cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Periodontal status among elderly inhabitants of northern Manhattan: The WHICAP ancillary study of oral health

Aim We conducted a cross-sectional study of the prevalence, extent and severity of periodontitis in a tri-ethnic cohort of ≥65 year-old participants of the Washington-Heights Inwood Community Aging Project (WHICAP). Methods 1,130 individuals (57% of eligible invitees) participated in a full-mouth periodontal examination that included assessments of bleeding on probing, pocket depth and clinical attachment loss (CAL) at six sites/tooth. Results Participants had a mean age of 75.4 years (SD 6.7), were predominantly female (66.6%) and Hispanic (44.7%), and of middle/low educational attainment (~82%). The prevalence of edentulism was 14.7%, and an average of 17.1 teeth (SD 8.0) was present among the dentate. The prevalence of moderate/severe periodontitis according to the CDC/AAP definition was 77.5%. Pockets ≥6 mm were found in 50.2% of the sample, affecting an average of 5.7% of teeth/person. Corresponding figures for CAL≥5 mm were 71.4% and 23.6%, respectively. In multivariable models, male gender, being Black or Hispanic, and no dental visit within the prior year were associated with higher proportion of teeth with CAL ≥5 mm. Conclusions The prevalence, extent and severity of periodontitis were higher than the US national average in this urban elderly sample, suggesting substantial unmet periodontal treatment needs.
Peace and Nonviolence: Anthropological Aspects

The entry begins by defining peace studies and its two main foci, conflict resolution studies and holistic comparative (or ethnographic) peace studies. Difficulties posed by the ethnocentricity of central terms such as peace and nonviolence are discussed. These issues lead into a discussion of why violence attracts so much more attention than peace. The next section suggests how concerns with governmental efficacy have led since World War I to an interdisciplinary focus on conflict resolution techniques, one of the two main concerns of peace studies, while concerns about political reform and social justice since the 1970s have led to the other, a more diffuse and more holistic concern with peacemaking in nonWestern societies. The conclusion notes promising trends for future research, especially (a) controlled comparisons of relatively peaceable and relatively violent societies, and (b) consideration of peace and violence as two among a set of evolutionary cultural adaptations whose contribution to fitness varies with the circumstances under which they occur.
Transcription Through Chromatin

All nuclear processes, including transcription by RNA polymerase II, take place in the context of the higher-order packaging of DNA into chromatin. Controlled gene expression requires first unimpeded access to the DNA by the transcriptional machinery and subsequent reformation of DNA into chromatin to avoid aberrant transcription. We will discuss the regulatory mechanisms that promote and limit RNA polymerase II transcription in cells.
Preparation and optical properties of a poly(N-vinylcarbazole) material

We report on the photorefractive properties of a stable polymeric material based on the host polymer, poly(N-vinylcarbazole). Two-beam coupling and four-wave mixing experiments were used to measure the performance of devices constructed by sandwiching the material, composed of host, plasticizer, photo-sensitizer, and non-linear optical chromophore, between transparent electrodes. A steady-state diffraction efficiency of 60% and a two-beam coupling gain of 22 cm−1 in excess of the absorption of 4 cm−1 were observed at the laser's operating wavelength of 670 nm. The devices are easily prepared and have lifetimes in excess of one year with no indication of degradation when stored at ambient temperatures.
Fred Bosselman as Participant-Observer Lawyer: The Case of Habitat Conservation Planning

One of the many pleasures and benefits of my academic career has been my professional relationship and friendship with Fred Bosselman. I first encountered Fred during his early land use scholarship. Along with his mentor, the late Richard Babcock, Fred was one of a small group of land use lawyers who fused practical experience with a deep understanding of land use law to produce works of major scholarship widely accepted and used in the academic community. Fred's subsequent books, including The Quiet Revolution in Land Use Control and The Taking Issue, still stand as major works of land use scholarship and helped those of us in the field understand the potential consequences of the rapid transition of land use controls from a tool of suburban politics to an important and still underappreciated component of environmental protection. Later, I met Fred socially when I discovered that we both lived in
Hemopoietic support capacity of adult mouse liver. Studies in 89 Sr marrow-ablated mice.

