cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The ideological construction of crime: An analysis of the L.E.A.A. career criminal program

This paper examines the development of the LEAA Career Criminal Program and analyzes the ideological consequences of the construction of the legal category “career criminal.” It is argued that the creation of this program illustrates how the criminal justice process contributes to the existence of ideological hegemony and societal reproduction. No one at LEAA, however, ‘deliberately set out to create a program which would serve these ideological functions. The evidence shows that career advancement, professional goals, fortuitous circumstances, and political interests were the factors that lay behind the development of this particular program. Yet the program did have ideological consequences. There was a complex chain of subtle and often unreflected upon inducements, rewards, and incentives which made it likely that the program would be shaped in accordance with the interests of the dominant class.
Absence of Pubertal Gonadotropin Secretion in Girls with McCune-Albright Syndrome

Precocious puberty in girls with McCune-Albright syndrome has been attributed in some cases to early activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis and in other cases to sex steroid secretion by apparently autonomous ovarian cysts. We evaluated serum gonadotropins and sex steroids in six girls (aged 1–9 yr) with McCune-Albright syndrome. The children had Tanner stage II–IV pubertal development. In five patients, nocturnal gonadotropin concentrations and the gonadotropin response to LHRH were within the normal range for prepubertal children. Thus, the precocious puberty in these patients could not be explained by activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis. One child had high amplitude nocturnal pulses of serum LH and a LH-predominant response to LHRH. She was the oldest of the six girls and had a bone age of 13.5 yr which is within the range in which hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian activation normally occurs. The children all had ovarian enlargement and ovarian cysts determined by ultrasou...
Fetal and maternal microchimerism: implications for prenatal diagnosis, fetal tolerance and autoimmune disease

Bidirectional cell trafficking occurs routinely during pregnancy with the long-term persistence of fetal cells in the mother (fetal microchimerism) and maternal cells in her progeny (maternal microchimerism). Fetal DNA in maternal blood offers a noninvasive approach for prenatal diagnosis, including fetal Rhesus D genotyping, sex determination and diagnosis of single-gene disorders. Recently, we suggested that placental debris contributing to fetal DNA in maternal blood induces amelioration of rheumatoid arthritis during pregnancy and maternal tolerance of the fetus. Fetal and maternal microchimeric cells may have adverse health effects and are hypothesized to contribute to certain autoimmune diseases. Recent studies of microchimerism in prenatal diagnosis and the hypothesized link to the amelioration of rheumatoid arthritis during pregnancy and development of autoimmune diseases are described.
Unthinkable Categories and the Fundamental Laws of Kinship

In «L'Exercice de la parente», Francoise Heritier develops a general theory of kinship systems based on two fundamental laws. These laws depend for their proof on a sociological explanation of two logically possible but empirically unrealized terminologies in the classifications of Lowie and Murdock. Following Greenberg's cognitive-linguistic theory of kinship classification, I interpret these unrealized terminologies in the first instance as special cases of a universal tendency to avoid disjunctive categories. In developing this interpretation I introduce an evolutionary perspective that has been absent from most discussions of kinship theory for a long time. The structural models for this analysis are, as always, graph theoretic. [kinship theory, cognition, linguistics, graph theory]
Motion primitive-based human activity recognition using a bag-of-features approach

Human activity modeling and recognition using wearable sensors is important in pervasive healthcare, with applications including quantitative assessment of motor function, rehabilitation, and elder care. Previous human activity recognition techniques use a "whole-motion" model in which continuous sensor streams are divided into windows with a fixed time duration whose length is chosen such that all the relevant information in each activity signal can be extracted from each window. In this paper, we present a statistical motion primitive-based framework for human activity representation and recognition. Our framework is based on Bag-of-Features (BoF), which builds activity models using histograms of primitive symbols. We experimentally validate the effectiveness the BoF-based framework for recognizing nine activity classes and evaluate six factors which impact the performance of the framework. The factors include window size, choices of features, methods to construct motion primitives, motion vocabulary size, weighting schemes of motion primitive assignments, and learning machine kernel functions. Finally, we demonstrate that our statistical BoF-based framework can achieve much better performance compared to a non-statistical string-matching-based approach.
Micro-Specialization in DBMSes

