cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Low-frequency expansions for laser-assisted collisions

A variational approach to the problem of scattering in a low-frequency laser field is adopted, with trial functions chosen to be of the type originally introduced by Kroll and Watson (Phys. Rev. A 8, 804 (1973)), who used them nonvariationally. The variational calculation leads to a low-frequency approximation that includes higher-order correction terms of a relatively simple form. This provides the basis for an analysis of the accuracy of the approximation as the strength of the external field varies over a wide range of values. The cross-section sum rule is shown, for the case of a linearly polarized monochromatic field of moderate intensity, to be more accurate than had previously been realized by virtue of the cancellation of higher-order correction terms in the transition amplitude. The approach is shown to be applicable to elastic and inelastic electron-atom scattering in a multimode laser field with arbitrary polarization properties; it represents a natural generalization of the standard Kohn-type variational procedure frequently employed for field-free scattering problems, reducing to it in the absence of the field. The dressing of the target by the field, an effect which is known to have a significant influence on the scattering cross section in certain circumstances, ismore » not accounted for in the construction of the trial function, but is properly included as part of the variational correction.« less
Progress in Loyalty Program Research: Facts, Debates, and Future Research

For decades, customer loyalty programs have been a distinct avenue to enhance long-term customer relationships. Their efficacy and viability have been widely discussed in the literature. With a focus in the hospitality industry, this article draws on nearly 100 articles on loyalty programs and extant reviews of this research to describe how this field of research has evolved. This article proposes four research themes for classifying this body of work: (a) customer relationship management in loyalty programs, (b) the merits of loyalty programs, (c) the drawbacks of loyalty programs, (d) the advancements in loyalty programs. Using this classification the article identifies areas for future research and formulates unanswered questions. The classification organizes the research for practitioners looking for guidelines for managing loyalty programs.
Detection Of Artifacts In Ct Images Using The Consistency Of The Projection Data

ABSTRACT In computerized tomography, certain type of artifacts can be detected if the consistency of the recon-struction is checked using the available information. A reconstructed image is said to be consistent if itsatisfies all a priori knowledge. This paper demonstrates how the consistency principle can be used todetect reconstruction artifacts. INTRODUCTION In tomographic reconstruction, it is very important to distinguish between the reconstruction artifactsand and actual abnormalities in the object. There are several reasons for the reconstructions to containartifacts. Examples include; large bones limiting the view, noise in the measurements, beam hardening and artifacts due to the reconstruction algorithms. The standard filtered backprojection method per- forms very well under ideal conditions but in the existence of one of the above mentioned problems, the algorithm does not generate a consistent reconstruction with the received data. The data formation model in CT is projection which is defined as taking the line integrals of a continuous function f (x ,y)in a given direction
When Drugs Fail: Assisted Deaths and Not-So-Lethal Drugs

SUMMARYOne hundred and sixty interviews with family members, partners, and friends who participated in 140 cases of non-physician-assisted death reveal a number of problems dial surround assisted dying. These observations describe events in cases in which an assisted death did not occur as planned, often due to the less-than-fully lethal nature of the drugs used. Of 140 deaths, only 15 were designated as suicides; in 41 of these remaining 125 deaths, physicians knowingly provided lethal prescriptions, were fully aware of their patients' plans to end their lives, and signed their death certificates claiming “natural” causes. Self-enacted and assisted death in terminal illness is far more common than has been previously suspected. While self-enacted or assisted death can be important for those involved, it can also produce regrets when drugs fail. The case descriptions related here describe what happens when drugs fail, and how partners and family of the dying person turn to more desperate means, often in h...
Growth in pure and mixed plantations of tree species used in reforesting rural areas of the humid region of Costa Rica, Central America

Abstract This paper compares productivity of native tree species plantations, in monoculture and mixtures, at La Selva Biological Station in the Caribbean lowlands of Costa Rica. In monocultures, Jacaranda copaia, Vochysia guatemalensis, and Vochysia ferruginea were the most productive of 10 species compared. However, J. copaia and V. guatemalensis grew significantly faster in mixtures than in monocultures. A mixture of J. copaia, V. guatemalensis, and Calophyllum brasiliense produced 21% more merchantable volume than a monoculture of J. copaia, which grew the fastest of the three species. Mixed plantations of Dipteryx panamensis, Virola koschnyi, and Terminalia amazonia had productivity rates similar to monocultures of the fastest growing of these species (Virola koschnyi). The productivity of mixed plantations of V. ferruginea, Hyeronima alchorneoides, Genipa americana, and Balizia elegans was intermediate from the respective species’ productivities in monocultures. Cultivating tree species in mixtures affected species’ growth forms and ability to persist on the site.
Insulin-Like Growth Factors and Skeletal Growth: Possibilities for Therapeutic Interventions

