cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Benefits analysis of a routing aid for New York area departures

The New York area is well-known to have some of the most congested airspace and airports in the U.S. National Airspace System (NAS). The challenge to air traffic management results from high demand, proximity of busy airports, and occasional disruptive weather events. A prototype capability called Integrated Departure Route Planning (IDRP) is being tested this year (2010), in its “Phase 1” version. It will be an adjunct capability to the Route Availability Planning Tool (RAPT), developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology/Lincoln Laboratory (MIT/LL), which has been used successfully in a prototype mode for several years. The IDRP display windows will be output onto the RAPT terminal device, which is now installed at the New York approach control, several en route centers, multiple towers, and several air carrier operations desks. IDRP provides a forecast horizon of fix- and route-specific loading for New York departures, with color-coding to alert traffic managers about fix congestion and possible weather impacts. Whereas the RAPT display shows route blockage/availability and is useful only in situations of convective weather, IDRP should have benefits during both good weather and convective activity. A benefits estimation process was undertaken to approximate the total annual dollar benefit that might be expected from the full deployment of IDRP (which is some years away) to deal with non-weather-related congestion. Analysis of archived data found cases where fix congestion, and the associated taxi-out delays could have been ameliorated by reassigning affected flights to uncongested alternate fixes, subject to airline acceptance.
The inheritance of agonistic behavior in male mice: A diallel analysis

The diallel cross genetic design was employed to determine the pattern of inheritance of male-male agonistic behavior in laboratory mice. The results indicated strong strain differences in agonistic behaviors and strain ranks that replicated previous findings. The genetic analysis showed the presence of additive and nondirectional dominance effects on the behaviors measured. This pattern has been characterized as indicating the action of stabilizing selection and indicates that the trait has not been under directional selection.
Macromers by Carbocationic Polymerization. X. Synthesis, Characterization, and Polymerizability of Cyanoacrylate-Capped Polyisobutylenes

Abstract The objectives of this research were the synthesis and characterization of the following linear and three-arm star cyanoacrylate polyi-sobutylenes: and an examination of their polymerizability. The syntheses involved the Diels-Alder protection of 2-cyanoisobutyl acrylate (IB-CA) with anthracene followed by hydrolysis and conversion to the 2-cyanoacryloyl chloride. The protected cyanoacryloyl chloride was then reacted with one- or two-ended linear or three-ended three-arm star -CH2OH terminated polyisobutylenes (PIB-OH, HO-PIB-OH, and Deprotection by excess maleic anhydride yielded the target macromers. 1H-NMR and FTIR spectroscopic analyses indicated quantitative CH2=C(CN)COO– end-capping. The solution polymerization of a PIB-CA macromer (M = 2380) with N,N-dimethyl-p-toluidine (DMT) at room temperature gave high molecular weight product (M 35,000). Solution polymerization of CA-PIB-CA and gave networks with low (9–12%) sol fractions. The bulk copolymerization of with IB-CA also occurred readily.
EEG spectra in XYY and XXY men

Abstract Ten XYY, 13 XXY, and 45 control XY men were located in a birth cohort of tall men (non-institutionalized), and their EEGs were subjected to computer analyses. The XYY men showed a significantly slower alpha activity and more power in the 3.3–9.6 c/sec band than their XY controls. There were no consistent EEG differences between the XXY men and their controls.
Design and modeling of an endoscopic piezoelectric tactile sensor

Abstract The paper presents a proof-of-concept design of a tactile sensor capable of measuring compliance of a contact tissue/sensed object. The main objective of this study is to design and model a piezoelectric sensor capable of measuring the total applied force on the sensed object as well as its compliance. The sensor consists of a rigid and compliant cylindrical element. Determination of the compliance of sensed objects is based on the ratio of force experienced by the rigid cylinder to the total force applied to the sensor. To obtain this force ratio, a circular PVDF film is sandwiched between rigid cylinder and plate to measure the force applied on the rigid element and a rectangular PVDF film is sandwiched between the two base plates to measure the total force applied on the sensor. The detailed design of the senor was performed using finite element analysis. A prototype was fabricated and tested and it has been shown that good agreement exists between the finite element results and experimental values. The proposed sensor exhibits high force sensitivity and good linearity and offers the potential for future miniaturization in order to be integrated with the commercial endoscope graspers used in minimally invasive surgery.
Assessment of the Garnet-Clinopyroxene Thermometer

A thermometer based on the MgFe−1 exchange equilibrium between garnet and clinopyroxene is formulated by using new experimental data measured at 600° to 950°C, 0.8 to 3.0 GPa, and f(O2) defined by the fayalite-quartz-magnetite buffer in the basalt-H2O system. The new formulation is T = 3820 / 1.828 + lnKD (1 + a(2.2 − p)), where T is temperature (K), P is pressure (GPa), KD is the Fe-Mg partition coefficient between garnet and clino-pyroxene, defined as KD = (Fe2+/Mg)garnet/(Fe2+/Mg) clinopyroxene, and a = 132/T. Application of the thermometer to rocks in amphibolite, granulite, and eclogite terranes yields temperatures that are in reasonable agreement with other well-calibrated thermometers and the experimental calibrations by Ellis and Green (1979) and Pattison and Newton (1989).
A simple rosette-mounted syringe sampler for the collection of dissolved gases☆

