cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reproductive and fetal rights: a philosophical ideal or practical necessity?

Obstetricians and gynecologists are urged to initiate a diaglogue with consumers philosophers lawyers and theologians on reproductive and fetal rights in order to prevent politicians from establishing policy in this area. It is asserted that the basic groundwork has already been laid that would allow government to set minimal standards for reproduction. Current genetic screening raises the possibility that the state may in the future prevent conception of a fetus known to be at risk. In addition recent legal rulings have established the right of the fetus to be born of sound mind and body. Amniocentesis to determine fetal sex raises the issues of sex discrimination. 2 critical questions in the area of reproductive ethics are: 1) Why does a different chromosome makeup change in personhood of an individual? and 2) What constitutes an undesirable person? Dialogue on these questions is essential given the theoretical possiblity that the state could require genetic diagnosis and pregnancy termination of an undesirable fetus.
Review of 'Toward a Political Philosophy of Race'

Events involving the persecution of African‑Americans and other racial groups are normally thought to involve a pre-existing minority being singled out out for persecution. In Toward a Political Philosophy of Race, Falguni Sheth argues that this understanding gets the causal story backwards. In reality, a group that is perceived to pose a political threat has a racial identity imposed upon it by the state during episodes of oppression. On Sheth's account, racial identity is the product of anxiety and panic on the part of the wider society. As she puts it, 'I distinguish between racial markers - skin type, phenotype, physical differences, and signifiers such as 'unruly' behaviors.' The former, in my argument, are not the ground of race, but the marks ascribed to a group that has already become (or is in on the way to becoming) outcasted." This review critically assesses Sheth's argument for her position and her accompanying critique of liberalism.
JOURNAL CLUB: Scatter Radiation Dose From Digital Screening Mammography Measured in a Representative Patient Population

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to quantify the amount of scatter radiation received at the skin surface overlying the thyroid gland, salivary gland, lens of the eye, sternum, and uterus during a routine screening digital mammographic examination measured in a representative patient population. SUBJECTS AND METHODS. The subjects were 207 women without symptoms with varied body mass indexes who underwent annual screening mammography while wearing six optically stimulated luminescence dosimeters placed at the bridge of the nose, right submandibular gland, right and left thyroid lobes, mid sternum, and 2 cm caudal to the umbilicus to assess scatter radiation dose to the skin. RESULTS. The average scatter radiation doses at the skin surface during digital screening mammography in the representative population of women were as follows: overlying the right lobe of the thyroid, 0.24 mGy; left lobe of the thyroid, 0.25 mGy; salivary gland, 0.2 mGy; bridge of the nose, 0.025 mGy; sternum, 0.87 mGy; and um...
Security, Universalism and Community as Conflicting Priorities in Early Modern Polictical Theory about International Relations: Three Visions of Peaceful Coexistence

This paper shows that early modern political theorists adopted one of three basic priorities: security, universalism or community. Thinkers who prioritize security (either physical or financial) prioritize the normatively "thin good before the right." Those who adopt a strongly universal morality thereby prioritize "the right before the good," regardless of whether that good is normatively thick or thin. Those who take a healthy moral and political community as their point of departure thereby prioritize the "thick good before the right." We show that Hobbes, Montesquieu, Hume and Smith are representative of the normatively "thin good before the right." These authors offer an interesting mix of liberalism, realism and pragmatism. We then show Vitoria and Kant to be representatives of "the right before the good." Although there are clear tensions between the two on the question of secularism, both offer a vision of cosmopolitanism derived from a universalist morality. Finally, we show that Montaigne, Diderot, Burke and Rousseau are representatives of the normatively "thick good before the right." This group presents a powerful argument for pluralism and tolerance. Categorizing thinkers along these lines has several advantages; above all, it brings out certain tensions within liberalism. This approach reveals significant differences along six dimensions according to (1) what constitutes a valid ethos, domestically and internationally; (2) which concerns drive politics; (3) the character of law; (4) the permeability of political boundaries; (5) the grounds of a peaceful coexistence and (6) the nature of the international system. This analysis reveals tension between the demands of sovereignty, universalism and community.
Patterns of Genetic Differentiation in Woodland and Dusky Salamanders

The woodland and dusky salamanders (Plethodon and Desmognathus) of the southern Appalachians show how molecular studies can deepen our understanding of regional biodiversity. They also show how technological developments can drive shifts in focus, in this case from allele frequencies and population genetics to nucleic acid sequences and phylogenetic inference. This shift has left unanswered important questions about the processes that underlie diversification. Relationships between genetic differentiation and geographic separation provide insight into such questions. Isolation by distance (IBD) relationships in Plethodon and Desmognathus indicate that genetic distance increases more rapidly with geographic separation from north to south in the Appalachian Mountain region of eastern North America. In Desmognathus, genetic divergence appears to increase faster with geographic separation than in Plethodon, perhaps as a consequence of isolation between oviposition sites and larval habitats. Reproductive compa...
Sidney E. Mead and the Problem of “Civil Religion”