In this, her last issue as editor-in-chief of JCEM, Dr. Maria New has invited some of her colleagues in pediatric endocrinology to contribute short commentaries on issues of current interest. It is a pleasure to honor Dr. New on this occasion, both for her leadership in taking our journal to a new level of excellence and for her many scientific contributions that have enhanced our understanding and treatment of adrenal disorders. The central focus of pediatric endocrinology has been the hormonal control of growth and development, and in recent decades it has been possible to correlate the serum concentrations of nearly every known hormone with each phase of normal growth and with most types of aberrant growth. The insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) or somatomedins, as they are frequently called, have been an important focus of pediatric endocrinologists because of their pivotal role in skeletal growth. The present essay addresses the roles of these peptides in the growth of the skeleton and considers how we might take advantage of their many actions for therapeutic purposes.
Cautious Greedy Strategy for Bearing-only Active Localization: Analysis and Field Experiments

We study the problem of optimally choosing bearing measurement locations for localizing a stationary target in minimum time. The targets are transmitting radio tags, and bearing measurements are acquired from radio signal strength by a robot carrying a direction-sensitive radio antenna. Actively localizing radio tags has many applications in surveillance, search and rescue, and environmental monitoring. Our work is motivated by the task of monitoring radio-tagged invasive fish using autonomous vehicles. An active localization algorithm is provided in order to locate a target up to the desired uncertainty. The time required to locate the target includes time spent traveling as well as taking measurements. Since bearing measurements inferred from radio signals have an inherent ambiguity associated with them, the proposed algorithm chooses measurements to minimize the effect of ambiguous measurements on the target estimate. We present a closed-form bound on the time required to locate a target using the presented active localization strategy. We also present the first known lower bound on the time required by any active localization algorithm including the unknown optimal. Finally, we bound the ratio of the upper and lower bounds, showing that the expected cost of our algorithm is within a constant factor of the expected cost of the optimal solution. Robust initialization strategies that are motivated by practical sensing limitations are also provided. Our algorithm is shown to reliably locate radio tags to a desired uncertainty in simulations and multiple field experiments.
Adherence to Medications by Patients After Acute Coronary Syndromes

BACKGROUNDNonadherence to medication may lead to poor medical outcomes.OBJECTIVETo describe medication-taking behavior of patients with a history of acute coronary syndromes (ACS) for 4 classes of drugs and determine the relationship between self-reported adherence and patient characteristics.METHODSConsenting patients with the diagnosis of ACS were interviewed by telephone approximately 10 months after discharge. The survey elicited data characterizing the patient, current medication regimens, beliefs about drug therapy, reasons for discontinuing medications, and adherence. The survey included the Beliefs About Medicine Questionnaire providing 4 scales: Specific Necessity, Specific Concerns, General Harm, and General Overuse, and the Medication Adherence Scale (MAS). Multivariate regression was used to determine the independent variables with the strongest association to the MAS. A p value ≤0.05 was considered significant for all analyses.RESULTSTwo hundred eight patients were interviewed. Mean ± SD age ...
Accuracy of popular media reporting on tobacco cessation therapy in substance abuse and mental health populations.

Background Tobacco cessation therapy is not consistently provided for alcohol, drug abuse and mental health (ADM) populations, despite the enormous health consequences of tobacco addiction in these groups and research supporting the effectiveness of treatment. Policymakers, however, tend to rely on popular media reports rather than the scientific literature in regulating treatment. Our goal was to determine whether popular reporting accurately reflects findings from the scientific literature on tobacco cessation treatment for ADM populations in treatment. Methods We compared the results of systematic reviews on tobacco cessation therapy published before 2004 with articles published in traditional media and on the internet over the following 8 years. We searched LexisNexis and Google and assessed them using the Index of Scientific Quality (ISQ). Results We found that popular reporting on this topic was consistent with findings reported in contemporaneous scientific literature. Our results suggest that the failure to consistently provide tobacco cessation therapy to ADM populations in treatment is not due to poor research translation. Conclusions Our findings also suggest that in this topic area, scientific research findings have diffused relatively quickly. Further study of journalism in this area may suggest new strategies for effective translation of scientific findings into popular reporting on tobacco control.
Slip flow in an annular sector duct using radial eigenfunctions

The fully developed slip flow in an annular sector duct is solved by expansions of eigenfunctions in the radial direction and boundary collocation on the straight sides. The method is efficient and accurate. The flow field for slip flow differs much from that of no-slip flow. The Poiseuille number increases with increased inner radius, opening angle, and decreases with slip.
On Parallelism in Neo‐Classical Economic Theory

A point of view (or standpoint) on neo‐classical economic theory may be based on the seminal works in the history of science of Thomas S. Kuhn and Jacob Bronowski. To be specific, one of Kuhn's conceptions of a paradigm may be interpreted to mean that an exemplar that is articulated is a paradigm. And Bronowski's conception of induction may be interpreted to mean that, when an exemplar of a theory is articulated, the parallelism of the concepts of the theory may be revealed, and gaps in a matrix may be closed.
Effects of exercise intensity and training on lipid metabolism in young women

We examined the effects of exercise intensity and training [12 wk, 5 days/wk, 1 h, 75% peak oxygen consumption (V˙o 2 peak)] on lipolysis and plasma free fatty acid (FFA) flux in women (n = 8; 24.3...
Dynamic chromatin remodeling on the HER2 promoter in human breast cancer cells

