cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A new approach to optimization of chemical processes

Based on recent work by Powell, a new optimization algorithm is presented. It merges the Newton-Raphson method and quadratic programming. A unique feature is that one does not converge the equality and tight inequality constraints for each step taken by the optimization algorithm. The article show how to perform the necessary calculations efficiently for very large problems which require the use of mass memory. Experience with the algorithm on small problems indicates it converges exceptionally quickly to the optimal answer, often in as few iterations (5 to 15) as are needed to perform a single simulation with no optimization using more conventional approaches.
Responses of tumor cell pseudopod protrusion to changes in medium osmolality.

The potential involvement of osmotically generated force in protrusion of tumor cell pseudopods was examined during a micropipette assay. Experiments were performed on single A2058 melanoma cells activated by a micropipette filled with soluble type IV collagen. Previous observations suggested that tumor cell pseudopod protrusion induced by type IV collagen took place in distinct, separable phases: an initial bleb (first phase) caused by localized Ca2+-activated actin filament severing resulting in an osmotic flux followed by an extension with an irregular shape (second phase) which required G protein-mediated actin polymerization (Dong et al., 1994, Microvasc. Res., 47:55–67). Presently we studied cell pseudopod protrusion in response to the changes in chemoattractant osmolality. Reduction of attractant osmolality by 20–25% from its baseline value (297 mmol/kg) resulted in an increase in pseudopod length by 50% apparent in the initial phase. Increases in attractant osmolality by 25–30% from the baseline value arrested pseudopod protrusion significantly during both initial and later phases. Using a dual-pipette method, such osmotic influence on the cell pseudopod protrusion was shown to be only a local effect in a small region where the cell surface was stimulated by the micropipette. While forces derived from actin polymerization and osmotic pressure have been proposed to cause protrusion in general, our results suggested that osmotically generated force is more apparent in the initial phase of the pseudopod formation. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Early Triassic stromatolites as post-mass extinction disaster forms

Aftermaths of mass extinctions have been thought to be characterized by relaxation of ecological constraints accompanied by increased prominence of opportunistic generalists. Such taxa, termed 'disaster forms,' have been shown to increase dramatically in range and abundance after several mass extinction events. The Cambrian-Ordovician stromatolite decline in normal-marine level-bottom environments has been explained as a direct or indirect consequence of increases in ecological constraints, such as greater levels of predation and/or bioturbation of microbial communities, caused by early Paleozoic benthic invertebrate evolution and diversification. Thus, one would predict that in post-Ordovician strata, stromatolites might appear in normal-marine level-bottom environments as disaster forms in the aftermaths of mass extinction particularly devastating to the benthic biota, such as during Early Triassic time. Mounded stromatolites are present in two beds (up to 1.5 m thick) of the Lower Triassic (Spathian) Virgin Limestone Member (Moenkopi Formation) in the southwestern Spring Mountains of Nevada. Stromatolites from level-bottom normal-marine subtidal environments have also been described from other Lower Triassic strata in North America, Europe, and Asia. These stromatolites, unusual in level-bottom normal-marine settings, may have developed locally during the long aftermath (4-5 m.y.) of the Permian-Triassic mass extinction because of partial relaxation of the ecological constraintsmore » that typically restricted them from unstressed subtidal, normal-marine, level-bottom environments.« less
A general self-adaptive task scheduling system for non-dedicated heterogeneous computing

The efforts to construct a national scale grid computing environment has brought unprecedented computing capacity. Exploiting this complex infrastructure requires efficient middleware to support the execution of a distributed application, composed of a set of subtasks, for best performance. This presents the challenge how to schedule these subtasks in shared heterogeneous systems. Current work has several limitations. Most scheduling systems are based on determined estimation of task completion time. Current application-level scheduling algorithms are too closely coupled with application internal structures. The application performance may suffer when some resources represent an abnormal usage pattern during applications execution. To address these issues, we develop a prototype of grid harvest service (GHS) to provide dynamic and self-adaptive task scheduling. Experimental results show GHS outperforms current systems in scheduling large applications in a non-dedicated heterogeneous environment.
Generation of unexpected editing patterns in Leishmania tarentolae mitochondrial mRNAs: Misediting produced by misguiding

We have analyzed the generation of unexpected patterns of RNA editing, i.e., those not following a strict 3' to 5' progression, which occur in junction regions between fully edited and preedited sequences. Evidence is presented that these patterns are generated by misediting due to specific events of misguiding. Misediting can occur through the interaction of inappropriate gRNAs with mRNAs or appropriate gRNAs in an incorrect fashion. Four possible mechanisms for the generation of misedited sequences are presented. Chimeric molecules have been detected in steady-state mitochondrial RNAs that are composed of misguiding gRNAs covalently linked to mRNAs at misediting sites by the 3' oligo(U) tail. We propose that misediting within junction regions can be corrected by appropriately acting gRNAs.
Hypoglycemia Early Alarm Systems Based on Recursive Autoregressive Partial Least Squares Models