Abstract This report describes the design and operation of a simple syringe sampler for the collection of dissolved gases. The samples may be used to collect dissolved trace metal samples where modest volumes are required ( V ≦500 ml). The sampler was designed to attach to a standard rosette, but could be modified to attach directly to a wire. Preliminary testing was accomplished by analyzing North Pacific waters for dissolved trichlorofluoromethane (Freon®-11) down to concentrations of 2 × 10 −14 M. The data indicate that samples can be stored for periods up to 6 h with no significant contamination.
Surgical resident's training in colonoscopy: numbers, competency, and perceptions.

There is currently great discrepancy in the training requirements between medical societies regarding the recommended threshold number of colonoscopies needed to assess for technical competence. Our goal was to determine the number of colonoscopies performed by surgical residents, rate of cecal intubation, as well as trainee perceptions of colonoscopy training after completion of their training period. This study consisted of a 12-item electronic survey completed by 21 surgical residents after their 2-month endoscopy rotation at a tertiary care, urban referral center. This survey assessed numbers of colonoscopies performed, number successful to the cecum, and perceptions of training in colonoscopy. The cecal intubation rate was used as a surrogate marker of technical competence. Twenty-one surgical residents performed a mean of 80 ± 35 total colonoscopies during the 2-month rotation. The average cecal intubation rate was 47% (range 9–78%). Resident comfort level for independently performing a total colonoscopy was scored a mean 3.6 on scale of 1–5 (5 = most comfortable), and 43% of the surgical residents planned on performing colonoscopy after residency training. Surgical residents can obtain the recommended threshold for colonoscopy (N = 50) during a standard 2-month rotation. However, no resident was able to achieve technical competence in colonoscopy as defined by a 90% cecal intubation rate. These data suggest that the method of training of general surgery residents in colonoscopy may need reappraisal.
Analysis of network statistics

This talk discusses the types and sources of data obtainable from networks of computer systems and terminals connected by communications paths. These paths often utilize mixtures of protocols and devices (such as modems, multiplexors, switches and front-ends) from multiple vendors. The talk describes how the data can be gathered from these devices and protocol layers, consolidated, stored, and analyzed. The analysis typically includes merging information from data bases describing the network topology, components, etc. Examples of reports and displays of the information gleaned are shown, together with illustrations of how the information may be useful for troubleshooting, performance measurement, auditing, accounting, and trend prediction.
SLASH-An RVLSI CAD system

The restructurable VLSI (RVLSI) CAD tool SLASH aids the user in carrying out the four-part RVLSI layout/restructuring task, which consists of: creation of a wafer-scale layout, analysis of capacitance test data to determine the location of defects on a particular wafer, mapping (placement and routing) of a logical system onto the usable resources of a particular wafer, and an incremental restructure-and-test cycle during which laser operations implement the prescribed layout. SLASH brings many modules to bear on the task of carrying out these functions. These modules include graphics workstation-based editors, as well as stand-alone 'batch' programs. >
RNA and Disease

Cellular functions depend on numerous protein-coding and noncoding RNAs and the RNA-binding proteins associated with them, which form ribonucleoprotein complexes (RNPs). Mutations that disrupt either the RNA or protein components of RNPs or the factors required for their assembly can be deleterious. Alternative splicing provides cells with an exquisite capacity to fine-tune their transcriptome and proteome in response to cues. Splicing depends on a complex code, numerous RNA-binding proteins, and an enormously intricate network of interactions among them, increasing the opportunity for exposure to mutations and misregulation that cause disease. The discovery of disease-causing mutations in RNAs is yielding a wealth of new therapeutic targets, and the growing understanding of RNA biology and chemistry is providing new RNA-based tools for developing therapeutics.
The Connection between Rays and Waves

While from a physical point of view the ray model of light propagation is outdated, it is still extremely useful for the design and modelling of optical instruments due to its simplicity and intuitiveness. It is therefore important to understand the connection between the ray model and the more physically correct wave model, in order to determine the former’s limitations and range of usefulness. Such understanding also sheds light into what a ray represents within the wave model: are rays normals to the wavefronts? plane waves? “local plane waves”? flux lines? Gaussian beams (or their centroids)?
A Ultra-Wideband Amplitude Modulation (AM) Detector Using Schottky Barrier Diodes Fabricated in Foundry CMOS Technology

Utility of Schottky diodes fabricated in foundry digital 130-nm CMOS technology is demonstrated by implementing an ultra-wideband (UWB) amplitude modulation detector consisting of a low-noise amplifier (LNA), a Schottky diode rectifier, and a low-pass filter. The input and output matching of the detector is better than -10 dB from 0-10.3 GHz and 0-1.7 GHz, respectively, and almost covers the entire UWB frequency band (3.1-10.6 GHz). The measured peak conversion gain is -2.2dB. The sensitivity over the band for amplitude modulation with the minimum E b/No of 6 dB is between -53 and -56 dBm. The power consumption is only 8.5 mW
ATM: Automated Trust Management for Mobile Ad Hoc Networks Using Support Vector Machine

