cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child: a basis for jus cogens prohibition of juvenile capital punishment in the United States.

This article supports the position that the 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) articulates a prohibition of capital punishment of juveniles that now must be considered a norm of jus cogens. The article provides statistics and trends regarding juveniles who commit capital crimes and describes how the U.S. justice system handles such juveniles, including Eighth Amendment analyses of juvenile executions under the U.S. Constitution. The article also discusses community consensus regarding evolving standards of decency, describes international law on the capital punishment of juveniles, and outlines worldwide trends in juvenile executions. It then defines and describes the concepts of customary international law and jus cogens , applying these concepts to the problem of the execution of juveniles in the United States. The article concludes by suggesting that there is a moral imperative for universal prohibition of juvenile capital punishment and by speculating about the domestic effects of applying such a jus cogens norm in the United States. (Abstract Adapted from Source: Behavioral Sciences and the Law, 2001. Copyright © 2001 by John Wiley and Sons) Juvenile Offender Juvenile Violence Correctional Decision Making Offender Sentencing Capital Punishment Death Penalty 12-02
Impact of changing patterns of anti-microbial resistance in uropathogens: Emerging treatment and strategies

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is common, especially in women, and the microbiology of UTI is predictable. Over the past decade, numerous reports have documented increasing resistance among uropathogens to first-line agents for the treatment of UTI, especially trimethoprim/ sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX). It is recommended that TMP/SMX should not be administered as empiric therapy for UTI in communities where resistance rates exceed 20%. However, reliable data regarding the true prevalence of resistance in a community are often lacking. Preliminary work has suggested that recent antimicrobial use is an important risk factor for infection with a TMP/SMX-resistant isolate. A better understanding of the epidemiology of resistance is needed to aid therapeutic decisions and devise interventions to reduce or slow emerging resistance.
Endothelin-1-induced responses in isolated mouse vessels: the expression and function of receptor types.

Mice have been increasingly used as models for investigating cardiovascular diseases. However, the responsiveness of mouse vasculature to endothelin (ET)-1 has not been clearly established. The goa...
Control studies on the advanced composites manufacturing process

Abstract A feedback control strategy that manipulates applied pressure to obtain the desired resin content in the composite has been developed to achieve significant improvements over the standard cure cycle. The main advantages of the new controlled composite processing are increased system robustness towards different process variations and increased allowable storage life and out-life of the prepregs.
Developing organized information displays for voluminous works: a study of user clustering behavior

This paper investigates the ways in which people group or categorize documents associated with a voluminous work to guide the construction of organized displays for information retrieval systems (IRSs). Fifty participants completed an unconstrained sorting task in which they were asked to sort into groups 47 documents associated with the voluminous work A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens. Participants were asked to group documents based on how similar they were to each other and such that the groups would help them to remember how to find them at a later time. Data collected from the sorting task were summarized using cluster analysis, employed to discover common groupings created by participants. Groupings discovered frequently shared physical format, language, and audience attributes.
Optimal reorganization of distributed space disk files

In most database organizations, the cost of accessing the database will increase due to structural changes caused by updates and insertions. By reorganizing the database, the access costs can be reduced. A basic problem is to establish the proper tradeoff between performance, storage costs, and reorganization costs. This paper considers the optimum points at which to reorganize a database. A disk file organization which allows for distributed free space is described. A cost function describing the excess costs due to physical disorganization is defined, and this function is minimized to obtain the optimum reorganization points. Numerical examples based on the characteristics of existing disk storage devices are given.
Wave generation by turbulent convection

We consider wave generation by turbulent convection in a plane parallel, stratified atmosphere that sits in a gravitational field, g. The atmosphere consists of two semi-infinite layers, the lower adiabatic and polytropic and the upper isothermal. The adiabatic layer supports a convective energy flux given by mixing length theory; F_c ~ pv^3_H, where p is mass density and v_H is the velocity of the energy bearing turbulent eddies. Acoustic waves with ω > ω_(ɑc) and gravity waves with ω < 2k_h H_iωb propagate in the isothermal layer whose acoustic cutoff frequency, ω_(ac), and Brunt-Vaisala frequency, ω_b, satisfy ω^2_(ɑc) = yg/4H_i and ω^2_b = (y-1)g/yH_i, where y and H_i denote the adiabatic index and scale height. The atmosphere traps acoustic waves in upper part of the adiabatic layer (p-modes) and gravity waves on the interface between the adiabatic and isothermal layers (f-modes). These modes obey the dispersion relation ω^2≈2/m gk_h(n + m/2), for ω < ω_(ɑc). Here, m is the polytropic index, k_h is the magnitude of the horizontal wave vector, and n is the number of nodes in the radial displacement eigenfunction; n = 0 for f-modes. Wave generation is concentrated at the top of the convection zone since the turbulent Mach number, M = v_H/c, peaks there; we assume M_t « 1. The dimensionless efficiency, η, for the conversion of the energy carried by convection into wave energy is calculated to be η~M_t^(5/12) for p-modes,f-modes, and propagating acoustic waves, and η~M, for propagating gravity waves. Most of the energy going into p-modes, f-modes, and propagating acoustic waves is emitted by inertial range eddies of size h ~ M_t^(3/2)H_t, at ω ~ ω_(ɑc) and k_h ~ 1/H_t. The energy emission into propagating gravity waves is dominated by energy bearing eddies of size ~ H_t and is concentrated at ω ~ v_t/H_t ~ M_t ω_(ɑc) and k_h ~ 1/H_t. We find the power input to individual p-modes, E_p, to vary as ω<^(2m^2+7m-3)/(m+3) at frequencies ω « v_t/H_t. Libbrecht has shown that the amplitudes and linewidths of the solar p-modes imply E_p ∝ ω^8 for ω « 2 x 10^(-2) s^(-1). The theoretical exponent matches the observational one for m ≈ 4, a value obtained from the density profile in the upper part of the solar convection zone. This agreement supports the hypothesis that the solar p-modes are stochastically excited by turbulent convection.
Ultrasound monitoring of structural urinary tract disease in Schistosoma haematobium infection