Background: Hypoglycemia caused by intensive insulin therapy is a major challenge for artificial pancreas systems. Early detection and prevention of potential hypoglycemia are essential for the acceptance of fully automated artificial pancreas systems. Many of the proposed alarm systems are based on interpretation of recent values or trends in glucose values. In the present study, subject-specific linear models are introduced to capture glucose variations and predict future blood glucose concentrations. These models can be used in early alarm systems of potential hypoglycemia. Method: A recursive autoregressive partial least squares (RARPLS) algorithm is used to model the continuous glucose monitoring sensor data and predict future glucose concentrations for use in hypoglycemia alarm systems. The partial least squares models constructed are updated recursively at each sampling step with a moving window. An early hypoglycemia alarm algorithm using these models is proposed and evaluated. Results: Glucose prediction models based on real-time filtered data has a root mean squared error of 7.79 and a sum of squares of glucose prediction error of 7.35% for six-step-ahead (30 min) glucose predictions. The early alarm systems based on RARPLS shows good performance. A sensitivity of 86% and a false alarm rate of 0.42 false positive/day are obtained for the early alarm system based on six-step-ahead predicted glucose values with an average early detection time of 25.25 min. Conclusions:
Pacemaker Failure in Complete Heart Block

Atrioventricular conduction blocks were produced in dogs, and ventricular stimulation was accomplished by the use of electrodes implanted either into normal myocardium or scar tissue on the myocardium. Stimulation through scar tissue requires several times the power necessary for stimulation through normal myocardium, but both are well within the limit of standard, commercially available, transistorized pacemakers. Failure of stimulation of the ventricle was not due to excessive scarring. Failure of stimulation was in every instance due to wire breakage or actual loss of contact between the wire and the myocardium.
Gold nanoparticles with high densities of small protuberances on nanocluster cores with strong NIR extinction

Plasmonic nanoparticles with sizes well below 100 nm and high near infrared (NIR) extinction are of great interest in biomedical imaging. Herein we present ∼60 nm Au nanoparticles with high NIR absorbance at wavelengths ranging from 700 nm to 1100 nm, which were synthesized under kinetic control. A high surface density of protuberances is grown on ∼30 nm nanocluster cores, which are composed of ∼10 nm primary particles. The high NIR extinction is produced by a combination of the close proximity of the primary particles in the cores, the high surface density of protuberances, and the high aspect ratio of the length of the protuberances to the diameter of the primary particles. When the Au precursor was reduced more slowly at a higher pH of 9.3, the growth was thermodynamically controlled and the nanocluster cores relaxed to spheres. This concept of self-assembly during reaction to change the morphology of nanoclusters and decorated nanoclusters, may be expected to be applicable to a wide variety of systems by balancing kinetic and thermodynamic control, along with the colloidal interactions.
How Multiple Coders Can Improve Measurement: An Example Using the Polyarchy Scale

This paper provides an example of what can be done to take advantage of a multiple-coder data collection design. It suggests that amateurs can code fairly well with minimal training, provided that they are given uniform source materials and a well-designed instrument. My example takes advantage of a replication of the Polyarchy Scale by students in my classes from 2003 to 2006. In the process, I will show that the polyarchy scale is fairly reliable and that it becomes more reliable when multiple coders are used. In fact, a small number of coders (3-5) improves inter-item reliability substantially, enough that it may not be cost-effective to employ more – at least for this particular scale. I also propose a way to combine information about inter-coder and inter-item reliability into a summary statistic of measurement error for each unit.
Relationship Help-Seeking: A Review of the Efficacy and Reach

ABSTRACTFormal and informal relationship help-seeking is becoming increasingly common. This article discusses seven forms of relationship help-seeking: couple therapy, couple relationship education, self-help books, internet resources, other media sources, talking with clergy, and talking with friends and family. The purpose of this literature review is to organize the relationship help-seeking research, bring to light some of the less accessible research, and offer recommendations to researchers and practitioners regarding the efficacy and reach of relationship help-seeking. In addition, differences in relationship help-seeking based on gender are explored and current relationship help-seeking trends are discussed.
The Alaska-Siberia medical program: 24 years in retrospect.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this paper is to give the reader some idea of life in Siberia and Alaska during the creation of our first medical exchanges during the most difficult of political times. STUDY DESIGN: Various projects were designed using National Institutes of Health (NIH) criteria for our medical exchange. METHODS: As we took these first steps between the Siberian Branch of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR and the Institute for Circumpolar Health Studies at the University of Alaska Anchorage, USA, the general areas of our first studies were: (1) Circadian Rhythm and Work-Related Injuries in the North; (2) Alcohol and its Abuse with Treatment Methodologies; (3) Public Health Administration and Design in the Far East and Alaska; (4) Cystic Echinococcosis in the Arctic and Sub-Arctic; (5) Viral Hepatitis in the Arctic; (6) Cardiology; (7) Nutrition; and (8) Diabetes Prevention. RESULTS: A film made by the University of Alaska which was shown on PBS' "Breaking the Ice: The Alaska-Siberia Medical Research Program"; various papers and books published on both sides; and a major contribution made to world peace through the medical workers on both sides of the Bering Sea. CONCLUSION: This major effort for peace showed the world how the peoples of Siberia and Alaska could come together and work for world peace through joint collaborations. Native people were reunited after years of separation, new avenues were created in anthropology, biology and medicine, and, subsequently, the border was again opened between our peoples.
Treatment of Ramsay Hunt Syndrome