For twenty-five years—since the appearance of Will Herberg's Protestant, Catholic, Jew1 in 1955—there has been an explicit and sometimes frenetic concern among theologians, church historians, and sociologists of religion with the thesis that there has emerged out of the American experience a phenomenon sociologist Robert N. Bellah chose to call "civil religion."2 Sidney E. Mead was chosen by Bellah as his closest predecessor, one whose idea of the "religion of the republic"—though used nonpejoratively like Bellah's "civil religion"—simply lacked "the conceptual generality that made the idea of the civil religion serviceable."3 A more accurate rendition would be that Mead possessed a far more profound grasp of the conceptual generality of America's civil religion than Bellah, but, contrary to Bellah, Mead has refused to abstract the civil religion from its historical and theological moorings within America's reli gious pluralism.4 Mead's critique and advocacy of the religion of the republic, however, has involved him in the issue of civil religion. Most recently Mead has opted to accept his place in this debate, albeit with a certain measure of uneasiness and most assuredly with
The Caucasianization of Jesus: Hollywood Transforming Christianity into a Racially Hierarchical Discourse

This essay explores the racial representation of Jesus Christ by Hollywood and the resulting ideological implications. Because historical documentation lacks depictions of Christ's phenotype, filmmakers can freely conceptualize his physical appearance. Hollywood blockbusters, however, have predominantly depicted Jesus as a white man, his most popular American conception. Hollywood consequently contributes to an active transformation process—the Caucasianization of Christ—which perpetuates the dominant hierarchical racial ideology. Redefining Jesus as “white” suggests that Caucasians are superior, a message Hollywood then distributes worldwide. Furthermore, Hollywood's reinforcement of racial hierarchy through Christian imagery undermines Christianity's communicative capacity. As Hollywood's global influence continuously expands, filmmakers must consider the implications of this practice, as well as alternative depictions of Christ.
The relative influence of local and regional environmental drivers of algal biomass (chlorophyll-a) varies by estuarine location

Abstract A major question in restoring estuarine water quality is whether local actions to manage excess nutrients can be effective, given that estuaries are also responding to tidal inputs from adjacent water bodies. Several types of statistical analysis were used to examine spatially-detailed and long-term water quality monitoring data in eight sub-estuaries of Chesapeake Bay. These sub-estuaries are likely to be similar to other shallow systems with moderate to long water residence times. Statistical cluster analysis of spatial water quality data suggested that estuaries had spatially distinct water quality zones and that the peak algal biomass (as measured by chlorophyll- a ) was most often controlled by local watershed inputs in all but one estuary, although mainstem inputs affected most estuaries at some times and places. An elasticity indicator that compared inter-annual changes in sub-estuaries to parallel changes in the mainstem Chesapeake Bay supported the idea that water quality in sub-estuaries was not strongly coupled to the mainstem. A cross-channel zonation of water quality observed near the mouth of estuaries suggested that Bay influences were stronger on the right side of the lower channel (looking up estuary) at times in all estuaries, and was most common in small estuaries closest to the mouth of the primary water source to the estuary. Where Bay influences were strong, estuarine water quality would be expected to be less responsive to nutrient reductions made in the local watershed. Regression analysis was used to evaluate hypothesized relationships between environmental driver variables and average chlorophyll- a (chl- a ) concentrations. Chl- a values were calculated from unusually detailed levels of spatial sampling, potentially providing a more comprehensive view of system conditions than that provided by traditional sparse sampling networks. The univariate models with the best data support to explain variability in averaged chl- a concentration were those that reflected water residence time. Of the land cover variables tested, septic density in the riparian zone explained the most variance in chl- a . The multivariate models that most improved upon the residence time effect added TN or TP flows (normalized by volume) and suggested that chl- a will be less responsive to nutrient reductions in estuaries that are poorly flushed.
Construct validity test of evaluation tool for professional behaviors of entry-level occupational therapy students in the United States

Purpose: This study aimed to test the construct validity of an instrument to measure student professional behaviors in entry-level occupational therapy (OT) students in the academic setting.
Inflammatory pseudotumor of the lung in a coal miner with pneumoconiosis.