Deregulation of the HER2 oncogene occurs in 30% of human breast cancers and correlates with poor prognosis and increased propensity for metastasis. Since the molecular basis of HER2 overexpression in human cancers is not known, we sought to determine whether chromatin remodeling pathways are involved in the regulation of HER2 expression. We report that compared with breast cancer cells expressing a low level of HER2, HER2-overexpressing breast cancer cells contained significantly higher levels of acetylated and phosphorylated histone H3, and acetylated histone H4 associated with the HER2 promoter. Decreased recruitment of histone deacetylases in the promoter is also noted in the HER2-overexpressing cell. The association of acetylated histone H4 with HER2 gene chromatin and HER2 expression in breast cancer cells was upregulated by an inhibitor of histone deacetylases. Treatment with histone deacetylase inhibitor also reduced the association of histone deacetylase-1 and -2 with the HER2 promoter. In addition, the tumor promoters 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate and okadaic acid stimulated the association of phosphorylated histone H3 on serine 10 with the HER2 promoter and also stimulated HER2 expression. These findings identify histone acetylation and histone phosphorylation as novel regulatory modifications that target HER2 gene chromatin, and suggest that elevated levels of these chromatin-relaxing components in the vicinity of the HER2 gene promoter may constitute an important non-genomic mechanism of HER2 overexpression in human breast cancer.
The Mouse Clock Locus: Sequence and Comparative Analysis of 204 Kb from Mouse Chromosome 5

The last three years have witnessed remarkable progress in our understanding of the molecular basis of circadian rhythms (Wilsbacher and Takahashi 1998; Dunlap 1999; Strayer and Kay 1999; King and Takahashi 2000). In most if not all living systems, a conserved transcription-translation-based negative autoregulatory feedback loop appears to form the basis for circadian mechanisms. In mammals, the transcription factors CLOCK and BMAL (also known as MOP3) activate expression of the Period (Per) and Cryptochrome (Cry) genes; the steady-state mRNA levels of these genes express circadian rhythms of abundance in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), which is the site of the master circadian pacemaker in mammals (Gekakis et al. 1998; Hogenesch et al. 1998; King and Takahashi 2000; Shearman et al. 2000). Through mechanisms that are still being defined, the PER and CRY proteins translocate to the nucleus and inhibit the activity of CLOCK and BMAL acting upon the promoter regions of the Per and Cry genes (Gekakis et al. 1998; Sangoram et al. 1998; Griffin et al. 1999; Kume et al. 1999). Finally, turnover of the inhibitory complex leads to the release of CLOCK/BMAL inhibition, and CLOCK/BMAL-driven transcription begins anew. Because transcriptional control plays such an important role in the circadian model, it will be essential to define the regulatory elements that control circadian gene expression. Genomic sequence of circadian loci will provide extremely useful information for the study of transcriptional regulation. For example, in the Drosophila period (dper) gene, an E box element (5′-CACGTG-3′) lies within a 69-bp enhancer that is required for high-amplitude cycling of the per transcript (Hao et al. 1997). The dper E box element and those found in the promoter regions of mouse Period1 (mPer1), mouse vasopressin, and Drosophila timeless (dtim) are known to mediate CLOCK/BMAL-activated transcription of those genes (Darlington et al. 1998; Gekakis et al. 1998; Jin et al. 1999; Ripperger et al. 2000). Genomic sequence also provides an important tool for circadian gene discovery, as shown with the identification of human Per1 (Sun et al. 1997). Here we report the complete sequence of two overlappingmouse BAC clones from mouse chromosome 5 and describe the structures of the Clock locus and four other genes within this 204-kb interval. In addition, we provide a comparative genomic sequence analysis with the syntenic region from human chromosome 4. Finally, we present new BAC transgenic rescue results that reduce the genomic interval that is necessary for proper Clock expression.
Failed top-down policies in housing: The cases of Nairobi and Santo Domingo

In the past, various strategies based on top-down approaches were employed to curb the housing crisis in less developed countries (LDCs), but most failed because they did not engage the community in development projects. During the 1980s, the UN launched the bottom-up approach, which emphasizes the involvement of community-based organizations in shelter projects. This approach promotes enabling strategies in an effort to overcome obstacles encountered under the top-down approach: namely displacement, affordability, cost-recovery, and replicability. This paper explores what LDCs are doing to implement the bottom-up approach, and this is accomplished by examining the cases of Nairobi, Kenya, and Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic. The study analyzes how the governments of both countries have responded to the policies promoted under the two approaches. Data on government policies are analyzed to find out whether the governments of Kenya and the Dominican Republic have provided an enabling environment for other actors. This study reveals that both governments have adopted enabling policies in their National Action Plans which include: facilitating the efforts of all actors in providing shelter; the use of non-conventional building materials; and the upgrading of low-income housing. This research shows that the bottom-up approach is more likely to be successful in overcoming factors that inhibit the provision of low-income housing as compared to the top-down approach.
The Ecological Physiology of Earth's Second Oxygen Revolution

