cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Spatial heterogeneity of the axolemma of non-myelinated fibers in the optic disc of the adult rat. Freeze-fracture observations.

This freeze-fracture study examined the structure of the axolemma of non-myelinated fibers in the optic disc region of the adult rat. Spatially heterogeneous patterns of intramembranous particles (IMPs) were observed on the E-fracture faces; particle distribution patterns ranged from clusters of 4–7 IMPs to linear arrays of particles 1–3 IMPs wide that apparently encircle the axon. These bands of particles displayed a periodicity of ∼0.16 μm. The present findings demonstrate that, in specialized regions, the axolemma of non-myelinated fibers not in the region of synapses can exhibit distinct spatial heterogeneity.
A Non-Isolated High Gain Switched-Inductor Switched-Capacitor Step-Up Converter for Renewable Energy Applications

This paper presents a novel of a transformerless step-up DC-DC converter based on a switched-inductor (SL) and switched-capacitor (SC) techniques. The main advantage of the proposed SLSC step-up converter is the ability to achieve very high voltage gain (>20) with reasonable voltage stress across the semiconductor switches. The presented paper shows a detailed analysis of the proposed SLSC step-up converter and a comparison considering other published step-up converter topologies. Theoretically, the proposed SLSC step-up converter can boost the input voltage to 23.5 times when $\mathbf{D}=0.75$, which D means the duty cycle of the MOSFET. Such a large voltage gain can be used in renewable energy applications such as photovoltaic application to boost the output voltage which the output voltage is low. The proposed converter is analyzed in continuous conduction mode (CCM). The proposed converter has been designed for 12V input voltage, 280V output voltage, 200W rated power, 50kHz switching frequency, and 75% duty cycle. The proposed converter has been simulated in MATLAB/SIMULINK.
Use of Magnetic Spinal Growth Rods (MCGR) With and Without Preoperative Halo-gravity Traction (HGT) for the Treatment of Severe Early-onset Scoliosis (EOS).

BACKGROUND Correction of severe scoliosis through distraction-based techniques poses a challenge. Magnetically controlled growing rod (MCGR) hardware complications are common with a 27.8% to 46.7% revision rate in under 2 years. Loss of correction and diminishing returns are the norm. Treatment of severe scoliosis with halo-gravity traction (HGT) before MCGR has not been previously reported. The purpose of this study was to assess initial correction, maintenance of correction, and complication rate in patients with severe scoliosis treated with and without HGT before MCGR. METHODS IRB-approved retrospective single site cohort study of a prospectively collected database. Forty-two patients underwent MCGR between 2014 and 2017 at a single site, 12 with prior growing constructs were excluded, 30 patients were included, 12 patients underwent preoperative HGT. Charts were reviewed for demographic, clinical, and radiographic information. RESULTS The HGT group had larger major curves averaging 90 (69 to 114) degrees versus 77 (56 to 113) degrees in the non-HGT group P=0.018. Percent correction on preoperative flexibility films were 17% versus 40% for those in the HGT versus non-HGT group, P=0.000. An additional 22% correction of the curve magnitude occurred between the flexibility and in-traction films representing 43% of the total correction achieved, P=0.000, was achieved. EBL, and postoperative major curve and major curve correction were not significant. Thirteen percent of patients experienced complications. Average follow-up was 712 versus 561 days in the HGT versus non-HGT groups. CONCLUSIONS Large, rigid curves can achieve equivalent correction to flexible curves with HGT. Forty-three percent of the total correction achieved occurred during traction. Thirty percent of the total correction occurred at implantation of the MCGR in the HGT group versus 28% in the non-HGT group. At most recent follow-up HGT patients had statistically maintained their major curve correction better than non-HGT patients. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Level III-therapeutic study.
Materials Science, Chemistry, and Physics at Small Dimensions

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the materials science, chemistry, and physics at small dimensions. Research in materials science deals with the control of microstructures—the distribution of second phases, impurities, and defects in materials to attain a desired material property. The control, by mechanical, thermal, or other means, is normally applied to materials on a macroscopic scale. Chemistry, a science more fundamental than materials science, emphasizes the smaller building units—the atoms, the ions, and the molecules—and how they combine. The chapter presents some very interesting problems and experiments in biochemistry, inorganic chemistry, and analytical chemistry at very small dimensions. The chapter also presents examples of the physics of particles having dimensions of 10 to 1000 A. The 0.01-μm, or 100-A, particle, where at least two of the dimensions are of this approximate size, often exhibits properties that are substantially different from the bulk. The chapter further discusses some of the physics associated with the 0.01-μm particle, including some experimental microfabrication techniques that can be used to study the behavior in this size range. It describes the use of microfabrication techniques to produce devices that make possible experiments in physics that are otherwise impossible or very difficult.
Virtual Self, Virtual Mind, Virtual World: Sustainable Future?