A major advance in our understanding of the natural history of Schistosoma haematobium-related morbidity has come through the introduction of the portable ultrasound machines for non-invasive examination of the kidneys and bladder. With the use of generators or battery packs to supply power in non-clinical field settings, and with the use of instant photography or miniaturized thermal printers to record permanent images, it is possible to examine scores of individuals in endemic communities every day. Broad-based ultrasound screening has allowed better definition of age-specific disease risks in urinary schistosomiasis. Results indicate that urinary tract abnormalities are common (18% overall prevalence) in S. haematobium transmission areas, with a 2-4% risk of either severe bladder abnormality or advanced ureteral obstruction. In longitudinal surveys, ultrasound studies have shown that praziquantel and metrifonate therapy are rapidly effective in reversing urinary tract abnormalities among children. The benefits of treating adults are less well known, but research in progress should help to define this issue. Similarly, the prognosis of specific ultrasound findings needs to be clarified, and the ease of sonographic examination will make such long-term follow-up studies feasible. In summary, the painless, quick, and reproducible ultrasound examination has become an essential tool in the study of urinary schistosomiasis.
Specificity and editing by apoptosis of virus-induced cytotoxic T lymphocytes

Recent studies have defined an immunological network by which the acute cytotoxic T-lymphocyte response to viral infection modulates or is modulated by the antigen load and by crossreactive memory T cells. Down regulation of the acute CTL response can be associated with either antigen-dependent or antigen-independent apoptosis, and the host enters a state of immune deficiency as these T cells become sensitized to apoptotic mechanisms.
A Simple Model for Body Pitching Stabilization

Pitching dynamics are an important component of the dynamics of legged locomotion. We develop an energy-open pitching stabilization model to achieve full asymptotic stability of locomotion. This model is called the pitched-actuated Spring-Loaded Inverted Pendulum (pitched-actuated SLIP) model. It extends the conservative SLIP model to include a trunk as well as net nonzero hip torque and leg damping. The hip torque is governed by a proportional and derivative controller which uses only the angle between body and leg as feedback during stance. During the swing phase of the leg, inertial frame feedback is used to reset the leg to a fixed angle in space. The use of body-frame feedback in stance is thought to be relevant to biology and robotic control, as time delays and uncertainty in inertial frame feedback could be challenging in stance. Further, this method of control during stance could be implemented in a neural feedforward manner using antagonistic pairs of muscle or muscle-like actuators around the hip joint. This model of pitching dynamics exhibits full asymptotic stability over a range of model parameters. Further, derivative control significantly impacts disturbance mitigation. Periodic locomotion solutions of the model with large energy cost tend to be unstable. Whereas, the most energy efficient locomotion solutions found tend to be within the stable region of the parameter space. The correlation between energy efficiency and stability found in this model may have significant implications for locomotion with pitching.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Sperm quality in male Barbus barbus L. fed different diets during the spawning season

Sperm quality of Barbus barbus L. was compared among the three following dietary regimes: Group A, fed 100% commercial diet (Karpico™ containing 33% crude protein and 6% fat), Group B, fed 78% commercial diet and 22% frozen chironomid (Chironomus plumosus) larvae, and Group C, fed 56% commercial diet and 44% frozen chironomid larvae. Concentrations of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in Group A, B, and C were 39.1, 42.0, and 44.6, respectively, as a percentage of total fatty acids. Sperm morphology, volume, concentration and motility, total number of spermatozoa, and osmolality of the seminal plasma were compared during the spawning season. Dietary regime did not influence sperm volume, concentration, or total number of spermatozoa, osmolality of seminal plasma, or the percentage of motile sperm, but significantly affected sperm morphology (except for anterior and posterior parts of the midpiece) and sperm velocity (P < 0.05). Groups B and C showed similar sperm characteristics during the spawning season compared to Group A. Almost all parameters changed either among or within groups during the spawning season, suggesting differences in terms of the optimal time for sperm collection. The best time for sperm collection was March for Group A, but April for Groups B and C, when the osmolality of the seminal plasma measured 289 mOsmol kg−1 and sperm motility was maximal. Spermatogenesis, hydration, and cell decomposition were confirmed as the three major parameters controlling sperm characteristics during the spawning season. The possible correlation between sperm morphology and motility requires further study.
LONG-TERM RESULTS OF BALLOON AORTIC VALVULOPLASTY WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO CAUSES OF AORTIC INSUFFICIENCY. 196

The purpose of this study was to report on 5-to-9-year follow-up data after balloon aortic valvuloplasty in children and to investigate causes of aortic valve insufficiency at follow-up. While the immediate and short-term results of balloon aortic valvuloplasty have been well documented, there is scanty information on long-term follow-up results.
The effect of dose on the disposition of lead in rats after intravenous and oral administration.