Abstract Inflammatory pseudotumors of the lung are uncommon and etiologically diverse lesions that often present as solitary masses in the lung. It may be difficult to distinguish these lesions from more commonly encountered lung neoplasms. Inflammatory pseudotumors can also occur in other organs, but the lung is most commonly involved. We describe a 63-year-old male coal miner with a 40-year history of dust exposure, who had a large right middle lobe mass on chest roentgenograms, with slow growth over the 7 years prior to admission. Repeated transthoracic echo-guided biopsies of the mass were indicative of an inflammatory and reactive process. The radiographic, histologic, and clinical findings indicated a diagnosis of inflammatory pseudotumor. The patient refused surgical intervention and was regularly followed at our outpatient clinic. Follow-up chest roentgenograms for 1 year revealed that the tumor size was stable. This case suggested that inflammatory pseudotumor, although uncommon, should be included in the differential diagnosis in a patient with pneumoconiosis and a solitary mass in the lung.
From Scout to Doughboy: The National Debate over Integrating American Indians into the Military, 1891–1918

toward the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and to the trophy room overlooking that hallowed sight. Amid the familiar medals bestowed upon American "doughboys" of World War I is a display simply labeled "Chief Plenty Coups, American Indians." Contained within the case are a resplendent warbonnet, complete with the highly valued center tail feathers of eagles, and a beaded and feathered coup stick, both products from an earlier time in American history. The two artifacts were gifts of the aging Crow leader Plenty Coups during the 1921 consecration of the original Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Because of his longtime friendship with whites and his encouragement of Indian men to join the military service during World War I, Plenty Coups had been selected to represent all Native Americans at the November 11 ceremonies.1 Although only President Warren G. Harding had been slated to speak at the somber occasion, it was the unrehearsed actions of Plenty Coups that captured the attention of the one-hundred-thousand-person audience and the large corps of newspaper reporters. The elderly chief walked forward, placed his feathered warbonnet and coup stick on the sarcophagus, and lifted his arm in supplication toward Heaven. He then conveyed in his native language the emotions of his heart:
Comparison between the effects of 2–3 dutanedione monoxime (BDM) and calcium chloride on myocardial oxygen consumption

The agent 2,3-butanedione monoxime (BDM) has been reported to reduce the sensitivity of myofilament force development to calcium ions, without affecting the calcium transient in myocardium. One would predict, therefore, that BDM should reduce the contractile state of the heart without reducing the amount of oxygen that is consumed to fuel the process of excitation-contraction coupling. The purpose of the present experiment was to test this hypothesis using isovolumically contracting, isolated, blood perfused canine hearts during beta-blockade induced by continuous intra-coronary infusion of propranolol (1 mg/h). Contractile state was increased in seven hearts by CaCl2 infusion. Subsequently, while the CaCl2 infusion was continued at the highest rate, contractile state was reduced by BDM infusion. At each contractile state, we measured the left-ventricular end-systolic pressure-volume relation (ESPVR), the relation between myocardial oxygen consumption and its mechanical correlate, pressure-volume area (MVO2 vs PVA), and the duration of the LV pressure waveform. Contractile state was quantified by interpolated developed pressure at a reference ventricular volume of 25 ml (P25). BDM infusion (0.5-7 mM) caused a dose-dependent reduction in contractile state (50% reduction in P25 at 2.4 +/- 0.3 mM), and a dose-independent increase in coronary blood flow. Furthermore, BDM significantly reduced the duration of the pressure waveform up to 40% at the highest rate of BDM infusion compared to the pressure waveform duration measured at maximum CaCl2 infusion. We observed a direct relationship between MVO2 of the mechanically unloaded heart and contractility; this relation was unaffected by BDM infusion (P > 0.3). The slope of the MVO2-PVA relation decreased with increases in contractile state, but this decrease was unaffected by BDM (P > or = 0.4). We conclude that in the isolated canine heart, BDM does not act energetically as expected for a myofibrillar calcium desensitizing agent.
Hurricane Charley Exposure and Hazard of Preterm Delivery, Florida 2004

Objective Hurricanes are powerful tropical storm systems with high winds which influence many health effects. Few studies have examined whether hurricane exposure is associated with preterm delivery. We aimed to estimate associations between maternal hurricane exposure and hazard of preterm delivery. Methods We used data on 342,942 singleton births from Florida Vital Statistics Records 2004–2005 to capture pregnancies at risk of delivery during the 2004 hurricane season. Maternal exposure to Hurricane Charley was assigned based on maximum wind speed in maternal county of residence. We estimated hazards of overall preterm delivery (<37 gestational weeks) and extremely preterm delivery (<32 gestational weeks) in Cox regression models, adjusting for maternal/pregnancy characteristics. To evaluate heterogeneity among racial/ethnic subgroups, we performed analyses stratified by race/ethnicity. Additional models investigated whether exposure to multiples hurricanes increased hazard relative to exposure to one hurricane. Results Exposure to wind speeds ≥39 mph from Hurricane Charley was associated with a 9 % (95 % CI 3, 16 %) increase in hazard of extremely preterm delivery, while exposure to wind speed ≥74 mph was associated with a 21 % (95 % CI 6, 38 %) increase. Associations appeared greater for Hispanic mothers compared to non-Hispanic white mothers. Hurricane exposure did not appear to be associated with hazard of overall preterm delivery. Exposure to multiple hurricanes did not appear more harmful than exposure to a single hurricane. Conclusions Hurricane exposure may increase hazard of extremely preterm delivery. As US coastal populations and hurricane severity increase, the associations between hurricane and preterm delivery should be further studied.
Pulsed helical antenna for high-power applications