My hypothesis is that it is the emergent capacity for self-referencing in Homo sapiens that concurrently opened the potential for the emergence of “mind.” The paradox is that it is, perhaps, these same highly evolved neural structuring mechanisms that allowed the emergence of self-referencing that, perhaps, lethally, constrain our ability to see beyond our own, personal, emergent, virtual world (White, 1992, pp. 58–60, 62–63).
Automatic nighttime sea fog detection using GOES-16 imagery

Abstract Accurately detecting sea fog is important for oil and gas operations in the Grand Banks, Newfoundland and Labrador (NL), Canada. Although the Grand Banks is one of the foggiest places in the world, there is no remote sensing technique specifically developed for fog detection in this region. Therefore, an automatic approach was proposed in this study to detect Nighttime Sea Fog (NSF) and distinguish it from clear sky and ice cloud. To this end, Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite system-16 (GOES-16) imagery along with several ancillary datasets were employed. Selecting the Optimum Threshold Value (OTV) for identifying NSF in satellite images acquired at different times was also extensively discussed. The NSF maps obtained by the proposed method for 25 advection fog events in the study area were compared to surface-based weather observations (i.e., visibility data) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) global fog/low cloud products. The Probability of Detection (POD), False Alarm Rate (FAR), Hanssen-Kuiper Skill Score (KSS), and Equitable Threat Score (ETS) were 0.80, 0.08, 0.72, and 0.57, respectively, demonstrating the potential of the proposed NSF detection algorithm. Additionally, the results showed that the proposed method was better at discriminating Grand Banks fog than NOAA's algorithm in terms of both visual and statistical accuracies.
HARDWIRED BIOLOGY AND LIGHT-BULB MOMENTS: DIVERGENT DISCOURSES AND LIFE TRAJECTORIES OF OLDER BISEXUAL WOMEN

This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced version of an article accepted for publication in Innovation in Aging following peer review. The version of record Jen S. (2019). HARDWIRED BIOLOGY AND LIGHT-BULB MOMENTS: DIVERGENT DISCOURSES AND LIFE TRAJECTORIES OF OLDER BISEXUAL WOMEN. Innovation in Aging, 3(Suppl 1), S826. https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igz038.3044 is available online at: doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igz038.3044 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Socially Focused, Situationally Driven Practice: A Study of Distributed Leadership among School Principals and Counselors:

This study investigated how school counselors and principals perceive their professional relationship with each other. Specifically, it used Q methodology to develop 45 statements about the relatio...
Uncertainty and Disturbance Estimator-Based Robust Tracking Control for Dual-Active- Bridge Converters

External disturbances, system uncertainties, and various load characteristics, e.g., deadtime effect, computation time delay, circuit parameter uncertainty, and the constant power load (CPL), can lead to tracking errors that even result in instability in the output voltage of dual-active-bridge (DAB) converters. To address those challenges and improve the output performance, an uncertainty and disturbance estimator (UDE)-based robust voltage control scheme is proposed in this article. First, a generic dynamic model for DAB converters is proposed based on the converter output current to simplify the controller design, which integrates the DAB circuit model with the phase-shift control scheme. Then, the UDE-based voltage controller is presented based on the proposed model, and the stability performance is discussed in detail. With the CPLs, the output impedance of the UDE-controlled DAB converter is also modeled for the first time to show the stability boundary. Based on the derived stability criteria, the design of the UDE controller is summarized. A series of comparative experiment studies has been conducted, and the results prove that the proposed scheme can notably improve the voltage tracking performance and extend the stability boundary of the DAB converters when feeding CPLs even under significant parameter uncertainties.
7 – Aggregate Supply and the Economy

Publisher Summary This chapter describes aggregate supply (AS) as the amount of total production available in the economy. It depends on a number of factors, including the price level, the productive capacity of the economy, technology, the size and skills of the labor force, and the productivity of the labor force. The aggregate supply curve shows how total output varies with the price level, all else being equal. There are three possible relationships between the price level and the quantity of total output, depending upon the state of the economy. In a depression economy, increases in production do not require higher prices because of the large number of unemployed highly productive resources. In a full-employment economy, higher total production is impossible because virtually all resources are fully used. Attempts to increase production result in higher prices. In a more common bottleneck economy, higher production is possible but only at higher price levels.
Preventive medicine activities of Suva

Die Schweizerische Unfallversicherungsanstalt (Suva) hat nicht nur finanzielle Leistungen in Schadenfallen (bei beruflichen Gesundheitsschaden und Nichtbetriebsunfallen) zu erbringen. Eine wesentliche ihr im Kranken- und Unfallversicherungsgesetz ubertragene Aufgabe ist die Pravention von Berufsunfallen und Berufskrankheiten. Furtechnische Massnahmen ist die Abteilung Unfallverhutung zustandig; fur diemedizinische Prophylaxe, auf die hier naher eingegangen wird, der Gewerbearztliche Dienst der Medizinischen Abteilung. 1977 wurden von der medizinischen Berufskrankheiten-Prophylaxe 236 000 Versicherte erfasst. (Von den rund 2,7 Mio. Beschaftigten in der Schweiz sind rund 1,7 Mio. Suva-versichert.) Gesetzliche Grundlagen, Kompetenzbereich sowie Art der Prophylaxe und Organisation derselben werden erlautert.
Comparison of State Medical Licensing Board Disclosures Regarding Resident Performance for United States Allopathic, Osteopathic, and Foreign Medical Graduates.