Living animals display a variety of morphological, physiological, and biochemical characters that enable them to live in low-oxygen environments. These features and the organisms that have evolved them are distributed in a regular pattern across dioxygen (O2) gradients associated with modern oxygen minimum zones. This distribution provides a template for interpreting the stratigraphic covariance between inferred Ediacaran-Cambrian oxygenation and early animal diversification. Although Cambrian oxygen must have reached 10–20% of modern levels, sufficient to support the animal diversity recorded by fossils, it may not have been much higher than this. Today's levels may have been approached only later in the Paleozoic Era. Nonetheless, Ediacaran-Cambrian oxygenation may have pushed surface environments across the low, but critical, physiological thresholds required for large, active animals, especially carnivores. Continued focus on the quantification of the partial pressure of oxygen (pO2) in the Proterozoi...
Attractive migration and coalescence: a significant process in the coarsening of TiSi2 islands on the Si(111) surface.

The dynamics and coarsening of ${\mathrm{T}\mathrm{i}\mathrm{S}\mathrm{i}}_{2}$ islands on Si(111) surfaces are studied in real time with photoelectron emission microscopy. A significant fraction of events are observed in which nearby islands move attractively toward each other and subsequently coalesce. It is proposed that attractive island migration is due to the growth-decay flow of the island edges driven by a nonuniform surface concentration around the islands. The local surface concentration is induced by the neighboring islands. This coarsening mechanism should significantly affect the evolution of the island distribution.
Is severe valve prosthesis-patient mismatch (VP-PM) associated with a higher mortality?

Two papers in the current issue of the journal questioned whether valve prosthesis-patient mismatch (VP-PM) [1] is associated with an increased mortality and have come to different conclusions. Howell etal.[2]have classified severe VP-PMas prosthetic aortic valve area (PHVA) <0.6 cm 2 /m 2 , which was determined at the time of valve implantation from the manufacturer’s in vitro data. The survival (‘all-cause mortality’) was not significantly different at 3 and 5 years from the ‘reference group’ (PHVA 0.6 cm 2 /m 2 ). Walther et al. [3] have also classified PHVA from the manufacturer’s effective office area. They have classified severe VP-PM as PHVA < 0.65 cm 2 /m 2 and moderate VP-PM as PHVA 0.65—0.85 cm 2 /m 2 . In their study, moderate VP-PM was ‘independently predictive for short-term and long-term mortality’. Three recent studies have documented an increased mortality with VP-PM:
A Detailed View of a Ribosomal Active Site: The Structure of the L11–RNA Complex

We report the crystal structure of a 58 nucleotide fragment of 23S ribosomal RNA bound to ribosomal protein L11. This highly conserved ribonucleoprotein domain is the target for the thiostrepton family of antibiotics that disrupt elongation factor function. The highly compact RNA has both familiar and novel structural motifs. While the C-terminal domain of L11 binds RNA tightly, the N-terminal domain makes only limited contacts with RNA and is proposed to function as a switch that reversibly associates with an adjacent region of RNA. The sites of mutations conferring resistance to thiostrepton and micrococcin line a narrow cleft between the RNA and the N-terminal domain. These antibiotics are proposed to bind in this cleft, locking the putative switch and interfering with the function of elongation factors.
Mass transport and chemical reaction in Taylor-vortex flows with entrained catalytic particles: applications to a novel class of immobilized enzyme biochemical reactors

The general problem of mass transport and chemical reaction in spatially periodic annular flows with entrained catalytic particles is in vestigated using generalized Taylor-Aris dispersion theory arguments. Generic formulas are derived for the effective solute reaction rate, mean axial velocity and dispersivity in terms of the numerous geometric, kinematic, kinetic and material physicochemical parameters defining the complex three-dimensional transport and reaction problem . The theoretical analysis constitutes a prelude to rationalizing the behaviour (and optimizing the design) of a class of immobilized enzyme biochemical reactors, in which the ‘catalytic’ enzyme is distributed over the surfaces of small entrained particles.
Evaluating Economic Sanctions

Do economic sanctions "work"? Although the traditional answer to this question has been negative, Robert A. Pape contends that the past decade has witnessed "increased optimism about the utility of economic sanctions" by international relations scholars.' In questioning this alleged optimism, he raises issues concerning the concept of economic sanctions, the standards by which their success should be judged, the causal logic of "the theory of economic sanctions," and reassessment of the most often used economic sanctions database.2 These topics will be discussed in turn.
Interdiffusion Between Ti3SiC2–Ti3GeC2 and Ti2AlC–Nb2AlC Diffusion Couples