The effect of acyclovir-prednisone treatment in 80 patients with Ramsay Hunt syndrome was analyzed retrospectively at the Department of Otolaryngology, Ehime University School of Medicine, Ehime, Japan.
Turing on “Common Sense”: Cambridge Resonances

Turing was a philosopher of logic and mathematics, as well as a mathematician. His work throughout his life owed much to the Cambridge milieu in which he was educated and to which he returned throughout his life. A rich and distinctive tradition discussing how the notion of “common sense” relates to the foundations of logic was being developed during Turing’s undergraduate days, most intensively by Wittgenstein, whose exchanges with Russell, Ramsey, Sraffa, Hardy, Littlewood and others formed part of the backdrop which shaped Turing’s work. Beginning with a Moral Sciences Club talk in 1933, Turing developed an “anthropological” approach to the foundations of logic, influenced by Wittgenstein, in which “common sense” plays a foundational role. This may be seen not only in “On Computable Numbers” (1936/1937) and Turing’s dissertation (1939), but in his exchanges with Wittgenstein in 1939 and in two later papers, “The Reform of Mathematical Phraseology and Notation” (1944/1945) and “Solvable and Unsolvable Problems” (1954).
Inherent Immunogenicity or Lack Thereof of Pluripotent Stem Cells: Implications for Cell Replacement Therapy.

Donor-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) offer opportunities for personalized cell replacement therapeutic approaches due to their unlimited self-renewal potential and ability to differentiate into different somatic cells. A significant progress has been made towards generating iPSC lines that are free of integrating viral vectors, development of xeno-free culture conditions and differentiation of pluripotent stem cells (PSC) into functional somatic cell lineages. Since donor-specific iPSC lines are genetically identical to the individual, they are expected to be immunologically matched and these iPSC lines and their cellular derivatives are not expected to be immunologically rejected. However, studies in mouse models, utilizing rejection of teratomas as a model, have claimed that syngenic iPSC lines, especially the iPSC lines derived with integrating viral vectors, could be inherently immunogenic. This manuscript reviews current understanding of inherent immunogenicity of PSC lines, especially that of the human iPSC lines and their cellular derivatives, and strategies to overcome it.
A Practical Approach to Neonatal Opiate Withdrawal Syndrome

Perinatal opioid misuse and neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS) are a significant public health problem that has grown exponentially over the past decade. In the United States, a woman seeks emergency room care for prescription opioid misuse every 3 minutes and approximately every 25 minutes, a child is born with signs of drug withdrawal. The economic impact of perinatal opioid misuse is significant with annual hospital charges for NOWS in 2012 as $1.5 billion dollars. Perinatal opioid misuse is a complex, multifaceted problem that demands a multidisciplinary cross specialty approach. This article will review the current state of NOWS and provide medical practitioners with a practical guide to enhance evidence based practice.
How do legislators assess administrative performance?: Georgia’s Department of Transportation in the eyes of the State’s legislators

State legislatures and their member legislators serve as important overseers to state administrative departments, charged to function as principals relative to departmental agents. Yet, we know rel...
Non-inductively driven tokamak plasmas at near-unity βt in the Pegasus toroidal experiment

A major goal of the spherical tokamak (ST) research program is accessing a state of low internal inductance li, high elongation κ, and high toroidal and normalized beta ( βt and βN) without solenoidal current drive. Local helicity injection (LHI) in the Pegasus ST [Garstka et al., Nucl. Fusion 46, S603 (2006)] provides non-solenoidally driven plasmas that exhibit these characteristics. LHI utilizes compact, edge-localized current sources for plasma startup and sustainment. It results in hollow current density profiles with low li. The low aspect ratio ( R0/a∼1.2) of Pegasus allows access to high κ and high normalized plasma currents ( IN=Ip/aBT>14). Magnetic reconnection during LHI provides auxiliary ion heating. Together, these features provide access to very high βt plasmas. Equilibrium analyses indicate that βt up to ∼100% is achieved. These high βt discharges disrupt at the ideal no-wall β limit at βN∼7.
Linking sustainability to the healthy eating patterns of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans: a modelling study.