Mobile Ad-hoc Networks (MANETs) are extremely susceptible to various misbehaviors and a variety of trust management schemes have been proposed to detect and mitigate them. Most schemes rely on a set of pre-defined weights to determine how the extent of each misbehavior is used to evaluate the trustworthiness. However, due to the extremely dynamic nature of MANETs, it is not possible to determine a set of weights that are appropriate for all contexts. In this paper, an Automated Trust Management (ATM) system is described for MANETs that uses a support vector machine classifier to detect malicious MANET nodes. The ATM scheme is resilient to attempts by a malicious MANET node to hide its nature by varying its misbehavior patterns over time. The performance of the ATM scheme is evaluated via an extensive simulation study and compared with existing approaches.
Social media analytics: tracking, modeling and predicting the flow of information through networks

Online social media represent a fundamental shift of how information is being produced, transferred and consumed. User generated content in the form of blog posts, comments, and tweets establishes a connection between the producers and the consumers of information. Tracking the pulse of the social media outlets, enables companies to gain feedback and insight in how to improve and market products better. For consumers, the abundance of information and opinions from diverse sources helps them tap into the wisdom of crowds, to aid in making more informed decisions. The present tutorial investigates techniques for social media modeling, analytics and optimization. First we present methods for collecting large scale social media data and then discuss techniques for coping with and correcting for the effects arising from missing and incomplete data. We proceed by discussing methods for extracting and tracking information as it spreads among the users. Then we examine methods for extracting temporal patterns by which information popularity grows and fades over time. We show how to quantify and maximize the influence of media outlets on the popularity and attention given to particular piece of content, and how to build predictive models of information diffusion and adoption. As the information often spreads through implicit social and information networks we present methods for inferring networks of influence and diffusion. Last, we discuss methods for tracking the flow of sentiment through networks and emergence of polarization.
Modulation of cardiac ryanodine receptors of swine and rabbit by a phosphorylation-dephosphorylation mechanism.

1. The regulation of the cardiac Ca2+ release channel-ryanodine receptor (RyR) by exogenous acid phosphatase (AcPh) and purified Ca(2+)-calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) was studied in swine and rabbit sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) vesicles using [3H]ryanodine binding and planar bilayer reconstitution experiments. 2. Addition of AcPh (1-20 U ml-1) to a standard incubation medium increased [3H]ryanodine binding in a Ca(2+)-dependent manner. Stimulation was only readily apparent in media containing micromolar Ca2+ concentrations. 3. Scatchard analysis of [3H]ryanodine binding curves revealed that AcPh enhanced binding by increasing the affinity of the receptor for [3H]ryanodine without recruiting additional receptor sites (Kd, 9.8 +/- 0.85 and 3.9 +/- 0.65 nM; Bmax (the maximal receptor density), 1.45 +/- 0.14 and 1.47 +/- 0.12 pmol mg-1 for control and AcPh, respectively). The failure of AcPh to increase Bmax suggested that the number of receptors that were ‘dormant’ due to phosphorylation in the SR preparation was very small. 4. At the single channel level, AcPh increased the open probability (Po) of RyR channels by increasing the opening rate and inducing the appearance of a longer open state while having no effect on single channel conductance. Thus AcPh acted directly on RyR channels or a closely associated regulatory protein. 5. CaMKII decreased both [3H]ryanodine binding and Po of RyRs when added to medium supplemented with micromolar levels of Ca2+ and calmodulin (CaM). Addition of a synthetic peptide inhibitor of CaMKII, or replacement of ATP with the non-hydrolysable ATP analogue adenylyl[beta, gamma-methylene]-diphosphate (AMP-PCP), prevented CaMKII inhibition of RyRs, suggesting that CaMKII acted specifically through a phosphorylation mechanism. 6. The inhibition of RyR channel activity by CaMKII was reversed by the addition of AcPh. Thus we showed that an in vitro phosphorylation-dephosphorylation mechanism effectively regulates RyRs. 7. The results suggest that intracellular signalling pathways that lead to activation of CaMKII may reduce efflux of Ca2+ from the SR by inhibition of RyR channel activity. The Ca2+ dependence of CaMKII inhibition suggests that the role of the phosphorylation mechanism is to modulate the RyR response to Ca2+.
Stochastic Cost Frontier and Inefficiency Estimates of Public and Private Universities: Does Government Matter?