In this work, we report on the interdiffusion of Ge and Si in Ti3SiC2 and Ti3GeC2, as well as that of Nb and Ti in Ti2AlC and Nb2AlC. The interdiffusion coefficient, Dint, measured by analyzing the diffusion profiles of Si and Ge obtained when Ti3SiC2–Ti3GeC2 diffusion couples are annealed in the 1473–1773 K temperature range at the Matano interface composition (≈Ti3Ge0.5Si0.5C2), was found to be given by Dint increased with increasing Ge composition. At the highest temperatures, diffusion was halted after a short time, apparently by the formation of a diffusion barrier of TiC. Similarly, the interdiffusion of Ti and Nb in Ti2AlC–Nb2AlC couples was measured in the 1723–1873 K temperature range. The Dint for the Matano interface composition, viz. ≈(Ti0.5,Nb0.5)2AlC, was found to be given by At 1773 K, the diffusivity of the transition metal atoms was ≈7 times smaller than those of the Si and Ge atoms, suggesting that the former are better bound in the structure than the latter.
The Influence of Depressed and Elated Mood on Deductive and Inductive Reasoning

Depressed and elated mood states may produce distinct information processing styles that can affect performance on deductive and inductive reasoning tasks differentially. Seventy-two undergraduates...
Increased muscle protein catabolism caused by carbon tetrachloride hepatic injury in rats.

This study was undertaken to determine the pathogenesis of muscle atrophy that frequently accompanies liver disease. Hepatic injury was induced in rats by giving weekly intragastric doses of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) in combination with phenobarbital in the drinking water. Muscle protein catabolism was assessed during three stages of liver injury and compared with pair-fed controls: group A had hepatic necrosis and inflammation without significant fibrosis; group B had cirrhosis as well as necrosis and inflammation; and group C had cirrhosis with minimal necrosis and inflammation. In group A, vastus lateralis white muscle, which contained predominantly fast glycolytic fibers, showed a significant increase in protein catabolic rates compared with pair fed controls (0.95 +/- 0.05 nmol tyrosine released.mg-1.2 h-1 vs. 0.86 +/- 0.04; P less than 0.05). In group B, protein catabolic rates were significantly increased in vastus lateralis white muscles, as well as two muscles that have a mixed fiber composition, diaphragm, and triceps. Protein catabolic rates were not increased in soleus muscle that predominantly contained slow oxidative fibers in either group A or B. In group C rats there was no increase in catabolic rates in diaphragm or vastus lateralis white muscle. None of the muscles from group B had any impairment in protein synthesis. In diaphragms from group B animals, there was a selective reduction in the cross-sectional areas of fast glycolytic fibers (3725 +/- 224 mm2 control vs. 2926 +/- 208 mm2 experimental; P less than 0.01). This study indicated that liver injury characterized by inflammation and hepatocyte necrosis, with or without cirrhosis, was associated with muscle atrophy that selectively affected fast glycolytic fibers. This muscle atrophy was caused by an increase in protein catabolism and was not the result of an inhibition of protein synthesis.
Energy capitals: local impact, global influence

Energy Capitals purports to strengthen an emerging field at the intersection of geography, environmental history, and related fields: energy history. This collection, based on papers delivered at a...
Cytotoxic Potential of Bacillus cereus Strains ATCC 11778 and 14579 Against Human Lung Epithelial Cells Under Microaerobic Growth Conditions.

Bacillus cereus, a food poisoning bacterium closely related to Bacillus anthracis, secretes a multitude of virulence factors including enterotoxins, hemolysins, and phospholipases. However, the majority of the in vitro experiments evaluating the cytotoxic potential of B. cereus were carried out in the conditions of aeration, and the impact of the oxygen limitation in conditions encountered by the microbe in natural environment such as gastrointestinal tract remains poorly understood. This research reports comparative analysis of ATCC strains 11778 (BC1) and 14579 (BC2) in aerated and microaerobic (static) cultures with regard to their toxicity for human lung epithelial cells. We showed that BC1 increased its toxicity upon oxygen limitation while BC2 was highly cytotoxic in both growth conditions. The combined effect of the pore-forming, cholesterol-dependent hemolysin, cereolysin O (CLO), and metabolic product(s) such as succinate produced in microaerobic conditions provided substantial contribution to the toxicity of BC1 but not BC2 which relied mainly on other toxins. This mechanism is shared between CB1 and B. anthracis. It involves the permeabilization of the cell membrane which facilitates transport of toxic bacterial metabolites into the cell. The toxicity of BC1was potentiated in the presence of bovine serum albumin which appeared to serve as reservoir for bacteria-derived nitric oxide participating in the downstream production of reactive oxidizing species with the properties of peroxynitrite. In agreement with this the BC1cultures demonstrated the increased oxidation of the indicator dye Amplex Red catalyzed by peroxidase as well as the increased toxicity in the presence of externally added ascorbic acid.
Vagueness and the Laws of Metaphysics

This is a paper about the nature of metaphysical laws and their relation to the phenomenon of vagueness. Metaphysical laws are introduced as analogous to natural laws, and metaphysical indeterminism is modeled on causal indeterminacy. This kind of indeterminacy is then put to work in developing a novel theory of vagueness and a solution to the sorites paradox.
Confronting existing challenges and meeting new demands in early childhood education using program-university collaborative models

