cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
For What Purpose? Some Thoughts about Grading

Grading in higher education has been based on a competitive/ranking model. As students become more vocation driven in their decision to attend college and as specific vocational domains become more performance centered, a new form of assessment is needed. This change has already taken place in departments of teacher education. A mastery learning, mastery orientation model is recommended as the model for assessment to be used in all areas of higher education.
Acetals as pH-Sensitive Linkages for Drug Delivery

pH-Sensitive linkages designed to undergo hydrolysis at mildly acidic pH can trigger the release of therapeutics selectively at targets such as tumor and inflammatory tissues and in the endosomes and lysosomes of cells. Acetals have the potential to be used as linkages for a range of alcohol functionalities, and, by altering their chemical structure, it is possible to tune their hydrolysis rate. The syntheses of four conjugates of model drug molecules with PEO using acetals of varying chemical structure are described herein. Primary and secondary alcohols, as well as syn-1,2-diols, were incorporated in the conjugates. The hydrolysis kinetics were investigated by HPLC, and the conjugates had half-lives ranging from less than 1 min to several days at pH 5.0, with slower hydrolysis at pH 7.4 in all cases. These acetal linkages are therefore promising for use in a variety of drug delivery applications ranging from polymer-drug conjugates to pH-sensitive micelles and nanoparticulate systems.
Distance learning for power professionals: virtual classrooms allow students flexibility in location and time

The number of universities offering distance learning courses in power systems has increased significantly over the last few years. Therefore, it has become critical to evaluate distance learning with respect to student learning, pedagogy, delivery media, logistics, and cost. This paper presents the results of a survey conducted to determine distance learning resources in power systems. Benefits of distance learning and a brief history of distance learning in power systems at Kansas State University are also provided. The different media for delivery of lectures to students are discussed and some strategies for interaction between faculty and students to improve learning are presented.
Fault tree reliability analysis of a micro-grid using Monte Carlo simulations

In this paper, the traditional Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) method combined with Monte Carlo simulations (MCSs) is introduced to a real micro-gird with significant clean energy penetration. Importance of different components in the micro-grid is first found using the traditional FTA but cannot show a clear illustration of the system's reliability with respect to time. Using the proposed fault-tree-MCS (FT-MCS) method, a simulation program can be established with random sampling time. In this process, the contribution of each part to the whole system reliability can be clearly shown with varying time. A more accurate Mean Time to Failure (MTTF) can thus be achieved using the FT-MCS. FT-MCS is shown to combine the benefits of fault tree component hierarchy for fault propagation, as well as fault occurrence over time.
The management of sickle cell disease in a primary care setting.

With increasing burdens placed on Primary Care Physicians in the prevention and management of Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), it is imperative that there is some basic understanding of the same. Needless to say, its management is a multifocal, multidisciplinary approach which includes a collaborative effort between patients, family members and the healthcare team.Primary Care Physicians must be familiar with the pathophysiological processes, diagnostic evaluation, and current standard of care, new treatment options, clinical research advances and medical management of sickle hemoglobinopathies and their complications.The guidelines should include new born screening and assessment, accessible medical records for those diagnosed with SCD, system support and prevention, management of complication and crisis periods and home management (dietary and lifestyle modifications).
Geomorphology, deformation, and chronology of marine terraces along the pacific coast of central Baja California, Mexico

Abstract Three emergent marine terraces are prominent between Playa El Marron and Arroyo El Salinito and comprise the most extensive Pleistocene planation surfaces in central Baja California, Mexico. The deposits of the lowest terrace, the Tomatal, are 120,000 ± 20,000 yr old (Sangamonian?) while the absolute ages of the two higher and older terraces, the Andres and Aeropuerto, are unknown. The Tomatal terrace is particularly well developed and comprises degraded sea cliffs, paleodunes, and lagoonal sequences. Shingle paleobeach ridges also occur locally and reflect shore progradation and tombolo formation. The Tomatal shoreline is nearly horizontal at 7 ± 1 m above present mean sea level, whereas the older Aeropuerto terrace has been tilted so that it decreases in elevation toward the southeast. Nonetheless, coastal tilting is not nearly as great as at many other localities in California and Baja California. This is despite the fact that the entire Baja California peninsula has been assumed to be tectonically unstable during the Pleistocene, primarily because of the forces generated by plate motion.
Electrostatic ion cyclotron instability driven by a deflected ion beam

Abstract The onset voltage for the electrostatic ion cyclotron instability (EIC) excited by a swept probe is found to be a good measure of ion-beam energy.
Complete Shape from Imperfect Contour