Abstract Single doses of lead acetate were administered to 250- to 350-g rats by both iv (0.5–15 mg Pb/kg) and po (1–100 mg Pb/kg) routes, and blood lead concentrations were measured up to 25 days following dosing. The area under the blood lead concentration vs time curve (AUC) after iv dosing increased in proportion to increases in the dose. Total blood lead clearance and renal lead clearance were not related to the magnitude of the injected dose. After oral dosing, blood lead concentrations (and AUC) did not increase proportionately with dose. After a 1 mg/kg po lead dose, the extent of absorption was estimated at 42%; this decreased to 2% when the dose was increased to 100 mg/kg. Lead concentrations in the blood, kidneys, liver, and brain of both adult and suckling rats recovered 24 hr after various single po doses also indicated that the extent of lead absorption decreased substantially with increasing dose. Blood and kidney lead concentrations in adult rats exposed for 14 days to lead via drinking water also were not proportional to the apparent amount of lead ingested. The results are consistent with published in vitro data which suggested that the mechanism for gastrointestinal absorption of lead is largely capacity-limited in adolescent and adult rats. Because blood lead concentrations were not a linear function of the oral dose in the rat, the relationship between oral dose and toxic effects of lead may not be a simple one. This factor should be considered when safe lead exposure levels in man are to be established via extrapolation of data from high levels of exposure.
A Composite Heterogeneous Model for Brand Choice Behavior

This paper proposes a new, more general model of consumer brand choice behavior. The model is a composite of the Bernoulli, Markov, and Linear Learning Models, all of which have previously been proposed to represent brand choice behavior. The properties of the model are explored, and a parameter estimation technique is developed. A special case of the model is developed for situations in which insufficient data are available to estimate the parameters of the complete model.
Neodymium isotopes in basalts of the southwest basin and range and lithospheric thinning during continental extension

Abstract The chemical compositions, ages, and Nd and Sr isotopic compositions of Miocene basaltic volcanic rocks from the southwestern Basin and Range Province were measured. The data presented, and other data obtained from the literature show that temporal variations in the Nd and Sr isotopic compositions are typically correlated with the timing of local crustal extension. The isotopic variations cannot be accounted for by crustal contamination, and are best interpreted as indicating the involvement of subcontinental lithospheric mantle as a major source of basalt magma before and during the early stages of extension, giving way to asthenospheric sources as extension proceeds. It is inferred that the basalt isotopic and age data provide information about the amount and timing of changes of the overall lithosphere thickness during extension. If this inference is valid, the inferred lithosphere thickness vs. time histories can be compared to the amount and timing of upper crustal extension to evaluate competing models for lithospheric strain during continental extension. The depth of the lithosphere–asthenospshere boundary is inferred primarily from the isotopic data, but can be refined by accounting for differences in the depth of origin of the basalts as suggested by differences in the degree of silica saturation (nepheline normative vs. hypersthene normative). The transition between silica saturated and undersaturated magmas is dependent on many factors, but for the conditions likely to apply to the Basin and Range Miocene volcanism, it corresponds to a depth of origin of 50±10 km. The data presented show strong support for the inferred mantle geochemical stratigraphy, and the inferred modern depths to the lithosphere–asthenosphere boundary are consistent with available seismic refraction and structural data. In the highly extended regions near the eastern and western margins of the southwestern Basin and Range, temporal changes in basalt isotopic compositions indicate that the subjacent lithospheric mantle thinned contemporaneously with the upper crust, as would be predicted for pure shear. These areas are also characterized by relatively high (although still low) basalt extrusion rates. In contrast, upper crustal extension in the Death Valley area was not accompanied by significant thinning of the subjacent lithospheric mantle, which implies that the location of lithospheric thinning was offset from the location of upper crustal extension as in a simple shear model. The total amount of lithospheric thinning is generally less than would be expected from the magnitude of upper crustal extension and is more evenly distributed; this suggests that there is also a component of distributed shear.
Oxidation of copper fiber surface to improve fracture toughness of Cu/epoxy composite

Abstract Controlled oxidation treatments are applied for the first time to the surface of ductile Cu fibers which are used in epoxy matrix composites. The oxidation treatments produce either “A-nanoleaves” or black or red oxide “B-nanoleaves” with various nanoscale morphologies. Single fiber pullout (SFP) tests were performed on the oxidized fibers to evaluate how friction produced by their engineered surfaces will affect composite toughness. A highly cross-linked epoxy (HCLE) showed excellent formation of individual asperities which provided a significant increase in pullout work with black oxide B-nanoleaves. A standard epoxy (SE) with lesser cross-linking showed no asperities but rather a general roughness which also produced a significant increase in pullout work with black oxide B-nanoleaves. It was found that the standard acetone pre-treatment which is applied to remove polar impurities before oxidation can be shortened substantially from the standard 20 min to 5 min.
The boundary element method applied to moving boundary problems