Summary Background Evidence-based nutrition policy is a key mechanism to promote planetary health. In the USA, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans are the foundation of nutrition policy and guide more than US$80 billion in federal spending. Recent attempts have been made to incorporate sustainability into the development of the Dietary Guidelines. However, the sustainability of the 2015–20 Dietary Guidelines remains unclear; research has not yet assessed the environmental impacts of the distinct healthy patterns recommended by the policy. Methods In this modelling study done at the University of New Hampshire (Durham, NH, USA), we analysed the healthy US-style (US), healthy Mediterranean-style (MED), and healthy vegetarian (VEG) patterns recommended in the 2015–20 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Food groups and subgroups consisted of 321 commonly consumed foods, with group composition predetermined by the US Department of Agriculture. We compiled and used multiple datasets to assign environmental burdens to foods, focusing on six impact categories of policy importance: global warming potential, land use, water depletion, freshwater and marine eutrophication, and particulate matter or respiratory organics. We did life cycle impact assessments for each of the three diet patterns and compared the six impact categories between the patterns. We also analysed the proportion contribution of the food groups to each impact category in each of the diet patterns. Findings The US and MED patterns had similar impacts, except for freshwater eutrophication. Freshwater eutrophication was 31% lower in the US pattern than the MED pattern, primarily due to increased seafood in the MED pattern. All three patterns had similar water depletion impacts, with fruits and vegetables as major contributors. For five of the six impacts, the VEG pattern had 42–84% lower burdens than both the US and MED patterns. Reliance on plant-based protein and eggs in the VEG pattern versus emphasis on animal-based protein in the other patterns was a key driver of differences, as was a lower overall protein foods recommendation in the VEG pattern. Interpretation The recommended patterns in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans might have starkly different impacts on the environment and other dimensions of human health beyond nutrition. Given the scale of influence of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans on food systems, incorporating sustainability into their development has the potential to have great benefit in terms of long-term food security. Funding None.
Palmaris Longus Tendinopathy Diagnosed With Ultrasound: A Case Report.

Abstract This is a case of 52-year old deaf female who was referred to the electrodiagnostic (EDX) laboratory for evaluation of pain and parasthesias in the left upper limb. The EDX study was normal. However, ultrasound revealed tendinopathy of the palmaris longus tendon, manifested by increased hypoechogenecity, caliber, and tenderness to sonopalpation compared to the right side. To the authors’ knowledge there are no reported cases of palmaris longus tendinopathy diagnosed with ultrasound. This case supports the use of point of care ultrasound to explore other possible causes of pathology in patients with parasthesias in the context of a normal EDX study.
Serum cotinine, vitamin D exposure levels and dental caries experience in U.S. adolescents

INTRODUCTION Epidemiologic studies of risk and protective factors for poor oral health have mostly been among children and adults, seldom focusing on adolescents. The aims of this study were to examine whether serum cotinine, a marker of tobacco exposure, and serum vitamin D are independently associated with dental caries experience among adolescents. METHODS Cross-sectional data from 2579 adolescent participants in the 2005-2008 National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey were analysed. The exposures, cotinine and vitamin D, were measured in serum while dental caries experience was determined by screening examination, and a case defined as having ≥1 decayed or filled teeth. Survey-adjusted logistic regression estimated prevalence odds ratios (POR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) between the respective exposures and outcome. RESULTS The overall median (IQR) serum cotinine level was 0.15 ng/mL (0.04, 1.80) while the mean (SE) serum vitamin D concentration was 68.2 nmol/L (1.36). In contrast to participants with serum cotinine ≤3 ng/L, those with levels >3 ng/L had covariate-adjusted estimate of 1.69 (1.16, 2.47) for caries experience. Each additional mean (ng/L) serum cotinine level was associated with an 8% (95% CI = 1.01, 1.16) greater adjusted prevalence odds of having caries experience. In contrast to participants with vitamin D ≥ 50 nmol/L, those with levels of30- < 50 nmol/L and <30 nmol/L had non-statistically significant adjusted estimates of 1.02 (0.72, 1.44) and 1.23 (0.70, 2.16) respectively for caries experience. CONCLUSIONS Serum cotinine is associated with dental caries experience among adolescents and while deficient (<30 nmol/L) levels of vitamin D appear to be associated with greater prevalence odds of caries experience, this association is inconclusive.
Luxturna: FDA documents reveal the value of a costly gene therapy

In 2017, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved voretigene neparvovec-rzyl (Luxturna), a gene therapy used to treat a rare form of inherited blindness. Widely described by the media as a curative treatment that 'restores vision', it was priced at US$850000. Although voretigene neparvovec-rzyl represents a substantial therapeutic advance, most reports have failed to adequately describe study outcomes as documented by FDA reviewers. These documents reveal that the drug is not expected to restore normal vision, that only about half of treated patients met the FDA's threshold for minimally meaningful improvement, that improvements might not persist long-term, that the most common measure of visual function was rejected as a primary endpoint after yielding mixed results, and that two patients experienced permanent vision loss. Over US$100 million of additional publicly-funded costs are not evident from the US$850000 figure.
Participation as a Health Communication Strategy in HIV/AIDS Intervention Projects: an Examination of a Project Targeting Commercial Sex Workers in India