Two important issues of shape from contour research are addressed in this paper. The first is the imperfection of input data and the second is the completeness of output 3D object models. We present a solution that is based on: (1) the analysis of imperfect line drawing configurations, especially the properties of L junctions and (2) the implementation of a rule based system. Constraints imposed by line labeling, 2D and 3D geometry, and Gestalt principles of human visual perception are formulated into production rules, and the system control mechanism is designed so that these rules can work interactively. Perfect line drawings are treated as special cases in this system. Complete 3D object models, including invisible faces, that are consistent with human perception can be reconstructed.A nonmonotonic forward reasoning mechanism is realized by using the truth maintenance system (TMS). The TMS is used to maintain a dependency network of currently active facts for reasoning in hypothetical situations. It also leads to an effective way to backtrack an assumption to resolve contradictions which is called dependency directed backtracking (DDB).
Random Decrement Technique for Modal Identification of Structures

An algorithm is developed to obtain the free responses of a structure from its random responses, due to some unknown or known random input or inputs, using the random decrement technique without changing time correlation between signals. The algorithm is tested using random responses from a ' 'generalized pay load" model and from the "space shuttle" model. The resulting free responses are then used to identify the modal characteristics of the two systems. The method is limited to structures that are linear or have small nonlinearities. N general, the experimental identification of structural modes of vibration is carried out by measuring the input (or inputs) to the structure under test and the resulting responses due to this input. Some vibration testing techniques, in order to simplify the identification procedure, use the free responses of structures. In such cases, although the input excitation need not be measured, some initial excitation is applied to the structure, and free responses are measured immediately after the initial exciting force is removed. There are situations where controlled excitation or initial excitation cannot be used. For example, if the structure to be tested is in operation, applying any kind of external force may cause undesirable interruption. Another example is the case of in-flight response measurements, where a complete knowledge of the excitation is usually not available. In such cases, the use of the "random decrement signature" technique (a special averaging procedure that is used to determine the step and/or impulse response from the random response) to obtain the free responses is a promising technique. The random decrement signature technique1 has been used successfully for failure detection and damping measurement of structures in single-statio n, single-mode response cases. Application of the random decrement signature technique to a multiple of signals changes the time correlation between the individual signals. If the resulting responses are to be used to identify several modes of a structure, the random decrement signature technique must be modified to keep the time correlation between signals unchanged. In this paper, an algorithm is developed to obtain the free responses of a linear structure from its random responses, due to some unknown or known random input or inputs, using the random decrement technique without changing time correlation between signals. The algorithm is tested by ap- plying it to random responses obtained from two real structures. The first structure is a generalized payload model previously tested using sine sweep method and analyzed by NASA Structural Analysis (NASTRAN). The second structure is the V& -scale space shuttle model with modal parameters previously determined using sine sweep method and fast Fourier transform (FFT). Only responses from four stations on the solid rocket boosters (SRB's) were considered in the case of the space shuttle model. The filtered random responses from these two structures were recorded and
Interactions of silver halide sols with hydrolyzed hafnium species

Coagulation and reversal of charge effects of freshly prepared and heated solutions of hafnium tetrachloride have been studied as a function of the pH using aged silver halide sols and solsin statu nascendi. It was shown that the critical coagulation concentration and the critical stabilization concentration (due to charge reversal) increased with increasing pH. These observations have been related to the hydrolysis of the hafnium ion. At pH values above ∼4 essentially the entire amount of hafnium is present in the form of the neutral soluble, species Hf(OH)4. This accounts for the inability of the hafnium solutions to reverse the charge of the sols at higher pH values. The adsorption measurements carried out with the aid of the radioactive isotope181Hf showed that the neutral hydrolyzed species are strongly adsorbed on negatively charged silver iodide particles. The adsorbed amounts of hafnium on a AgI sol are considerably larger than in the case of charged hydrolyzed ions (such as hydrolyzed thorium ions) on a similar sol. This is explained by the ability of the neutral hafnium species, Hf(OH)4. to form a close-packed adsorbed layer. The results confirm previous findings that the enhanced adsorption of hydrolyzed ions is caused by the presence of the hydroxyl group, whereas the ionic charge plays a negligible role in this case.
Pediatric brain tumors: Diagnosis and management

Pediatric brain tumors are the most common solid tumor and the second most common neoplasm in childhood. Confirmation of diagnosis is made by visualization of the tumor on a computed tomographic or magnetic resonance imaging scan. Treatment includes surgery followed by observation or chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy, depending on the amount of tumor removed and its histological characteristics. Recent advances in neuroradiology, neurosurgical techniques, and neuro-oncology have begun to impact the length and quality of survival of children diagnosed with brain tumors. A multidisciplinary approach in the treatment of these children is necessary with the nurses and/or nurse practitioners as the consistent members of the team often coordinating the care.
Labiopedia, a sex-linked mutant in Tribolium confusum Duval (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae).