The capacity of normal livers in adult mice to support proliferation of pluripotent hemopoietic stem cells (CFU-S) was studied. We assayed CFU-S of the blood and livers of mice with intact marrows and of mice whose marrows had been ablated with 89Sr (4 µCi/g) either before or after removal of their spleens, the major hemopoietic organ in marrow-ablated mice. Splenectomy alone resulted in an increase in the numbers of blood and hepatic CFU-S; since the spleen is an efficient trapper of CFU-S released from the marrow, in the splenectomized mice more CFU-S were available for trapping by the liver. Mice splenectomized 3 days prior to 89Sr injection had virtually no blood or liver CFU-S by the tenth day after 89Sr injection. Fourteen days after injection of 89Sr there were supranormal numbers of CFU-S in both blood and liver of intact mice. One week after such mice were splenectomized, however, CFU-S were virtually absent from both blood and liver. This study suggests that normal livers in adult mice cannot support detectable proliferation of normal CFU-S even if the animal is subjected to severe and relatively prolonged hemopoietic stress. In addition, the results of our studies demonstrate that normal livers of adult mice have the capacity to trap large numbers of CFU-S.
Efficacy of Lenalidomide Based Three Drug Versus Two Drug Regimen for Relapsed Multiple Myeloma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Trials

Abstract Introduction: Survival of patients with multiple myeloma (MM) has improved over the last decade, mainly due to advent of newer drugs, three drug based induction, high dose chemotherapy consolidation and routine use of maintenance therapy for eligible patients. Despite advances in therapy, many cases of MM ultimately relapse and there is need to summarize evidence comparing efficacy and clinical outcome of combination regimens used in relapsed or refractory MM (RRMM) treatment. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials to compare the efficacy of lenalidomide based three drug regimens versus two drug regimens among relapsed and refractory myeloma (RRMM) patients. Methods: We conducted a literature search on PubMed, Embase, Wiley Cochrane Library, Web of Science and ClinicalTrials.gov which was completed on March 26, 2018. We used keywords like “relapsed multiple myeloma”, “revlimid”, “dexamethasone”, “elotuzumab”, “carfilzomib”, “bortezomib”, “ixazomib”, “daratumumab”, “doxorubicin”, “pembrolizumab”, “thalidomide”, “cyclophosphamide” along with MeSH and Emtree terms. The primary meta-analytic approach was a random effects model using the Mantel-Haenszel method. It was used to calculate pooled risk ratio of objective response rates with 95% confidence interval. Cochrane Collaboration's tool was used for quality assessment of included studies. Systematic reviews, meta-analyses, combination regimen without lenalidomide, newly diagnosed MM patients, and other plasma cell dyscrasias were excluded. Results: Literature search retrieved 11,362 titles. Following initial screening, 72 articles were considered for full text review. Of these only five studies with 2844 patients met inclusion criteria and two studies qualified for meta-analysis. The study arm used daratumumab (Dara), ixazomib, carfilzomib, or elotuzumab in combination with lenalidomide (Len) and dexamethasone (Dex). The control arm used combination of Len and Dex (LenD). There was no difference in overall response rate (ORR) between ixazomib-Len-Dex regimen versus LenD (RR=1.33, 95% CI = 0.83 to 2.17, p= 0.236). However significantly higher complete response (CR) was observed in ixazomib-Len-Dex group compared to LenD (RR = 1.82, 95% CI = 1.14 to 2.93, p = 0.013). An absolute increase in ORR among carfilzomib-Len-Dex, elotuzumab-Len-Dex, and daratumumab-Len-Dex versus LenD was 20.4% (87.1% vs. 66.7%, p Conclusion: Daratumumab and carfilzomib in Len based three drug regimens have better clinical efficacy when compared to lenalidomide and dexamethasone based two drug regimens among relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma patients. There was no difference between the ORR of ixazomib based combination regimen and LenD but higher number of patients achieved deeper responses. Download : Download high-res image (753KB) Download : Download full-size image Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Bob Jenkins Lookup3 Hash Function on OpenCL FPGA Platform

Field-programmable gate array (FPGA) is a promising choice as a heterogeneous computing component for energy-aware and high-performance applications. Emerging high-level synthesis (HLS) tools such as Intel FPGA Software Development Kit for Open Computing Language (OpenCL) offer a streamlined design flow to facilitate the use of FPGAs for scientists and researchers. In this paper, we focus on the optimizations of the OpenCL design of the Bob Jenkins lookup3 hash function which is used in the open source software version of Memcached. We describe in details the optimizations of the kernel on the FPGA, and evaluate the resource utilizations, performance, and performance per watt of the kernel implementations on an Arria10-based FPGA platform. The experimental results show that the optimized design can achieve 3.46X speedup in kernel execution time compared to the baseline implementation on the Nallatech 385A FPGA card that features an Arria 10 GX 1150 FPGA chip. For the performance per watt, we achieve 8 MHash/watt on the Arria 10 FPGA, which is 14X and 1.2X improvement over an Intel Xeon E5 CPU and an Nvidia K80 GPU, respectively.
A Comprehensive Nodal/Branch Circuit Analysis Including Fixator-Norator Pairs in Analog Circuits

A generalized approach is proposed to solve for analog circuits, analysis and design. By directly introducing fixator-norator pairs (FNP) into the branch conductance matric of a linear analog circuit we integrate analysis and design into one process. This approach is different from the traditional Modifies Nodal Analysis (MNA) in two aspects. First, it includes FNPs as well as independent voltage sources into the nodal/branch solution. In fact, FNPs bring the design constraints right into the analysis making the two combined, and one single process. The second difference is that, here we choose a tree-branch approach rather than nodal one. This results in computational efficiency.
Clinician-to-Clinician Communication of Patient Goals of Care Within a Surgical Intensive Care Unit.