Relational database management systems are general in the sense that they can handle arbitrary schemas, queries, and modifications, this generality is implemented using runtime metadata lookups and tests that ensure that control is channelled to the appropriate code in all cases. Unfortunately, these lookups and tests are carried out even when information is available that renders some of these operations superfluous, leading to unnecessary runtime overheads. This paper introduces micro-specialization, an approach that uses relation- and query-specific information to specialize the DBMS code at runtime and thereby eliminate some of these overheads. We develop a taxonomy of approaches and specialization times and propose a general architecture that isolates most of the creation and execution of the specialized code sequences in a separate DBMS-independent module. Through three illustrative types of micro-specializations applied to Postgre SQL, we show that this approach requires minimal changes to a DBMS and can improve the performance simultaneously across a wide range of queries, modifications, and bulk-loading, in terms of storage, CPU usage, and I/O time of the TPC-H and TPC-C benchmarks.
Uniform Spherical Coordinate Quantization of Spherically Symmetric Sources

For signal quantization with the minimum mean square error criterion, optimum spherical coordinate quantizers have been shown to outperform optimum rectangular coordinate qnantizers for many spherically symmetric sources. In this paper, spherical coordinate quantizers are designed and analyzed under the added constraint that each scalar quantizer is a uniform (equal step-size) quantizer. It is shown that for small block length, uniform spherical coordinate quantizers outperform the uniform rectangular coordinate quantizer as well as the uniform qnantizer consisting of a tesselation of the minimum inertia, space filling polytope.
The Electoral Cost of War: Iraq Casualties and the 2004 U.S. Presidential Election

Many contend that President Bush’s reelection and increased vote share in 2004 prove that the Iraq War was either electorally irrelevant or aided him. We present contrary evidence. Focusing on the change in Bush’s 2004 showing compared to 2000, we discover that Iraq casualties from a state significantly depressed the President’s vote share there. We infer that were it not for the approximately 10,000 U.S. dead and wounded by Election Day, Bush would have won nearly 2% more of the national popular vote, carrying several additional states and winning decisively. Such a result would have been close to forecasts based on models that did not include war impacts. Casualty effects are largest in “blue” states. In contrast, National Guard/Reservist call-ups had no impact beyond the main casualty effect. We discuss implications for both the election modeling enterprise and the debate over the “casualty sensitivity” of the U.S. public.
Understanding the consequences of seed dispersal in a heterogeneous environment

Plant distributions are in part determined by environmental heterogeneity on both large (landscape) and small (several meters) spatial scales. Plant populations can respond to environmental heterogeneity via genetic differentiation between large distinct patches, and via phenotypic plasticity in response to heterogeneity occurring at small scales relative to dispersal distance. As a result, the level of environmental heterogeneity experienced across generations, as determined by seed dispersal distance, may itself be under selection. Selection could act to increase or decrease seed dispersal distance, depending on patterns of heterogeneity in environmental quality with distance from a maternal home site. Serpentine soils, which impose harsh and variable abiotic stress on non-adapted plants, have been partially invaded by Erodium cicutarium in northern California, USA. Using nearby grassland sites characterized as either serpentine or non-serpentine, we collected seeds from dense patches of E. cicutarium on both soil types in spring 2004 and subsequently dispersed those seeds to one of four distances from their maternal home site (0, 0.5, 1, or 10 m). We examined distance-dependent patterns of variation in offspring lifetime fitness, conspecific density, soil availability, soil water content, and aboveground grass and forb biomass. ANOVA revealed a distinct fitness peak when seeds were dispersed 0.5 m from their maternal home site on serpentine patches. In non-serpentine patches, fitness was reduced only for seeds placed back into the maternal home site. Conspecific density was uniformly high within 1 m of a maternal home site on both soils, whereas soil water content and grass biomass were significantly heterogeneous among dispersal distances only on serpentine soils. Structural equation modeling and multigroup analysis revealed significantly stronger direct and indirect effects linking abiotic and biotic variation to offspring performance on serpentine soils than on non-serpentine soils, indicating the potential for soil-specific selection on seed dispersal distance in this invasive species.
Doubly charged ion mass spectra: V—Oxygen containing hydrocarbons

Doubly charged ion mass spectra were obtained for 46 low molecular weight oxygen containing compounds. A double focusing Hitachi RMU-7L mass spectrometer, operated at 3.2 kV accelerating voltage, was used to measure spectra for aliphatic alcohol, ketone, ether, aldehyde, ester and acid molecules, as well as several aromatic oxygen containing compounds. In general, the spectra were dominated by fragment ions which resulted from extensive H loss and CC bond rupture as well as O elimination from the doubly charged molecular ions. Total product ion intensities from doubly charged ion spectra of aliphatic oxygen containing compounds were approximately 1% of the corresponding total ion intensity in the benzene doubly charged ion spectrum. Appearance energies for forming prominent doubly charged molecular and fragment ions were determined. Measured values ranged from 26 to 45 eV. A geometry optimized quantum mechanical SCF treatment was used to compute the energies, charge densities and structures for several of these oxygen containing doubly charged ions.
An MGF-based performance analysis of generalized selection combining over Rayleigh fading channels