The genetics and anatomy of the homoeotic mutant labiopedia (lp) of Tribolium confusum is described. The mutant is the second known among the insects to affect the mouthparts. The two-segmented labial palps of the larva are completely replaced by leg-like appendages resembling the prothoracic legs and exhibiting the apex of the trochanter and all parts distal to the trochanter. The labial palps of the pupa and adult are likewise replaced by legs. The three-segmented palps of the adult are replaced by appendages closely similar to the prothoracic legs in many characters and exhibiting the apex of the coxa and all other parts of a normal walking leg. The legs have never been seen to move although they are supplied with labial nerves and an almost complete, though highly reduced, set of muscles. The labial appendages are invariably leg-like and well-developed, failing to show the range of variability which is commonly observed in homoeotic mutants. The leg-like form of the heteromorphic organ is in striking conformity with the appendicular origin of the palps. The lp gene is recessive and sex-linked, with lethal to semilethal effects. It is the third sex-linked gene discovered in Tribolium confusum and the first sex-linked homoeotic mutant known among the insects. Since the inheritance of lp is entirely in the manner of a sex-linked gene, it most probably is located on the original X chromosome, unless the translocated autosomal portion attached to the Y has become inert.
DNA transformation via local heat shock

This work describes transformation of foreign DNA into bacterial host cells by local heat shock using a microfluidic system with on-chip, built-in platinum heaters. Plasmid DNA encoding ampicillin resistance and a fluorescent protein can be effectively transformed into the DH5α chemically competent E. coli using this device. Results further demonstrate that only one-thousandth of volume is required to obtain transformation efficiencies as good as or better than conventional practices. As such, this work complements other lab-on-a-chip technologies for potential gene cloning/therapy and protein expression applications.
Gas-liquid chromatography of mycotoxins of the trichothecene group.

Abstract A gas chromatography method for separation and identification of several trichothecenes is described. Compounds containing free hydroxyl groups were chromatographed as trimethylsilyl (TMS) ethers, while naturally occurring esters such as trichothecin were chromatographed directly. Qualitative identification of individual peaks was provided by determining the methylene unit values of each of 13 different trichothenes by both isothermal and temperature-programmed operation. Use of glucose TMS ether as an internal standard provided relative response factors useful in the quantitative determination of trichothecenes. The method was successfully applied to known mixtures of the pure compounds and to the determination of T-2 and HT-2 toxins in grain samples infected with Fusarium tricinctum .
USSR/USA Bering Sea Experiment

This book presents the results from the joint USSR/USA Bering Sea Experiment (BESEX), which took place in the central Bering Sea marginal ice zone in February–March 1973. The BESEX program was conceived following the 1971 preliminary Soviet-American negotiations on scientific cooperation in the observation of meteorological phenomena from space. The primary purpose of the experiment was to advance the development of techniques for microwave remote sensing of atmospheric, oceanic, and sea ice parameters. The experimental results were subsequently discussed in May 1974 at a symposium that was held in Leningrad. The 20 papers contained in this book are the proceedings from this symposium.
CNS response after erlotinib therapy in a patient with metastatic NSCLC with an EGFR mutation

For patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and brain metastasis, effective treatment strategies are required because systemic chemotherapy is usually ineffective. Pan and colleagues present the case of a 73-year-old man who was diagnosed with NSCLC with brain metastasis, who carried anEGFR mutation and was managed with erlotinib and whole-brain irradiation. The authors discuss the treatment options for patients with metastatic NSCLC and propose erlotinib as an appropriate therapy for patients with a high probability of harboring classic EGFRmutations. Background A 73-year-old Asian man with a history of lipidemia, hypertension and myocardial infarction presented with dizziness, decreased appetite, weight loss, nonproductive cough and fatigue. His physical performance status was good, and physical examination was unremarkable except for lower-extremity pitting edema. Investigations Physical examination, brain MRI, CT scans of the chest, abdomen and pelvis, bone scan, CT scan-guided biopsy, hematoxylin and eosin staining, EGFR mutational analysis, and chest X-ray. Diagnosis Stage IV non-small-cell lung cancer with brain metastasis. Management Oral erlotinib 150 mg daily for 10 months and ongoing, and whole-brain irradiation.
How experiential education relates to college goals and objectives

Abstract Goals and undergraduate education objectives related to experiential learning were identified in college brochures and through interviews with selected college personnel. All college faculty were mailed questionnaires asking the extent of their agreement with the goals and objectives and their opinion as to the learning environment most conducive to achieving these objectives. Lack of faculty agreement with experiential learning goals and faculty unwillingness to endorse off-campus learning experiences conflicted with the published philosophy of the college. A Guttman Scale constructed from faculty responses to goals showed that as the degree of abstraction of each goal increased, so did the degree of faculty agreement. Based on college goals, valid and reliable instruments were developed to determine students' attitudes about field experiences, and to assess performance in field placements. As amounts of fieldwork increased, students' attitudes about self became more positive, performances at field sites showed higher achievement, and understanding of college goal-related concepts increased. Any amount of fieldwork appeared to help focus students' professional goals.
Parameter-free calculations of X-ray spectra with FEFF9