Helical antenna is a very versatile antennas capable of producing many different types of radiation characteristics. Its performance is bound by a loop (length ➔ 0) and a dipole (major diameter ➔0). Within these bounds, the helical antenna radiates a ∼ circularly polarized electromagnetic wave with varying characteristics. In this paper we describe its applicability for high-power applications.
Breaking Into Transgender Life: Transgender Audiences' Experiences With “First of Its Kind” Visibility in Popular Media

Drawing from ethnographic fieldwork with transgender individuals and communities, this article explores transgender audiences' interactions with what I call “breakout texts,” media that portray “first of its kind” representation. I analyze the films Boys Don't Cry (1999) and TransAmerica (2005) as transgender breakout texts, or media that break into the cultural mainstream, break with historical representational paradigms, and break into the everyday life of viewers. Focusing mainly on this last break, I examine how transgender audiences discern breakout texts through a paradigm of mediatized “linked fate” (Dawson, 1994); how audiences move from “cultural readers” (Bobo, 1988) to cultural interpreters as a result of breakout texts' cultural popularity; and how audiences engage in “queer identity work” (Gray, 2009) with breakout texts.
Ex-Ante Impact Study of MENARID Economic and Environmental Policy (Case Study: An Irrigation Water Supply Project in Iran)

The purpose of the Integrated Natural Resource Management (INRM) Program in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region (MENARID) is to bring national investment projects in the field of INRM. Within the scope of MENARID, International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) planned to support a full and details impact study that captures the adoption of all INRM technologies implemented by the Iran’s MENARID project titled Institutional Strengthening and Coherence for Integrated Natural Resources Management, and further assess a few high potential technologies selected in close collaboration with the local project team, and for which primary and secondary data are available. Such a study should also explore the gender aspect of the technologies analyzed. The impact evaluation study tests whether the selected technology has significantly contributed to restore and maintain of the ecosystem functions and productivity, and whether has improved the economic and social well-being of the targeted communities. We chose Kamkooyeh Village in the Behabad Site (in Yazd Province) where a Village Development Group (VDG) has been established by following participatory and capacity building approaches such as social mobilization and micro credit mechanism. A set of complementary activities and interventions were recommended and implemented in this site by consultation and active participation of the local communities and beneficiaries. One of the proposed interventions is the implementation of an Irrigation Water Supply Project (IWSP). The expected benefits and costs of the IWSP were predicted through financial valuation and an ex-ante evaluation of socioeconomic impacts. The financial and social (Economic and Environmental) benefit-cost ratio of IWSP was estimated to be about 0.83 and 2.32, respectively.
Spectrum sharing via hybrid cognitive players evaluated by an M/D/1 queuing model

We consider a cognitive wireless network in which users adopt a spectrum sharing strategy based on cooperation constraints. The majority of cognitive radio schemes bifurcate the role of players as either cooperative or non-cooperative. In this work, however, we modify this strategy to one in which players are hybrid, i.e., both cooperative and non-cooperative. Using a Stackelberg game strategy, we evaluate the improvement in performance of a cognitive radio network with these hybrid cognitive players using an M/D/1 queuing model. We use a novel game strategy (which we call altruism) to “police” a wireless network by monitoring the network and finding the non-cooperative players. Upon introduction of this new player, we present and test a series of predictive algorithms that shows improvements in wireless channel utilization over traditional collision-detection algorithms. Our results demonstrate the viability of using this strategy to inform and create more efficient cognitive radio networks. Next, we study a Stackelberg competition with the primary license holder as the leader and investigate the impact of multiple leaders by modeling the wireless channel as an M/D/1 queue. We find that in the Stackelberg game, the leader can improve its utility by influencing followers’ decisions using its advertised cost function and the number of followers accepted in the network. The gain in utility monotonically increases until the network is saturated. The Stackelberg game formulation shows the existence of a unique Nash equilibrium using an appropriate cost function. The equilibrium maximizes the total utility of the network and allows spectrum sharing between primary and secondary cognitive users.
Analysis of Media Coverage on Breastfeeding Policy in Washington State.

Background:Media coverage and message framing about breastfeeding polices can influence important policy decisions in institutional and governmental settings.Research aim:This study aimed to descri...
Vlogging White Privilege Abroad: Eat Your Kimchi's Eating and Spitting Out of the Korean Other on YouTube

Over several years, the YouTube channel Eat Your Kimchi, a White expatriate video log about South Korea, generated a sizeable audience. In the videos, Martina and Simon Stawski draw upon discourses that empower their identities as a privileged group of cultural outsiders—valued and othered for their White difference. To benefit from their global advantage, they essentialize differences between the West/themselves and Korea/ns in order to emphasize White and Western superiority. As a consequence, they reject hybridity by both mocking Korea/ns as an exotic other and by consuming it as an exotic delight. Their strategies reflect colonial-era discourses seen in the travel logs of White “adventurers” that are transformed to the current social, global, and technological conjuncture.
Patterns of sedentary and active time accumulation are associated with mortality in US adults: The NHANES study