Abstract Background Little is known about the process by which inpatient teams document and convey goals of care (GOC) for critically ill surgical patients. We sought to explore clinician perspectives on the barriers and facilitators to clinician-to-clinician communication and delivery of goal-concordant patient care. Methods Purposive and snowball sampling were used to recruit a multidisciplinary sample of clinicians who held roles in a surgical intensive care unit at a single tertiary care facility. Semistructured interviews with clinicians were conducted between September and December 2017 to assess clinician experiences with communicating and honoring patient GOC. Two independent coders performed qualitative coding in an iterative fashion using a framework approach. Inter-rater agreement was measured by kappa coefficient. Results Thirty-three clinicians from multiple disciplines including surgery, anesthesiology, nursing, and social work, were interviewed. Analysis revealed that clinicians in all disciplines felt responsible for honoring patient GOC. Conflicts over patient GOC and how to honor them arose between clinicians with longitudinal patient relationships (preoperative and postoperative) and those with single-phase relationships (postoperative). Barriers to clinician-to-clinician communication and delivery of goal-concordant care included inaccessible records, lack of protocols, and difficulty in documenting complex conversations. Facilitators included recognition of a patient's unique treatment priorities and family members with a unified understanding of a patient's GOC. Conclusions Differences in the clinician-patient relationships and difficulty accessing information about patient preferences contribute to clinician conflicts and concerns with the goal concordance of patient care.
Building the World Capitalist System: The “Invisible Architecture” of Albert Kahn Associates of Detroit, 1900–1961

Taking its cast of characters from the history and pre-history of post-World War II empire, and focusing on the United States, the narrative arc sketched here stretches from the Second Industrial R...
The Synthesis of a Selective PDE4/TNFα Inhibitor

Two syntheses of cis-4-cyano-4-(1-cyclohexyl-3-ethyl-1H-indazol-6-yl)cyclohexanecarboxylic acid (1), a selective PDE4/TNFα inhibitor are described. The first synthesis relied on a solvolysis of a t...
Consumer education knowledge, attitude, and experiences of selected groups in Trinidad and Tobago : basis for curriculum development

The purpose of this study was to examine consumer education knowledge, attitude, and experiences of home economics students in senior comprehensive high schools in Trinidad and Tobago, home economics teachers in such schools, and students' parents/guardians. Usable data were obtained by questionnaires from 413 students, 22 teachers, and 285 parents. A total knowledge score was calculated for respondents in each subgroup. Factor analysis was conducted for attitude items; Cronbach's alpha reliabilities and factor scores were computed. Experiences were analyzed by individual item response using frequencies and percentages. Differences in knowledge, attitude, and experiences were determined by one-way analysis of variance. Findings indicate that teachers and parents have significantly higher scores than students on knowledge and attitude concepts. Attitudes are generally positive, but knowledge levels are considered generally low. Parents tend to have experiences in many more areas than teachers and students, the latter appearing to lack basic experiences.
A behavioral polymorphism caused by a single gene inside a supergene

Behavioral evolution relies on genetic changes, yet few social behaviors can be traced to specific genetic sequences in vertebrates. Here, we show experimental evidence that differentiation of a single gene has contributed to divergent behavioral phenotypes in the white-throated sparrow, a common North American songbird. In this species, one of two alleles of ESR1, encoding estrogen receptor α (ERα), has been captured inside a differentiating supergene that segregates with an aggressive phenotype, such that expression of ESR1 predicts aggression. Here, we show that the aggressive phenotype associated with the supergene is prevented by ESR1 knockdown in a single brain region. Next, we show that in a free-living population, aggression is predicted by allelic imbalance favoring the supergene allele. Cis-regulatory variation between the two alleles affects transcription factor binding sites, DNA methylation, and rates of transcription. This work provides a rare illustration of how genotypic divergence has led to behavioral phenotypic divergence in a vertebrate.
A modification of minimum norm quadratic estimation of a generalized covariance function for use with large data sets

Marshall and Mardia (1985) and Kitanidis (1985) have suggested using minimum norm quadratic estimation as a method to estimate parameters of a generalized covariance function. Unfortunately, this method is difficult to use with large data sets as it requires inversion of an n × n matrix, where n is number of observations. These authors suggest replacing the matrix to be inverted by the identity matrix, which eliminates the computational burden, although with a considerable loss of efficiency. As an alternative, the data set can be broken into subsets, and minimum norm quadratic estimates of parameters of the generalized covariance function can be obtained within each subset. These local estimates can be averaged to obtain global estimates. This procedure also avoids large matrix inversions, but with less loss in efficiency.
Sociodemographic differences in barriers to mental health care among college students at elevated suicide risk