Context While recent streamlining of the graduate medical education process signals an important change from the traditional dichotomy between doctors of osteopathic medicine (DOs) and US-trained doctors of medicine (USMDs), this new uniformity does not continue into the process for licensure, including state medical licensing verification of training (VOT) forms for DOs, MDs, and foreign medical graduates (FMGs). Wide variability remains. Objective To document the differences in the performance metrics program that directors are required to disclose to state medical licensing boards for DOs and FMGs compared with USMDs. Methods VOT forms were collected from all osteopathic and allopathic licensing boards for all US states, Washington DC, and US territories. The authors then reviewed VOT forms for questions pertaining to trainee performance only in states where VOT forms differed for DOs, USMDs, and FMGs. Licensing board questions were categorized as relating to disciplinary action, documents placed on file, resident actions, and nondisciplinary actions by the program. Results Fifty-six states and territories were included in the study (50 US states; Washington, DC; and 5 US territories). Most states and territories (46; 82.1%) used the same VOT form for DOs and USMDs. All states and territories except New York used the same form for FMGs and USMDs (55; 98.2%). Of the 14 states with an osteopathic board, Nevada used Federation Credentials Verification Service (FCVS) for DOs only, and 8 states used a unique osteopathic VOT form. Of these 8 osteopathic boards, 3 VOT forms did not ask any questions regarding resident performance during training. Of the remaining 5 forms, all asked about disciplinary actions. Ten states and 1 territory (US Virgin Islands) required the FCVS for both USMDs and FMGs, but not for DOs, while New York required FCVS only for FMGs. Nevada required FCVS only for DOs. Conclusion Although VOT requirements for FMGs and USMDs were mostly the same within states, performance metric question sets varied greatly from state to state and within states for osteopathic vs allopathic licensing boards. Implementation of a standardized VOT form for all applicants that includes academic performance metrics may help ensure that medical licensure is granted to all physicians who demonstrate academic competency during training, regardless of their degree.
Exploring firm strategy using financial reports: performance impact of inward and outward relatedness with digitisation

A firm’s success critically hinges on its strategies in selecting its portfolio of products and services. In this paper, we study how differentiation and market alignment at the offering level impa...
Organizational Citizenship Behavior and its Relationship with Major Attitudinal Factors: A Comparative Study between Two Police Regions of Turkish National Police

ORGANIZATIONAL CITIZENSHIP BEHAVIORS AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH MAJOR ATTITUDINAL FACTORS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY BETWEEN TWO POLICE REGIONS OF TURKISH NATIONAL POLICE By Orhan Bez, Ph. D. A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2010 Major Director: Susan T. Gooden, Professor L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs The purpose of this study is to determine whether major attitudinal factors are among the predictors of Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB) in the Turkish National Police Organization (TNP). It investigates the influences of job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and organizational justice on OCB between two police regions (Region I and Region II) of the TNP. The results indicate that job satisfaction has a direct positive influence on employees’ OCB perception. Affective commitment is also positively related to OCB perception of TNP members. Only partial
Antibiotic utilization variability among training services at an academic medical center: An observational study.

Objective: Evaluate the difference in antibiotic prescribing between various levels of resident training or attending types. Design: Observational, retrospective study. Setting: Tertiary-care, academic medical center in Madison, Wisconsin. Methods: We measured antibiotic utilization from January 1, 2016, through December 31, 2018, in our general medicine (GM) and hospitalist services. The GM1 service is staffed by outpatient internal medicine physicians, the GM2 service is staffed by geriatricians and hospitalists, and the GM3 service is staffed by only hospitalists. The GMA service is led by junior resident physicians, and the GMB service is led by senior resident physicians. We measured utilization using days of therapy (DOT) per 1,000 patient days (PD). In a secondary analysis based on antibiotic spectrum, we used average DOT per 1,000 PD. Results: Teaching services prescribed more antibiotics than nonteaching services (671.6 vs 575.2 DOT per 1,000 PD; P < .0001). Junior resident–led services used more antibiotics than senior resident–led services (740.9 vs 510.0 DOT per 1,000 PD; P < .0001). Overall, antibiotic prescribing was numerically similar between various attending physician backgrounds. A secondary analysis showed that GM services prescribed more broad-spectrum, anti-MRSA, and anti-pseudomonal antibiotics than the hospitalist services. GM junior resident–led services prescribed more broad-spectrum, anti-MRSA, and antipseudomonal therapy compared to their senior counterparts. Conclusions: Antibiotics were prescribed at a significantly higher rate in services associated with trainees than those without. Services led by a junior resident physician prescribed antibiotics at a significantly higher rate than services led by a senior resident. Interventions to reduce unnecessary antibiotic exposure should be targeted toward resident physicians, especially junior trainees.
Hierarchical Model: Structure and Formats

