous heating, which increases the fluid temperature and pressure. A nonlinear relationship between the slip length and the shear rate collapses the shear-rate--slip-length dependence onto a single curve for a range of cases when heat is more realistically removed through the walls.
Suppression of cellular immunity by anesthesia and operation

Abstract The effect on in vivo cellular immunity of anesthesia and operation was evaluated in 250 cancer patients who received sensitizing doses of dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB). The primary immune response to DNCB of 218 patients who completed the 2-week sensitization period prior to operation was compared with that of 32 patients who had interruption of the sensitization period by general anesthesia or operation. The extent and histologic types of malignances were similar in the two groups; however, 53% of patients who had interruption of sensitization by anesthesia or operation were anergic to DNCB, while only 9% of patients with an uninterrupted sensitization period were anergic ( P in vitro correlates of cellular immunity and in vivo response to recall antigens. The results indicate that correlations between primary immune responses to DNCB of tumor-bearing patients and prognosis after treatment may be invalid if the sensitization period is interrupted by anesthesia or operation. Because of the possible facilitation of the dissemination, implantation, and propagation of tumor cells during a period of suppressed cellular immunity related to anesthesia and operation, these results suggest the need for investigating the desirability and means of maintaining and even augmenting cellular immune competence in cancer patients during anesthesia and operation.
Optimization of the diffraction efficiency of a spatial light modulator through phase error minimization

Spatial light modulators (SLMs) are used to diffract light beams for a variety of applications. In particular, optical tweezer trapping has greatly benefited from the advent of phase-mostly and phase-only SLMs to write holograms that produce multiple traps. We are using holographic optical tweezers to trap multiple sensor particles in a lab-on-a-chip measurement platform. As part of this program, we have developed a method for optimizing the diffraction efficiency of a SLM. This general method can be applied in situ and addresses the issues of nonlinear phase modulation and phase modulation less than 2π. The method employs a one-dimensional blazed phase grating written on the SLM. For an ideal SLM, the phase shift is linear and covers 0 - 2π, yielding a first-order diffraction efficiency of unity. For a realistic SLM with nonlinear or reduced phase shift, the efficiency is approximately η = 1 - σ 2 , where σ 2 is the variance of the phase error from the ideal case. Because each pixel contributes to the phase error independently, this suggests a method to maximize the efficiency by adjusting the phase encoding of the SLM pixel-by-pixel. In practice, we do this by adjusting the gray-scale of each pixel while measuring the first-order diffracted power. The collection of optimal gray values comprises the optimized gray-scale lookup table, which exhibits the nonlinearity required to produce a linear phase grating and the saturated phase encoding that maximizes the efficiency of phase limited SLMs. We have successfully applied this optimization method to two different SLMs.
Avorio d'ogni ragione: the supply of elephant ivory to northern Europe in the Gothic era

This article accounts for the hitherto unexplained increase in the availability of ivory in mid-thirteenth-century France through an alteration in the medieval trade routes that brought elephant tusks from Africa to northern Europe. A newly-opened passage through the Straits of Gibraltar allowed a small amount of luxury goods to be shipped together with bulk materials necessary to the flourishing textile industries of northern Europe.
Atomic resolution electron microscopy of NiO grain boudaries

Atomic-scale detail in 〈100〉 tilt grain boundaries (GB) of high-purity bicrystals of NiO has been studied with a 400 kV high-resolution electron microscope. Crystallinity is always maintained right up to the grain boundary and there is a strong tendency for coherent matching of atomic planes across the GB in symmetric and asymmetric GBs, and for all misorientations. Low-angle boundaries are characterized by their primary dislocation structure which is, depending on the GB plane, composed of a〈100〉 and 12a〈110〉 type dislocations. High-angle boundaries, even those close to σ = 5, often take on asymmetric configurations with the boundary close to a (100) plane in one of the crystals. The observation of symmetric as well as highly asymmetric facets at high angles suggests that both configurations correspond to local minima in the free energy. These results are discussed in terms of current models of tilt GBs of NiO.
High-resolution three-dimensional in vivo imaging of atherosclerotic plaque.