Abstract Background College student mental health (MH) problems and suicide risk have steadily increased over the past decade and a significant number of students with MH problems do not seek treatment. While some barriers to mental health care service utilization (MHSU) have been identified, very little is known regarding how these barriers differ among sociodemographic subgroups of students. Method Participants were 3,358 college students from four US universities who screened positive for elevated suicide risk (defined as 2 or more of: depression, alcohol misuse, suicidal ideation, suicide attempt) and were not actively receiving MH services. Reported barriers to MHSU were categorized into: Low perceived need, privacy/stigma concerns, questioning helpfulness of treatment, logistics, time constraints, finances, and cultural issues. Results Adjusted odds ratios indicated that finances were a greater barrier for women, sexual and gender minority students, and Black and Hispanic students. Privacy/stigma concerns were more prominent for men and young undergraduate students. White students and older undergraduate and graduate students were more likely to report a lack of time, and cultural sensitivity issues were significant barriers for sexual and gender minority, and racial/ethnic minority, students. Limitations Participating sites were not nationally representative. The barriers assessment did not examine the degree to which a specific barrier contributed to lack of MHSU relative to others. Conclusions In light of the significant variation in barriers based on age, gender identity, race/ethnicity, and sexual orientation, efforts to increase MHSU should be tailored to meet the unique needs of specific sociodemographic student subgroups.
Classifying WLAN Packets from the RF Envelope: Towards More Efficient Wireless Network Performance

This paper describes Packet Assay, a power efficient sparse neural network (NN) that can discriminate between wireless transmissions, such as WLAN packets, based solely on the RF signal envelope, a feature that can be measured with much less power than fully demodulating and decoding the packets. The NN was trained on a Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN) dataset developed in-house with over 600K labeled samples and achieved above 88% accuracy while maintaining a memory footprint of only 4.9KB. This approach can reduce the power consumption of wireless modules (WM), can minimize the signal processing in IoT devices, and provides a foundation for future protocol development.
Oral immunotherapy for peanut allergy: The pro argument

Food allergy (FA) is a growing public health problem with personal, social, nutritional, and economic consequences. In the United States, it is estimated that 8% of children and 10.8% of adults have food allergies. Allergies to peanuts are particularly worrisome as unlike allergies to other allergenic foods, such as milk and egg, which are commonly outgrown by 5 or 10 years of age, 80% of peanut allergies persist into adulthood. The first drug for peanut allergy, Palforzia, was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in January 2020. For other food allergies, the current standard of care for the management of FA is suboptimal and is limited to dietary elimination of the offending allergen, vigilance against accidental ingestion, and treatment of allergic reactions with antihistamines and epinephrine. However, dietary avoidance can be challenging, and it is estimated that approximately 40% of patients with food allergies report at least one food allergy-related emergency department in their lifetime. Reactions, even from minimal exposures, can be life-threatening. Oral immunotherapy (OIT) has been the best researched therapeutic approach for treating FA over the last decade, with clinical trials investigating its efficacy, safety, and ability to improve participants' quality of life (QoL). A number of studies and meta-analyses have shown that OIT treatment is effective in raising the threshold of reactivity to peanuts and other foods in addition to producing a measurable serum immune response to such therapy. Although OIT-related adverse events (AEs) are common during treatment, serious reactions are rare. In fact, while the majority of patients experience AEs related to dosing, most continue daily dosing in hopes of achieving protection against the culprit food. Moreover, the majority of participants report improvement of QoL after OIT and are positive about undergoing OIT. These results show patients' commitment to OIT and their optimism regarding the benefits of treatment. As a first step in therapeutic options to protect from reactions to unintentional ingestion of allergenic foods, and importantly, to address the many psychosocial aspects of living with FA, OIT shows promise. Future research will focus on identifying optimal OIT regimens that maintain protection after therapy and allow for regular food consumption without allergic symptoms. Education and informed shared decision making between patients and providers are essential in optimizing current therapy regimens.
Sensing systemic awareness and performance of teams during model-based site design

Operating with systemic awareness is a known factor in the success of large organizations. A similar dynamic could be in effect at the level of teams and teams of teams within organizations. Engineering teams are tasked with solving problems of multidisciplinary nature with multiple stakeholder constraints. To perform at a higher level, teams need to be aware of multiple constraints simultaneously. This paper proposes the design of sensors to measure team awareness using team attention in the problem and solution spaces. A model problem of designing an innovation campus is chosen. Data from 50 teams spending one hour with a model exploration interface are analyzed. Results suggest that strategy discussions help to arrive at more effective problem-solving. These results are not statistically significant but provide direction for further work.
A history of semi-active laser dome and window materials

Semi-Active Laser (SAL) guidance systems were developed starting in the mid-1960's and today form an important class of precision guided weapons. The laser wavelengths generally fall in the short wave infrared region of the spectrum. Relative to passive, image based, infrared seekers the optical demands placed on the domes or windows of SAL seekers is very modest, allowing the use of low cost, easily manufactured materials, such as polycarbonate. This paper will examine the transition of SAL window and dome science and technology from the laboratory to battlefield, with special emphasis on the story of polycarbonate domes.
Robinow syndrome: Genital analysis, genetic heterogeneity, and associated psychological impact.