This chapter introduces the third of our data models–the hierarchical model. It covers the structure of the model, as a tree, and related notions of more general graphs and of paths as a means for specifying traversals in the graph. The data model is motivated by its flexibility and use for convenient interchange of data between providers and clients. Two primary formats for the structure are discussed, that of XML and JSON, and the means of realizing in-memory Python structures from XML- and JSON-formatted files are addressed.
Money and a Room of One’s Own?! A Feminist Deconstruction of the Situation of Female Jazz Musicians 1960–1980

‘What does it take for a woman to be able to write a novel?' asks Virginia Woolf in A Room of One's Own. The answer is surprisingly mundane: She needs money and a room of her own. Although Woolf writes at length about passion and talent, she concludes that material preconditions are actually more crucial. Similarly, the present article argues that there has been no lack of interest in jazz among female musicians, but a lack of socially accepted possibilities for professionalisation. This article endeavours to deconstruct some of the socio-cultural contexts and frameworks of music-making in a feminist way. To this end, the most crucial findings from semi-structured interviews with Norma Winstone, Sidsel Endresen, Aki Takase and Uschi Bruning are presented and discussed. To contextualise the interviews, Bourdieu's analyses of the academic and literary fields will be referred to with relation to the institutionalisation of jazz, while questions of canonicity and historiography will be discussed, as well as questions surrounding performativity and corporeality. Linking up with research surrounding these issues in other musical styles, this article attempts to map and contextualise the debate about gender and the arts in its complex, sometimes controversial and even paradoxical dynamic.
Leading Intercultural Virtual Teams During the COVID-19 Pandemic – Research Results

Objective: The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has been officially classified as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO), meaning the infection is progressing faster and faster in many countries simultaneously. The United States of America has announced a travel ban on 28 European countries, many countries have closed universities, schools and kindergartens, and large gatherings of people have been forbidden. Many companies including Google, Apple and Microsoft encourage or mandate employees to adopt a work-from-home policy. For companies in the modern technology industry, the infrastructure and policy necessary for remote working are undoubtedly already implemented. However, for many smaller companies and organizations the situation was very different. Remote working and virtual team management did not occur or were limited to only a few people. The aim of the article is to present the problems of leading virtual intercultural teams, with particular emphasis on the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic.
First-in-human imaging using a MR-compatible e4D ultrasound probe for motion management of radiotherapy

Abstract Purpose Respiration-induced tumor or organ positional changes can impact the accuracy of external beam radiotherapy. Motion management strategies are used to account for these changes during treatment. The authors report on the development, testing, and first-in-human evaluation of an electronic 4D (e4D) MR-compatible ultrasound probe that was designed for hands-free operation in a MR and linear accelerator (LINAC) environment. Methods Ultrasound components were evaluated for MR compatibility. Electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding was used to enclose the entire probe and a factory-fabricated cable shielded with copper braids was integrated into the probe. A series of simultaneous ultrasound and MR scans were acquired and analyzed in five healthy volunteers. Results The ultrasound probe led to minor susceptibility artifacts in the MR images immediately proximal to the ultrasound probe at a depth of Conclusion We have demonstrated that our hands-free, e4D probe can acquire ultrasound images during a MR acquisition at frame rates of approximately 4 frames per second (fps) without impacting either the MR or ultrasound image quality. This use of this technology for interventional procedures (e.g. biopsies and drug delivery) and motion compensation during imaging are also being explored.
Lung microbiota and COVID-19 severity.

Direct sampling of lung alveoli of critically-ill patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 shows that lung microbiota and an impaired alveolar immune response together are predictive of poor clinical outcomes.
Symptomatic improvement following resection of cystic pineal lesions

Introduction: Pineal cysts have proven to be a challenging pathology for neurosurgeons. Due to occasional nonspecific symptoms, as well as a wide range of possible morphology and diagnoses, literature is scarce, and little evidence-based management guidelines exist. Methods: We present a retrospective review of 38 patients who underwent a surgical resection of a pineal lesion in a single center by a single surgeon between 2012 and 2018. Symptoms, imaging characteristics of the lesion, pathology report, and postoperative radiographic and clinical outcomes were collected. Results: Thirty-eight patients were selected. The most common preoperative symptoms included headaches (97%), visual disturbances (89%), cognitive disturbances (58%), and nausea/vomiting (53%). Preoperative radiographic measures showed no relationship to the pathological diagnosis of pineal cyst or pineocytoma (P > 0.05) except for mass effect on the tectal plate that was associated with pineocytoma (P Conclusion: Albeit challenging to treat, careful examination of presurgical imaging findings and surgical resection of appropriately selected pineal lesions can lead to significant relief of preoperative symptoms and overall meaningful improvement.
Thermally Induced Acoustic Emission in Damaged Composite Plates