The internal structure of atherosclerotic-plaque lesions may be a useful predictor of which lesions will rupture and cause sudden events such as heart attack or stroke. With lipid and flow suppression, we obtained high-resolution, three-dimensional (3D) images of atherosclerotic plaque in vivo that show the cap thickness and core size of the lesions. 3D GRASE was used because it provides flexible T2 contrast and good resistance to off-resonance artifacts. While 2D RARE has similar properties, its resolution in the slice-select direction, which is important because of the irregular geometry of atherosclerotic lesions, is limited by achievable slice-excitation profiles. Also, 2D imaging generally achieves lower SNR than 3D imaging because, for SNR purposes, 3D image data is averaged over all the slices of a corresponding multislice 2D dataset. Although 3D RARE has many of the advantages of 3D GRASE, it requires a longer scan time because it uses more refocusing pulses to acquire the same amount of data. Finally, cardiac gating is an important part of our imaging sequence, but can make the imaging time quite long. To obtain reasonable scan times, a 2D excitation pulse was used to restrict the field of view. Magn Reson Med 42:762–771, 1999. © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The sensitivity of one-cell mouse embryos to pyruvate and lactate

Abstract One-cell mouse embryos were cultured in several concentrations of pyruvate and lactate. Maximum development to blastocysts occurred when one-cell ova were cultured in media containing 0.25 mM pyruvate during the first cleavage division and 30.00 mM lactate plus 0.25 mM pyruvate after the first cleavage division. The unusual sensitivity of one-cell ova to both the kind and quantity of energy source was not evident on day 2 of development; normal appearing two-cell ova were formed under extreme conditions of up to 100.00 mM pyruvate and 90.00 mM lactate. The data demonstrate that the successful development of one-cell ova in vitro depends on satisfying separate requirements for the first cleavage division versus development after the first cleavage division. The formation of morphologically normal two-cell ova cannot be used as the sole criterion for satisfying the requirements of the first cleavage divison.
SU‐E‐J‐206: Delivered Dose to Organs From CBCT‐Based IGRT of the Prostate

Purpose: To estimate the actual delivered dose to organs from CBCT‐based image‐guided radiation therapy for localized prostate cancer treatments. Methods: Seven localized prostate cancer treatments were retrospectively selected, each with ∼40 CBCT images. All patients were treated with 9 IMRT beams. The PTV margin was 6 mm in the posterior direction, and 10 mm otherwise around the prostate. For each patient, the original plan was used to calculate treatment dose on each CBCT image at treatment position. The calculated daily dose was then warped back to the original planning CT via an intensity‐based B‐spline deformable image registration (DIR) algorithm. The DIR algorithm employed mutual information with a multi‐resolution and multi‐stage scheme. From the transferred total cumulative dose, dosimetric parameters were recorded for comparison with the original plan. The quality of prostate registration was quantified using three implanted fiducial markers. Only those cases with < 2mm error were included in the dose analysis. Results: The overall marker displacement was 1.8±1.8 mm after registrations. 75 of 281 registrations (27%) exceeded the 2 mm error threshold. The primary causes were the excessive noise level on CBCT images especially for large patients, presence of rectum gas, and lower abdominal motion artifacts. Excluding these cases, a total of 206 CBCT images were included in dosimetric analysis. Changes in dose coverage to the prostate was minimal (<1%). Dose deviations for rectum (Dmax, V50, V65, V75) were (0.5±1.0%, 2.6±2.5%, 3.5±3.7%, 2.3±4.2%) and (−1.1−0.9%, −2.5±5.3%, −3.0±5.3%, −3.8±4.9%) for bladder, respectively. Conclusion: With the conventional PTV margins, deviations in dose coverage of the prostate in the face of daily anatomic changes were minor However, relatively larger deviations were observed for rectum and bladder (1SD=∼4.3%). Reduced margins may lower dose to critical organs while maintaining target coverage. However, margin reduction must be viewed cautiously and with consideration of clinical outcomes.
Foraging behaviour of the social caterpillar Eutachyptera psidii (Sallé) (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae) during a prolonged period of food and water deprivation