Using the notion of the "spacing" between ordered exponential random variables, a performance analysis of the generalized selection combining (GSC) diversity scheme over Rayleigh fading channels is presented and compared with that of the conventional maximal-ratio combining and selection combining schemes. Starting with the moment generating function (MGF) of the GSC output signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), we derive closed-form expressions for the average combined SNR, outage probability, and average error probability of a wide variety of modulation schemes operating over independently, identically distributed (i.i.d.) diversity paths. Because of their simple form, these expressions readily allow numerical evaluation for cases of practical interest. The results are also extended to the case of non-i.i.d. diversity paths.
Give Diet a Chance in Lowering Cholesterol Levels

Widespread screening programs and new guidelines by advisory panels to the National Institutes of Health (Bethesda, Md) are starting up a flood of patients coming to their physicians for assistance in lowering their blood cholesterol levels. A panel named by the National Cholesterol Education Program recently recommended that all adults in the United States with blood cholesterol values greater than 6.21 mmol/L (240 mg/dL) (or >5.17 mmol/L [>200 mg/dL] in men with one additional risk factor and women with two additional risk factors) should lower their cholesterol levels. 1 Whether or not one agrees with the new recommendations, they will have a big impact on medical practice. Instead of just dealing with the occasional patient with severe hyperlipidemia, physicians will face increasing numbers of purportedly "normal" adults who now are being told that their blood cholesterol value is too high. These patients will descend on a See also p 1046.
A novel Fourier technique for calculating fiber-to-LED coupling efficiency with lateral and longitudinal misalignments

Alignment tolerance is a very desirable quality for a low cost optical connector. Sensitivity to misalignment depends on a number of parameters such as emitter directivity, fiber core radius, fiber numerical aperture, and emitter size. In this paper, we present a novel Fourier technique to calculate the amount of power coupled into a large core fiber for various parameter values and longitudinal and lateral misalignments. This technique can be 100 times faster on a computer compared to the brute force numerical integration method.
Work in progress - identification of subject typologies through Artificial Intelligence techniques to study the competences achievement of the new computer engineers

Nowadays the educational methodologies are being reconsidered to allow the successful achievement of the skills of the future computer engineer. The issue is based on adapting these methodologies from the point of view of the competences provided by the subjects. This work in progress focuses on identifying typologies subjects through data mining techniques. This categorization allows experts to study the best way of adapting the educational models in order to guarantee the acquisition of the expected competences.
Total knee arthroplasty in patients who have pigmented villonodular synovitis

We reviewed the results of all eighteen total knee arthroplasties that had been performed at the Mayo Clinic between 1974 and 1992 for the treatment of pigmented villonodular synovitis. The diagnosis had been confirmed histologically in all patients. Fourteen patients had diffuse disease, which was active in eleven and inactive in three, and four had focal disease. In addition to the arthroplasty, the eleven patients who had active diffuse disease were managed with a complete synovectomy and the four patients who had focal disease had a partial synovectomy. The three remaining patients had a history of diffuse pigmented villonodular synovitis but had no evidence of disease at the time of the arthroplasty, so a synovectomy was not performed. At an average of 9.9 years (range, 3.6 to 20.1 years) after the arthroplasty, fourteen of the eighteen total knee prostheses were well fixed and functioning satisfactorily. The average knee score was 89 points (range, 80 to 99 points) and the average functional score was 77 points (range, 20 to 100 points) for these fourteen patients. The four failures were in patients who had active diffuse disease at the time of the arthroplasty. Three of the failures were due to aseptic loosening, and one was due to recurrence of the disease. Sixteen patients had no evidence of recurrence when they were last seen, at an average of 10.3 years (range, 3.6 to 20.1 years) after the arthroplasty. The two patients who had a recurrence were among the eleven who had active diffuse disease. In one of these patients, the recurrence was diagnosed at the time of a revision arthroplasty performed because of aseptic loosening. The other patient had two recurrences, necessitating an above-the-knee amputation.
The nucleus accumbens as a site of action for rewarding properties of testosterone and its 5α-reduced metabolites