Thermally induced acoustic emission (AE) in brittle materials like firebricks and ceramics has long been noticed in the materials industry. Indeed, it has been suggested that the characteristics of such “clicking” sound might be related to the thermal shock response of ceramics.1
On the cohomology of finite soluble groups

Cohomological vanishing theorems in dimensions 1 and 2 are established for finite soluble groups. Applications are given to splitting and conjugacy theorems, and also to the structure of automorphism groups of finite soluble groups with nilpotent length at most 3.
Proposal to Reform the Like Kind and Involuntary Conversion RulesIn Light of Fundamental Tax Policies: A Simpler, More Rational and More Unified Approach

Almost from the beginning of the federal income tax, the law has contained two nonrecognition provisions that have undergone relatively little change: the like kind rule and the involuntary conversion rule. Commentators have questioned the policy grounds for the like kind rule in general, and for some of its particular features, such as the exchange requirement. Congress and its staffers have also noted the complexity caused by certain aspects of the rule and have enacted or proposed remedial changes in this regard. The involuntary conversion rule also contributes to the complexity of the tax system given the fact-intensive analysis that it requires. Perhaps more fundamentally, the two nonrecognition rules generally use different standards for determining eligible replacement property, an apparent inconsistency that occasionally catches the attention of both Congress and commentators. This article seeks to improve the like kind and involuntary conversion rules, that is, make the provisions more rational and less complex, by analyzing them in light of the fundamental tax policies of efficiency, equity, and administrability. The product of this effort is a simpler, more rational and more unified approach for granting nonrecognition treatment to voluntary and involuntary dispositions of property. The article's recommendations include (i) the use of the like kind standard to determine eligible replacement property under both the like kind and involuntary conversion rules, along with narrowing the like kind standard for real property by employing a categorization approach modeled on the real property classifications used for depreciation purposes; (ii) the use of an express rollover mechanism under the like kind rule; and (iii) the use of a single, rather than bifurcated, period for replacing assets under the like kind rule.
A note on the weighted Hilbert’s inequality

A finite Hilbert transformation associated with a polynomial is the analogue of a Hilbert transformation associated with an entire function which is a generalization of the classical Hilbert transformation. The weighted Hilbert inequality, which has applications in analytic number theory, is closely related to the finite Hilbert transformation associated with a polynomial. In this note, we study a relation between the finite Hilbert transformation and the weighted Hilbert's inequality. A question is posed about the finite Hilbert transformation, of which an affirmative answer implies the weighted Hilbert inequality.
Abstract 14937: Impact of Myocardial Bridging on Stent-edge Compression in Left Anterior Descending Coronary Arteries

Background: In clinical settings, stent implantation under myocardial bridging (MB) does not always lead to chronic stent recoil. This study aimed to evaluate the mechanical stent response to MB in relation to the relative positioning and the severity of arterial compression. Methods: Serial (baseline and 8 months) IVUS was performed in 321 LAD lesions treated with a drug-eluting stent. Significant chronic stent recoil was defined as >10% decrease in stent volume during follow-up. Geography of stent recoil was evaluated by dividing the stent into 3 subsegments: proximal 5-mm, mid-body, and distal 5-mm. MB was identified as an echolucent muscle band partially surrounding the artery. At a non-stented segment, arterial compression by MB was quantified as a decrease in vessel area at systole standardized by vessel area at end-diastole (%). Results: MB was identified in 93 patients, 45.1% of which had the distal stent segment located under the MB (stent-in-MB). Compared with non-MB patients as a control group, the incidence of chronic recoil was significantly higher in the stent-in-MB patients, particularly at the distal stent segment (left figure). The degree of stent recoil (decrease in stent volume) positively correlated with the degree of arterial compression, both at the mid-body (p Conclusion: Both relative stent positioning and arterial compression determine chronic stent recoil. Stenting into the tunneled segment may result in significant chronic recoil, particularly when arterial compression measures 15% or greater.
The effect of magnesium sulfate on fetal heart rate variability and uterine activity.

Abstract The effect of magnesium sulfate on fetal heart rate (FHR) variability and uterine activity is evaluated in 19 preeclamptic patients at term in active labor. Magnesium sulfate was given by intramuscular injection in nine patients and by intravenous infusion in 10 patients after an intravenous loading dose over a period of 15 minutes. No significant changes was noted in FHR variability. There was only a transient, mild decrease in the frequency of uterine contractions during the magnesium sulfate loading dose, and there was no significant change in the intensity of uterine contractions. The conclusion is that, when magnesium sulfate is used for treatment of mild preeclampsia in patients at term in established labor, there is no clinically significant effect on FHR variability or uterine activity.
Basic and applied biology of the primate reproductive tract--a symposium in honor of the career of Dr Robert M Brenner: introduction and overview.