We briefly review our implementation of the real-space Green's function (RSGF) approach for calculations of X-ray spectra, focusing on recently developed parameter free models for dominant many-body effects. Although the RSGF approach has been widely used both for near edge (XANES) and extended (EXAFS) ranges, previous implementations relied on semi-phenomenological methods, e.g., the plasmon-pole model for the self-energy, the final-state rule for screened core hole effects, and the correlated Debye model for vibrational damping. Here we describe how these approximations can be replaced by efficient ab initio models including a many-pole model of the self-energy, inelastic losses and multiple-electron excitations; a linear response approach for the core hole; and a Lanczos approach for Debye–Waller effects. We also discuss the implementation of these models and software improvements within the FEFF9 code, together with a number of examples.
Circulating Tumor Cells in Melanoma Patients

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are of recognized importance for diagnosis and prognosis of cancer patients. With melanoma, most studies do not show any clear relationship between CTC levels and stage of disease. Here, CTCs were enriched (∼400X) from blood of melanoma patients using a simple centrifugation device (OncoQuick), and 4 melanocyte target RNAs (TYR, MLANA, MITF, and MIF) were quantified using QPCR. Approximately one-third of melanoma patients had elevated MIF and MLANA transcripts (p<0.0001 and p<0.001, respectively) compared with healthy controls. In contrast, healthy controls had uniformly higher levels of TYR and MITF than melanoma patients (p<0.0001). There was a marked shift of leukocytes into the CTC-enriched fractions (a 430% increase in RNA recovery, p<0.001), and no relationship between CTC levels and stage of disease was found. CTCs were captured on microfabricated filters and cultured. Captured melanoma CTCs were large cells, and consisted of 2 subpopulations, based on immunoreactivity. One subpopulation (∼50%) stained for both pan-cytokeratin (KRT) markers and the common leukocyte marker CD-45, whereas the second subpopulation stained for only KRT. Since similar cells are described in many cancers, we also examined blood from colorectal and pancreatic cancer patients. We observed analogous results, with most captured CTCs staining for both CD-45/KRT markers (and for the monocyte differentiation marker CD-14). Our results suggest that immature melanocyte-related cells (expressing TYR and MITF RNA) may circulate in healthy controls, although they are not readily detectable without considerable enrichment. Further, as early-stage melanomas develop, immature melanocyte migration into the blood is somehow curtailed, whereas a significant proportion of patients develop elevated CTC levels (based on MIF and MLANA RNAs). The nature of the captured CTCs is consistent with literature describing leukocyte/macrophage-tumor cell fusion hybrids, and their role in metastatic progression.
Freezing behavior of aqueous solutions of glycoproteins from the blood of an Antarctic fish

Abstract The freezing point-depressing glycoproteins from Antartic fishes are not concentrated, or are only slightly concentrated in the liquid phase during freezing. In contrast, glycoproteins whose structure has been slightly modified causing loss of the unusual freezing point depressing activity are concentrated in the liquid phase during freezing. These data support the theory that the glycoproteins function by binding to the surface of “seed” ice crystals thus effectively removing them as nucleation sites.
Dendritic field size and morphology of midget and parasol ganglion cells of the human retina.

Abstract The visual system of the macaque monkey has provided a useful model for understanding the neural basis of human vision, yet, there are few detailed comparisons of neural populations other than photoreceptors for the two species. Using intracellular staining in an in vitro preparation of the isolated and intact human retina, we have characterized the relationship of dendritic field size to retinal eccentricity for the two major ganglion cell classes, the midget and the parasol cells. We report three findings. (i) The difference in dendritic field diameter between the parasol and midget cells increases from a ratio of approximately 3:1 in the retinal periphery to approximately 10:1 at 3 degrees eccentricity, suggesting that human midget cells may outnumber parasol cells by as much as 30:1 in the central retina. (ii) The dendritic fields of human ON-center parasol and midget cells are 30-50% larger in diameter than their OFF-center counterparts, suggesting a distinct asymmetry in the human ON-OFF visual pathways. (iii) The dendritic fields of parasol cells, but not midget cells, are larger in humans than in macaques. The difference increases from approximately 20% in the retinal periphery to approximately 90% at 5 degrees eccentricity. This result predicts that the human parasol cells should show a lower resolving ability and an increased sensitivity to luminance contrast than their equivalents in the macaque.
A Novel Arterial Constitutive Model in a Commercial Finite Element Package: Application to Balloon Angioplasty

Recently, a novel linearized constitutive model with a new strain measure that absorbs the material nonlinearity was validated for arteries. In this study, the linearized arterial stress-strain relationship is implemented into a finite element method package, ANSYS, via the user subroutine USERMAT. The reference configuration is chosen to be the closed cylindrical tube (no-load state) rather than the open sector (zero-stress state). The residual strain is taken into account by analytic calculation and the incompressibility condition is enforced with Lagrange penalty method. Axisymmetric finite element analyses are conducted to demonstrate potential applications of this approach in a complex boundary value problem where angioplasty balloon interacts with the vessel wall. The model predictions of transmural circumferential and compressive radial stress distributions were also validated against an exponential-type Fung model, and the mean error was found to be within 6%.
Quantum diffusion in the solid heliums