In this paper we consider free boundary problems. For such problems the free boundary is not known before the problem is solved and must be determined as part of the solution. For the problems considered in this paper, the solution is time dependent, so the free boundary is also a moving boundary. We consider a heat conduction problem associated with ice melting which involves one spatial dimension and a problem associated with diffusion which involves two spatial dimensions. For both the one dimensional problem and the two dimensional problem we introduce the fundamental solution or Green's function for our problem and apply a Green's identity to obtain the solution of our problem in terms of a boundary integral which involves an unknown function on the free boundary. We call this integral expression for our solution (FBE). By taking the limit of (FBE) to the free boundary, we obtain a nonlinear system of integral equations for the location of the free boundary and the unknown function. We call this system (BIS). We use the boundary element method to obtain a solution of the system (BIS). We then substitute this solution of (BIS) into the equation (FBE) to obtain the solution of our original problem. Results for both the one dimensional problem and a two dimensional problem are presented.
Artificial Neural Networks for Pattern Recognition

A three unit artificial neural network (ANN) automatic target recognition (ATR) system is integrated within, and compared to, a recently AFIT developed conventional ATR system. The integration of ANN within this existing framework allows the determination of where the benefits of using these biologically motivated processing techniques lie. The integration and testing of ANN within each of the three units constitutes the major contribution of this research. The emphasis of this paper is in the area of effects of learning alternatives on ATR. Several alternative feedforward networks were compared in the classifier unit.
Accidental Silicon-Containing Compounds: Crystal Structures of La3Al0.44Si0.93S7, BaSm4(SiO4)3Se, and Monoclinic and Orthorhombic Ln2(SiO4)Te (Ln=Nd and Sm)

Abstract The compounds La 3 Al 0.44 Si 0.93 S 7 , BaSm 4 (SiO 4 ) 3 Se, and monoclinic and orthorhombic Ln 2 (SiO 4 )Te ( Ln =Nd and Sm) were obtained accidentally by reactions in fused-silica tubes. La 3 Al 0.44 Si 0.93 S 7 crystallizes in the hexagonal space group P 6 3 with two formula units in a cell of dimensions a =10.277(2), c =5.793(1) A ( T =153 K). The structure consists of chains of face-sharing AlS 6 octahedra and isolated SiS 4 tetrahedra. The LaS 8 coordination polyhedron is a square antiprism. BaSm 4 (SiO 4 ) 3 Se crystallizes in the hexagonal space group P 6 3 / m with two formula units in a cell of dimensions a =9.869(1), c =6.851(1) A ( T =153 K). The structure is formed by orthosilicate ([SiO 4 ] 4− ) tetrahedra separated by Ba 2+ and Sm 3+ cations. The Ba 2+ and Sm(1) 3+ cations are disordered in an M S 9 tricapped trigonal prism and the Sm(2) 3+ cation is in a monocapped trigonal prism. Monoclinic ( P 2 1 / c ) Ln 2 (SiO 4 )Te ( Ln =Nd and Sm) is a layered structure with four formula units in a cell of dimensions a =9.823(2), b =6.421(1), c =8.676(2) A, β =94.60(3)° ( T =153 K) for Ln =Nd, and a =9.760(2), b =6.357(1), c =8.601(2) A, β =94.87(3)° ( T =153 K) for Ln =Sm. The layer is formed by [SiO 4 ] 4− tetrahedra separated by Ln and Te atoms. The Ln (1)O 7 Te polyhedron is a square antiprism and the Ln (2)O 4 Te 4 polyhedron is a bicapped trigonal prism. Orthorhombic P bcm Ln 2 (SiO 4 )Te ( Ln =Nd and Sm) is a layered structure with four formula units in a cell of dimensions a =6.279(1), b =7.189(1), c =11.168(2) A ( T =153 K) for Ln =Nd, and a =6.201(1), b =7.091(1), c =11.077(2) A ( T =115 K) for Ln =Sm. The layer is formed by [SiO 4 ] 4− tetrahedra separated by Ln and Te atoms. The Ln (1)O 6 Te 3 polyhedron is a tricapped trigonal prism; the Ln (2)O 6 Te 2 polyhedron is a dodecahedron. Orthorhombic Ln 2 (SiO 4 )Te, ρ =6.696 g/cm 3 for Ln =Nd and ρ =7.096 g/cm 3 for Ln =Sm, are denser than the monoclinic forms, ρ =6.188 g/cm 3 for Ln =Nd and ρ =6.500 g/cm 3 for Ln =Sm.
Why Hospitals Don't Learn from Failures: Organizational and Psychological Dynamics That Inhibit System Change:

The importance of hospitals learning from their failures hardly needs to be stated. Not only are matters of life and death at stake on a daily basis, but also an increasing number of U.S. hospitals are operating in the red. This article reports on in-depth qualitative field research of nurses' responses to process failures in nine hospitals. It identifies two types of process failures—errors and problems—and discusses implications of each for process improvement. A dynamic model of the system in which front-line workers operate reveals an illusory equilibrium in which small process failures actually erode organizational effectiveness rather than driving learning and change in hospitals. Three managerial levers for change are identified, suggesting a new strategy for improving hospitals' and other service organizations' ability to learn from failure.
Structural diversity of the Y-family DNA polymerases

The Y-family translesion DNA polymerases enable cells to tolerate many forms of DNA damage, yet these enzymes have the potential to create genetic mutations at high rates. Although this polymerase family was defined less than a decade ago, more than 90 structures have already been determined so far. These structures show that the individual family members bypass damage and replicate DNA with either error-free or mutagenic outcomes, depending on the polymerase, the lesion and the sequence context. Here, these structures are reviewed and implications for polymerase function are discussed.
Intense-Field Photoionization of H2

Studies of the interaction of intense lasers with molecules are no longer unusual. A number of workers are considering ionization and dissociation processes in these more complex systems. Several examples of the work in this field can be found elsewhere in this volume. Of particular interest is the importance of internal degrees of freedom in above threshold ionization (ATI). What are the roles played by vibration and rotation when a molecule is irradiated by an intense electric field? How are the molecular potentials affected by the laser? To date, most high intensity experiments on molecules have been performed with a limited range of laser wavelengths, either harmonic orders of a Nd:YAG laser, excimer wavelengths, or nontunable colliding pulse mode-locked dye lasers. The effects of the intense field on the internal structure of molecules have been probed only when molecular resonances were fortuitously encountered on the way to dissociation or ionization.
Family Resource Questionnaire: Reliability and Validity of a Social Support Measure for Families of Stroke Patients:

This article describes the development of an instrument, the Family Resource Questionnaire, designed to measure dimensions of social support after stroke. Interrater reliability and concurrent validity was established with 48 consecutive stroke admissions onto a rehabilitation service. Effects of socially desirable responses were minimized with an interview protocol. Moderate validity and high reliability were found.
Achieving maternal BMI-specific weight gain goals improves birthweight and gestational age at delivery in twin pregnancies

BIRTHWEIGHT AND GESTATIONAL AGE AT DELIVERY IN TWIN PREGNANCIES WILLIAM GOODNIGHT, ELIZABETH HILL, ROGER NEWMAN, AMELIA ROWLAND, Medical University of South Carolina, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Charleston, South Carolina, Medical University of South Carolina, Biometry and Epidemiology, Charleston, South Carolina OBJECTIVE: To validate improved obstetrical outcomes associated with maternal achievement of BMI-specific weight gain goals recommended for twin pregnancies. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective review of all twin deliveries between 2002 2006 at the Medical University of South Carolina was conducted. Maternal BMI-specific weight gain goals recommended by Luke, et al, JRM 2003 were established prospectively for each patient at presentation. ANOVA and repeated measures analysis were performed to evaluate birthweight and gestational age at delivery by maternal achievement of their BMIand gestational age-specific weight gain goals. Analysis was performed with SAS 9.1 (SAS Institute, Cary, NC). RESULTS: 151 twin gestations (300 neonates) were analyzed; 57.8%, 18.6%, and 23.5% were under, within, or over weight gain goals at 20-22 weeks, while 55.0%, 17.9% and 27.2% were under, within, or over goals at delivery. Achievement of maternal weight gain goals at 20-22 weeks and at delivery was significantly associated with increased birthweight (p!0.0076 and p!0.001 respectively). After adjustment for gestational age, BMI, maternal age, and chorionicity, lower birthweights were associated with a weight gain under goal both at delivery ( 245 gram 95% CI 359.4, 131.1 p ! 0.0001) and at 20-22 weeks ( 148.1 gram 95% CI 277, 18 p =0.03). Achievement of weight gain goals was also associated with a nonsignificant increase in GA at delivery. CONCLUSION: Failure to achieve recently recommended BMI and gestational age specific weight gain goals for twin pregnancies was associated with a significant reduction in birthweight at delivery and shortened length of gestation. No benefit was associated with exceeding these weight gain goals.
Reliability of composites in a random stress state

A general problem of reliability evaluation of an anisotropic material in a random 2-D or 3-D stress state is considered. Here, reliability is defined as a probability of the material non-failure. Strength characteristics of the material are also considered as random ones and determined by the respective mean values and all possible correlations. In contrast with the existing numerical or approximate methods, a simple analytical approach is offered for evaluating the main statistical characteristics of the reliability. A fundamental idea of the approach consists of analysis of the material's failure envelope in the form of a random linear function of certain non-linear combinations (products) of applied random stresses, instead of the traditional consideration of the envelope as a random non-linear function of the stresses. Thus, the approach allows one to take into consideration all possible kinds of failure envelopes in the simplest analytical form. Analytical expressions regarding calculation of necessary statistical characteristics are presented. Numerical examples of reliability evaluation are considered for unidirectional and laminated composites.
Geometric aspects of the Carathéodory extension problem

Abstract Both Euclidean geometric and non-Euclidean geometric descriptions for the regions of the solution set to the Caratheodory extension problem are discussed. In particular, it is shown that all the solution functions are located inside a Euclidean disk (the Weyl disk) and a hyperbolic disk (the Apollonian disk). The radius of each disk depends on the norm of the parametrizing Schur functions. Moreover, the so-called maximum entropy solution is exactly the hyperbolic center of the Apollonian disk, while the associated power spectral density function is the geometric mean center of the real region where the Weyl disk is projected to. Sensitivity analysis on the Weyl radius and Apollonian center due to the perturbation of the given finite moments is presented. The applications of these results to the spectrum estimation and inverse scattering problems are discussed.
Does the dose of methotrexate influence the rate of relapse in patients with Wegener's granulomatosis?