Robinow syndrome (RS) is a rare, pleiotropic genetic disorder. While it has been reported that males with Robinow syndrome may have genitourinary atypicalities, these have not been systematically studied. We hypothesized that the underlying gene involved plays a role in the clinical variability of associated genital findings and that the phenotypic appearance of the genitalia in RS may have a psychological impact. Urologic-specific examination consisted of detailed examination and a questionnaire to investigate the psychological impact of the genital phenotype. Nine males agreed to a full evaluation. Average age was 19.9 years, penile length was 32.5 mm, stretched length 53 mm, and width 24.4 mm. Penile transposition occurred in all 9 male who allowed full examination. Undescended testicles were noted in 4/10, testicular atrophy in 5/9, buried penis in 7/9, hypospadias in 5/8, and a large penopubic gap (space between dorsum of penis base and pubic bone) in 5/6. In this cohort, 78% answered our semi-quantitative pilot questionnaire that identified diminished sexuality, sexual function, and self-perception. In conclusion, RS has unique, hallmark genital findings including penile transposition, buried penis, undescended testes, and large penopubic gaps. Genital phenotype in males was not shown to correlate with the specific gene involved for each patient. Surgical approaches and other interventions should be studied to address the findings of decreased sexuality and self-perception. It is the authors' opinion that intervention to provide the appearance of penile lengthening be postponed until puberty to allow for maximal natural phallic growth.
On Using NDN to Vertically Secure Smart Power Distribution

Smart Grids is a modern adoption of power systems with the potential to revolutionize power distribution and management. In a general setting, a smart grid system is composed of multiple stakeholders who are involved in various operations including power generation, distribution and consumption. Effective, secure and trustworthy communication among these entities is crucial for the optimal operation of the system. Named Data Networking (NDN), the prominent Information Centric Networking (ICN) model provides a conducive architectural design to support the needs of this smart system. In this paper, we discuss data-centric security, data immutability and opportunistic in-network caching that are inherent features of NDN and enumerate the benefits and necessary accessories they provide for enhanced grid operation. We also see smart-grid as a viable system that can be built using NDN with the capability to provide the consumers with better quality of service (QoS), quality of experience (QoE) and most importantly vertical security.
Age differences in the relationship between threatening and coping mechanisms and preventive behaviors in the time of COVID-19 in the United States: Protection motivation theory

It is important to understand the factors motivating people to adopt recommended behavioral changes in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, and how they differ for younger and older adults. Using a nationally representative sample from the Understanding America Study (3/10-3/31/2020), we assessed how four cognitive mediators affected uptake of protective activities for younger (aged 18-34) and older adults (aged 65+) during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Confirmatory factor analysis based on Protective Motivation Theory demonstrated associations between our observed variables and the latent constructs: perceived severity and susceptibility, and response efficacy and self-efficacy. Among younger adults, coping appraisal such as perceptions of effectiveness of behaviors in protecting them from coronavirus and belief in their ability to perform recommended changes led them to adopt preventive behaviors; for older people, threat appraisal such as perception of severity was associated with behavioral responses. Younger people may rely more on their assessment of coping resources and effectiveness in their response to COVID-19; while older people base their behavioral responses on their perception of the severity of the situation, which they appraise using information from media and the severity of the epidemic in their state of residence. Different strategies are required to motivate older and younger people to adopt behavioral modifications, which are critical in reducing further spread of COVID-19.
Outpatient management of asthma in adults: A snapshot of the 2020 GINA report.