ABSTRACTThis article examines how participation frames health communication strategies in the Sonagachi Project. The current research, which involves a study of 37 commercial female sex workers in ...
Energy harvesting characteristics in metamaterials based on bistable lattices

In this study, an energy harvesting strategy that utilizes the input-independent, invariant transition waves in periodic lattices of bistable elements is explored. We observe that oscillatory tails are induced in a discrete array as transition waves propagate along the lattice. The generated tail at each unit cell vibrates predominantly at a single frequency, which indicates that the tail energy can be efficiently harvested through resonant transduction mechanisms. We introduce inertially and elastically equivalent lattice models to study the discreteness effect of the bistable lattice on the characteristic behaviors of the oscillatory tails and observe that the energy harvesting potential from transition waves can be significantly increased with growing discreteness.
Brivaracetam attenuates pain behaviors in a murine model of neuropathic pain.

BackgroundThe antiseizure racetams may provide novel molecular insights into neuropathic pain due to their unique mechanism involving synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2A. Anti-allodynic effects of lev...
Chapter 11 – Neutron Chain Reactions

Publisher Summary A self-sustaining chain reaction involving neutrons and fission is possible if a critical mass of fuel is accumulated. The value of the multiplication factor k indicates whether a reactor is subcritical ( 1). The reactor power, which is proportional to the product of flux and the number of fuel atoms, is readily adjustable. A thermal reactor contains a moderator and operates on slowed neutrons. Reactors are classified according to purpose, neutron energy, moderator and coolant, fuel, arrangement, and structural material. Principal types are the pressurized water reactor (PWR), the boiling water reactor (BWR), the high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR), and liquid metal fast breeder reactor (LMFBR). Excess fuel is added to a reactor initially to take care of burning during the operating cycle, with adjustable control absorbers maintaining criticality. Account must be taken of fission product absorbers such as Xe-135 and of limitations related to thermal and radiation effects.
Optically sensing neural activity without imaging

Advanced computational imaging techniques have the potential to extract neural activity patterns from scattered data without reconstructing images.
Newcomers as Potential Drivers of Union Revitalization: Survey Evidence from Belgium

Most people tend to join mainstream trade unions for instrumental motives and not so much for ideological reasons. This instrumentalism, together with the passivity of most union members, endangers members’ union loyalty and their willingness to act collectively. One possible way to de-emphasize the traditional model of service-oriented unionism and strengthen union commitment is to involve members in small union tasks. By partially assigning day-to-day union work to lay members, it is believed that over-stretched union representatives will be able to assign more time to implementing union policies of strategic importance.The article examines to what extent new union members are willing to voluntarily engage in union tasks inspired by organizing unionism. To test this empirically, an e-survey was conducted among first-time members of a Belgian union. Predominantly young, the respondents had been members of the union for maximum of seven years. Belgium is an interesting case for exploring how member-union ties can be boosted, as it is a quintessential example of a country with a high union density characterized by instrumental and passive membership.Following the deletion of cases with missing data, 518 observations are available for analysis. The dependent variable measures the organizing-oriented activism intent based on union tasks reflecting one-on-one organizing tactics for reaching out to potential members. A critical mass of 41.3% new members is (greatly) interested in at least one task. The regression results show that two variables derived from the planned behaviour theory significantly influence organizing-based union tasks: the pro-union context and behavioural self-control, with the latter in particular a very strong antecedent. Apart from the finding that a larger membership base is interested in performing organizing-oriented tasks, the results also, support a developmental view on union activism, i.e. a step-by-step approach to stimulating union activism via introducing various levels of union participation.
Variability analysis of epileptic EEG using the maximal overlap discrete wavelet transform.

To determine if there is a difference in the wavelet variances of seizure and non-seizure channels in the EEG of an epileptic subject. A six-level decomposition was applied using the Maximal Overlap Discrete Wavelet Transform (MODWT). The wavelet variance and 95% CIs were calculated for each level of the decomposition. The number of changes in variance for each level were found using a change-point detection method of Whitcher. The Kruskal–Wallis test was used to determine if there were differences in the median number of change points within channels and across frequency bands (levels). No distinctive pattern was found for the wavelet variances to differentiate the seizure and non-seizure channels. The seizure channels tended to have lower variances for each level and overall, but this pattern only held for one of the three seizure channels (RAST4). The median number of change points did not differ between the seizure and non-seizure channels either within each channel or across the frequency bands. The use of the MODWT in examining the variances and changes in variance did not show specific patterns which differentiate between seizure and non-seizure channels.
Design Methods for 3D Membrane Projection Lithography Metasurface Unit Cells