Testosterone (T)'s positive hedonic effects may be mediated by actions of its metabolites, dihydrotestosterone (DHT) or 3alpha-androstanediol (3alpha-diol), in the nucleus accumbens (NA). In Experiment 1, adult, intact, male rats were systemically administered 1 mg of T, DHT, 3alpha-diol or vehicle, at different time points to examine concentrations of androgens in the NA. Rats administered 3alpha-diol had significantly increased concentrations of 3alpha-diol in the region of the brain encompassing the NA. These data are consistent with previous data from our laboratory demonstrating that 3alpha-diol elicits a conditioned place preference (CPP) more effectively than either T or DHT, when administered systemically. In Experiment 2, rats received implants of T, DHT or 3alpha-diol to the NA immediately prior to placement in the CPP apparatus on conditioning days. Implants of T, DHT or 3alpha-diol, but not vehicle, significantly increased time spent on the non-preferred side of the chamber on the test day. This effect was only produced by androgenic stimulation of the shell of the NA and not the core of the NA. Thus, androgen regimens we have previously found to enhance CPP produced the greatest increases in 3alpha-diol concentrations in the NA region and direct implants of T, DHT or 3alpha-diol to the shell, but not the core, of the NA enhanced CPP. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that the hedonic effects of T may be due to actions of its metabolites in the NA.
Parallel reduction in expression, but no loss of functional constraint, in two opsin paralogs within cave populations of Gammarus minus (Crustacea: Amphipoda)

Gammarus minus, a freshwater amphipod living in the cave and surface streams in the eastern USA, is a premier candidate for studying the evolution of troglomorphic traits such as pigmentation loss, elongated appendages, and reduced eyes. In G. minus, multiple pairs of genetically related, physically proximate cave and surface populations exist which exhibit a high degree of intraspecific morphological divergence. The morphology, ecology, and genetic structure of these sister populations are well characterized, yet the genetic basis of their morphological divergence remains unknown. We used degenerate PCR primers designed to amplify opsin genes within the subphylum Crustacea and discovered two distinct opsin paralogs (average inter-paralog protein divergence ≈ 20%) in the genome of three independently derived pairs of G. minus cave and surface populations. Both opsin paralogs were found to be related to other crustacean middle wavelength sensitive opsins. Low levels of nucleotide sequence variation (< 1% within populations) were detected in both opsin genes, regardless of habitat, and dN/dS ratios did not indicate a relaxation of functional constraint in the cave populations with reduced or absent eyes. Maximum likelihood analyses using codon-based models also did not detect a relaxation of functional constraint in the cave lineages. We quantified expression level of both opsin genes and found that the expression of both paralogs was significantly reduced in all three cave populations relative to their sister surface populations. The concordantly lowered expression level of both opsin genes in cave populations of G. minus compared to sister surface populations, combined with evidence for persistent purifying selection in the cave populations, is consistent with an unspecified pleiotropic function of opsin proteins. Our results indicate that phototransduction proteins such as opsins may have retained their function in cave-adapted organisms because they may play a pleiotropic role in other important processes that are unrelated to vision.
Team Management as an Effective Technique for the Management of Schools in Nigeria

This paper examined the relevance of team management as an effective technique in the management of schools in Nigeria. The paper high lightened the procedures, techniques and principles for implementing good team management and its roles. Four components of team management were identified as the most crucial elements in the management process which include leadership, communication, decision-making and the exercise of shared power and authority. Also, the strengths and weaknesses of team management were also highlighted. The paper therefore deduced that the issue of team management cannot be overemphasized in the proper management of an organization as its benefits are enormous both for the school administrators and the organization itself.
Laboratory diagnosis of histoplasmosis: update 2000.

Histoplasmosis is a common infection in endemic regions of North and Latin America, causing a broad spectrum of clinical findings. Although acute pulmonary infection, chronic pulmonary, and progressive disseminated histoplasmosis are the most commonly recognized clinical manifestations, pericarditis, rheumatologic syndromes, esophageal compression, and sarcoid-like manifestations are well-recognized complications of histoplasmosis. Although excellent laboratory methods for diagnosis are available, diagnosis in many cases is missed or delayed because histoplasmosis is not considered in the differential. Physicians must be aware of the clinical syndromes and take advantage of epidemiologic clues. Furthermore, clinicians must be familiar with the uses and limitations of a battery of serologic and mycologic tests. Cultures, fungal stains, antigen detection, and serologic tests for antibodies are useful for diagnosis of histoplasmosis. All are reasonably specific and can serve as the basis for diagnosis in patients with compatible clinical findings. Each has certain limitations that must be recognized if they are to be used correctly. The approach to diagnosis of histoplasmosis will be reviewed.
Surface Diffusion of Deuterium and Light Hydrocarbons in Microporous Vycor Glass

Abstract The significance of the surface diffusion of helium through a microporous Vycor glass is emphasized, and the experimental evidence is presented. New permeability data of D2, CH4, C2H6, and C3H8 are reported over a wide temperature range, and the results are analyzed numerically. Interesting comparisons are made for D2-H2 and C3H8-CO2 systems. Finally, the separation factors for CO2-C3H8 and CH4-C3H8 systems are discussed. All the experimental work has been carried out with porous Vycor glass as the microporous medium. However, there is good reason to believe that the basic findings will hold for any other microporous barrier. Differences will only be a matter of magnitude and will be determined by the adsorption interaction of the respective gas-solid system.
Acquisition of a memory skill

After more than 230 hours of practice in the laboratory, a subject was able to increase his memory span from 7 to 79 digits. His performance on other memory tests with digits equaled that of memory experts with lifelong training. With an appropriate mnemonic system, there is seemingly no limit to memory performance with practice.
Low Back and Neck Pain. Comprehensive Diagnosis and Management. 3rd ed.