Stochastic frontier analysis is used to estimate operating cost inefficiencies of public and private non-profit universities in the U.S. while also accounting for the possible effects arising from differences in the degree of government ownership. Using panel data for four academic years, 2005–2009, inefficiencies are estimated under two model specifications. Results indicate that public universities are more cost efficient when environmental factors influence cost frontiers but private universities are the cost efficient institutions when those factors are determinants of inefficiency. Increased government funding does matter and increases private sector inefficiency but offers some efficiency improvements among public universities. Following the global financial crisis, there is evidence indicating a considerable slowdown in the inefficiency growth among both public and private universities.
Static vs. Dynamic Wavelength-Routed Optical Networks under Time-Varying Traffic

Potential wavelength savings of dynamic WDM networks with respect to static ones are quantified under time-varying traffic. The traffic matrix with the highest traffic load (ρmax) determines the wavelength savings, observed only for ρmax<;0.1-0.3.
RNA-based regulation of genes of tryptophan synthesis and degradation, in bacteria

We are now aware that RNA-based regulatory mechanisms are commonly used to control gene expression in many organisms. These mechanisms offer the opportunity to exploit relatively short, unique RNA sequences, in altering transcription, translation, and/or mRNA stability, in response to the presence of a small or large signal molecule. The ability of an RNA segment to fold and form alternative hairpin secondary structures—each dedicated to a different regulatory function—permits selection of specific sequences that can affect transcription and/or translation. In the present paper I will focus on our current understanding of the RNA-based regulatory mechanisms used by Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis in controlling expression of the tryptophan biosynthetic operon. The regulatory mechanisms they use for this purpose differ, suggesting that these organisms, or their ancestors, adopted different strategies during their evolution. I will also describe the RNA-based mechanism used by E. coli in regulating expression of its operon responsible for tryptophan degradation, the tryptophanase operon.
Antecedents or Processes? Determinants of Perceived Effectiveness of Interorganizational Collaborations for Public Service Delivery

ABSTRACT This article introduces a framework of antecedents, processes, and perceived outcomes to evaluate interorganizational collaborations for children and family service delivery in Los Angeles County, California. The results showed that resource acquisitions, organizational legitimacy, partner characteristics, and supply-side preconditions for collaboration could affect perceived collaboration outcomes. The effects of most of antecedents on perceived outcomes were, however, mediated by collaborative processes and perceived effectiveness of collaborative ventures were mainly premised on the existence of processes for leveraging resources and building trust between partners.
Functioning of an arteriovenous fistula requires heme oxygenase-2.

Heme oxygenase-2 (HO-2), the constitutive isoform of the heme-degrading enzyme heme oxygenase, may serve as an anti-inflammatory vasorelaxant, in part, by generating carbon monoxide. Arteriovenous ...
Using Self‐Reported Health Measures to Predict High‐Need Cases among Medicaid‐Eligible Adults

Medicaid agencies are increasingly adopting care coordination and management strategies for their high-need beneficiaries, often with the twin goals of enhancing quality of care and reducing costs (Verdier, Byrd, and Stone 2009; Kim et al. 2013). This trend is likely to accelerate as states implement the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) new options to coordinate the care of chronically ill Medicaid beneficiaries (Kaiser Family Foundation 2011) and, in at least 28 states, expand Medicaid coverage to a larger population (Advisory Board 2013). To target high-need individuals, care management initiatives typically apply a case-finding approach that uses predictive models to stratify patients along likely future health care utilization (Knutson, Bella, and Llanos 2009; Verdier, Byrd, and Stone 2009). There is a mismatch, however, between the data requirements of these models, which rely on historical medical claims, and the data available to Medicaid programs for both new and “churning” beneficiaries, of whom states expect increasing numbers under the ACA (Knutson, Bella, and Llanos 2009). This article proposes and tests a practical alternative to a claims-based algorithm for identifying high-need Medicaid beneficiaries, one that relies upon well-validated self-reported health (SRH) measures that states or managed care organizations (MCOs) may potentially collect during the initial application and enrollment process.
Toward More Precision in Correction of Grammatical Errors

We describe a system for detecting and correcting instances of a small class of frequently occurring grammatical error types in a corpus of essays which have been manually annotated for these errors. Our system employs a precise broad-coverage grammar of English which has been augmented with a set of mal-rules and malentries to explicitly license certain types of erroneous expressions. The derivation tree produced by a parser using this grammar identifies the location and type of an error in an ill-formed sentence, enabling a postprocessing script to use the tree and the inventory of error types to delete and/or insert tokens in order to produce a corrected version of the original sentence.
Use of MISRs for compression and diagnostics

This paper describes a simple means for diagnosing failures by observing a compacted MISR output stream. While MISRs have been used in the industry for response compression, their use has often been seen as an impediment to diagnosis of failures. This paper shows how it is possible to use MISRs to perform a go/no-go failure test with very little data volume and to also use a compacted continuous stream of MISR output states to aid diagnosis
APBI Brachytherapy Device Stability and the Importance of Pre-fraction Device QA