Three dimensional metasurface structures hold the potential for better performing devices and interesting new properties. However, at optical frequencies it is very difficult to fabricate truly three dimensional designs. One of the most promising techniques is Membrane Projection Lithography (MPL), which can allow for dielectric and metallic inclusions to be deposited on the side wall of a cavity. However, the design process is difficult due to the large search space afforded by these 3D structures and the many coupling environments that arise between neighboring unit cells. Fortunately, advanced optimization techniques have been developed that allow for the space to be fully explored in an efficient manner for optimal designs.
When Figurative Language Goes off the Rails and under the Bus: Fluid Intelligence, Openness to Experience, and the Production of Poor Metaphors

The present research examined the varieties of poor metaphors to gain insight into the cognitive processes involved in generating creative ones. Drawing upon data from two published studies as well as a new sample, adults’ open-ended responses to different metaphor prompts were categorized. Poor metaphors fell into two broad clusters. Non-metaphors—responses that failed to meet the basic task requirements—consisted of “adjective slips” (describing the topic adjectivally instead of figuratively), “wayward attributes” (attributing the wrong property to the topic), and “off-topic idioms” (describing the wrong topic). Bad metaphors—real metaphors that were unanimously judged as uncreative—consisted of “exemplary exemplars” (vehicles that lacked semantic distance and thus seemed trite) and “retrieved cliches” (pulling a dead metaphor from memory). Overall, people higher in fluid intelligence (Gf) were more likely to generate a real metaphor, and their metaphor was less likely to be a bad one. People higher in Openness to Experience, in contrast, were more likely to generate real metaphors but not more or less likely to generate bad ones. Scraping the bottom of the response barrel suggests that creative metaphor production is a particularly complex form of creative thought.
Repair of Radial Meniscus Tears Results in Improved Patient-Reported Outcome Scores: A Systematic Review.

Purpose To quantify healing rates and patient-reported outcome scores following repair of radial meniscus tears. Methods PubMed, Scopus, and Embase databases were searched according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Inclusion criteria included: human subjects with meniscal tears, full-text English language, average follow-up of at 1 year, and publication after the 2000. Exclusion criteria included technical, biomechanical, and cadaveric studies. Study quality was assessed using Coleman Methodology Scores and Methodological Index for Non-Randomized Studies (MINORS) criteria. Results Twelve studies reported on the repair of 243 radial tears in 241 patients. The mean Modified Coleman Methodology Score was 46.8, range 26-60, with a mean level of evidence of 3.5. Arthroscopic techniques were used in all studies, with 1 study using an arthroscopic-assisted 2-tunnel trans-tibial pullout technique. The mean patient age was 32 years (11-71). The mean follow-up was 35 months (12 to 75.6). The average time to surgery was 10.9 months (0.5-22.4). Eight of the 12 studies reported concomitant anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction, with 64% having concomitant ACL injury. The most common outcome measure was the Lysholm score, which improved from 47-68.9 preoperatively to 86.4-95.6 postoperatively. Tegner Activity Scale improved from 2.5-3.1 preoperatively to 4.7-6.7 postoperatively. Healing rates were reported via magnetic resonance imaging and second-look arthroscopy. Second-look arthroscopy was performed for a variety of indications, including removal of screw, washers or plates, dissatisfaction with original procedure, partial healing found on magnetic resonance imaging, or desire of the patient to know the true healing status before return to sport. Of those assessed, 62.0% had complete healing, 30.0% partial healing, and 8.0% failure to heal. Conclusions Patient-reported outcomes of radial meniscus repair with and without ACL reconstruction are encouraging, with high patient-reported outcomes reported at final follow-up when compared with preoperative scores. Among all meniscus repairs assessed for healing, the majority demonstrated at least some healing with an overall low rate of failure. Level of Evidence IV; systematic review of level III-IV studies.
Malignant Transformation Rate of Non-reactive Oral Hyperkeratoses Suggests an Early Dysplastic Phenotype.