David G. Borenstein, Sam W. Wiesel, and Scott D. Boden. Philadelphia: Saunders; 2004. 921 pages. $99.00. Comprehensive is right! This outstanding text provides an impressive collection of the knowledge relevant to the evaluation and management of low back pain and neck pain. Well written and offering clear and concise descriptions, the book is an excellent reference for anyone involved in the care of patients with back and neck pain. The first section of the book provides an overview of the normal anatomy and biomechanics of the spine, the epidemiology of neck and low back pain, and the sources of spinal pain. These chapters review the basic sciences with excellent depth, highlight specific pertinent areas, and are well referenced for those who wish to delve deeper into specific areas. The chapter on sources of pain gives particular insight into …
Re-Examination of Ethnocentrism and Problem-Solving Rigidity

A series of 10 water-jar problems were completed by 122 male English students with high, moderate, and low scores on the California F scale. In contrast to previous studies, Ss with moderate scores were significantly less rigid than ethnocentric or nonethnocentric groups.
Gated trapped ion mobility spectrometry coupled to fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry

Analysis of molecules by ion mobility spectrometry coupled with mass spectrometry (IMS-MS) provides chemical information on the three dimensional structure and mass of the molecules. The coupling of ion mobility to trapping mass spectrometers has historically been challenging due to the large differences in analysis time between the two devices. In this paper we present a modification of the trapped ion mobility (TIMS) analysis scheme termed “Gated TIMS” that allows efficient coupling to a Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance (FT-ICR) analyzer. Analyses of standard compounds and the influence of source conditions on the TIMS distributions produced by ion mobility spectra of labile ubiquitin protein ions are presented. Ion mobility resolving powers up to 100 are observed. Measured collisional cross sections of ubiquitin ions are in excellent qualitative and quantitative agreement to previous measurements. Gated TIMS FT-ICR produces results comparable to those acquired using TIMS/time-of-flight MS instrument platforms as well as numerous drift tube IMS-MS studies published in the literature.
Progesterone Production In Vitro by Mouse Luteal Cells: Response to Follicle-Stimulating Hormone, Luteinizing Hormone, and Prolactin

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of ovine follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH); prolactin, and recombinant FSH and a protein kinase C activator (phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate [PMA]) on progesterone production by dispersed luteal cells (large + small) from Day 4 pregnant mice. Corpora lutea (CL) were collected on Day 4 of pregnancy (Day 1 = sperm positive smear), and dispersed luteal cells were isolated using collagenase. After overnight incubation, the luteal cells were incubated with or without FSH, LH, prolactin, or recombinant human FSH or PMA for 4 hr or an additional 24 hr at 37 degrees C; media were collected and progesterone was determined by RIA. Ten nanograms and 100 ng of ovine FSH, LH and prolactin were all equally effective in stimulating progesterone synthesis in media recovered after 24 hr of incubation. Moreover, the combination of all three gonadotropins yielded maximum levels of progesterone indicating a luteotrophic complex in vitro, paralleling previous in vivo findings. Recombinant human FSH-devoid of LH contamination-at doses of 10 and 100 ng also significantly stimulated progesterone synthesis, which strongly suggests that FSH has luteotropic activity in the mouse, thus agreeing with our previous in vitro results with CL of the pregnant hamster and rat. One hundred nanomolar PMA by itself did not affect progesterone production but significantly decreased dibutyrl cAMP-, forskolin-, FSH-, and LH-induced progesterone production, suggesting that activation of protein kinase C may block the luteotropic effects of LH and FSH during murine pregnancy.
Painful Surgical Spine Referrals and Emergencies

It is important to differentiate a pain complaint that does not require surgery from one that requires routine surgery and even more important to recognize a surgical emergency. Taking a comprehensive history, physical exam, and obtaining appropriate imaging can help to distinguish between these circumstances.
Effects of Expression of Maltose Transport Related Genes on Cell Growth and Spinosad Production in Saccharopolyspora spinosa