Purpose: Recently, several new single-entry, intracavitary breast brachytherapy applicators have emerged with multiple catheters that allow dose modulation to spare normal tissue, such as skin, chestwall, and lung. However, since these catheters are differentially loaded with the HDR source, care must be taken to ensure there is no rotation, change in the device, or change in cavity conformance that could potentially alter the dose modulation from beneficial to detrimental. In this study, we retrospectively assess the rotational stability, strut symmetry, and cavity conformance of the SAVI device. Methods and Materials: Fifty patients treated at UC San Diego with the SAVI device were retrospectively reviewed for the number of patients that needed re-planning as a function of rotation, strut asymmetry (splay), cavity conformance, or a combination of these factors. At our institution, the radiation oncologist surgically places the SAVI device followed immediately by a planning CT scan. A treatment plan is generated immediately after the surgical insertion. Results: Of the 50 patients treated, 4 were re-planned for device rotation, 8 were re-planned due a change in strut symmetry, and 2 for cavity conformance; all within a 24 hour window following surgical insertion of the device. An additional 7 of the 50 (14.0%) were re-planned outside of the 24 hour window, making them unexpected re-plans, primarily due to rotation. Conclusion: The interfraction stability of multicatheter, intracavitary breast devices is crucial for efficacy and patient safety. All cases were planned immediately after insertion since they were inserted by the treating radiation oncologist in the HDR suite. However, our recommendation is to allow 24 hours after device insertion for settling of the device, especially in the case of strut splay. Heeding this advice, 14 of 50 cases presented would not have needed replanning. Obvious strut splay or air pockets necessitate planning to be delayed for 24 hours to allow stable conformance. In practice, with a 24 hour time window between insertion and planning only 14.0% of cases reviewed needed re-planning due to changes in the position or symmetry of the device. All of these cases were re-planned regardless of the amount of change; however, further analysis will evaluate the dosimetric relevance of the re-plan. This study also demonstrates that daily evaluation of the device before each fraction is essential to evaluate rotation, strut symmetry, and cavity conformance.
Influence of ventricular fibrillation duration on defibrillation energy in dogs using bidirectional pulse discharges.

The automatic implantable defibrillator device typically discharges 5-30 seconds after detection of ventricular fibrillation. To investigate the importance of the duration of ventricular fibrillation on defibrillation, the effects of ventricular fibrillation durations of 5, 15, and 30 seconds on the energy requirements for successful internal defibrillation were compared in 15 closed chest dogs with internal electrodes. The electrode configuration utilized a transvenous right heart catheter with two electrodes and a precordial subcutaneous patch electrode, with a single bidirectional pulse discharged between the distal catheter electrode and the proximal catheter and patch electrodes. Curves of energy vs. percentage of successful defibrillation were constructed and logistic regression was used to derive 90% and 50% successful energy doses (ED90 and ED50). The mean ventricular fibrillation activation interval just prior to defibrillation was determined from discrete RV endocardial electrograms. Four dogs died during testing, all because of inability to defibrillate after 30 s of ventricular fibrillation. In the remaining 11 dogs, the ED90 increased from (mean +/- SD) 27 +/- 13J at 5 s to 41 +/- 14J at 30 s (p less than .01). The mean ventricular fibrillation activation interval decreased from 107 +/- 21 ms at 5 s to 95 +/- 18 ms at 30 s (p less than .01). In conclusion, the energy required for internal defibrillation in dogs using this electrode configuration increases with longer durations of ventricular fibrillation, and is associated with more rapid ventricular fibrillation activation intervals.
CONCEPT OF MAPPING

Mapping is a process of relating critical manufacturing variables (CMVs) to the in vitro dissolution profile and to in vivo bioavailability. The CMVs include formulation, process and equipment variables, and materials and method variables commonly employed in the manufacturing process that can significantly affect the in vitro dissolution profile of the product. The goal of mapping is to develop product specifications that will assure bioequivalence of future batches prepared within the limits of acceptable dissolution specifications. The mapping process includes: 1. Preparation of two or more dosage formulations differing in the levels of selected CMVs, and studying their in vitro dissolution characteristics, 2. Testing the formulations with fastest and slowest dissolution characteristics along with the standard or to be marketed dosage form in a small group (n = not less than 12) of human subjects, and 3. Determining the in vitro-in vivo relationship. The formulations with extreme dissolution characteri...
Sonographic appearance of thyroid cancer in patients with Hashimoto thyroiditis.

Objectives To determine whether the sonographic appearance of thyroid cancer differs in patients with and without Hashimoto thyroiditis. Methods Patients with histologically proven thyroid cancer who had thyroid peroxidase (TPO) antibodies measured and sonography performed preoperatively were included. We evaluated each nodule for size, echogenicity, composition, margins, halo, and vascularity and evaluated the background heterogeneity of the gland. Results There were 162 thyroid cancers in 145 patients. Forty-two patients (29.0%) had Hashimoto thyroiditis with positive TPO antibodies, and 103 patients (71.0%) had negative TPO antibodies. The background echogenicity was more often heterogeneous in TPO antibody-positive patients compared to those who had negative TPO antibodies (57.1% versus 26.2%; P= .0005). Comparing cancers in TPO antibody-positive to TPO antibody-negative patients, there was no significant difference in the size, echogenicity, composition, margins, halo presence, calcification presence and type, or vascularity of the cancerous nodule (P > .05). Among TPO antibody-positive patients, comparing thyroid cancerous nodules in patients with heterogeneous glands to those with homogeneous glands, there was no significant difference in any sonographic characteristic except the margin of the nodule, which was more often irregular or poorly defined in heterogeneous glands and more often smooth in homogeneous glands (P Conclusions Sonographic features of thyroid cancer are similar in patients with and without Hashimoto thyroiditis. Among patients with Hashimoto thyroiditis and thyroid cancer, the sonographic appearance of the cancerous nodule is similar, except that cancerous nodule margins are more likely to be irregular or poorly defined when the gland is heterogeneous.
Improving breast cancer services for African-American women living in St. Louis