The presence of epithelial dysplasia (ED) in oral leukoplakia is the single most important predictor of malignant transformation (MT). The majority of leukoplakias, however, do not show evidence of ED and yet MT of these lesions is well-recognized. These lesions have been referred to as “hyperkeratosis/hyperplasia, no dysplasia,” “keratosis of unknown significance” and “hyperkeratosis, not reactive (HkNR).” This study evaluates the MT rate of such leukoplakias. A literature review was performed to identify cohort studies on leukoplakias where (1) there was a recorded histopathologic diagnosis, (2) cases of “hyperkeratosis/hyperplasia, no dysplasia” comprised part of the cohort, and (3) follow-up information was available. There were 9,358 leukoplakias, of which 28.5% exhibited ED while 37.7% consisted of HkNR. Follow-up ranged from 15 to 73 months. The incidence of MT in leukoplakia exhibiting HkNR was 4.9%, compared to 15.3% for ED. Among oral squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) with previously biopsied, site-specific precursor lesions, 55.7% arose from ED/carcinoma in situ and 28.0% arose from HkNR. Leukoplakia exhibiting HkNR has a substantial MT rate, similar to that of mild ED, and must be recognized and managed appropriately to reduce oral SCC incidence.
Couples' Use of Online Stress Management and Resiliency Training for Sexual Health Concerns: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Abstract Introduction Mindfulness is a promising intervention for female sexual dysfunction (FSD); however, of the mindfulness interventions studied, few treat the woman and her partner. Aim We developed a brief online mindfulness, resilience, and psychoeducation intervention, Stress Management and Resiliency Training for Sexuality (Sex SMART), for women with sexual health concerns and their partners. Methods Women with female sexual interest/arousal disorder and their partners were recruited between February 24, 2015, and October 6, 2016, and randomized to treatment or control groups (received educational pamphlets). The treatment intervention comprised of an online SMART and sexual health psychoeducation module. Main Outcome Measures The Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), Female Sexual Distress Scale-Revised (FSDS-R), Sexual Desire Inventory-2 (SDI-2), Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale (RDAS), International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF), and other subjective measures were used to assess sexual function and sexual distress at baseline and 12 weeks. Results The study included 60 women and their partners (30 couples in each group). In both groups, sexual function by total FSFI scores and sexual distress scores significantly improved at 12 weeks compared with baseline, with no significant between-group differences (FSFI effect estimate for Sex SMART vs control = +1.4 (90% CI [–0.6 to +3.4]; P=.13). Both participants and partners randomized to the intervention reported significantly improved attitude and feelings, comfort as a sexual person, and subjective sexual functioning at 12 weeks. The findings provide preliminary evidence for efficacy of an online intervention for couples with sexual health problems. Conclusions A brief online mindfulness, resilience, and psychoeducation–based intervention showed no significant improvement in many outcomes (FSFI, FSDS-R, SDI-2, RDAS) of sexual health versus controls. Although this is the first online randomized controlled trial to evaluate a mindfulness-based therapy intervention, it was limited by its lack of population diversity and high attrition rate. Significant improvements in subjective sexual health and partner sexual function by the International Index of Erectile Function were reported only in the intervention group. Rullo JE, Sood R, Fokken SC, et al. Couples’ Use of Online Stress Management and Resiliency Training for Sexual Health Concerns: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Sex Med 2021;9:100404.
Ratios of Siding Depth to Cavity Depth in Mixed Convection of Air Cavity behind Vinyl Siding for Building Envelopes

AbstractProviding an air cavity behind vinyl siding within a building envelope is an approach to mitigating building moisture-related issues, which also improves the building’s thermal performance....
Agricultural surface water, imidacloprid, and chlorantraniliprole result in altered gene expression and receptor activation in Pimephales promelas.

Abstract The toxicity of single pesticides is likely underestimated when considering complex pesticide mixtures found in agricultural runoff and this is especially true for newer pesticides with little toxicity data on non-target species. The goal of our study was to compare the toxicity of two newer pesticides, imidacloprid (IMI) and chlorantraniliprole (CHL), when an invertebrate and fish were exposed to single compounds, binary mixtures or surface water collected near agricultural fields. A secondary goal was to determine whether changes in select subcellular molecular pathways correspond to the insecticides’ mechanisms of activity in aquatic organisms. We conducted acute (96 h) exposures using a dilution series of field water and environmentally relevant concentrations of single and binary mixtures of IMI and CHL. We then evaluated survival, gene expression and the activity of IMI toward the n-acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) and CHL activity toward the ryanodine receptor (RyR). Both IMI and CHL were detected at all sampling locations for May 2019 and September 2019 sampling dates and exposure to field water led to high invertebrate but not fish mortality. Fish exposed to field collected water had significant changes in the relative expression of genes involved with detoxification and neuromuscular function. Exposure of fish to single compounds or binary mixtures of IMI and CHL led to increased relative gene expression of RyR in fish. Furthermore, we found that IMI targets the nAChR in aquatic invertebrates and that CHL can cause overactivation of the RyR in invertebrates and fish. Overall, our finding suggests that IMI and CHL may impact neuromuscular health in fish. Expanding monitoring efforts to include sublethal and molecular assays would allow the detection of subcellular level effects due to complex mixtures present in surface water near agricultural areas.
Searching for "Something More": Viacom Interprets the Control Provision of the DMCA § 512(c) Safe Harbor

On April 5, 2012, in Viacom International, Inc. v. YouTube, Inc., the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit held that 17 U.S.C. § 512(c)(1)(B) requires a service provider to exert “substantial influence” over user activity to show the requisite control necessary to remove it from safe harbor protection. In doing so, the Second Circuit created a circuit split with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit regarding the proper interpretation of the § 512(c)(1)(B) control provision. This Comment argues that, unlike the Ninth Circuit, the Second Circuit rendered the statute internally consistent by giving effect to all of § 512(c)’s language. It further contends that the Second Circuit’s holding in Viacom is consistent with the broad policy goals behind Congress’s passage of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 and enactment of safe harbor protection for service providers.
Decision support systems: Tools and techniques