In 1962, the National Institutes of Health dedicated the first Primate Center in the United States, located in Beaverton, Oregon and closely associated with what was then called the University of Oregon Medical School, now known as Oregon Health & Science University. Within a few years, the Oregon Regional Primate Research Center was followed by 6 others in various cities across the country that were affiliated with many distinguished universities. In recent years another institution has joined the unique "club" now known as the National Primate Centers. The key aim of these centers was to explore the biology of nonhuman primates with the ultimate goal of improving human health. The original planners at NIH who conceived the Primate Centers deserve great credit, and this symposium is in part a testament to their foresight. While no animal model is perfect, all agree that nonhuman primates are superbly useful for probing key aspects of human biological systems. Early on it was recognized that the reproductive system in female nonhuman primates was almost identical to that of women. Consequently, the Oregon Center focused its efforts on reproductive physiology. Evidence accumulated that numerous gynecological problems that afflict women such as premature birth, pelvic disorders, dysfunctional bleeding and endometriosis had their counterparts in female nonhuman primates. Consequently, strong collaborations developed between Primate Center scientists and Ob-Gyn physicians, nationally and internationally, to probe the mechanisms underlying these disorders. Many of the papers presented at this symposium provide summaries of such collaborative efforts, and all the reviews provide helpful perspectives and important insights into the field of endometrial physiology, with examples drawn from both human and nonhuman primates.
Oasis: An Architecture for Simplified Data Management and Disconnected Operation

Oasis is an asymmetric peer-to-peer data management system tailored to the requirements of pervasive computing. Drawing upon applications from the literature, we motivate three high-level requirements: availability, manageability and programmability. Oasis addresses these requirements by employing a peer-to-peer network of weighted replicas and performing background self-tuning. In this paper we describe our architecture and an initial implementation. Our performance evaluation and implementation of three applications suggest that Oasis offers good availability and performance while providing a simple API and a familiar consistency model.
Sphingosine 1-Phosphate 1 and TLR4 Mediate IFN-β Expression in Human Gingival Epithelial Cells

IFN-beta production is a critical step in human innate immune responses and is primarily controlled at the transcription level by highly ordered mechanisms. IFN-beta can be induced by pattern-recognition receptors such as the TLR4. S1P1 is a G protein-coupled receptor, which has a high affinity for sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P). Although many of the receptors and signaling pathways leading to the expression of IFN-beta have been identified and characterized, it is still unclear how IFN-beta is regulated in primary human gingival epithelial cells (HGECs). In this study, we demonstrate that S1P1 and TLR4, acting in unison, play an important role in IFN-beta expression at the protein and mRNA level in HGECs. We demonstrate that the expression of both IFN-beta and IFN-inducible protein-10 (CXCL-10) is significantly up-regulated by LPS and S1P or LPS and a specific S1P1 agonist. This enhanced innate immune response is attenuated in HGECs by small interfering RNA knockdown of either TLR4 or S1P1. Moreover, we show that triggering of TLR4 results in the increased expression of S1P1 receptors. Furthermore, we found that IFN-regulatory factor 3 activation was maximized by LPS and S1P through PI3K. Our data show that triggering TLR4 increases S1P1, such that both TLR4 and S1P1 acting through PI3K enhancement of IFN-regulatory factor 3 activation increase IFN-beta expression in epithelial cells. The functional association between TLR4 and the S1P1 receptor demonstrates a novel mechanism in the regulation of IFN-beta and CXCL-10 in human primary gingival epithelial cells.
Unusual complication of male urethral catheterization: intussusception of prepuce into urethral meatus

We present a patient who experienced urinary retention with a comorbid phimosis and redundant prepuce, most likely complications of diabetes mellitus. Additionally, we report a rare complication of difficult catheterization, where the prepuce intussuscepted into the urethral meatus. Attempts to change the catheter with poor visualization of the external meatus secondary to diabetic phimosis resulted in telescoping of the prepuce into the urethra. Circumcision and meatotomy of the external meatus alleviated the acute issue and prevented potential problems with future catheterizations.
Visual reconciliation of alternative similarity spaces in climate modeling

Visual data analysis often requires grouping of data objects based on their similarity. In many application domains researchers use algorithms and techniques like clustering and multidimensional scaling to extract groupings from data. While extracting these groups using a single similarity criteria is relatively straightforward, comparing alternative criteria poses additional challenges. In this paper we define visual reconciliation as the problem of reconciling multiple alternative similarity spaces through visualization and interaction. We derive this problem from our work on model comparison in climate science where climate modelers are faced with the challenge of making sense of alternative ways to describe their models: one through the output they generate, another through the large set of properties that describe them. Ideally, they want to understand whether groups of models with similar spatio-temporal behaviors share similar sets of criteria or, conversely, whether similar criteria lead to similar behaviors. We propose a visual analytics solution based on linked views, that addresses this problem by allowing the user to dynamically create, modify and observe the interaction among groupings, thereby making the potential explanations apparent. We present case studies that demonstrate the usefulness of our technique in the area of climate science.
Harm reduction, public health, and human rights: Smokers have a right to be informed of significant harm reduction options