We discuss the diffusion of3He impurities in solid4He resulting from the quantum exchange of particles on neighboring lattice sites. The formation of (3He)2 molecules bound by the elastic deformation field around the isotopic impurities can occur at low concentrations, and we propose new experiments to show how these molecules may be observed explicitly.
Patient-specific antiplatelet therapy

Platelets are key players in thrombosis, and have thus become the main targets in the acute treatment of, as well as in the primary and secondary prevention against, thrombotic cardiovascular diseases. Three main classes of anti-platelet agents are currently available for clinical use: aspirin, the thienopyridines, and the intravenous GPIIb/IIIa antagonists. While these therapies are beneficial in the mean patient population, they may produce adverse effects in selected patient subgroups. In this article, we review the three main classes of antiplatelet drugs, discussing them in terms of the patient characteristics that are likely to influence their overall efficacy and safety.
Electrogram criteria for identification of appropriate target sites for radiofrequency catheter ablation of accessory atrioventricular connections.

BACKGROUNDCatheter ablation of accessory atrioventricular (AV) connections using radiofrequency current has been demonstrated to be effective in the majority of patients with the Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome or paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia involving a concealed accessory AV connection. However, electrogram criteria have not been established to guide attempts at radiofrequency catheter ablation.METHODS AND RESULTSThe characteristics of local electrograms recorded at successful and unsuccessful sites of radiofrequency catheter ablation were determined in 132 patients. Electrograms recorded at a total of 438 sites were analyzed: 338 recorded during ablation of 90 manifest accessory AV connections and 100 recorded during ablation of 44 concealed accessory AV connections. During ablation of manifest accessory AV connections, the independent predictors of outcome were electrogram stability (p less than 0.001), the interval between activation of the ventricular electrogram and onset of the QRS compl...
Restoring divider design for quantum-dot cellular automata

A digit recurrent restoring binary divider design for quantum-dot cellular automata (QCA) is presented in detail. It is a conventional design that uses controlled full subtractor cell units to produce a relatively simple and efficient implementation.
Microflow-based automated chemistries: application to protein sequencing.

We describe a microflow-based instrument, consisting of multiple rotary valves, capillary tubing, and miniaturized reaction vessels, for the purpose of performing automated chemical and biochemical reations on a very small scale (i.e. submicroliter volumes). The novelty is that close to 100% of the reaction end products are available in a minimal volume (< or = 5 microL) inside a pressurized microvial for subsequent analysis. This makes the system compatible with capillary HPLC and, in principle, with continuous-flow nanoelectrospray mass spectrometry. Total control of flow path combinations and directions, temperatures, and gas pressures enables precise execution of complex biochemical laboratory procedures. Instrument performance was convincingly demonstrated by partially sequencing 100 fmol of an intact protein using classical Edman chemistry in combination with capillary-bore liquid chromatography. To our knowledge, this is the smallest amount of protein ever reported to be successfully analyzed in this way. Additional applications that merge enzymatic and chemical procedures with high-sensitivity analytical devices can be envisioned in the future.
Elements of Mastitis Control

Mastitis is the most costly disease in dairy herds when adequate control procedures are not used. A single quarter infected for one lactation may reduce milk production of that cow 10 to 12% in that lactation (25). Additional costs of discarded milk, antibiotics, and culling increase the cost in an average herd to the dollar equivalent of approximately 700 kg of milk per cow per year (23). A nationwide survey of researchers in 1976 suggested annual losses in the United States of approximately 1.3 billion dollars (1). An exact estimate is difficult because data are unavailable to indicate the actual degree of infection in our dairy herds. However, any of the estimates on cost of the disease illustrate the need for continued work in controlling mastitis. In the previous jubilee issue, mastitis was covered as a section under "other diseases" and the author, Pounden, devoted approximately one page to the subject to summarize the state of the art at that time (36). Major advances had been in identification of organisms through bacteriological procedures. The etiology of Streptococcus agalactiae was fairly well understood, and the new wonder drug, penicillin, was effective in eliminating the organism from herds. While improved sanitation and milking practices were being encouraged, control was being left to the use of antibiotics. Most recommendations on proper control procedures were based on observations, leading to a wide discrepancy in suggested approaches. A more complete summary of the disease, published in the same volume of the Journal of Dairy Science, was entit led "Mastitis The Struggle for Understanding" by James Murphy (21). He suggested that mastitis was the most costly dairy cattle disease, and although research had been conducted, sharp differences remained in interpretat ion of results. Therefore, Murphy outlined a series of what he considered fundamental points necessary for understanding the disease:
Creating autonomous spacecraft with AFAST

Autonomous Feature And Star Tracking (AFAST), essential technology for building autonomous spacecraft that explore solar system bodies, is described. The architecture and processing requirements of the systems compromising AFAST are presented for probable mission scenarios. The focus is on celestial-scene interpretation, the implications of that interpretation for AFAST systems, and an AFAST technology status.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Skatepark injuries and the influence of skatepark design: a one year consecutive case series.