A mixed methods, community-based research study was conducted to understand how provider-level factors contribute to the African-American and white disparity in breast cancer mortality in a lower socioeconomic status area of North St. Louis. This study used mixed methods including: (1) secondary analysis of Missouri Cancer Registry data on all 885 African-American women diagnosed with breast cancer from 2000 to 2008 while living in the geographic area of focus; (2) qualitative interviews with a subset of these women; (3) analysis of data from electronic medical records of the women interviewed; and (4) focus group interviews with community residents, patient navigators, and other health care professionals. 565 women diagnosed with breast cancer from 2000 to 2008 in the geographic area were alive at the time of secondary data analysis; we interviewed (n = 96; 17 %) of these women. Provider-level obstacles to completion of prescribed treatment included fragmented navigation (separate navigators at Federally Qualified Health Centers, surgical oncology, and medical oncology, and no navigation services in surgical oncology). Perhaps related to the latter, women described radiation as optional, often in the same words as they described breast reconstruction. Discontinuous and fragmented patient navigation leads to failure to associate radiation therapy with vital treatment recommendations. Better integrated navigation that continues throughout treatment will increase treatment completion with the potential to improve outcomes in African Americans and decrease the disparity in mortality.
Strong replica consistency for fault-tolerant CORBA applications

The Eternal system provides transparent fault tolerance for CORBA applications, without requiring modifications to the application or to the object request broker (ORB), and without requiring special skills of the CORBA application programmers. Eternal maintains strong replica consistency as replicas of objects perform operations, and even as they fail and are recovered. Eternal implements the new fault-tolerant CORBA standard.
Transport of fungal symbionts by mountain pine beetles.

The perpetuation of symbiotic associations between bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) and ophiostomatoid fungi requires the consistent transport of fungi by successive beetle generations to new host trees. We used scanning electron microscopy and culture methods to investigate fungal transport by the mountain pine beetle (MPB), Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins. MPB transports its two main fungal associates, Grosmannia clavigera (Robinson-Jeffrey and Davidson) Zipfel, de Beer and Wingfield and Ophiostoma montium (Rumbold) von Arx, in sac-like mycangia on the maxillary cardines as well as on the exoskeleton. Although spores of both species of fungi were observed on MPB exoskeletons, often in pits, O. montium spores were generally more abundant than G. clavigera spores. However, a general scarcity of spores of either species on MPB exoskeletons compared with numbers on scolytines that lack sac-like mycangia indicates that fungal transport exteriorly on MPBs is incidental rather than adaptive. Conidia were the dominant spore type transported regardless of location or species; however, our results suggest that once acquired in mycangia, conidia may reproduce in a yeast-like form and even produce hypha-like strands and compact conidiophore-like structures. Fungi that propagate in mycangia may provide beetles with a continual source of inocula during the extended egg-laying period.
Production of emulsan in a fermentation process using soybean oil (SBO) in a carbon–nitrogen coordinated feed

A fermentation process for the microbial production of an amphipatic lipopolysaccharide, emulsan, has been established using a triglyceride carbon source in a coordinated carbon–nitrogen feed strategy. The polysaccharide was produced by the Acinetobacter strain at a productivity of about 0.5 g emulsan/L h while utilizing only the fatty acids (FA) portion of the triglycerides or free fatty acids that were fed into the medium. A useful correlation between the utilization of the fatty acids and the consumption of the nitrogen was found and employed for the practical feed strategy using an appropriate CN ratio (7.7 g C/g N) of the soybeanoil (SBO) (carbon source) to the ammonium hydroxide base (nitrogen source). Either the pH control or the supervising computer system could accomplish the adequate balanced feed in to the fermentor. Lipolysis slowdown was overcome by switching from a triglyceride carbon source to a free fatty acids one. A yield of about 0.2 g emulsan/g fatty acids was obtained and a final concentration of over 20 g/L was reached. The polymeric product was found to be partially associated with the cell-oil complexes in the fermentation broth unless the oily carbon source was efficiently exhausted. A fedbatch fermentation that employed a shift of the carbon source feed from triglycerides to free fatty acids appeared to be an appropriate and feasible way of producing the polymer.
Racial Discipline Disproportionality in Montessori and Traditional Public Schools: A Comparative Study Using the Relative Rate Index