Purpose: Sedentary behavior has become a public health pandemic and has been associated with a variety of comorbidities including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers. Previous studies have also shown that excessive amount of sedentary behavior is associated with all-cause mortality. However, no studies investigated whether patterns of sedentary and active time accumulation are associated with mortality independently of total sedentary and total active times. This study addresses this question by i) comparing several analytical ways to quantify patterns of both sedentary and active time accumulation through metrics of fragmentation of objectively-measured physical activity and ii) exploring the association of these metrics with all-cause mortality in a nationally representative US sample of elderly adults. Methods: The accelerometry data of 3400 participants aged 50 to 84 in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003-2006 cohorts were analyzed. Ten fragmentation metrics were calculated to quantify the duration of sedentary and active bouts: average bout duration, Gini index, average hazard, between-state transition probability, and the parameter of power law distribution. The association of these fragmentation metrics with all-cause mortality followed through December 31, 2011 was assessed with survey-weighted Cox proportional hazard models. Results: In models adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, body mass index, common comorbidities, and total sedentary/active time, four fragmentation metrics were associated with lower mortality risk: average active bout duration (HR=0.72 for 1SD increase, 95% CI = 0.59-0.88), Gini index for active bouts (HR = 0.75, 95% CI = 0.64-0.86), the parameter of power law distribution for sedentary bouts (HR = 0.75, 95% CI = 0.63-0.90), and sedentary-to-active transition probability (HR = 0.77, 95% CI = 0.61-0.96), and four fragmentation metrics were associated with higher mortality risk: the active-to-sedentary transition probability (HR = 1.40, 95% CI=1.23-1.58), the parameter of power law distribution for active bouts (HR = 1.33, 95% CI = 1.16-1.52), average hazard for durations of active bouts (HR = 1.32, 95% CI = 1.18-1.48), and average sedentary bout duration (HR =1.07, 95% CI = 1.01-1.13). After sensitivity analysis, average sedentary bout duration and sedentary-to-active transition probability became insignificant. Conclusion: Longer average duration of active bouts, a lower probability of transitioning from active to sedentary behavior, and a higher normalized variability of active bout durations were strongly negatively associated with all-cause mortality independently of total active time. A larger proportion of longer sedentary bouts were positively associated with all-cause mortality independently of total sedentary time. The results also suggested a nonlinear association of average active bout duration with mortality that corresponded to the largest risk increase in subjects with average active bout duration less than 3 minutes.
Field emission properties of arrays of carbon-nanotube-based fibers

Recently, we presented a multiscale model of field emission (FE) from carbon nanotube fibers (CBFs) taking into account Joule heating within the fiber and radiative cooling and the Nottingham effect at the tip of the individual carbon nanotubes in the array located at the fiber tip [1]. The model was used to predicts the fraction of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) being destroyed as a function of the applied external electric field and reproduces many experimental features observed in some recently investigated carbon nanotube fibers such as, order of magnitude of the emission current (mA range), low turn on electric field (fraction of V/μm), deviation from pure Fowler-Nordheim behavior at large applied electric field, hysteresis of the FE characteristics, and a spatial variation of the temperature along the CNF axis with a maximum close to its tip of a few hundred °C. In this work, we report the simulations of the field emission properties from small arrays of carbon nanotube fibers in the presence of shielding effects. The latter are modeled using the line charge model recently developed by Harris et al. [2-5]. The average total emission current and its variance for linear arrays composed of seven carbon nanotube fibers are calculated to show their sensitivity to the morphology of the apex of the individual fibers which are modeled as random arrays of CNTs. In practice, the FE properties of the latter can be strongly dependent of the cutting technique used to form the fiber apexes.
Technology-based public policy interventions to enhance access to health care support: A study in the context of rural bangladesh

Bangladesh is one of the most populous countries in the world and the current population is 165.06 million. Almost more than half of the total population does not have proper access to proper healthcare support due to the shortage of the appropriate number of healthcare facilities and registered doctors. The latest research analysis and study conducted by WHO states that now there's only 3 doctors and 3 nurses per 1000 people in Bangladesh. Further comprehensive research indicates that there are certain rural and remote locations in Bangladesh where there are no available hospitals and/or registered doctors to provide required health care facilities. Thus, against this backdrop, there is an it is urgent need to understand whether and how the government could utilizes IT tools such as mobile apps to facilitate access to health care support. This exploratory research study thoroughly focuses on the various problematic areas in rural health care facilities available to the rural population of Bangladesh, and proposes an alternative and sustainable approach to overcome such gap in medical services for this underserved population.
Effect of Model Thrombus Volume and Elastic Modulus on Magnetomotive Ultrasound Signal Under Pulsatile Flow