The Global Strategy for Asthma Management and Prevention publishes an annual report on asthma management and prevention. The report reflects the most recent evidence on asthma and its treatment and provides recommendations for clinical practice. This article reviews the guidelines with a focus on what’s new and clinically important for practitioners treating this patient population.
Development of a Multi-Session Curriculum Addressing Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking for High-Risk Male Youth

Males, in particular adolescents and young adults, have been increasingly recognized as involved in domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST). However, there are very sparse resources and organizations that provide prevention, identification, and interventions for boys and young men who are involved in or at-risk for DMST involvement. The objective was to develop and assess an educational curriculum to prevent adolescent male involvement in DMST through a three-pronged educational approach: as victims of sexual exploitation; receiving financial benefit as exploiters; as buyers of sex. Through quality improvement cycles, changes were made to enhance the curriculum by utilizing the outcome measures of participant questionnaires and feedback from a steering committee of clinical experts. Male youth at the state's juvenile detention center were asked to participate in pilot groups, as they were identified as a high-risk population of adolescents to become involved. The curriculum was modified by adding sessions, including additional community guest speakers, and providing a more holistic educational experience that involves trafficking prevention from both a victimization and perpetration standpoint. Our goal is to expand this educational opportunity to be utilized in multiple settings (e.g., schools, hospitals) across the country.
Alcohol, ancestors, and the house: Exploring ritual use of beer at Kirikongo, Burkina Faso

Abstract This paper explores the evidence for beer production, consumption, and ritual use at Kirikongo (100–1650 CE), a well-preserved archaeological site located in Mouhoun Province, western Burkina Faso. The site is comprised of thirteen anthropogenic mounds (tells) that were formed through sequential ritual processes that created ancestor shrines through either construction of dedicated mortuary monuments or transformation of domestic spaces and buildings. Tombs and architectural emplacements were accompanied by discrete accumulations of fauna, botanical remains, and material culture, the latter of which likely represents personal or familial belongings. Within these ceramic assemblages, there are significant numbers of small highly decorated consumption vessels, tri-pod ritual vessels likely connected to use of liquids, and large vessels consistent with beer production. Based upon contextual analysis of ceramics, cultural practices related to ancestors, and evidence from a destroyed ritual complex with intact material culture and ritualized use of sorghum, this paper argues that beer was likely used at Kirikongo both in the social life of the community and in rituals related to ancestors. The nature of sorghum beer production may have influenced the overall absence of sorghum in macrobotanical samples.
Restorative Characteristics of Intrapulpally Cracked Teeth

RESTORATIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF INTRAPULPALLY CRACKED TEETH By Charles M. Beavers D.D.S. A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Dentistry at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2014 Director: Karan J. Replogle, DDS, MS Program Director, Advanced Education Program in Endodontics Cracked teeth have long presented a diagnostic challenge. Previous investigators have considered possible predictive factors, many of which revolve around the tooth’s restorative characteristics. Few have investigated the restorative status of teeth with cracks extending into the pulp chamber. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the prevalence of the different types of restorations present in intrapulpally cracked teeth and determine any other restorative factors that may aid in predicting the presence or extent of an intrapulpal crack. Intrapulpally cracked molars requiring endodontic therapy at the VCU Graduate Endodontic Practice were included in this study. For each tooth, the type of restorative material present and surfaces involved were recorded. The Restoration Volume Proportion (RVP) was calculated to accurately quantify the size of the restoration present. Pulpal and periapical diagnoses, and intrapulpal crack classification were also recorded. Chi squared analysis and logistic regression were used to determine any significant associations. This study included 43 teeth. The study population was 65% female and the average age was 56. Of the various restoration types evaluated, 73% of teeth presented with amalgams, 12% with composites. Class I restorations were 61% of the sample. The most frequently occurring restoration size by volume was a “small” restoration. The most commonly involved teeth were the maxillary 1 molar and mandibular 2 molar. A significant association was found between restoration size and crack classification suggesting that teeth with larger restorations had a higher incidence of coronal cracks while those with smaller restorations had a higher incidence of radicular cracks. Restoration classification and pulpal walls involved were also significantly associated suggesting that Class II restorations were most frequently associated with cracks involving a single pulpal wall while Class I restorations were evenly associated with one and two wall cracks. Other significant associations were found between tooth type and pulpal walls involved and between restoration surfaces and pulpal wall classification. This study found several significant associations between restoration characteristics and intrapulpal cracks. Further research may continue to reveal how a tooth’s restorative status may influence its risk for the presence of an intrapulpal crack.
Cloning of Mice

Publisher Summary Mice can be cloned from cultured and noncultured adult-, fetus-, male-, or female-derived cells. The efficiency is typically 1–2%, with an average of one to two offspring being produced for every 100 starting one-cell embryos. Cloned embryos usually undergo developmental arrest prior to or soon after implantation, and offspring often develop cloning-associated phenotypes. This can be the result of various fundamental mechanisms in biology, including cancer and both cellular and organismal aging. Notwithstanding the relative ease of mouse embryo culture and manipulation, mouse metaphase II (MII) oocytes are so sensitive that a conventional microinjection through pipette tips wider than 2 ∝m is impracticable and generally results in cell lysis. The intractability of microinjecting mouse metaphase II oocytes through such wider pipettes was eventually overcome with the application of piezo-actuated micromanipulation. Cloning by transfer of somatic cell nuclei from adult mice was finally achieved using a single transfer step in 1997, marking the beginning of a new chapter in mouse cloning. In this development, mouse NT biology was brought alongside that of the larger species. The ability of nucleus donor cells to support development is influenced by the mouse strain from which the cells originate. Cloning by NT from cumulus cells or embryonic stem (ES) cells of hybrid strains is significantly more efficient than analogous NT from inbred strains. The most efficient cloning was achieved when enucleated oocytes of hybrid mice were injected with cumulus cell nuclei of hybrid mice.
The QCD abacus: A cellular automata formulation for continuous gauge symmetries