Does the dose of methotrexate influence the rate of relapse in patients with Wegener's granulomatosis?
Life before the pre-B cell receptor checkpoint: Specification and commitment of primitive lymphoid progenitors in adult bone marrow

The production of B cells is a complex process determined by well-timed combinations of intrinsic factors and environmental cues that guide the differentiation of primitive progenitors in the bone marrow. Expression of several key transcription factors and receptor-stromal cell ligand interactions are landmarks of the earliest events in B lymphopoiesis in adult bone marrow. We describe this as a gradual loss of options for other blood cell lineages coincident with gain of essential properties. Experimental, stress or infection-related deregulation may change B cell fate specification, commitment or population dynamics, and consequently the production rate of mature populations.
Effect of Aspirin and other NSAIDs on Postmenopausal Breast Cancer Incidence by Hormone Receptor Status: Results from a Prospective Cohort Study

Aspirin and other non-aspirin non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can inhibit aromatase activity and thus could selectively lower incidence of hormone receptor positive tumors. We assessed whether the association of aspirin and other NSAIDs with postmenopausal breast cancer risk differs by estrogen and progesterone receptor (ER and PR) status of the tumor. A population-based cohort of 26,580 postmenopausal women was linked to a SEER Cancer Registry to identify incident breast cancers. Regular use of aspirin and other NSAIDs was reported on a self-administered questionnaire mailed in 1992. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate multivariate relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of breast cancer incidence overall and by ER and PR status, adjusting for multiple breast cancer risk factors. Through 2005, 1,581 incident breast cancer cases were observed. Compared to aspirin never users, women who regularly consumed aspirin had a lower risk of breast cancer (RR = 0.80; 95% CI: 0.71–0.90), and there was evidence for lower risk with increasing frequency of use (RR = 0.71 for aspirin use 6 or more times/week vs. never use; P trend = 0.00001). Inverse associations for regular aspirin use were observed for ER+ (RR = 0.77; 95% CI 0.67–0.89), ER− (RR = 0.78; 95% CI 0.56–1.08), PR+ (RR = 0.79; 95% CI 0.68–0.92), and PR− (RR = 0.73; 95% CI 0.56–0.95) breast cancers. In contrast, use of other NSAIDs was not associated with breast cancer incidence overall (RR = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.85–1.07), or by ER or PR status. Aspirin, but not other NSAID use, was associated with about 20% lower risk of postmenopausal breast cancer and did not vary by ER or PR status of the tumor, suggesting that the hypothesized protective effects of aspirin may either be through cellular pathways independent of estrogen or progesterone signaling, or on tumor microenvironment.
Utilization of highly purified single wall carbon nanotubes dispersed in polymer thin films for an improved performance of an electrochemical glucose sensor.

Abstract In this work we report the improved performance an electrochemical glucose sensor based on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) that has been modified with highly purified single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) dispersed in polyethyleneimine (PEI), polyethylene glycol (PEG) and polypyrrole (PPy). The single wall carbon nanotubes were purified by both thermal and chemical oxidation to achieve maximum purity of ~ 98% with no damage to the tubes. The SWCNTs were then dispersed by sonication in three different organic polymers (1.0 mg/ml SWCNT in 1.0 mg/ml of organic polymer). The stable suspension was coated onto the GCE and electrochemical characterization was performed by Cyclic Voltammetry (CV) and Amperometry. The electroactive enzyme glucose oxidase (GOx) was immobilized on the surface of the GCE/(organic polymer–SWCNT) electrode. The amperometric detection of glucose was carried out at 0.7 V versus Ag/AgCl. The GCE/(SWCNT–PEI, PEG, PPY) gave a detection limit of 0.2633 μM, 0.434 μM, and 0.9617 μM, and sensitivities of 0.2411 ± 0.0033 μA mM − 1 , r 2 = 0.9984, 0.08164 ± 0.001129 μA mM − 1 , r 2 = 0.9975, 0.04189 ± 0.00087 μA mM − 1 , and r 2 = 0.9944 respectively and a response time of less than 5 s. The use of purified SWCNTs has several advantages, including fast electron transfer rate and stability in the immobilized enzyme. The significant enhancement of the SWCNT modified electrode as a glucose sensor can be attributed to the superior conductivity and large surface area of the well dispersed purified SWCNTs.
Prefrontal-amygdala interactions underlying value coding.