Spinosad, produced by Saccharopolyspora spinosa, is a kind of high-efficiency and low-toxicity bioinsecticide wildly used as pesticide, veterinary drug, hygienic insecticide, etc. The ability of S. spinosa to utilize starch and maltose was low, making a huge obstacle for the industrial fermentation of spinosad. In order to improve the ability of S. spinosa to use starch, the maltose transport related genes mal EFG from Streptomyces avermitilis were expressed in a spinosad high-yield strain S. spinosa ASAGF73. The integration expression vector p SET152::mal EFG was transformed into ASAGF73 through conjugal transfer, and the mal EFG genes were successfully expressed in the resulting transformant. ASAGF73 and the transformant were cultured in single carbon source medium to study the effects of mal EFG, showing that the transformant consumed dextrin and maltose betterly than ASAGF73. In the media with dextrin or maltose as the sole carbon source, expression of mal EFG genes promoted obviously the growth of S. spinosa, resulting in improvement of spinosad yields. This study provides theoretical significance and application value for spinosad fermentation process using starch as main carbon source.
Diagnosis of tropical canine pancytopaenia (Ehrlichia canis infection) by immunofluorescence.

SUMMARY Ehrlichia canis was demonstrated by direct immunofluorescence in buffy coat and other tissue smears using fluorescein conjugates prepared from the sera of infected dogs. The antigenic forms of E. canis demonstrated by immunofluorescence were identical with those demonstrated by Giemsa’s stain. Low magnification scanning of immunofluorescent preparations was quicker and more sensitive than the examination of similar preparations stained with Giemsa. E. canis could also be demonstrated by staining with acridine orange. Tests for infcctivity in dogs were more sensitive than any of these 3 visual methods. Sera and smears from dogs infected with strains of E. canis isolated from widely separated areas of the world were examined by immunofluorescence and all appeared to be identical antigenically.
Implementing Life Cycle Engineering in Automotive Development as a Helpful Management Tool to Support Design for Environment

This chapter describes the implementation of life cycle engineering, a life cycle management component that focuses on the environmental performance improvement, in the context of automotive design for environment. The purpose of life cycle engineering is to derive measurable technical targets from life cycle assessment (LCA). This approach is described using the example of lightweight design. The progress in this methodology is the ability to calculate measurable targets – such as weight reduction, fuel reduction on a vehicle level, or the amount of secondary material – on the basis of LCA results. It is important to note that LCA is not used here for comparing the environmental performance between competing materials or technologies. Instead, life cycle engineering, as a helpful management tool to support design for environment, shows the technical roadmap of measures that must be taken in order to assure environmental progress over the entire life cycle. In doing so, this tool supports putting life cycle assessment results into business practice.
A powerful new technique for laser crystals: Time-resolved Fourier Spectroscopy

First results from a new method of time-resolved Fourier-transform spectroscopy using a continuously scanning spectrometer are presented. Observations of energy-transfer in the rare-earth-activated crystals (Yb, Ho):KYF4 and Nd:KLYF5 demonstrate the potential of the new technique for characterization of solid-state laser materials.
Karasek's (1979) job demands-control model: A summary of current issues and recommendations for future research

Karasek's (1979) job demands-control model is one of the most widely studied models of occupational stress (de Lange, Taris, Kompier, Houtman, & Bongers, 2003). The key idea behind the job demands-control model is that control buffers the impact of job demands on strain and can help enhance employees’ job satisfaction with the opportunity to engage in challenging tasks and learn new skills (Karasek, 1979). Most research on the job demands-control has been inconsistent (de Lange et al., 2003; Van Der Deof & Maes, 1999), and the main reasons cited for this inconsistency are that different variables have been used to measure demands, control, and strain, not enough longitudinal research has been done, and the model does not take workers’ individual characteristics into account (Van Der Deof & Maes, 1999). To address these concerns, expansions have been made on the model such as integrating resources, self-efficacy, active coping, and social support into the model (Demerouti, Bakker, Nachreiner, & Schaufeli, 2001b; Johnson & Hall, 1988; Demerouti, Bakker, de Jonge, Janssen, & Schaufeli, 2001a; Landsbergis, Schnall, Deitz, Friedman, & Pickering, 1992). However, researchers have only been partially successful, and therefore, to continue reducing inconstencies, we recommend using longitudinal designs, both objective and subjective measures, a higher sample size, and a careful consideration of the types of demands and control that best match each other theoretically.
Frontiers of Adsorption at Solid/Liquid Interface: Inquiries into Polymer and Surfactant Solloids on Solids