Direct ultrasonic imaging of arterial and venous thrombi could aid in diagnosis and treatment planning by providing rapid and cost-effective measurements of thrombus volume and elastic modulus. Toward this end, it was demonstrated that open-air magnetomotive ultrasound (MMUS) provides specific contrast to superparamagnetic iron oxide-labeled model thrombi embedded in gelatin-based blood vessel-mimicking flow phantoms. MMUS was performed on model thrombi in the presence of pulsatile flow that mimics cardiac-induced motion found in real vasculature. The MMUS signal and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) were measured across a range of physiologically relevant thrombus volumes and elastic moduli. Model thrombus volumes as small as 0.5 ml were shown to be detectable (CNR > 1) over the entire range of elastic moduli tested (3.5–40 kPa). It was also found that MMUS signal and CNR are increased with increasing thrombus volume ( $r = 0.99$ ) and decreasing elastic modulus ( $r = -0.81$ ), while variations in pulsatile flow rate had little effect. These findings demonstrate that MMUS has promise as a direct in vivo thrombosis imaging modality for quantifying thrombus volume and stiffness.
A Study on Generation of Nonuniqueness

This chapter describes a study on generation of nonuniqueness. Under certain assumptions on stability of a bounded solution, it can be shown that a given almost-periodic system has an almost-periodic solution. In such a study, some differences have been noticed between the two cases: (1) the case when every equation in the hull satisfies a uniqueness condition of solutions of initial-value problems, and (2) the case when some equations in the hull do not satisfy such conditions. Sell has proposed a new method that is applicable to both of these cases. The chapter presents a system dx / dt = ƒ( t , x ), denoted by ( S ) and its perturbation dy / dt = ƒ( t , y ) + g ( t , y ), denoted by ( S ′) are considered. If ( S ) satisfies a uniqueness condition, every solution of ( S ) can be approximated by solutions of ( S ′). However, if ( S ) does not satisfy such a condition, there may exist a solution of ( S ) that cannot be approximated by any solutions of ( S ′).
Security after the Revolutions of 1989 and 1991: The Future with Nuclear Weapons

Political scientists typically view weapons within the realm of effects, not within the realm of causes. That is, weapons are a consequence of the great causal factors in international relations. Insecurity is the most important of these factors; it follows from the uneven distribution of power among states, the security dilemma, and the ever-present possibility that violence will be used to settle disagreements because there is no higher authority above states capable of enforcing rules. According to this logic weapons cause neither war nor peace. They are simply tools that states use to gain a share of the scarcest cor modity—security—by fighting other states or by threatening to do so if necessary.
Using animal models of cartilage repair to screen new clinical techniques

Abstract: The repair of articular cartilage defects is often inadequate and regeneration is not achieved. Animal models of articular cartilage defects are critical preclinical means of assessing repair techniques. This chapter reviews models for articular cartilage repair with emphasis on equine models that have been recently recognized to have specific advantages for translation into human articular cartilage resurfacing. Advantages include the ability to make specific chondral defects with and without calcified cartilage layer present, more repair tissue for analysis, the ability to monitor patients clinically, with diagnostic imaging and also arthroscopically, the fact that horses get similar clinical diseases and post-operative exercise can be controlled. Critically sized defect models have been developed on both the equine femoral trochlea and medial femoral condyles.
Xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis: Angiographic evaluation

Abstract The renal angiographic findings of xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis in 4 cases proved by nephrectomy are described and analyzed.
Gas Discharge Laser Diagnostics Update

The investigation of gas discharges dates back to the time of Faraday and other notables of the nineteenth century. Many of the studies were very ambitious in that quite complex gases and complicated geometries were used. Naturally, these early results were qualitative. Later, as vacuum techniques improved, the beautiful results of the Cavendish Laboratory led to many of the most fundamental advances in atomic physics. Electrical discharge studies gradually became refined and the importance of gas purity to achieve reproducible results was recognized. Hence, many discharge experiments were performed using the rare gases, the simpler diatomic gases and some metal vapors. Thus it seems that Irving Langmuir’s favorite discharge was that in mercury vapor because of its compatibility with mercury diffusion pumps. After 1940 the interest in discharges in gas mixtures and in complex molecular gases declined because it was difficult to make quantitative analyses or even to obtain reproducible results. At that time film depositions and sputtering were generally considered nuisances.
Effect of Monetary Incentives on Mail Survey Response Rates for Midwestern Farmers

Response rates to mail-based surveys have declined in recent decades, and survey response rates for farmers tend to be low overall. Maintaining high response rates is necessary to prevent non-respo...
A deep learning-based framework for two-step localization and characterization of acoustic emission sources in metallic panels using only one sensor

This study focuses on localizing and characterizing acoustic emission (AE) sources in metallic panels with rivetconnected doublers. In particular, a deep learning-based framework is proposed that first performs zonal localization with only one sensor and then depending on the zone in which the source occurs, either finds the coordinates of the source or characterize it based on its source-to-rivet distance. The performance of the framework is assessed in typical scenarios in which the training and testing conditions of the deep networks are not identical, and Hsu-Nielsen sources were carried out for validation.
Complex inter-relationship of body mass index, gender and serum creatinine on survival: exploring the obesity paradox in melanoma patients treated with checkpoint inhibition