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this article is to share the results of a qualitative research study designed to shed light on the experiences of educators, administrators, and a teacher educator participating in a program-university collaborative model. This study conducted surveys, interviews, and classroom observations to explore understandings of recently adopted Pre-K Common Core Standards, feelings of self-efficacy about implementation, and perceptions of the benefits and challenges of participating in a program-university collaborative model for professional development and mentoring. Data revealed three primary themes—early childhood educators anticipate benefits and challenges to implementing Pre-K CCS; they may have limited professional preparation for working with young children; and they perceive both benefits and challenges from participating in a program-university collaborative model. Building on these data, the author provides an argument for early childhood teacher educators to take an expanded ro...
Variation of Regime Coefficients in Pakistan Canals

The three degrees-of-freedom in a straight alluvial canal can be represented by Froude number F ; width-depth ratios, and energy gradient S . They also can be represented by the coefficients in regime equations. The physical interpretation of these regime coefficients is investigated and thus the basic structure of Lacey's regime equations is explained. The Canal and Headworks Data Observation Program (CHOP) data on Pakistan Canals are analyzed in the framework of regime theory and it is shown that: (1) the width of a stable channel section is related to the maximum operational discharge with α 3 α 3 = 2.87; and (2) the regime coefficients, α 1 and α 4 , are related as the bed material load and resistance functions of sand-bed channels. It is concluded that in their day to day operation, the sand-bed alluvial canals have only one degree-of-freedom that is related to their bed material load.
Energy Aware Aerial Surveillance for a Long Endurance Solar-Powered UAV

In this paper, the energy optimal trajectories for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) surveillance are explored. The main objective is to have maximum sensor coverage range while maintaining a perpetual flight. A solar powered UAV equipped with photovoltaic cells mounted on its wing and rechargeable batteries is considered. The photovoltaic cells generate solar energy based on the position of the sun, attitude of the UAV, and sky clarity. The vehicle aims to optimize the energy storage in the batteries and coverage during the day. However, the sensor resolution diminishes due to altitude gain. A model for optimal coverage, path planning, and power allocation in a solar powered UAV is proposed and the corresponding simulation results are presented. In addition, the effect of maximum altitude gain on the energy storage is studied based on a reduced hybrid model.
Sizes of Beaver Chips Cut from Aspen

While studying the sizes of wood cuttings handled by beavers (Amer. Midi. Nat. 52: 510–512) at Allegheny State Park in southwestern New York, interest was aroused in the wide range of sizes of the wood chips and especially the measurements of the larger ones cut by the beavers. They are made in felling the trees from which the beavers obtain bark and leaves for food, and by dismembering the fallen trees, the beavers obtain the pieces of wood used as building material for construction of their dams and lodges. There are two main types of chips, those which are composed mainly of the bark which is removed first, and since it is easier to cut, these chips …
Progesterone Binding in Rabbit Oviduct and Uterus

Progesterone binding of high affinity with a dissociation constant of 10(-9) M was identified in cytosol of rabbit oviduct and uterus. Macromolecules with sedimentation coefficients of 7-8 S and 4-5 S were present. Progesterone receptor concentration was two to fivefold lower in the oviduct when compared with the uterus. The receptor concentration declined steadily from 3 hr until 144 hr after mating in the uterus; however, the decline in oviductal receptor was not significant until the sixth day of pregnancy. Progesterone receptor concentration in rabbit oviduct and uterus in estrus and early pregnancy was greater than estradiol receptor levels.
The epidemiology of perinatal mortality. The power of the autopsy.

Recent analyses of 1044 consecutive perinatal autopsies at a New York city hospital prove the value of good autopsies in understanding the mechanisms of perinatal death. Use of the autopsy instead of the death certificate for epidemiologic investigations offers the possibility of providing new and useful data about common perinatal disorders. Cerebral intraventricular hemorrhage, hyaline membrane disease, and hydramnios and oligohydramnios are among the disorders investigated and discussed from the epidemiologic standpoint.
Hypertrophic pulmonary osteoarthropathy in experimental canine lung cancer

Hypertrophic pulmonary osteoarthropathy (HPOA) occurred in association with experimentally induced squamous cell lung carcinoma in a new canine model that resembles human bronchogenic carcinogenesis. This canine lung cancer model can potentially prove useful in clarifying the etiologic enigma of HPOA.
Whiskered Tori and Chaotic Behavior in Nonlinear Waves

Chaotic behavior in deterministic dynamical systems is an important phenomenon with many physical ramifications. In finite-dimensional settings this behavior is well understood, because of several fundamental mathematical results and many numerical studies that unveil phenomena beyond the reach of current analytical methods.
Differences between the Sexes among Protestant Christian Middle School Students and Their Attitudes toward Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).