While a macroscopic understanding of most colloid and surface phenomena can be obtained from bulk property measurements, a deeper understanding of such imponant processes as adsorption, flotation and flocculation is possible only by the application of specialized spectroscopic and related techniques yielding molecular-level information. In chis paper, our recent efforts to explore the microscopic structures of surfactant and polymer layers on solids are outlined. In an attempt to delineate the microstructure of the polymer and surfactant adsorbates, computer-assisted tomographic (CAT) scan as well as small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) method are used in addition to luminescence, magnetic resonance and time-resolved resonance Raman spectroscopic studies. New information on the floc as well as adsorbed layer characteristics are presented. A simple method for studying short-term (< 1 min) adsorption kinetics of polymers on solids is also described.
Becoming West Indian: Culture, Self, and Nation in St. Vincent, by Virginia Heyer Young. Washington and London: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1993

Becoming West Indian: Culture, Self, and Nation in St. Vincent, by Virginia Heyer Young. Washington and London: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1993, 229 pp. Reviewed byHelen I. Safa, Professor of Anthropology and Latin American Studies, University of Florida.
External Pressures on the Resource: Growth and Urbanization

Population growth and demographic shifts in the population are among the major trends that are altering the way the U.S. water industry manages the water resource. Most of the U.S. population now lives in cities. Together, population growth urbanization and climate change are contributing to more and more harmful flooding as storm water runoff reduces the normal stream flow and limits the natural absorption of storm water, while at the same time overstressing the fresh water supply in the arid and semi-arid west. These changes are also resulting in greater pollution of the nation’s water supplies.
Security Urbanism and the Counterterror State in Kenya

This article offers a theoretical and ethnographic analysis of what I am calling ‘security urbanism’, examining the spatial practices of the Kenyan security state and the urban impacts of the War o...
There's No Time like the Present: Improving the Current System of Care for Low-Income Substance Abusers with Comorbid Health Conditions:

Due to social determinants of health, people living in poverty are at high risk for having comorbid substance use and medical disorders, yet are also the least able to afford and access the care needed to adequately address their health. There has been a recent call for providing integrated care for behavioral and physical health problems, yet there are challenges to fully integrating the two systems. In this article, several suggestions for improving the current system of care for low-income individuals are presented. Suggestions are derived from components of the chronic care model, the model underlying most conceptions of integrated care, and include increasing the use of technology and interdisciplinary teams to supplement assessment and intervention.
We Should Measure What Matters in Bundled Payment Programs.

The Merit-based Incentive Payment System provides for new ways to pay for care, including bundled payment programs, which pay a fixed amount for the total cost of care during a defined period surro...
Social Media and Obesity in Adults: a Review of Recent Research and Future Directions

Social media is widely used and has potential to connect adults with obesity with information and social support for weight loss and to deliver lifestyle interventions. The purpose of this review is to summarize recent observational and intervention research on social media and obesity. Online patient communities for weight loss abound but may include misinformation. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses suggest that social media-delivered lifestyle interventions modestly impact weight, yet how social media was used and participant engagement varies widely. The rapidly changing social media landscape poses challenges for patients, clinicians, and researchers. Research is needed on how patients can establish supportive communities for weight loss and the role of clinicians in these communities. Emerging research on meaningful engagement in, and the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of, social media-delivered lifestyle interventions should provide insights into how to leverage social media to address the obesity epidemic.
Lessons for Scotland from Greece's Euro Tragedy

Scotland will soon decide whether to remain part of the U.K. or become an independent nation. Should Scotland choose independence, it may try to join a formal currency union with the U.K. or the E.U. This article focuses on the risks small nations can face in a currency union, as told through the prism of Greece’s experience in the Eurozone. Since the world financial crisis hit Europe, Greece has become the worst case scenario for small countries in a currency union. The austerity conditions the Troika requires in exchange for hundreds of billions in loans have caused a depression and unemployment crisis of historic magnitude in Greece, without reducing its debt. Greece would almost certainly be better off defaulting on its debt, but cannot do so in an orderly fashion because default would certainly mean a calamitous expulsion from the E.U. Greece is also something akin to a zombie democracy. All of the important decisions are effectively made by the Troika who have no electoral accountability to the Greek people. Joining a currency union always entails some loss of sovereignty and the benefits can certainly outweigh the risks. However, Greece shows that important aspects of national self-determination like tax policy, spending, interest rates, unemployment targets, pensions, work rules, etc., can be compromised if a country gives up its currency and is hit by financial calamity. These types of risks – ones that go to a newly independent country’s ability to function as a democratic state – are important risks to consider if Scotland chooses independence and chooses to join a currency union.
The Pathogenesis and Treatment of Asthma as an Inflammatory Disease