A male gender driven obesity paradox (improved survival for overweight/obese patients compared to normal weight) was recently shown in melanoma in the context of checkpoint inhibition (anti-PD-1/anti-CTLA4 monotherapy) in a pooled meta-analysis. We characterized the relationship of Body Mass Index (BMI) with survival and explored gender-based interactions with surrogates of body composition/malnutrition in the context of PD-1 blockade as monotherapy or in combination with ipilimumab in a real-world setting. Advanced melanoma patients who received at least one dose of pembrolizumab, nivolumab, or nivolumab plus ipilimumab (combination) from June 2014 to September 2016 were included in this retrospective cohort study (N = 139). Overall Survival (OS) and Progression Free Survival (PFS) were the main outcomes. Analysis was performed using Random Survival Forests (RSF)/ multivariable Cox Proportional-Hazards models. Overweight/Class-I (25- < 35 kg/m2) obese patients had a significantly lower risk of mortality (adjusted-HR:0.26; 95%CI:0.1–0.71; p-value = 0.008) and progressive disease (adjusted-HR:0.43; 95%CI:0.19–0.95; p-value:0.038) compared to normal-weight (18.5- < 25 kg/m2). Class II/III obesity (compared to normal-weight) had an adjusted HR of 0.42 (95%CI: 0.1–1.77; p-value: 0.238) for OS and 1 (95%CI:0.34–2.94; p-value:0.991) for PFS. Exploration of interactions for OS showed that the association was predominantly driven by males (adjusted-HRmales:0.11; 95%CI:0.03–0.4; adjusted-HRfemales: 0.56; 95%CI:0.16–1.89; p-valueinteraction:0.044); the association was not seen in patients with serum creatinine< 0.9 mg/dL (adjusted-HR:0.43; 95%CI:0.15–1.24; p-valueinteraction:0.020), who were predominantly females. These observations were made in both the anti-PD-1 monotherapy (n = 79) and combination therapy (anti-PD-1/CTLA-4, n = 60) cohorts. The findings support the existence of an “obesity paradox” restricted to overweight/Class-I obesity in the real-world setting; the association was driven predominantly by males who largely had higher serum creatinine levels, a surrogate for skeletal muscle mass in the setting of metastatic disease. These observations suggest that sarcopenia (low skeletal muscle mass) or direct measures of body mass composition may be more suitable predictors of survival in melanoma patients treated with PD-1 blockade (monotherapy/combination).
Quantum mechanics study of repulsive π-π interaction and flexibility of phenyl moiety in the iron azodioxide complex

Abstract In this study, repulsive π–π interactions within iron azodioxide complex Fe[Ph(O)NN(O)Ph] 3 were quantum mechanically characterized using DFT, MP2 and CCSD(T) methods. Flexibility of six phenyl moieties in this complex structure was also investigated by structural optimization approach using the DFT methods. Our MP2 and CCSD(T) calculations of the closest pair provided interaction energy of 6.62 and 8.29 kcal/mol respectively, which indicate a strongest repulsion among these intra-molecular π–π interactions. Interaction energy of the particular π–π pair calculated from 24 hybrid DFT methods ranges from 4.56 kcal/mol from BHandH method to 15.15 kcal/mol from O3LYP method. Cares should be exercised when interpreting interaction energy and geometry optimization from DFT simulation of systems containing π–π interaction. Comparison between the DFT results and the benchmark CCSD(T) results shows that the DFT calculations of π–π interaction are reasonable but still need to be interpreted with caution. Furthermore, MP2 interaction energy of −44.69 kcal/mol between two substituted π systems/phenyl rings Ph(O)N-moieties suggested that above energetically unfavorable π–π interaction can be compensated by the covalent bond N–N in a single ligand Ph(O)NN(O)Ph, which allows for a reasonable stability across the complex molecules. Optimizations of the entire complex molecule using B3LYP and M06HF methods produced a large variation of π–π distances and orientations, which implied that the complex molecule may perform catalysis at room temperature.
Anti-development Impacts of Tax-Related Provisions in Proposed Rules on Digital Trade in the WTO

The ability of developing countries to achieve the SDGs will depend in large part on their ability to mobilize resources including through taxation. But new proposed rules in the WTO are threatening all countries’ ability to generate fiscal revenues through taxing the activity of transnational corporations. Under the guise of new talks on ‘e-commerce’, the largest TNCs are seeking to rig international rules to prevent governments from being able to assess tariffs on international transactions, as well as to assess taxes on corporate profits. If the talks in the WTO result in a binding agreement, the fastest-growing and most profitable sectors of the economy will be permanently released from the responsibility of contributing to the social and physical infrastructure on which their businesses are based, and governments will be unable to meet the social and development needs of their populations.
Herpetic Keratitis: The Genesis of a Career in the Early Days of HSV Keratitis Research