Research from the past 40 years indicates that African American students are subjected to exclusionary discipline, including suspension and expulsion, at rates two to three times higher than their White peers (Children’s Defense Fund, 1975; Skiba, Michael, Nardo, & Peterson, 2002). Although this phenomenon has been studied extensively in traditional public schools, rates of racially disproportionate discipline in public Montessori schools have not been examined. The purpose of this study is to examine racial discipline disproportionality in Montessori public elementary schools as compared to traditional elementary schools. The Relative Rate Index (RRI) is used as a measure of racially disproportionate use of out-of-school suspensions (Tobin & Vincent, 2011). Suspension data from the Office of Civil Rights Data Collection was used to generate RRIs for Montessori and traditional elementary schools in a large urban district in the Southeast. While statistically significant levels of racial discipline disproportionality are found in both the Montessori and traditional schools, the effect is substantially less pronounced in Montessori settings. These findings suggest that Montessori schools are not immune to racially disproportionate discipline and should work to incorporate more culturally responsive classroom management techniques. Conversely, the lower levels of racially disproportionate discipline in the Montessori schools suggests that further study of discipline in Montessori environments may provide lessons for traditional schools to promote equitable discipline.
The 1919 Prison Special: Constituting white women's citizenship

ABSTRACTDuring the spring of 1919, the National Woman's Party sponsored the Prison Special, a cross-country train tour of 26 white women who had been jailed as a result of their protest activity for woman suffrage. Using visual, embodied, and verbal enactments of imprisonment and civic action, the Prison Special constituted white women's citizenship through simultaneous rhetorics of inclusion and expulsion. The Prison Special's foregrounding of white women's martial capabilities, respectability, and vulnerability justified white women's inclusion in the category of citizen. The Prison Special's contrast of the imprisoned white suffragists to Black women co-prisoners participated in the expulsion of Black women from the category of citizen.
Jail-Based Restoration to Competency: An Investigation of Program Recidivism and Contested Competency Cases

ABSTRACTWhile jail-based restoration to competency (RTC) programs are becoming more common, research on these programs and defendants who complete them is limited. The present study investigated characteristics of defendants who have completed a jail-based RTC program more than once to determine what factors differentiate them from those who completed the program only once. This study also investigated whether the use of psychological tests in competency to stand trial (CST) evaluations reduced the number of competency cases that are contested. Several predictors of RTC program repetitions were identified. However, no differences in number of contested cases were found in CST evaluations that used assessment instruments compared to evaluations where no assessment was used.
Rethinking Theory: INEQUALITIES, INFORMALIZATION AND FEMINIST QUANDARIES

‘Capitalist racist patriarchy’ is how Zillah Eisenstein (1998) characterizes global inequalities and the hierarchies of ‘difference’ they constitute. This article assumes that feminist theory aims not only to ‘empower women’ but to advance critical analyses of intersecting structural hierarchies; that this entails not only a critique of patriarchy but its complex conjunction with capitalism and racism; and that such critique requires rethinking theory. Through a critical lens on devalued (‘feminized’) informal work worldwide, the article explores how positivist, modernist and masculinist commitments variously operate in prevailing theories of informality – including those of feminists – with the effect of impeding both intersectional analyses and more adequate critiques of capitalist racist patriarchy.
FIBROPORIA ANGULOPORA, A NEW SPECIES (APHYLLOPHORALES, POLYPORACEAE) ASSOCIATED WITH BROWN-ROT OF PSEUDOTSUGA MENZIESII RESIDUE IN WESTERN OREGON

A new wood-inhabiting basidiomycete, Fibroporia angulopora, is described from the Cascade Mountains in western Oregon. The fungus is associated with a brown-rot decay of Douglas-fir residue in old growth stands. Characteristics derived from studies of fruiting bodies and cultures are presented and incompatibility system (mating type) determined. The generic position of F. angulopora is discussed with reference to Fibuloporia and Strangulidium. In a recent survey of wood-rotting fungi, Gilbertson (1980, 1981) estimated that only 6% of the number of recorded or known species of wood-rotting fungi (approximately 1700) are associated with or known to cause the brown-rot type of decay. This paucity of numbers of brown-rot fungi is extraordinary when the impact they have on conifer biomass decomposition is considered. Furthermore, the importance of the degradative product of these fungi cannot be underestimated. Brown-rotted wood in conifer ecosystems serves numerous and significant ecological functions: e.g., an important site for ectomycorrhizae formation, dinitrogen fixation, a moisture reservoir during dry periods, and a nutrient sink
The Emerging Non-operative Management of Non-metastatic Rectal Cancer: A Population Analysis.