ABSTRACTResearch focusing on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education among conservative Protestant Christian school students is scarce. Crenshaw’s intersectionality theory is examined as it pertains to religion as a group identifier. The STEM Semantic Survey was completed by 157 middle school students attending six different private Christian schools in Michigan. A MANOVA analysis found a significant difference between male and female students. Post hoc analysis revealed that females had less favorable views of engineering and technology than did their male counterparts. The researchers concluded that attitudes toward STEM among Protestant students are similar to those found in secular schools.
Using GRACE and climate model simulations to predict mass loss of Alaskan glaciers through 2100

Glaciers in Alaska are currently losing mass at a rate of ~−50 Gt a−1, one of the largest ice loss rates of any regional collection of mountain glaciers on Earth. Existing projections of Alaska's future sea-level contributions tend to be divergent and are not tied directly to regional observations. Here we develop a simple, regional observation-based projection of Alaska's future sea-level contribution. We compute a time series of recent Alaska glacier mass variability using monthly GRACE gravity fields from August 2002 through December 2014. We also construct a three-parameter model of Alaska glacier mass variability based on monthly ERA-Interim snowfall and temperature fields. When these three model parameters are fitted to the GRACE time series, the model explains 94% of the variance of the GRACE data. Using these parameter values, we then apply the model to simulated fields of monthly temperature and snowfall from the Community Earth System Model, to obtain predictions of mass variations through 2100. We conclude that mass loss rates may increase between −80 and −110 Gt a−1 by 2100, with a total sea-level rise contribution of 19 ± 4 mm during the 21st century.
The Association between Psychiatric Comorbidities and Outcomes for Inpatients with Traumatic Brain Injury

Abstract It is well established that traumatic brain injury (TBI) is associated with the development of psychiatric disorders. However, the impact of psychiatric disorders on TBI outcome is less well understood. We examined the outcomes of patients who experienced a traumatic subdural hemorrhage and whether a comorbid psychiatric disorder was associated with a change in outcome. A retrospective observational study was performed in the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) and the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS). Patients hospitalized for acute subdural hemorrhage were identified using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) diagnosis codes. Patients with coexisting psychiatric diagnoses were identified. Outcomes studied included mortality and adverse discharge disposition. In OSPHD, diagnoses of depression (OR = 0.64, p < 0.001), bipolar disorder (OR = 0.45, p < 0.05), and anxiety (OR = 0.37, p < 0.001) were associated with reduced mortality duri...
Assessment of multi-modality evaluations of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding

AIM To determine the frequency of bleeding source detection in patients with obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB) who underwent double balloon enteroscopy (DBE) after pre-procedure imaging [multiphase computed tomography enterography (MPCTE), video capsule endoscopy (VCE), or both] and assess the impact of imaging on DBE diagnostic yield. METHODS Retrospective cohort study using a prospectively maintained database of all adult patients presenting with OGIB who underwent DBE from September 1st, 2002 to June 30th, 2013 at a single tertiary center. RESULTS Four hundred and ninety five patients (52% females; median age 68 years) underwent DBE for OGIB. AVCE and/or MPCTE performed within 1 year prior to DBE (in 441 patients) increased the diagnostic yield of DBE (67.1% with preceding imaging vs 59.5% without). Using DBE as the gold standard, VCE and MPCTE had a diagnostic yield of 72.7% and 32.5% respectively. There were no increased odds of finding a bleeding site at DBE compared to VCE (OR = 1.3, P = 0.150). There were increased odds of finding a bleeding site at DBE compared to MPCTE (OR = 5.9, P < 0.001). In inpatients with overt OGIB, diagnostic yield of DBE was not affected by preceding imaging. CONCLUSION DBE is a safe and well-tolerated procedure for the diagnosis and treatment of OGIB, with a diagnostic yield that may be increased after obtaining a preceding VCE or MPCTE. However, inpatients with active ongoing bleeding may benefit from proceeding directly to antegrade DBE.
Superhero physiology: the case for Captain America.

Using pop icons in the science classroom represents a creative way to engage often-distracted students in a relevant and, perhaps more importantly, fun way. When the pop icon is as universally know...
MultiLayerMatrix: visualizing large taxonomic datasets

Adjacency matrices can be a useful way to visualize dense networks. However, they do not scale well as the network size increases due to limited screen space, especially when the number of rows and columns exceeds the pixel height and width of the screen. We introduce a new scalable technique, MultiLayerMatrix, to visualize very large matrices by breaking them into multiple layers. In our technique, the top layer shows the relationships between different groups of clustered data while each sub-layer shows the relationships between nodes in each group as needed. This process can be applied iteratively to create multiple sub-layers for very large datasets. We illustrate the usefulness of MultiLayerMatrix by applying it to a network representing similarity measures between 2,048 characters in the Asteraceae taxonomy, a rich dataset that describes characteristics of species of flowering plants. We also discuss the scalability of our technique by investigating its effectiveness on a large synthetic dataset with 20,000 columns by 20,000 rows.
An Online Data-Driven Technique for the Detection of Transformer Winding Deformations

This paper presents a novel online diagnostics method capable of detecting winding deformations in two-winding single-phase transformers. The main idea is to identify changes in the short-circuit impedance. The combination of 3-D Lissajous curve methods with a Butterworth low-pass filter allows for the accurate determination of winding deformation of large power transformers in real time. The method is very robust and capable of detecting deformations at the early stage even when the measurements are noisy. Only information already available to the differential protection relay is needed. The proposed diagnostics method has been validated with circuit and finite-element simulations plus a lab experiment. The results show that the proposed online diagnostics technique has the ability to identify winding deformation problems under severe conditions, such as nonsinusoidal input, nonlinear loading, and measurement noise. Under ideal conditions (no signal noise), the inductive identification error of the proposed online diagnostics method identifies the parameters with less than 0.09% error. When accepting a measurement noise of 1%, the error on the identification of inductance is less than 0.13%.
Case Report: Treatment of Renal Artery Aneurysms by Ex Vivo Renal Artery Aneurysm Repair and Transplantation.