This talk will explain a new way to formulate statistical (or quantum field) theories entirely in terms discrete quantum spins. Remarkably even theories with continuous symmetries such as 3-d rotations can be exactly represented in such a discrete (or binary) “computational” framework. A new application of this idea to Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD), the fundamental gauge theory for nuclear forces, is presented. Here a classical theory with commuting (Bosonic) fields is replaced by anti-commuting (Fermionic) variables acting in an extra 5-th dimension. The effective Lagrangian for the path integral lives in R4 X S1 Euclidean manifold with a compact “fifth time” of circumference L and non-Abelian charge (e2) both of which carry dimensions of length. For large (but finite) L, it is argued that continuum limit is reached and that the dimensionless ratio g2 = e2/L becomes the QCD gauge coupling. This talk will emphasize general concepts and intuitive methods that hopefully can be applied to a wide class of quantum cellular automata and the general algebraic structure that can lead to fast cluster algorithms for Monte Carlo simulations.
Machining Multilayer Circuit Boards: Part 1

Machining operations on multilayer circuit boards play the two major roles of establishing the finished geometry of the board and leading to the interconnection of the various conductor layers and it is likely that for some considerable time carbide cutting tools will continue to be used in the machining process. Fundamental and detailed considerations of the parameters influencing machining are presented prior to analysing the two predominant areas of use. Mention is made of some advanced machining techniques, involving mechanical, chemical and laser methods.
Industry Cloud: A Driver for Enterprise Transformation

Cloud computing has evolved from just being perceived as a way to reduce and manage IT costs to becoming a key driver for enterprise transformation. The shift has been fueled by the confluence of social, mobile cloud, big-data and analytics technologies. In this paper, we introduce Industry Cloud as an aggregation of domain specific, workload optimized and value added capabilities supporting an industry and a foundation to drive the transformation. Enterprises are developing and deploying new types of solutions called System of Insight (SOI) solutions that connect enterprise data to customer engagement data with analytics to derive new insights. We discuss several examples of the solutions, and present a architecture pattern that we see emerging to support these solutions. We conclude the paper by highlighting some key research topics in cloud computing to support these emerging trends.
Embolization of Cerebral Arteriovenous Malformations

Effective treatment of cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) requires a multidisciplinary approach that appropriately applies the complementary modalities of microsurgical resection, endovascular embolization, and radiosurgery. Embolization is most commonly used as an adjunct to reduce the arterial supply to the AVM before surgery or radiosurgery. Additional indications for embolization include an attempt to achieve complete AVM obliteration, targeted treatment to eliminate high-risk features, and subtotal occlusion to palliate symptoms caused by an otherwise incurable AVM. In all cases, the risks and benefits of treatment must be weighed carefully when formulating a treatment strategy. For optimal management of cerebral AVMs, patients should have access to physicians experienced in open cerebrovascular surgery, endovascular embolization, and radiosurgery.
A Covering Theorem with applications

We prove a Covering Theorem that allows us to prove modified norm inequalities for general maximal operators. We will also give applications to convergence of a sequence of linear operators and the differentiation of the integral.
Psychogenic effects on lipid mobilization

The sections in this article are: 1 Index to Lipid Mobilization 2 Acute Central Nervous System Arousal 3 Hypnosis Studies 4 Group Studies 5 Possible Mediating Mechanisms
Pre-service Astronomy Education of Teachers

Although teachers are prepared in various ways to teach science, depending on the certification standards of their locality and the level at which they plan to teach, few are formally prepared to teach astronomy. In the United States, although astronomy is required for National Science Teacher certification in Earth/Space Science, and recommended for Physical Science, few teachers attempt this certification. Some certification degree programs require or recommend an astronomy course, but it is often at the introductory, non-science major level, or several weeks of astronomy within a science methods course for future elementary schoolteachers. The situation in other countries is no better. In Mexico, essentially no astronomy is taught except at the graduate school level. In South Africa, it is not taught at any teachers' college and only at some of the universities. In Portugal, it is not part of teacher preparation. In many countries, Earth-sun relations appear in the geography curriculum, but the remainder of astronomy is ignored in teacher preparation. In summary. although astronomy is found in some school curricula, teachers are often not formally prepared to teach it.
Photodynamic Therapy for Acne, Rejuvenation, and Hair Removal