Public health policy needs to be assessed for effects on human rights as well as public health. Although promoting harm reduction products to cigarette smokers might lead to greater total public health harm, if the products become too popular, human rights issues also need to be considered. Avoiding, or objecting to, the fair presentation of information on effective harm reduction products to smokers to allow them to make an informed choice to reduce health risk can represent a violation of a human right - the right to information. The necessary conditions are not met for protecting public health by restricting information on certain risk reduction products. As examples, based on current evidence, smokers have a right to information on snus (Swedish moist snuff) and medicinal nicotine as harm reduction options that would reduce substantially the risk of death to individuals. Smokers also have a right to truthful information about lower-tar cigarettes that have been erroneously promoted as risk reducing.
Brown v. Board of Education: A Brief History with Documents

Foreword - Preface - Introduction: Shades of Brown: Black Freedom, White Supremacy and the Law - Roberts v City of Boston (1849) - (six documents) - Plessy v Ferguson (1896) - (seven documents) - Sweatt v Painter (1950) and McLaurin v Oklahoma State Regents (1950) - (seven documents) - Brown v Board of Education (1954-55) - Popular Responses to Brown - Epilogue: The Legacy of Brown - Appendices: Chronology of the Brown Decision: Questions for Consideration - Selected Bibliography - Index
Effect of soy and milk protein supplementation on serum lipid levels: a randomized controlled trial.

Previous clinical trials have documented that soy protein reduces low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and increases high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol compared with milk protein. However, the effect of soy protein on lipids compared with carbohydrate has not been not well studied. We examined the effect of soy and milk protein supplementation on lipids and lipoproteins compared with carbohydrate among adults without hypercholesterolemia. We conducted a randomized, double-blind, 3-phase crossover trial among 352 US adults with serum total cholesterol level of <240 mg/dl from September 2003 to April 2008. Trial participants were assigned to 40 g/day supplementation of soy protein, milk protein or complex carbohydrate from wheat each for 8 weeks in random order with a 3-week washout period between interventions. Overnight fasting blood samples were collected at the termination of each intervention phase. Compared with carbohydrate, soy protein supplementation was significantly associated with a net change (95% confidence interval (CI)) in total cholesterol and total/HDL cholesterol ratio of −3.97 mg/dl (−7.63 to −0.31, P=0.03) and −0.12 (−0.23 to −0.01, P=0.03), respectively. Compared with milk protein, soy protein supplementation was significantly associated with a net change (95% CI) in HDL and total/HDL cholesterol ratio of 1.54 mg/dl (0.63 to 2.44, P=0.0009) and −0.14 (−0.22 to −0.05, P=0.001), respectively. Compared with carbohydrate, milk protein supplementation was significantly associated with a net change (95% CI) in HDL of −1.13 mg/dl (−2.05 to −0.22, P=0.02). This randomized controlled trial indicates that soy protein, but not milk protein, supplementation improves the lipid profile among healthy individuals.
High-Magnetization Silicone Microbeads with Low Autofluorescence for Biotech Applications

High-magnetization silicone microbeads with low autofluorescence for biotech applicationsMagnetic microbeads are used in a wide variety of applications within the biophysics community, including magnetic separations, microscale force spectroscopy, and immunological assays. In addition, they show promise in targeted hyperthermia and drug delivery applications, such as in the treatment of cancerous tumors. For most purposes, a high magnetic content is of primary importance.We present here a bottom-up approach for fabricating magnetic beads that allows for large magnetic forces which scale linearly with bead volume. We begin with a high concentration magnetic-nanoparticle / silicone-polymer composite containing as much as 50% wt. nanoparticles, which is subsequently formed into beads via an emulsion polymerization process. The resulting magnetic beads are uniformly saturated with magnetic content throughout their volume. In addition, our beads exhibit minimal autofluorescence relative to polystyrene spheres.To measure magnetic forces, we pulled magnetic beads of varying diameter through a viscous fluid using a fixed magnetic field geometry. Calculations of Stokes drag obtained via video tracking software allowed us to determine applied magnetic forces on each bead. Our data show that magnetic forces on our microbeads compare favorably with leading commercial microbeads of similar diameters. In addition, we are able to produce spherical beads in sizes ranging from 0.5 to 50 microns, enabling forces in the nN or even μN range in the larger sizes when paired with typical magnetic tweezer geometries. Larger beads may be useful in tissue-scale mechanical measurements (ex. wound healing) while the lack of autofluorescence makes the smaller beads ideal for microbead-based assays.
Transmission of World Prices to the Vietnamese Economy

International economic integration has been a central policy goal for the Vietnam government since the doi moi reform was initiated in 1986. We explore the Vietnamese increasing integration into the world market and bouts of high inflation. Five price transmission models using three levels of sectoral aggregation, examine the transmission of world price shocks to the Vietnamese domestic market and the impact of inflation on domestic prices from 1999 to 2008. Empirical results find wide sectoral variation, imperfect price transmission, non-neutral inflation pass-through, the dominant effect of inflation on domestic prices, and a low speed of adjustment to the Law of One Price. We conclude that policy analysts need disaggregated sector-level price transmission elasticities for accurate trade policy analysis and that careful attention must be paid to how inflation influences the economy. Moreover, while tariff reforms have typically been focused in many studies to come to grips with policy outcomes, the key to such
Diplomacy Derailed: The Consequences of Diplomatic Sanctions