Asthma has now become the commonest chronic disease in industrialized countries and epidemiological studies have shown that is increasing in prevalence and probably severity throughout the world. The mortality from asthma, which should be decreasing with the availability of effective therapies is increasing in many countries, including the USA. Because of its high prevalence and persistence, asthma imposes a large burden of cost on the health services of developed countries in terms of medication expenditure, hospital admissions and loss of work 1. In the USA asthma costs over $10 billion annually.
The Role of Immune Cells in the Tumor Microenvironment

Interactions between tumor infiltrating leukocytes and tumor cells have been of great interest because of the possibility that immune cells either interfere with tumor progression or actively promote tumor growth. The tumor microenvironment is shaped by cells entering it, and their functions reflect the local conditions. Successive changes occurring at the tumor site during tumor progression resemble chronic inflammation. This chronic inflammatory reaction seems to be largely orchestrated by the tumor, and it seems to promote tumor survival. Molecular and cellular mechanisms linking the inflammatory reaction and cancer are emerging, and this review summarizes the current understanding of interactions between inflammatory and cancer cells in the tumor microenvironment.
Polarization, Scattering, and Propagation of Electromagnetic Waves

Polarization is an inherent property of electromagnetic wave (EM) that can be used to extract information about the physical properties of the medium through which the wave propagates and the scatterers that scatter electromagnetic wave in different directions. These physical properties include size, concentration, shape, orientation, and phase composition of atmospheric particles with which the wave interacts. Basic definitions of the EM attributes and different types of polarizations (linear, circular, elliptical) are presented. The scattering matrix of an individual scatterer is introduced and its elements are explicitly specified as functions of the orientation angles and scattering coefficients along the principle axes of a spheroidal scatterer. The propagation effects through the atmosphere filled with anisotropic hydrometeors are quantified via attenuation factors at orthogonal polarizations, differential attenuation, and differential phase.
Voting for the lesser evil: evidence from a conjoint experiment in Romania

In many elections around the world, voters choose between politicians who differ not only in personal background and policy promises, but also in their history of dishonest electoral conduct. While recent literature has begun to investigate the conditions under which voters punish electoral malfeasance, we know relatively little about whether they penalize different forms of illicit activities carried out by politicians differently. In this paper, we present the results of a candidate choice experiment embedded in a survey fielded prior to the 2016 Romanian local election. We asked voters to choose between two hypothetical candidates, randomly varying several attributes, including different illicit electoral activities. We find that citizens tolerate some forms of political malfeasance less than others depending on how much that malfeasance infringes on voters' autonomy. Informational campaigns carried out by prosecutorial agencies also affect how much voters punish different illicit exchanges.
A Review on the Trajectory of Attentional Mechanisms in Aging and the Alzheimer's Disease Continuum through the Attention Network Test

Multiple domains of cognition are known to decline in both normal aging and in the trajectory towards Alzheimer's disease (AD). While declines in episodic memory are most well-known in both normal aging and AD, some of these memory differences might stem from early deteriorations in attention that have consequences for later memory. Further complicating the matter is that attention is a multifaceted construct that might be differentially affected in normal aging and AD. According to cognitive neuroscience models of attention, three types of attention networks exist: alerting, orienting, and executive. Efficiency of these three networks can be captured using the Attention Network Test (ANT). We reviewed the literature investigating differences in attention networks using the ANT as a function of normal aging and the AD trajectory, which included people at risk for AD, preclinical stages of AD, mild cognitive impairment, and those diagnosed with AD. We found that normal aging and the AD trajectory evidenced different patterns of attentional declines. Whereas normal aging was most consistently associated with impairments in alerting, early phases of the AD trajectory were most consistently associated with impairments in executive attention, and later phases of the AD trajectory were mixed. The mixed results with AD are largely attributed to small sample sizes and confounding effects of general slowing. These findings highlight key gaps in the literature linking different phases of AD while also highlighting the usefulness of the ANT to distinguish normal aging from the AD trajectory, especially in the earliest phases of the disease process.
How flight feathers stick together to form a continuous morphing wing.

Variable feather overlap enables birds to morph their wings, unlike aircraft. They accomplish this feat by means of elastic compliance of connective tissue, which passively redistributes the overlapping flight feathers when the skeleton moves to morph the wing planform. Distinctive microstructures form “directional Velcro,” such that when adjacent feathers slide apart during extension, thousands of lobate cilia on the underlapping feathers lock probabilistically with hooked rami of overlapping feathers to prevent gaps. These structures unlock automatically during flexion. Using a feathered biohybrid aerial robot, we demonstrate how both passive mechanisms make morphing wings robust to turbulence. We found that the hooked microstructures fasten feathers across bird species except silent fliers, whose feathers also lack the associated Velcro-like noise. These findings could inspire innovative directional fasteners and morphing aircraft.