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the photodynamic therapy for acne, rejuvenation, and hair removal. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a century-old treatment for neoplastic conditions, which most recently has evolved to treat acne and photoaging. PDT is often used for therapeutic challenges. Basic science studies indicate that topical ALA results in preferential accumulation of PpIX in hair follicles, with highest expression during the anagen phase. This makes actively growing hair susceptible to light-mediated destruction, as shown in rodent models. Clinical studies are needed in order to determine whether this would be a viable mode of hair removal, provided the protocol is optimized to maintain the efficacy of hair follicle destruction without the risk of significant side effects and complications. There was only one published clinical study regarding the use of PDT for hair disorders in humans aimed at treating the hair-loss disease alopecia areata with topical ALA followed by red light. PDT has been used to treat cutaneous neoplasia, and recently this application has been extended to include photoaging, the cutaneous manifestation of sun-induced aging to the skin. The current protocols in use involve the topical application of ALA for short incubation followed by blue light, LP PDL, or IPL. Among these light sources, IPL is the best studied and most obvious choice, since it has well-demonstrated efficacy in photorejuvenation, which is augmented with antecedent ALA application.
Bayesian Post-Processing for Subset Simulation for Decision Making under Risk

Estimation of the failure probability, that is, the probability of unacceptable system performance, is an important and computationally challenging problem in reliability engineering. In cases of practical interest, the failure probability is given by an integral over a high-dimensional uncertain parameter space. Over the past decade, the engineering research community has realized the importance of advanced stochastic simulation methods for solving reliability problems. Subset Simulation, proposed by Au and Beck, provides an efficient algorithm for computing failure probabilities for general high-dimensional reliability problems. Here, a Bayesian post-processor for the original Subset Simulation method is presented that produces the posterior PDF of the failure probability which can be used in risk analyses for life-cycle cost analysis, decision making under risk, etc.
Experiments on Tsunamis Generated by 3D Granular Landslides

Subaerial and submarine landslides can trigger tsunamis with locally high amplitudes and runup, which can cause devastating effects in the near field region such as the 1958 Lituya bay, Alaska, 1998 Papua New Guinea and 2006 Java tsunamis. Tsunami generation by submarine and subaerial landslides were studied in the three dimensional NEES (George E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation) tsunami wave basin (TWB) at Oregon State University based on the generalized Froude similarity. A novel pneumatic landslide generator was deployed to control the granular landslide geometry and kinematics. Measurement techniques such as particle image velocimetry (PIV), multiple above and underwater video cameras, multiple acoustic transducer arrays (MTA), as well as resistance wave and runup gauges were applied. The experimental data provided new insights on landslide deformation as it impacts the water surface, penetrates the water and finally deposits on the bottom of the basin. The influence of the landslide volume, shape and the impact speed on the generated tsunami waves were extensively studied. The instantaneous surface velocity fields measured using the PIV gave insight into the kinematics of the landslide and wave generation process. At high impact velocities, flow separation occurred on the slide shoulder resulting in a hydrodynamic impact crater. The measured wave profiles yielded information on the wave propagation and attenuation. The measured wave speed of the leading wave reaches the theoretical solitary wave celerity while the trailing waves are slower in nature. Attenuation functions of the leading wave crest amplitude, the wave length and the time period were obtained to study the wave behavior in the near field and far field regions. The measured wave data serves the validation and advancement of 3-dimensional numerical landslide tsunami and prediction models.
Moral development and reproductive health decisions.

This article reviews the concepts of biomedical ethics, the justice perspective, and the care perspective of moral development and moral decision making; integrates key aspects of each to women's reproductive health nursing practice; and gives examples of application of these models to use as a framework for the assessment of moral development in guiding women in making reproductive health decisions. Emphasis is placed on the need for an integrated approach to assessment of the recognition of and response to what an individual identifies as a moral dilemma.
Recombinant erythropoietin as a neuroprotective treatment: in vitro and in vivo models

The biologic effects of erythropoietin in the central and peripheral nervous system involve the activation of its specific cell surface receptor and corresponding signal transduction pathways. This article reviews the neuroprotective effects of erythropoietin in brain, emphasizing the progress made using in vitro and in vivo research models.
Optimizing Data Access in the LAMPF Control System

The LAMPF control system data access software offers considerable power and flexibility to application programs through symbolic device naming and an emphasis on hardware independence. This paper discusses optimizations aimed at improving the performance of the data access software while retaining these capabilities. The only aspects of the optimizations visible to the application programs are "vector devices" and "aggregate devices." A vector device accesses a set of hardware related data items through a single device name. Aggregate devices allow run-time optimization of references to groups of unrelated devices. Optimizations not visible on the application level include careful handling of: network message traffic; the sharing of global resources; and storage allocation.