The U.S. government has recently begun to emphasize the need for greater engagement with problem states. Proponents of this approach argue that diplomacy is necessary, even with these regimes. Critics, however, maintain that engagement with these regimes is tantamount to appeasement and signals acceptance of behavior that ought to be condemned. In their view, there is little to be gained by talking to these states. Thus, diplomatic sanctionsor sanctions characterized by political disengagementare seen as a low-cost means of isolating and delegitimizing regimes. Diplomatic sanctions, however, entail a number of often overlooked consequences for the United States. The potential costs of diplomatic sanctions include not only a substantial loss of information and intelligence on the target state, but also a reduction in communication capacity and a diminished ability to influence the target state. Ironically, diplomatic sanctions may even undermine the effectiveness of other coercive policy tools, such as economic sanctions. These adverse effects ought to cause policymakers to reassess the value of diplomatic isolation as a tool of foreign policy and recognize the inherent value of diplomatic engagement. Increasing U.S. diplomatic engagement with difficult states will not only require a diplomatically-inclined administration, but will also require gaining public and political support by building a strong case against diplomatic sanctions. Clearly spelling out the costs of diplomatic sanctions is particularly
Steady and unsteady nonlinear hybrid vortex method for lifting surfaces at large angles of attack

Steady and unsteady Nonlinear Hybrid Vortex (NHV) method, for low aspect ratio wings at large angles of attack, is developed. The method uses vortex panels with first-order vorticity distribution (equivalent to second-order doublet distribution) to calculate the induced velocity in the near field using closed form expressions. In the far field, the distributed vorticity is reduced to concentrated vortex lines and the simpler Biot-Savart's law is employed. The method is applied to rectangular wings in steady and unsteady flows without any restriction on the order of magnitude of the disturbances in the flow field. The numerical results show that the method accurately predicts the distributed aerodynamic loads and that it is of acceptable computational efficiency.
Prolegomena to any Future History of Analytic Philosophy

: The careful historical and metaphilosophical attention recently bestowed upon analytic philosophy has revealed that traditional ways of defining it are inadequate. In the face of this inadequacy, contemporary authors have proposed new definitions that detach analytic philosophy from its turn of the twentieth century origins. I argue that this contemporary trend in defining analytic philosophy is misguided, and that it diminishes the likelihood of our coming to an accurate historical and metaphilosophical understanding of it. This is especially unsatisfactory since such understanding is essential to finding an adequate remedy for the widely perceived ills of contemporary analytic philosophy. I suggest that a more fruitful approach to developing such understanding might begin with treating the unity of analytic philosophy as illusory.
Effects of the depth of the embedment on the system response during building-soil interaction

Abstract The effects of the depth of the embedment on the system response, under plane-strain conditions, have been studied for buildings supported by rigid circular foundations embedded into a homogeneous, isotropic and elastic half-space. The building has been represented by an equivalent single degree-of-freedom oscillator with a rotational spring and viscous damping. A linear analysis and the substructure approach have been used to calculate the system response. The wave passage effects have also been included. Results are shown for incident plane SV-waves. The system damping ratio and the system frequency have been measured directly from the transfer-function of the relative building response. The system damping ratio has been measured by the width of the peak response, normalized by the system frequency. The results have show that, during soil-structure interaction, deeper foundation act ‘stiffer’, and reduce less the system frequency, relative to the fixed-base frequency. The relative response, for the two-dimensional model, is smaller when the depth of the foundation is smaller. Except for heavy and tall buildings, the system damping ratio is smaller when the foundation is deeper. The results of this study have been compared with the results for three-dimensional rectangular prismatic foundations and for hemispherical foundations.
The interaction of two nucleons

Research on the two-nucleon problem during the period 1959-1971 is reviewed and the status of this field is assessed. An attempt is also made to give a complete bibliography covering this period. This review was completed in August 1972.
Genetic influence on water and sweetened water consumption in mice.

Abstract Water, saccharin and sucrose consumption were measured in 946 heterogeneous and inbred mice. In a heterogeneous population, genetic factors account for about 71%, 78%, and 83% of the variation for water, saccharin, and sucrose consumption respectively. Midparent-offspring regressions and sibling correlations indicate moderate to high heritabilities. Analyses of skewness and the effects of inbreeding show that there is no overall directional dominance in fluid consumption. There are large phenotypic and genetic correlations between the fluid consumption measures. The correlations between fluid consumption and body weight are small. The absence of maternal effects suggests that sweet preferences are not caused by the sweet taste of mothers' milk. The results suggest that at least two kinds of genes affect fluid consumption.