Abstract Background Renal artery aneurysms are increasingly being detected incidentally during diagnostic imaging using magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, or angiography performed for evaluation of other diseases. Our understanding of their natural history and surgical management has evolved significantly during the past two decades. Patients and Methods Three patients with incidentally identified renal artery aneurysms have been referred to our renal transplantation program in the last 3 years. All three had aneurysms located at renal artery branches making endovascular repair challenging and thus underwent hand-assisted laparoscopic nephrectomy with ex vivo aneurysmectomy, with heterotopic autotransplantation in two cases and allotransplantation in the third case. Results All three cases resulted in successful renal artery aneurysm repair and reimplantation and good renal function of the implanted kidney. Conclusions Laparoscopic nephrectomy with ex vivo aneurysm repair and reimplantation can be a successful approach to surgical management, especially in cases where the aneurysm involves multiple artery branches and endovascular repair is challenging. Given the excellent results with this surgical approach, living and deceased donor kidneys with aneurysms should be strongly encouraged if deemed reparable.
Analytical approach to spacecraft formation-flying with low-thrust relative spiral trajectories

Abstract This work addresses the growing need for an intuitive, systematic approach to low-thrust spacecraft formation flying by extending shape-based continuous thrust trajectory design methods to the relative motion of two spacecraft. There is widespread interest in distributed space systems for their low costs, broad capabilities, and high redundancy. This trend introduces a new challenge for trajectory design when combined with the increasing prevalence of low-thrust, high specific impulse electric propulsion systems. That challenge is met herein with a geometrically intuitive, semi-analytical solution to the low-thrust problem. Beginning with the equations of relative motion of two spacecraft, an unperturbed chief and a continuously-thrusting deputy, a thrust profile is constructed which transforms the equations into a form that is solved analytically. The resulting relative trajectories are the family of sinusoidal spirals, which provide diversity for design and optimization based upon a single thrust parameter. Closed-form expressions are derived for the trajectory shape and time-of-flight for two prescribed relative velocity behaviors, and used to develop a novel patched-spirals trajectory design and optimization method. The example problem of a servicer spacecraft establishing and reconfiguring a formation around a target in geostationary earth orbit is used to demonstrate the application of the patched spirals technique as well as the advantages of the relative spiral trajectories over impulsive maneuvers. The sensitivity of the trajectory solutions to deviations from the underlying assumptions, uncertainties in the state, and errors in thrust are studied through high-fidelity simulation.
Solving the “Mystery” of Profiling Fraud: Teaching Students About Occupational Fraud by Examining Episodes of Mystery Diners

ABSTRACT Students learn about the many different aspects of occupational fraud by reading the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) Report to the Nations on Occupational Fraud and Abuse (...
Association Between Renal Cell Carcinoma and Myelodysplastic Syndromes: Epigenetic Underpinning?

BACKGROUND Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and certain myeloid malignancies are both characterized by widespread aberrant DNA hypermethylation. After clinical observations of patients with a personal history of both malignancies, we sought to explore a potential association, and to describe the clinical characteristics of these patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS Mayo Clinic's 'Advanced Cohort Explorer' database was used to identify patients with a history of both malignancies. Clinical features and long-term outcome were abstracted. Prevalence of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDSs) in patients ≥ 65 years with a personal history of nephrectomy for RCC was then compared with the prevalence of MDSs in the Dusseldorf MDS registry and the general patient population at Mayo Clinic, using 1-sample test of proportions. RESULTS A total of 59 patients with a diagnosis of both RCC and myeloid malignancy were identified. The myeloid malignancies included 38 MDSs, 12 acute myelogenous leukemia, and 9 myeloproliferative neoplasms. The cohort was characterized by marked male predominance (4.4:1). The median age at RCC diagnosis was 64 years (range, 37-87 years), and for myeloid malignancy was 75 years (range, 44-90 years). Prevalence of MDS in patients > 65 years with a personal history of nephrectomy for RCC was ≈ 8.4 times that of the age-concordant general population based on the Dusseldorf registry (28/6490 or 395/100,000 vs. ≈ 47/100,000; P < .001), and 3.07 times that of the age-concordant patient population at Mayo Clinic (28/6490 or 395/100,000 vs. 128.4/100,000; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS We observed a strong association between RCC and MDS. Patients with a history of RCC appear to have a substantially increased risk of developing MDS compared with the general population.