Skateboarding and in-line skating are popular activities that attract millions of participants yearly and have spawned the development of skateparks (SPs). This study examined the types and distribution of injuries within a local commercial SP. Subjects were prospectively enrolled in a university Emergency Department (ED) after an injury at a local SP. One hundred subjects were enrolled over 1 year, representing 102 episodes and 106 injuries. Musculoskeletal injuries accounted for 80% of all injuries. Fractures and dislocations were the most frequent injuries (59%); six required operative management. One serious intra-abdominal injury occurred. Head and facial injuries occurred in 17% of subjects; none required operative repair. Admission rate was 9%. Safety equipment use was greater than 91%. Significantly more injuries occurred in the ramp/bars areas compared to the half-pipe and gully areas, suggesting that SP design may significantly influence injury patterns. A substantial number of injuries occurred at the SP, despite controlled conditions and equipment requirements.
Frequency-delay of arrival (FDOA) estimation using fourth-order statistics in spatially correlated Gaussian noises

Presents a new family of non-parametric and parametric estimation methods for the frequency delay of arrival (FDOA) between two sensor signal measurements. The new family of FDOA estimation methods utilizes the fourth-order cumulants or trispectra of the two measurements. Since the new FDOA estimation methods handle the problem in higher-order statistics (HOS) domain, they suppress the effect due to correlated Gaussian noise sources. The authors present and compare the performance of the new fourth-order statistics-based methods against an existing method based on the cross-ambiguity function through computer simulations. >
ARISTOTLE ON THE MIXED CONSTITUTION AND ITS RELEVANCE FOR AMERICAN POLITICAL THOUGHT

Contemporary political discourse is marked with the language of democracy, and Western countries in particular seek to promote democracy at home and abroad. However, there is a sublimated conflict in general political discourse between a desire to rely on alleged political experts and a desire to assert the supposed common sense of all men. Can the struggle between the democratic and aristocratic values embodied in this conflict be reconciled? The question is perennial, and raises issues that are central to constitutional design. Aristotle, developing in significant ways insights made by his teacher Plato, grapples with it in his Politics. Aristotle's views on these matters are relevant—by way of the American Founders'—to contemporary American politics and modern democracies generally. During the eighteenth century, the Founders, some of whom explicitly reached back to Aristotle's work, also struggled—especially in The Federalist Papers—with these thorny issues of constitutional design. They created the U.S. Constitution in part to address these very same problems and issues. We are living in some ways, then, in the shadow of Aristotle's political theorizing, albeit as transposed by the American Founders. Both Aristotle and some of the American Founders theoretically favor aristocracy over democracy, but concede that in practice a blend of the two has to be integrated into the fundamental structure of political society. We need to reconnect with these important political discussions in order to come to terms with aristocratic and democratic values in our current circumstances.
Content validity of the NCCN-FACT ovarian symptom index-18 (NFOSI-18).

Abstract Objective This study examined the content validity of the NCCN-FACT Ovarian Symptom Index-18 (NFOSI-18), an advanced ovarian cancer symptom index comprised of symptoms perceived as most important by clinical experts and women with advanced ovarian cancer. Methods Eighteen women with advanced ovarian cancer completed the NFOSI-18 and participated in cognitive interviews to assess: (a) the understandability of the NFOSI-18; and (b) the things patients have in mind when responding to the item, "I am bothered by side effects of treatment;" and (c) the interpretation patients place on items relating to fatigue and lack of energy. Interviews were recorded and transcribed for qualitative analysis. Results All but 2 (89%) participants indicated that each item was clear and understandable and the same proportion (89%) stated they were "very confident" or "confident" about providing accurate answers to all but one item. When responding to the item, "I am bothered by side effects of treatment," fatigue, nausea, and neuropathy constituted the most frequently mentioned concerns. Among the participants who were asked, eight participants responded that "fatigue" and "lack of energy" were the same concept and nine responded they were different. Participants associated "fatigue" with tiredness and associated "lack of energy" with the inability to perform daily tasks and activities. Conclusions The findings support the content validity of the NFOSI-18. Item revisions, deletions or additions do not appear warranted. Future research can address the reliability and validity of the NFOSI-18 in clinical research.
Safety of long-acting beta agonists and inhaled corticosteroids in children and adolescents with asthma:

The introduction of long-acting beta agonists (LABAs) was considered a major advance in bronchodilator therapy for adult, as well as pediatric, patients with asthma. However, the use of LABAs has raised safety concerns, especially the potential for severe asthma exacerbations (SAEs) resulting in hospitalizations or even death. Meanwhile, the use of inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs), a cornerstone in the treatment of mild-to-severe persistent asthma, has been associated with growth suppression in children. The purpose of this review was to identify and discuss the major published safety studies surrounding LABA, ICS, and combined LABA/ICS usage in children. By way of a critical search for influential published clinical trials, meta-analyses, and observational studies, six studies relevant to the safety of LABA monotherapy, seven studies relevant to ICS monotherapy, and four studies on the subject of LABA/ICS combination usage were identified and reviewed. Based on the reviewed literature, the controversy surrounding these anti-asthma medications was clearly exposed. On the one hand, there is some evidence that LABA monotherapy may be associated with SAEs and asthma-related death, while ICS monotherapy may be associated with a higher risk of growth suppression. On the other hand, the concurrent use of a LABA with an ICS has been associated with positive outcomes including symptom reduction and reduced rate and severity of exacerbations. Further clinical research is warranted and has been called for by the US Food and Drug Administration.
Elucidating Model Inadequacies in a Cloud Parameterization by Use of an Ensemble-Based Calibration Framework

Every cloud parameterization contains structural model errors. The source of these errors is difficult to pinpoint because cloud parameterizations contain nonlinearities and feedbacks. To elucidate these model inadequacies, this paper uses a general-purpose ensemble parameter estimation technique. In principle, the technique is applicable to any parameterization that contains a number of adjustable coefficients. It optimizes or calibrates parameter values by attempting to match predicted fields to reference datasets. Rather than striving to find the single best set of parameter values, the output is instead an ensemble of parameter sets. This ensemble provides a wealth of information. In particular, it can help uncover model deficiencies and structural errors that might not otherwise be easily revealed. The calibration technique is applied to an existing single-column model (SCM) that parameterizes boundary layer clouds. The SCM is a higher-order turbulence closure model. It is closed using a multivariate probability density function (PDF) that represents subgrid-scale variability. Reference datasets are provided by large-eddy simulations (LES) of a variety of cloudy boundary layers. The calibration technique locates some model errors in the SCM. As a result, empirical modifications are suggested. These modifications are evaluated with independent datasets and found to lead to an overall improvement in the SCM’s performance.
Exposing misclassified HIV/AIDS deaths in South Africa.

OBJECTIVE: To quantify the deaths from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) that are misattributed to other causes in South Africa's death registration data and to adjust for this bias. METHODS: Deaths in the World Health Organization's mortality database were distributed among 48 mutually exclusive causes. For each cause, age- and sex-specific global death rates were compared with the average rate among people aged 65-69, 70-74 and 75-79 years to generate "relative" global death rates. Relative rates were also computed for South Africa alone. Differences between global and South African relative death rates were used to identify the causes to which deaths from HIV/AIDS were misattributed in South Africa and quantify the HIV/AIDS deaths misattributed to each. These deaths were then reattributed to HIV/AIDS. FINDINGS: In South Africa, deaths from HIV/AIDS are often misclassified as being caused by 14 other conditions. Whereas in 1996-2006 deaths attributed to HIV/AIDS accounted for 2.0-2.5% of all registered deaths in South Africa, our analysis shows that the true cause-specific mortality fraction rose from 19% (uncertainty range: 7-28%) to 48% (uncertainty range: 38-50%) over that period. More than 90% of HIV/AIDS deaths were found to have been misattributed to other causes during 1996-2006. CONCLUSION: Adjusting for cause of death misclassification, a simple procedure that can be carried out in any country, can improve death registration data and provide empirical estimates of HIV/AIDS deaths that may be useful in assessing estimates from demographic models.
A transformational-based learner for dependency grammars in discharge summaries

NLP systems will be more portable among medical domains if acquisition of semantic lexicons can be facilitated. We are pursuing lexical acquisition through the syntactic relationships of words in medical corpora. Therefore we require a syntactic parser which is flexible, portable, captures head-modifier pairs and does not require a large training set. We have designed a dependency grammar parser that learns through a transformational-based algorithm. We propose a novel design for templates and transformations which capitalize on the dependency structure directly and produces human-readable rules. Our parser achieved a 77% accurate parse training on only 830 sentences. Further work will evaluate the usefulness of this parse for lexical acquisition.
Critical Race Theory in Education: A Review of Past Literature and a Look to the Future

This article examines the development of Critical Race Theory (CRT) in education, paying attention to how researchers use CRT (and its branches) in the study of K-12 and higher education. The article reviews CRT literature with a focus on CRT scholarship that offers tools to engage with and work against racism within education. The authors highlight works that embody the critical origins of CRT in both the law and elsewhere, with a goal of demonstrating that CRT work means more than just pointing to race. It requires an engagement and articulation with the material, structural, and ideological mechanisms of White supremacy.
94 GHz Voltage Controlled Oscillator With 5.8% Tuning Range in Bulk CMOS