1. Colonies of the social caterpillar Eutachyptera psidii (Salle) (Hymenoptera: Lasiocampidae) occurring on oak (Quercus) in upland forests of Mexico endure periods as long as 6 weeks, with little or no food or water between the time host trees shed their leaves in April and produce new leaves in June. 2. By monitoring the activity of both field and laboratory colonies with infrared activity monitors and data loggers, it was found that although colonies remain active during the period of deprivation, their foraging activity shifts from once nightly when food is available to once every second night when food-deprived. 3. Over a period of absolute food and water deprivation of 18 days, caterpillars lost an average of 36% of their initial mass but none perished. On average, the caterpillars regained their pre-starvation mass within a few days after food was provided and continued to grow thereafter. During the period of starvation, caterpillars were observed to chew on dead and dried leaves in the field and on sheets of paper in the laboratory. 4. To the authors’ knowledge, there is no other documented instance of a species of caterpillar that exhibits the physiological capacity to engage in a similar level of persistent activity when forced to endure a prolonged period with neither food nor water.
Reversibility of electrophysiologic abnormalities of subendocardial Purkinje fibers induced by ischemia.

Subendocardial Purkinje Fibers. Introduction: During the subacute phase of infarction in the canine heart, the Subendocardial Purkinje fibers subtended by the infarct show depolarization greater than can be accounted for by the decrease in (K), and generate abnormal action potentials and spontaneous rhythms due to abnormal automaticity. We have used pinacidil to hyperpolarize these fibers and evaluate the extent to which an increase in resting potential can normalize action potential generation. Methods and Results: Twenty-four hours after two-stage ligation of the canine left anterior descending coronary artery, preparations of Subendocardial Purkinje fibers were studied in vitro by recording transmembrane potentials through standard microelectrodes and exposing the preparation to pinacidil and increases in (K+)0. Pinacidil increased resting potential to the estimated value of EK, abolished the abnormal automaticity, and restored action potentials of normal amplitude with normal values of Vmax. This effect often persisted after washout of pinucidil. Elevation of (K+), from 4.0 to 20.0 mM slightly increased maximum diastolic potential, suggesting (hat the excess (over the change in EK) depolarization was caused by a decrease in gKl. Conclusion: The ventricular arrhythmias seen during the subacute stage of infarction probably are caused by abnormal automaticity. Our findings support the conclusion that this abnormal automaticity arises in partially depolarized suhendocardial Purkinje fibers. This loss of resting potential is due in large part to a decrease in gK1. Restoration of resting potential to the value of Ek permits the Purkinje fibers to develop essentially normal action potentials. An agent capable of reversing the partial block of 1K1, thus might be an effective drug for some types of arrhythmias.
Ion chromatographic determination of oxalate in plasma: correlation study with an enzymatic method

Abstract An ion chromatographic (IC) method for the determination of oxalate in plasma was developed. The method exploits a rapid and simple sample preparation step that substantially reduces the plasma chloride level to facilitate the oxalate determination. The chloride is removed as silver chloride by using a cation-exchange resin in the silver cation form. The dependence on chloride concentration and pH was evaluated. The oxalate recovery in plasma samples was found to be 93 ± 18% ( n =4 trials) according to a standard addition study. A comparison of the IC method with an enzymatic method indicated that both methods measure the same oxalate concentration over the range examined, 5–300 μM. Furthermore, the comparison involved a correlation study that allowed cross-validation of the two methods, suggesting that neither is adversely affected by interferences. The detection limit of the IC method was 0.5 μM or 4.4 ng oxalate.