Aim: Recent studies have piloted a nonoperative approach in patients with a complete clinical response to neoadjuvant chemoradiation for non-metastatic rectal cancer. This study evaluated these outcomes in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Materials and Methods: Using SEER database 8.1.5, we identified patients diagnosed with stage II-III rectal adenocarcinoma between 2004-2011, treated with radiation alone (RT), RT then surgery (RT-S), or surgery then RT (S-RT). Utilization patterns were investigated for all three groups and evaluated using the Chi-squared test. A secondary analysis was limited to current approaches (RT or RT-S). Overall survival (OS) was compared using the log-rank test. Predictors for nonoperative management were compared by multivariable analyses. Results: From 2004 to 2011, utilization of RT increased from 4% to 8%, RT-S from 57% to 75%, and S-RT decreased from 39% to 18% (p<0.001). In the secondary analysis, predictors for nonoperative management were lower T-stage and N-stage tumors, non-White race, and male sex. With 5,909 evaluable patients at a median follow-up of 35 months, the 5-year OS in the RT group was 56% vs. 80% in the RT-S group (log-rank p<0.001). Conclusion: Nonoperative management of rectal cancer is increasing despite an apparent detriment in OS compared to a combined modality approach, that may reflect a selection bias in the SEER database.
The benefits of group music at the 1996 music weekend for women with cancer.

Abstract Background. Music therapy has been proven to benefit cancer patients physically and emotionally. The Music Weekend for Women with Cancer was developed as a novel opportunity for participants to experience the healing powers of music amidst others who had a shared understanding of their illness. Materials and Methods. Fourteen female mixed cancer patients, three spouses, and one daughter attended the weekend from Friday evening through Sunday afternoon. Workshops and events centered on the use of music as a vehicle for expression of emotions, reflection, relaxation, communication, and enjoyment. Questionnaires were collected before the weekend to describe our population as well as three months after the weekend to assess any changes in their utilization of music and mood state. Results. Although insufficiency of post‐weekend data limited the potential for assessing the effects of the weekend on the participants’ utilization of music and mood state, the extremely positive evaluations supported the ...
Cervicothoracic cystic dysraphism

Cystic dysraphism of the cervical and upper thoracic spine is very rare. It differs from the much more common lumbosacral dysraphism in appearance and structure, and usually portends a better prognosis due to lack of functional neurological tissue in the dysraphic sac and absent or less severe intracranial anomalies. There is ambiguity in the literature regarding terminology because of the paucity of cases. We present cases of the most common type of cervicothoracic cystic dysraphism and emphasize differences from lumbosacral myelomeningocele. Patient outcome depends on the presence of associated anomalies and whether complete surgical resection is performed. Imaging plays a critical role in surgical planning, screening the central nervous system for additional anomalies, and in the postoperative setting for evaluation of retethering.
Design simulation for testability of digital circuit based on LASAR

As the development of fault diagnosis technology,specialty tools were used to simulatee the circuit to be tested.The software LASAR was such a simulation system which was used to accomplish the digital circuit testing and logical analyzing.How to analysis the testability of a digital circuit using the LASAR software was introduced.Finally,it explained how to use this method in actual application by simulating a circuit.
Effects of NMR transition point temperature on Maillard reaction rate in model food storage systems

Functional nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR) was used to study the effect of NMR state diagram and transition point temperature(Tp) on Maillard reaction rate in model food systems.All systems had the same concentration of reactants,lysine and glucose,but different moisture and inert components,trehalose and sucrose.Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill(CPMG) sequence was used to acquire the sample’s NMR relaxation data at different temperatures.High performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) was used to detect the consumption of reactants in the model food systems during stored in different temperatures.A trend of Tp temperatures change in the NMR state diagram was observed in the model matrixes with different moistures and sugar contents.A relative higher Tp temperature was observed in the low moisture sugar matrix and a relative slow reaction velocity in the identical matrix during storage at the same time.There were obvious reaction velocity differences on the temperatures above and below the Tp temperatures during storage at different temperatures.Different reaction velocities were observed in the samples having different sugar contents with same moisture during storage under an identical temperature.It was concluded that NMR state diagram and Tp temperature is available in accessing the better storage temperature,and an ingredient design would be helpful for the extension of shelf-life by decreasing the relative chemical reaction velocity during storage.
GaAs RISC processors

A simplified version of a RISC (reduced instruction set computer) microprocessor has been implemented with E/D MESFET DCFL (direct coupled FET logic) in the Vitesse HGaAs II process. This chip was designed to drive the development of digital GaAs design automation tools. The processor architecture was modified to fit DCFL technology. The 60,500-transistor circuit executes a set of 29 basic instructions. It dissipates 11 W and operates at over 100 MHz. >
Science, Technology, Society, and Law

Law and regulation increasingly interact with science, technology, and medicine in contemporary society. Law and social science (LSS) analyses can therefore benefit from rigorous, nuanced social scientific accounts of the nature of scientific knowledge and practice. Over the past two decades, LSS scholars have increasingly turned for such accounts to the field known as science and technology studies (STS). This article reviews the LSS literature that draws on STS. Our discussion is divided into two primary sections. We first discuss LSS literature that draws on STS because it deals with issues in which law and science interact. We then discuss literature that draws on STS because it sees law as analogous to science as a knowledge-producing institution amenable to social science analysis. We suggest that through both of these avenues STS can encourage a newly critical view within LSS scholarship.
Progressive Neoliberalism versus Reactionary Populism: A Choice that Feminists Should Refuse

The election of Donald Trump represents one of a series of dramatic political uprisings that together signal collapse of neoliberal hegemony. These uprisings include the Brexit vote in the UK, the ...