Dissociating the source and function of value-related signals is a major challenge for understanding the role of reward in neural processing. In this issue of Neuron, Rudebeck et al. (2013) provide insight into the neuroanatomical origins of a subset of these signals.
Modeling dielectric-elastomer minimum-energy structures using dynamic relaxation with appropriate material behavior

Form-finding describes the process of finding a stable equilibrium shape for a structure under a specific set of loading for a set of boundary conditions. Both physical (experimental) and numerical (computational) form-finding methods have been employed by structural engineers and architects for the design of shape-resistant structures: structures whose behavior depends mostly on their global spatial configuration and less on the properties of their individual components. The shape of dielectric elastomer minimum energy structures (DEMES) depends on the equilibrium between the pre-stressed elastomeric membrane and its inextensible frame. Therefore, DEMES can be modeled and analyzed using structural form-finding techniques. We applied dynamic relaxation (DR), a well-established explicit and efficient numerical form-finding and analysis method, to simulate DEMES equilibrium shapes and predict the elastic energy of DEMES. The DR-DEMES model shows generally good agreement with its physical implementation counterpart, as it captures the equilibrium shape and also the elastic energy in function of shape. However, we found that the numerical and the physical models differ in the pre-stress that is required to obtain a specific equilibrium shape. Therefore, in this study we introduce hyper-elasticity in the DR-DEMES model. With this refinement in physical parameters the DR-DEMES model approaches the pre-stress state of the physical DEMES implementation more closely, while it maintains the computational efficiency of the form-finding approach. We conclude that dynamic relaxation, with its low computational cost, is a powerful tool for the design of novel DEMES applications.
Triplet Repeat Mutations in Human Disease

Triplet repeats are the sites of mutation in three human heritable disorders, spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA), fragile X syndrome, and myotonic dystrophy (DM). These repeats are GC-rich and highly polymorphic in the normal population. Fragile X syndrome and DM are examples of diseases in which premutation alleles cause little or no disease in the individual, but give rise to significantly amplified repeats in affected progeny. This newly identified mechanism of mutation has, so far, been identified in two of the most common heritable disorders, fragile X syndrome and DM, and one rare disease, SBMA.
General and Particular Observations on Sheltering and Housing in American Disasters

After a survey of all the English language social science literature and a review of several case histories, the Disaster Research Center compiled a number of observations on sheltering and housing following sudden onset disasters which are summarized here. The study is aimed at increasing our knowledge of American peace-time disasters. The four different phases: emergency and temporary sheltering and emergency and temporary housing are defined and discussed. There seems to be little disaster planning and often the co-ordination of relief efforts is inefficient. It appears that communities could be better informed and that more research is necessary in order to understand and evaluate these phenomena properly. The paper points to areas which could be usefully investigated.
Electrophoresis of an Insect Inorganic Pyrophosphatase

IN our work on the properties of inorganic pyrophosphatase in the boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis Boheman1, we used the enzyme present both in whole homogenates and in an acetone powder. We have since attempted electrophoresis of the enzyme to determine whether activity was present in one or more resolvable components.
Intussusception risk increased after rotavirus vaccination but outweighed by benefits

Commentary on: Weintraub ES, Baggs J, Duffy J, et al. Risk of intussusception after monovalent rotavirus vaccination. N Engl J Med 2014;370:513–19.[OpenUrl][1][CrossRef][2][PubMed][3][Web of Science][4] And Yih WK, Lieu TA, Kulldorff M, et al. Intussusception risk after rotavirus vaccination in U.S. infants. N Engl J Med 2014;370:503–12.[OpenUrl][5][CrossRef][6][PubMed][7][Web of Science][8] Prior to the introduction of paediatric rotavirus vaccination, rotavirus was the most common cause of infectious gastroenteritis to result in the hospitalisation of children and accounted for about 450 000 deaths in children per year worldwide.1 Use of the first rotavirus vaccine, RotaShield (Wyeth Lederle), was discontinued within 1 year of US licensure after intussusception was identified in about 1 of every 10 000 children within 2 weeks of vaccination.2 Two new rotavirus vaccines, RotaTeq (RV5, Merck) and Rotarix (RV1, GlaxoSmithKline), when assessed in prelicensure studies of >60 000 infants were not associated with an increased risk of intussusception. Since US licensure of RV5 in 2006 and RV1 in 2008, these vaccines have been carefully monitored for safety. Postlicensure studies in Mexico, Brazil and Australia have identified a relationship between … [1]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DN%2BEngl%2BJ%2BMed%26rft.issn%253D0028-4793%26rft.volume%253D370%26rft.spage%253D513%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Adoi%252F10.1056%252FNEJMoa1311738%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Apmid%252F24422678%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [2]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=10.1056/NEJMoa1311738&link_type=DOI [3]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=24422678&link_type=MED&atom=%2Febmed%2F19%2F5%2F191.atom [4]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=000331073500007&link_type=ISI [5]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DN%2BEngl%2BJ%2BMed%26rft.issn%253D0028-4793%26rft.volume%253D370%26rft.spage%253D503%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Adoi%252F10.1056%252FNEJMoa1303164%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Apmid%252F24422676%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [6]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=10.1056/NEJMoa1303164&link_type=DOI [7]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=24422676&link_type=MED&atom=%2Febmed%2F19%2F5%2F191.atom [8]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=000331073500006&link_type=ISI
The construct of giftedness