I met Claes Dohlman for the first time at an antiviral conference in 1963 sponsored by Allergan Pharmaceuticals in Irvine, California. We had both been invited to discuss the first antiviral drug effective against a human virus, herpes simplex. The medication was 5-iodo-2′-deoxyuridine, or IDU. It had initially been reported by Kaufman, Nesburn, and Maloney in 1962 [1], while Herbert Kaufman was an ophthalmology resident at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary.
Traffic conflicts of autonomous vehicles

Abstract Emergence of autonomous vehicles and their profound impact on road safety are expected in the foreseeable future. The transition period to roads with all machine-driven vehicles will require efficient and effective safety analysis and management to identify hazards and to make timely responses to them with vehicle and road improvements. The role of traffic conflicts is explained with regard to the potential sources of data, possible challenges, and required changes in data handling and sharing.
Expanding therapeutic opportunities for neurodegenerative diseases: A perspective on the important role of phenotypic screening.

Abstract Over the last 20 years, there have been remarkably few FDA-approved first-in-class drugs for neurodegenerative diseases. Debilitating conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis have no effective disease-modifying therapeutics on the market, signifying an area of high unmet medical need where novel approaches are needed. Using a phenotypic screening approach, two separate groups discovered small molecule non-antisense oligonucleotide splice modulators for spinal muscular atrophy, a severe monogenetic disease that causes the degeneration of alpha motor neurons in the spinal cord. These compounds function by a novel mechanism: selective stabilization of the interaction of U1 small nuclear ribonucleic protein (snRNP), a core component of the spliceosome, with the 5′ splice site of a pre-mRNA. The ability of the phenotypic screening approach to uncover a previously unknown mechanism and reveal a new druggable target class has broader implications for other neurodegenerative diseases.
Prolegomena for the Development of Indigenous Psychologies of Spirituality: Colonization, Decolonization, and Indigeneity

Indigenous psychology of religion/spirituality is a response to the historical backdrop of colonization that imposed on indigenous peoples a culture of neoliberalism that had shaped Western psychology and Western religions. We propose that an indigenous psychology of spirituality makes two assumptions. First, instead of viewing indigenous spiritualties through the Western lens of “religion,” local spiritual practices will provide the external markers of the spiritual tradition. Second, a tradition-sensitive approach would not take modern psychologies as its point of departure but would elucidate the folk psychology that governs the indigenous person’s sense of identity. Addressing the issues of colonization, decolonization, and indigeneity will thus constitute necessary prolegomena for the development of indigenous psychologies of spirituality.
How Fast Can We Go: Abbreviated Prostate MR Protocols

Purpose of review Multiparametric MRI (mpMRI), composed of T2WI, DWI, and DCE sequences, is effective in identifying prostate cancer (PCa), but length and cost preclude its application as a PCa screening tool. Here we review abbreviated MRI protocols that shorten or omit conventional mpMRI components to reduce scan time and expense without forgoing diagnostic accuracy. Recent findings The DCE sequence, which plays a limited diagnostic role in PI-RADS, is eliminated in variations of the biparametric MRI (bpMRI). T2WI, the lengthiest sequence, is truncated by only acquiring the axial plane or utilizing 3D acquisition with subsequent 2D reconstruction. DW-EPISMS further accelerates DWI acquisition. The fastest protocol described to date consists of just DW-EPISMS and axial-only 2D T2WI and runs less than 5 min. Abbreviated protocols can mitigate scan expense and increase scan access, allowing prostate MRI to become an efficient PCa screening tool.
The more that households prioritise healthy eating, the better they can afford to consume a sufficient quantity and variety of fruits and vegetables.

Objective To examine the variety of fruits and vegetables lower income households in the USA can buy while meeting Federal dietary recommendations at different levels of expenditure. Design Simulation techniques were used to create 3000 market baskets of fruits and vegetables. All baskets contained enough food for a four-person household to meet dietary recommendations for fruits and vegetables over 1 week. Each basket's retail value was estimated along with the ability of a representative household to afford each basket with different levels of expenditure. Setting We used data from the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Fruit and Vegetable Prices data product which reports a US household's costs to buy each of 157 different fruit and vegetable products per edible cup equivalent. Participants We consider the situation facing a lower income household that receives maximum benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). These benefits are enough for the household to obtain a nutritious and palatable diet without spending any of its own money on food if it approximately follows USDA's Thrifty Food Plan. Results Households receiving maximum SNAP benefits can buy a sufficient variety and quantity of fruits and vegetables if they allocate about 40 % of those benefits to these two food groups. However, if households spend less than that amount, the variety of products they can buy while still satisfying recommendations drops off quickly. Conclusion Households that move fruits and vegetables to the centre of their budgets can better afford to meet Federal dietary guidelines.