A 94 GHz fundamental mode voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) is demonstrated using low leakage transistors in a 65 nm digital CMOS process with six metal layers. It achieves a tuning range of 5.8% and phase noise of -106 dBc/Hz at 10 MHz offset from a 94.9 GHz carrier. The output power varies between -4 and -8 dBm over the tuning range. The VCO draws 6 mA bias current from a 1.5 V supply and 6 mA from a 0.8 V supply.
Twenty-five hydroxycholecalciferol as a cholecalciferol substitute in broiler breeder hen diets and its effect on the performance and general health of the progeny

Abstract An experiment was conducted with broiler breeder hens to determine the relative biological value of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25-OHD3) compared with cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) for hen-day egg production, hatchability, embryo mortality (early, 1 to 10 d of incubation, late, 11 to 21 d), and body ash of the progeny. The study was conducted with 73-to-90-wk-old molted Ross broiler breeder hens in an environment excluding ultraviolet light. A basal vitamin D3 deficient diet supplemented with 4 levels of vitamin D3 (0, 3,125, 12,500, and 50,000 ng/kg of diet) and 2 levels of 25-OHD3 (3,125 and 12,500 ng/kg of diet) was fed. The relative biological values of 25-OHD3 in comparison to vitamin D3, using slope ratio techniques, were 138, 133, 128, and 111% for hen-day egg production, hatchability, late embryo mortality, and body ash of the progeny, respectively (average = 128%). When comparing 25-OHD3 against D3 at the 3,125 ng/kg level, the relative biological values were 209, 167, 400, and 108% for the same criteria, respectively (average = 221%). However, at the 12,500 ng/kg level no statistical differences between 25-OHD3 and D3 were observed (average = 108%). Four trials were conducted to determine the effect of the maternal diet on the performance and leg abnormalities of the hens’ progeny. In experiment 1, no vitamin D was added to the corn-soybean meal basal diet fed to the chicks, and in experiments 2, 3, and 4 the basal diet was supplemented with 27.5 microg of D3/kg of diet. In the progeny study, the average relative biological value of 25-OHD3 at the 3,125 and 12,500 ng/kg levels were 115 and 101%, respectively. The potency of 25-OHD3 in relation to vitamin D3 depended on the level tested. When comparing vitamin D sources, 25-OHD3 had greater potency than D3 only at very low levels of supplementation.
Gymnastic injuries: The Virginia experience 1982-1983

Gymnastics has undergone a tremendous increase in popularity largely due to exposure during the Olympics. The injury rate in gymnastics is exceeded only by football, wrestling, and softball. A prospective analysis of club level gymnastic injuries over one season (1982-83) was conducted. Complete responses from 15 clubs (2,558 participants) were obtained. Parameters of clubs followed were: skill level, student, instructor ratio, safety equipment, and conditioning and warm-up exercises. Data obtained from each participant were: injuries sustained, event in which injury occurred, setting of injury, type of injury, and duration of disability. Results were 62 injuries among 542 competitive and 2,016 noncompetitive level athletes (5.3 per 100 competitors and 0.7 per 100 beginners). Of the 62 injuries, 51 were acute and 11 chronic. Twenty-one injuries occurred during floor exercises, 13 on beam, 9 on vault, 6 on uneven parallel bars, and 2 on springboard. Acute injuries included 21 sprains, 16 fractures, 6 contusions, 4 dislocations, and 4 muscle strains. A significant finding was the increased frequency of acute injury seen at dismount. Also there was a positive correlation between duration of frequency of practice (fatigue) and injury rate. We would define a high risk gymnast as one who is performing at an advanced competitive level, performing floor or beam exercises, and practicing more than 20 hours per week.
Implementing parallel algorithms on an FPGA directly from multithreaded Java using flowpaths

The performance of software executed on a microprocessor is adversely affected by the basic fetch execute cycle. A further performance penalty results from the load-execute-store paradigm associated with the use of local variables in most high level languages. Implementing the software algorithm directly in hardware such as on an FPGA can alleviate these performance penalties. Such implementations are normally developed in a hardware description language such as VHDL or Verilog. More recently, several methods for using C as a hardware description language and for compiling C programs to hardware have been researched with challenges in multithreading. Previous work shows how a new systems architecture for FPGAs, called flowpaths, can implement Java byte codes directly in an FPGA without the need for a microprocessor core. Results show that flowpaths perform within a factor of 2 of a minimal hand-crafted direct hardware implementation and orders of magnitude better than compiling the program to a microprocessor. This paper describes a method to extend the flowpath architecture to generate hardware directly from Java byte codes representing Java threads. This hardware executes multiple tasks in parallel supporting both synchronized and unsynchronized shared memory access. A producer/consumer example is implemented on a Xilinx Spartan IIE FPGA