In this article, I assert that giftedness is not a fact of nature or something that educators and psychologists have discovered. Instead, it is a socially constructed concept, something recently invented. I review the evolution of this construction and discuss some of the practical implications of the construct's application in education. Last, I speculate about some of the possible ways in which the construct may evolve in the future.
The generation of electromotive forces during the freezing of water

Abstract The electromotive force generated by freezing degassed water in vacuo is approximately the same as that generated in water containing dissolved air. The freezing potentials of dilute solutions were measured as a function of concentration. At the higher concentrations the potential is ice-negative, at lower concentrations ice-positive, with respect to the water. The freezing potential for all dilute solutions investigated (except NH4Cl) passes through zero at some concentration in the range 10−6 to 10−5 M. The ice-positive potentials are often as high as 120 volts, the ice-negative ones usually less than 30 volts. The ice-negative potentials are attributed to the entrapment of anions in excess in the ice. To account for the fact that a wide range of chemically different anions are entrapped in excess, the discrimination between ions in the entrapment process is attributed to the hydration shells of the ions. For cations the dipoles are predominantly directed outward, for anions inward, leading to an activation energy for capture which is different for oppositely oriented hydration shells. The large emf's developed in the freezing of “effectively pure water” or very dilute solutions, when freezing occurs in a very steep temperature gradient, are attributed to the growth of chains of water molecules connected together by a single hydrogen bond and extending out from the ice surface. These chains combine laterally by hydrogen bonding at a few sites to form complexes of appreciable viability which are referred to as “trees.” As time goes on the hydrogen bonding is continually increasing within a tree, pulling the structure together so as to form the normal ice structure finally. The tree complexes have a rather large resultant polarization vector because they are not restricted by crystallographic symmetry requirements, while the final normal ice structure is assumed to be nonpolar for symmetry reasons. The “relaxation” of the tree polarization toward the normal ice polarization (i.e., zero), by the increase of hydrogen bonding, produces a discharge current which is responsible for the observed ice-positive freezing potentials according to this model. This is a case in which the “relaxation” of a polarization carries a less orderly structure into a more orderly one; this is a change in the opposite sense to that involved in the relaxation of a Debye orientational polarization induced by an applied field.
Maternal Anxiety, Behaviors, and Expectations During a Behavioral Task: Relation to Children’s Self-Evaluations

This study examined the associations between maternal anxiety, behaviors, and expectations and children’s self-evaluations of distress, coping, and performance during a stressful performance evaluation task. Seventy-five mothers (38 clinically anxious and 37 nonanxious) along with one of their children aged 6–14 (52.0% female; 78.7% Caucasian) were videotaped while preparing the child to deliver a speech about themselves. Child and parent assessments were obtained before and after the speech, and independent coders rated maternal behavior during the speech preparation. Maternal anxiety and behaviors accounted for a greater proportion of variance in children’s self-evaluations than did maternal expectations, such that children of mothers who reported higher task anxiety and demonstrated more overcontrol and anxious behavior during the task evaluated themselves more negatively. These findings extend the literature by providing information about the relative associations between maternal factors and children’s self-evaluations within the context of an in vivo stressful situation.
Evidence for an acidic ocean on Mars from phosphorus geochemistry of Martian soils and rocks

Recent analyses of elemental concentrations and mineralogy of iron-bearing compounds of Martian soils and rocks by the Mars Exploration Rovers at Meridiani Planum and Gusev Crater demonstrate that phosphorus concentration is correlated with sulfur and chlorine. The positive correlation of these three elements with each other in soils at both sites argues for a globally homogeneous soil component. Sulfur, and possibly chlorine, in Martian soils and Meridiani Planum outcrop rocks is likely derived from volcanic exhalations, but phosphorus must be derived from the weathering of igneous rocks. Here we show that the similar concentration of phosphorus in soils at the two Mars Exploration Rover sites, coupled with positive correlations to chlorine and sulfur, is best explained as resulting from mixing and homogenization of phosphate, sulfate, and chloride in a large acidic aqueous reservoir, such as an acidic ocean. Acidic thin-film or acid-fog weathering cannot readily produce the similar P/S and P/Cl ratios of soils measured on Mars, and more important, cannot explain the high phosphorus content of ancient (ca. 3–4 Ga) sulfate-rich rocks in outcrop at Meridiani. The existence of a global acidic hydrosphere or ocean at some time in early Martian history can also explain the lack of extensive carbonate deposits on the Martian surface.
A study of the reactions p+p → p+(pπ+π−) and p+d → d+(pπ+π−) at 28 GeV/c

Abstract We study the production of low-mass (pπ+π−) systems at small t (squared four-momentum transfer) in the reaction p+p→p+(pπ+π−) and p+d→d+(pπ+π−) at 28 GeV. Comparisons of these inelastic reactions with elastic pp and pd scattering reveal the “elastic-like” nature of (pπ+π−) production. Our results provide evidence that (pπ+π−) production in pp reactions is dominated by isospin zero exchange.