Introduction to Decision Support Systems Analysis and Design of DSS MODELING TECHNIQUES: Models and Model Building Models for Optimization Statistical Models and Applications SIMULATION TECHNIQUES: Simulation Concepts Queueing Theory and Simulation Discrete System Simulation Continuous System Simulation Primer of GPSS Primer on DYNAMO II EXAMPLES AND CONTEMPORARY ISSUES OF DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEMS: Decision Support Systems in Practice DSS as Instruction/Tools Game/al Building DSS as Term Project Future Trends in DSS Index.
The Electoral Geography of Violence in Iraq

Using geo-referenced terror events and ethnicity information, this article seeks to explore if and how elections contribute to violence in Iraq. Analyzing the December 2005 and March 2010 parliamentary elections and the January 2009 governorate elections, I assess whether partisan and/or ethnic competition over votes increased violence in a predicatable manner. I find that election violence did increase during election periods, and that they did so in districts where partisan competition was the highest. Even though the results show that election violence was lower when the two largest parties were of the same ethnic group, the more proportional that political parties were (in terms of number of seats held in a district) the higher the violence. The number of ethnic groups was not found to be a significant determinant of election violence.
VuSystem Performance Measurements

In this paper I discuss some performance measurements made of the VuSystem, a programming system for the software-based processing of audio and video data. The VuSystem is designed to run on ordinary Unix workstations with no specific support for the manipulation of multimedia data. Measurements made of processing times of representative filter modules demonstrate the viability of the approach.
Erythrocytic nucleoside diphosphokinase. V. Some properties and behavior of the pI 7.3 isozyme.

Abstract An isozyme of nucleoside diphosphokinase (NDP kinase) has been purified from human erythrocytes. The best preparations were purified about 9000-fold from hemolysates to specific activities of about 1000 units per mg of protein. The isoelectric point of the partially purified sample, with an isoelectric focusing technique, was found to be 7.3, whereas a highly purified preparation of erythrocytic NDP kinase described earlier was found to consist principally of isozymes with pI values of 5.8 and 6.3. The enzyme is stable and shows a wide pH optimum (7.0 to 9.5). Michaelis constants (Km) for ATP and dTDP were 1.3 x 10-4 m and 2.7 x 10-4 m, respectively. p-Chloromercuribenzoate (PMB) inactivates the enzyme completely which could be reactivated by use of dithiothreitol, suggesting the presence of essential sulfhydryl groups. Substrates such as ATP or dTDP, in the presence or absence of Mg++, markedly protect the enzyme against inactivation by PMB. Although urea at a concentration of 2 m does not influence the enzymic activity, this concentration of urea renders the enzyme susceptible to irreversible inactivation by PMB. The enzymic reaction requires the presence of a divalent cation. Mg++, Mn++, and Co++ are equally effective. Ca++ is 50% effective, whereas Zn++ and Cu++ cannot satisfy divalent cation requirement. Studies of the effect of temperature on reaction velocity yielded a diphasic Arrhenius plot with a transition point at 31°. Energy of activation above and below 31° are 4.8 and 10.3 kcal m-1, respectively.
Relationships Between Teachers and Children

Theoretical and empirical work on relationships between teachers and children relies on developmental systems theory as the foundational conceptual model, drawing heavily from basic science work in social development as well as efforts in education and prevention science. Within the past decade, a focus on relational and interactive processes to support children's development within the classroom setting has proliferated, with multiple disciplines and fields engaging in research on relationship quality in the classroom. In effort to update the current conceptual framework and continue the necessary integration between disciplines, this chapter addresses four critical areas: (1) concordance between children's relationships with teachers and parents; (2) the association between teacher-child relationships and child outcomes across the school-age years; (3) the moderating role of teacher-child relationships on children's development; and (4) training teachers from a relational perspective. Each of these four areas of research is examined in light of recent findings and considers new areas that have implications for the further understanding the nature and impacts of relationships between teachers and children. Keywords: relationships; teachers; teacher-student interaction; classroom processes; teacher effectiveness
Manual removal of the placenta; a benign procedure.

Abstract Forty-five consecutive cases of manual removal of the placenta are reviewed. All cases were delivered within the last two years, thus receiving the advantage of a unified policy of treatment. The mortality was zero. The morbidity was 2.2 per cent, corrected to zero. The technique of removal is not different from that used elsewhere. The marked improvement in results, especially the lowering of morbidity, is attributed to the relatively better condition of the patient when the procedure is performed, which in turn arises from the radically liberal indications used for removal. The benign nature of manual removal per se as a procedure is borne out by our results. That complications arise from unwarranted delay is brought out by other current series in which early removal is endorsed but not fully enforced. Two additional cases are described to emphasize this point. Since early manual removal performed on a patient in good condition is a benign procedure, radical liberalizing of the indications for it is in order.